How do you style your mauve Dooney handbags?

L

lavenderjunkie

Member
Aug 13, 2014
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#1
A few years ago I was obsessed with mauve handbags. I added 2 mauve Dooney
bags to my collection. But I've found that unless I pair them with black, white, dark brown,
navy or dark grey I can't find a color combo (styling look) that pleases me.

Now that spring is here I want to use more of my lighter or brighter color handbags.
But making the mauve leather come alive is a challenge. I'm not a neutral, goes with
everything, kind of handbag wearer. Unless the clothing is very bright, I want the handbag
to be a focal point.

Any ideas?
 
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#2
I think it's all about the tone -- not necessarily the color. If you're matching tones (cool/warm), then most colors should work. Some would be surprising. Mauve and green -- sounds weird, but think about spring flowers. Mauve and blue -- again, spring skies and flowers. Hm. I guess I'm saying to take your cues from nature!
 
#4
lavenderjunkie said:
A few years ago I was obsessed with mauve handbags. I added 2 mauve Dooney
bags to my collection. But I've found that unless I pair them with black, white, dark brown,
navy or dark grey I can't find a color combo (styling look) that pleases me.

Now that spring is here I want to use more of my lighter or brighter color handbags.
But making the mauve leather come alive is a challenge. I'm not a neutral, goes with
everything, kind of handbag wearer. Unless the clothing is very bright, I want the handbag
to be a focal point.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I have this problem with grey boots. It drives me crazy to have a few in shades that never seem quite right. They lean too blue or too warm beige and never seem to achieve the look I am after from head to toe.

Anyway, I am determined to find clothing and accessories that work this autumn. It is silly for me to have brand new items I haven't worn. The game plan is to take an hour and pull out items, stick the boots next to fabrics and stand back for evaluation (an old trick from university art class). Clothing and painting are different, but standing back sometimes gives you a better perspective. I wonder if things are off as much as I think and need to get a little imaginative with my choices.

I think the suggestion to evaluate cool and warm tones are on the right track.

I love mauve tones and have purchased quite a bit of clothing from LLL in their dusky mauve and other mauve tones. Good luck! Let us know if you figure out a solution. It may help people like me.
 
#5
G.Allyn said:
I have this problem with grey boots. It drives me crazy to have a few in shades that never seem quite right. They lean too blue or too warm beige and never seem to achieve the look I am after from head to toe.

Anyway, I am determined to find clothing and accessories that work this autumn. It is silly for me to have brand new items I haven't worn. The game plan is to take an hour and pull out items, stick the boots next to fabrics and stand back for evaluation (an old trick from university art class). Clothing and painting are different, but standing back sometimes gives you a better perspective. I wonder if things are off as much as I think and need to get a little imaginative with my choices.

I think the suggestion to evaluate cool and warm tones are on the right track.

I love mauve tones and have purchased quite a bit of clothing from LLL in their dusky mauve and other mauve tones. Good luck! Let us know if you figure out a solution. It may help people like me.
Click to expand...
Lighting can really make a difference too. Time of day and natural light vs. different types of interior light make colors look very different and often mask undertones.

And, over time, I've gotten away from having to have exact matches. I guess tonal
fashion trends have finally influenced me. In the old days, I never would have worn
white with beiges and tans or different shades of grey together. Maybe that's why
I thought I needed a handbag in every shade and tone of every color!!!!!

How many different pink handbags does one person really need? 2 might be
reasonable.... a light blush and a darker fuchsia pink. But do I also need
hot pink, magenta, strawberry, bubble gum, and a few others too! Of course I do...
they are all different and all pretty.

I do think the key is getting the undertone right and also either going for contrast
in depth of different colors (light with dark) or having all the colors soft and pale.
Pairing lots of strong
colors can look like a costume and also makes it very hard to get every tone exactly
balanced.

For me, muddy tones are the hardest to coordinate. Maybe that's why elephant and
mauve are difficult for me.

Also, keeping your color pallete in mind can be helpful. If you look best in bright jewel tone,
then warm muddy tones won't pair well with your wardrobe and you probably won't like
the way they look either. So staying with a cool or warm undertone in accessories,
to match your clothing color pallete, makes sense. So, no matter how popular
elephant is or how pretty mauve looks.... maybe those colors should never cross my
doorstep.

Good luck finding the perfect matches for your greys.
Using patterns (scarfs or tops) that incorporate several colors and tones
can be helpful to making colors work and look intentional.
 
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