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Are you a beige dowdy?

(270 Posts)
Rufus2 Mon 27-Aug-18 14:07:38

During a phone talk with my nephew's wife she remarked on how most of the elderly ladies passing by her car (she was parked waiting for someone) were decked out in beige. This was in Bournemouth. Used to be retiree's heaven. She wondered why was this so? What's wrong with splashes of colour? Her (elderly) mother and my dear Vera would never wear anything beige in a fit. I put it down to the climate which can be drab. sad
Even Sir Ken Dodd picked up on this when he used to call his afternoon matinees "50 shades of beige" grin

Marydoll Wed 05-Sept-18 08:11:09

That was my colour scheme when first married over forty years ago. Carmel and cream swirl, shaggy pile carpet with accents of honey, toffee and clotted cream. grin

janeainsworth Wed 05-Sept-18 08:12:45

I think there must be a special place in hell for people who think they can convince others that brown walls can ‘reflect a sense of resilience and optimism’. grin

Jalima1108 Wed 05-Sept-18 14:25:31

That was my colour scheme when first married over forty years ago. Carmel and cream swirl, shaggy pile carpet with accents of honey, toffee and clotted cream
That sounds like a House Doctored room!

I'm sure we had some splashes of orange in our sitting room 40+ years ago ….. and swirly wallpaper shock

Marydoll Wed 05-Sept-18 14:57:57

Actually, it was a cream carpet with BEIGE swirls.grin

Jalima1108 Wed 05-Sept-18 14:58:40

beige shock

I may have had a rug like that - it was shaggy as well, even worse!

Marydoll Wed 05-Sept-18 15:08:53

Our spare room was painted ?RANGE!

jacq10 Wed 05-Sept-18 15:43:59

Our sitting room in our last home was definitely orange! It was a new property and I received a phone call to my work from the builder's decorator to ask if I could pop over at lunchtime. He had opened the tin to start painting and when he saw the orange couldn't believe it was the colour I had chosen. However when he saw it finished it looked really great. The room had a lot of cream painted woodwork on the windows and the french doors and had a large cream fireplace (which I had chosen before the orange) and we received a lot of compliments about it especially from our other new neighbours who had all gone for the magnolia!!!

merlotgran Thu 20-Sept-18 17:32:45

Doria Markle arriving at KP today makes beige looks chic - even if they are calling it camel!

Lazigirl Fri 21-Sept-18 09:22:13

I have been through the brown and purple walls, and orange (shiny kitchen units) phases through the years, but have decided now in my dotage that neutrals with a splash of colour are more restful. I think beige is very chic on women, particularly silk.

harrigran Fri 21-Sept-18 10:12:53

I thought Doria looked very elegant, she has mastered the art of understatement.

MawBroon Fri 21-Sept-18 10:18:45

Doesn’t she just?

For me “dowdy” is much more connected with styles of dress, fabrics, wishy washy combinations of colour rather than one particular colour.

Day6 Fri 21-Sept-18 13:43:43

I totally agree Maw

If I told people I had a large all of my living room painted orange they might be horrified. However, it is a shade called burnt apricot, which looks absolutely lovely.

Shades of beige are fine in my book. I sa a very elegant woman with a huge handbag and sunglasses (first thing I noticed) in St Tropez a few years ago, and she wore a floaty beige overblouse, white T shirt and sand coloured capri pants with gold strappy sandals. She looked damn "expensive" and lots of eyes were on her. Nothing at all dowdy about her. She was magnificent in beige.

It IS cheap fabric, dated style and odd combinations which look dowdy, not the colour.

lemongrove Fri 21-Sept-18 13:54:17

I like that colour paint Maw spiced honey, hmmmm, may just have to buy some of that as the study is looking a bit shabby in ivory.

petra Fri 21-Sept-18 14:52:44

Megan's mum. All my colours, but, narrower trousers and I'm sure they are good quality but they do look a bit 'crimply'
I wear those colours with my statement amber necklace.
Those shoes are a definitely a no no! has to be tan loafers.

oldbatty Fri 21-Sept-18 17:04:50

She looks fantastic. I wish I had her figure and class and sense of style.

MawBroon Fri 21-Sept-18 17:14:38

I’m in favour of the heels, Petra I may no longer be able to walk in them but they do lift beige/taupe/camel out of the “dowdy” category.

lemongrove Fri 21-Sept-18 17:41:56

I don’t like what she is wearing (Doria M) as I don‘t like matching tops/bottoms and the shoes look all wrong.

oldbatty Fri 21-Sept-18 18:12:51

She looks bloody marvelous, just as she did on the big day. No silly hat or flouncy feathers. Style. Class.

Jalima1108 Fri 21-Sept-18 19:45:37

She teaches yoga I think oldbatty