Princess422

Heads up you solo travelers. I have to cancel my unique 1A, with 2 large unobstructed oceanview windows, on Carnival Victory (great 7 day itinerary) out of San Juan to 5 islands, departing February 27, 2011 (best time of year for the Caribbean too).

 

There are very few 1A cabins in the whole fleet with the two big windows.

 

I'm cancelling today, so call your TAs if interested. You snooze you lose.

I don't understand - I don't know much about Carnival - is there something about a 1A cabin that is good for solos?

Very irritating end to the season. Don't care for Gretchen as a designer and REALLY don't like her as a person. LOVE Mondo! But then I'm sure he'll be very successful regardless, it shouldn't be long before his designs are readily available... I still want his Marie Claire look.

Looking at the collages above (thanks Curt), I'm surprised at myself, but I think I actually like Michael C's collection better than Andy's or Gretchen's. Too bad it's so monotonous. But seriously, the very first gown, on the top left? I'd love to throw that on for formal night on a cruise!

Thanks Anita! I had actually been looking at that skirt (and the matching jacket) at Macy's and just wasn't sure, but it does look bright. It looks similar to the navy jacket I took on my cruise:

It contrasts especially with the navy stripes in the scarf, I think, which are more dark and muted. (Note: Look how red my hair looks! And that is not a red dye, it's supposed to be light golden brown!)

I love the camel at Talbot's, unfortunately they have nothing left near my size (in that color), but I will keep my eye out and shop around a little there. Camel is supposed to be so big this fall, but I guess not unless you can afford high-end designers, because I'm not finding camel suits anywhere!

Your description of the difference between fire and earth browns really helped. It's funny, because I was always really into art class and also took private lessons, so I still have that old-school association of warm and cool colors that they drill into your brain. I also remember shopping from Avon catalogs when I was in middle school (yes, I started wearing a full face of makeup when I was only 11) and they used to label all the colors warm, cool or neutral. Blue and purple there, too, were always cool. I wonder if they still categorize their colors that way, I haven't shopped from them in years. Anyway, you get that drilled into your head and it's hard to get out.

I looked at my navy again in better light (still not great light, as we haven't had sunlight here all day) and it's a bit easier to discern. I know the glossiness of the cards is supposed to help, but in certain lighting I think it actually makes it more difficult to see. The dark brown still looks black, though, but I will be thinking of polished wood when I shop. ;)

For your Mom and shopping...has she figured out her colors? If she does, then she might jump on the same color obsession train and then the whole shopping venture becomes more understandable...

OMG, I wish I could get my mom on board. I have the exact same coloring as her - same skin, same eyes, same hair (before we both started going gray, she's now completely gray, but dyes it a golden blonde which looks nice on her). So I already told her not to start buying clothes for me for Xmas yet (because she starts early) until I give her my list and explained the whole color thing to her. When I got rid of my cool-toned lipsticks, I let her go through them first to see if there were any she wanted. And she said, "But our coloring is the same, so if they're bad for you then they're bad for me!" And I said, "I know, but you don't care!" And it's true, she doesn't. She has the opposite problem that I did; where I wore lots of combinations of black and earth tones, she wears a lot of powdery pastel air colors and TONS of white. And she has no inclination to change. It would be nice if she did, since we could have some fun shopping together.

Thanks for the advice on the browns. I love winter white suits but they are not quite so easy to find, it seems. Navy might be do-able, but since the navy on my cards looks more or less black, I don't really know exactly what I'm supposed to be looking for. Any help there? LOL Sorry if I'm a pain... but you're right, Anita, neutrals are REALLY hard. If I lived in Florida and worked in a less stodgy field, I suppose I could search for coral and aqua and yellow suits, but c'est la vie.

You can usually tell newb cruisers from the amount of luggage they bring. My wife and bring one suitcase each and wheel it onboard with us and take it to our cabin. Most of what people bring they only wear 1/2 of what they brought. There are laundromats onboard and we don't bring 'dress up' clothes anymore...PIA so we just stay in a mini suite and order off the regular dinner menu like everyone else does in the MDR...bring it to my cabin and we eat on the balcony. Shorts, sandals and shirts is all you need for clothes unless your a clotheshorse. Ater 20 plus cruises I'm not out to impress anybody with my wardrobe.

I think a lot of the posts here are confusing "newbie" with "high-maintenance." You can go on a hundred cruises and STILL have tons of luggage, carry a purse, wear high heels, get dressed up, etc... I probably will, as I do all of those things (minus the luggage, of course) at home as well. After three cruises, I suppose I still have newbie status, but I've definitely met other women on board who enjoy dressing up as much as I do - and who are veteran cruisers. I think it has more to do with individual personality than with how many cruises one has taken.

The lanyards just remind me of college freshmen, I could never wear them because I can't get that association out of my head. In college, it was only the freshmen who wore them, so maybe that's why some people think of them as a "newbie" thing, although if you don't need tissues, lip balm, gum or mints, and meds with you like I do (hence the purse, for those who don't understand that), I guess it would be convenient.

Oooh I want to do a transatlantic cruise.... I've actually seen some great deals on them - but definitely no deals in international airfare! I guess the problem is that the airfare is cheaper if you book way ahead of time, whereas the cruise is cheaper if you book last-minute. But then I'd like to do something in the Caribbean in March (give or take a month) - long winters here that I get really sick of, it was still snowing in early May last year - and RT from NYC to Florida, easy to find for under $200. And of course there are ALWAYS deals in the Caribbean, so that one shouldn't be hard to pull off. But as for the TA cruise, Anita, your mom is doing it the right way - I've heard reviews from others who went out of the states complain that they were so busy towards the end of the cruise, and then it's over, because the relaxing sea days are at the beginning - so I guess coming from Europe and having that time to relax at the end is much better. What cruise line are you taking to the Caribbean?

I am definitely going to print out all the cards. I think having a basis for comparison will be really helpful, especially for those items that I just can't seem to figure out. With blues and purples I am confused between warm and cool, and with browns I am confused between clear/fire and muted/earth. (Oranges, too, actually, after having seen the fire cards in person, as many of the shades really look like various shades of orange to me.) And I'm really confused about gray after looking at the other color cards. Obviously most grays and what I think of as "standard" gray is cool (like a mixing of black and white). But I have a suit that is a more yellowish gray, so I thought that was warm, but maybe kind of muted? But it doesn't look like earth has any grays (except for the gray green which to my eye looks sort of like a light olive). It does NOT look like the gray on my color card, and actually it looks warmer than that. Which leads into my other question, which is TAUPE!!! Ice has "grayish beige" which is the closest I have found to taupe, but some shades of taupe look more like a beigey-gray. Does that make any sense? And would that make a difference anyway? I think it would, because to me there is a thin but definite line between grayish (or cool) beige, and beigey (if it's a yellowish-beige) WARM gray. Am I analyzing this too much? And if I am, then perhaps Joby has wondered about the same thing? LOL

I'm just concerned about finding suits, I guess. Anita, I know you said a lot of fires have to live with earth-toned suits for a while and wear fire colors with them. BUT - I think there are fires who can pull off earth tones pretty well, and those who can't. And I think it's pretty clear from my test photos that I fall into the second category! I am certain that I look at least as bad in that muted gold sweater as I do in black. So I am concerned. I guess wearing a good fire color blouse is going to be key, right?

I have to start compiling my Christmas list ASAP. My parents still buy me tons of stuff for Christmas - I guess I will always be their "little girl" - and I am lucky, but my mother mostly buys me clothes and I don't want her buying me any of the wrong colors now! I usually have a fairly specific list but this time it will have to be VERY specific. And she starts shopping early so I have to get moving! This will not be easy.

That's an interesting tip, Joby - thanks! My dad has a really good printer so that just might work... or at least help a little. I'll definitely give it a try.

My favorite part of the cruise? Hmmm... the ports were all new to me - which is funny because I live in PA, and it was a NE & Canada cruise, so they weren't really far away... and I really loved most of them. So I guess that would be my favorite thing. Honestly, it was such a busy cruise - early & late port days, walking every day, all day - that I feel like I need a rest now, and I just got back from vacation! But it was definitely well worth it, I had a lot of fun.. if not a lot of sleep! Time to start looking at the Caribbean for February or March.

I just re-read my post and thought it was funny that I've been doing so much better with shoes (and other accessories) over the years than with actual clothing! Oh well, at least that's a LITTLE less I have to buy.

Hi ladies! I'm back from my cruise, and even though it was only one week, I feel like I've been gone forever! I'm sad that it's over, but my color cards were waiting for me here, so at least I had that little something to perk me up. And since I didn't spend nearly as much on my cruise as I had budgeted, I can start shopping right away! :D

Pants for FIRE are seriously an issue. SERIOUSLY. Shopping with Mom can be an exercise in frustration...the tans can definitely be too "pink" and not "yellowy" enough to go with the warm brights...the khaki's can be the same way...finding the right milk chocolate brown is like impossible...the warm, clear gray is also impossible...if you can find cream colored instead of white, that's amazing...but then who wants such light colors for their bum all the time?

 

If you like solid tops, then finding complementary prints in skirts and dresses really does become easier.

 

Otherwise, you just have to deal with finding pants that are more EARTH like...and deciding that you LIKE the way that looks...finding the darker brown, the neutral greens (army, olive, etc.)...and put those with some of your complementary brights...FIRE really needs to learn how to bend the rules until you can get those key pieces...

 

If you take a look at these two posts by Curt

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=23736418&postcount=2624

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=23736427&postcount=2625

 

then you can see what his neutrals look like...Camel is definitely one of the colors this season. Curt has a camel suit that looks great with the fire colors. I know that you are a bargain shopper Joby, but I would recommend that you scope out some great camel colored pants and perhaps watch for a great sale or just bite the bullet...get something that is the best quality you can afford for longevity and consider it a part of your capsule wardrobe...

I know this was for Joby, but thanks for the tips Anita - this also applies to my search for fire color suits, which has been fruitless so far! I have found plenty of autumn/earth navy and brown shades, absolutely nothing for fire, so I may very well have to just go with it and mix them with bright blouses, scarves, shoes, bags, etc.

What I am having trouble with is the browns, now that I have the color cards. The "medium golden brown" is very much what I had in mind as a fire color, so good (even though I can't seem to find it anywhere)... the "warm chocolate brown," however, appears almost black on the card, no matter what lighting I have, and I really thought that those very dark browns were earth shades, so I'm trying to figure out what makes this one a fire shade. If I can learn to distinguish it, I might be able to find suits in that color, but I don't really "get" it yet.

I'm also struggling with shoes. What color of dress shoes would be a good neutral (that isn't brown)?

 

Brown will be your best neutral. Unlike black, there are many different shades of brown, so brown shoes, when you can find them, will actually give your shoe some variance that owning many black shoes would not.

 

Another DRESSY neutral will be to find gold. The key on the gold will be to find one that isn't too garish...looking at zappos at flats, there is a wide range of what they consider gold...some of them are beautiful.

 

Another option would be to go into the animal prints...leopard especially...something with the brown tones...

 

Another option would be to decide for yourself that the right color can be a neutral. I once was trying to decide between some super cute red shoes and some practical brown. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to wear the red shoes with as much as I could wear the brown. Well. I liked the red so much, and it was a dull, red leather, not shiny...and it just WENT with so much more than I thought it would.

 

I found that the key to wearing colored shoes as a neutral is to NOT match your shirt, unless your shirt is a print and your shoes highlight a color. It just looks funny to have shirt and shoes match. When you look at fashion magazines, colored shoes are an ACCENT... so for example, if you are wearing a coral colored shirt and a pair of neutral brown/tan pants, go for a yellow shoe and have yellow repeat somewhere else, like a coral/yellow scarf (worn as a scarf, belt or hair accent) or have other yellow accessories. It sounds odd at first...but flip through some fashion magazines to see what I mean...notice that colored shoes only match your outfit if they match your pants...

Love these tips. I have long said that leopard print and red are my favorite neutrals! I mix them both with just about everything, and it works. I also love brightly colored shoes - I have sunny yellow peep-toes, yellow-green strappy sandals with a coral rosette, red patent platform pumps, etc, and I like to wear them as an accent color rather than matching them. I also love red and metallic gold for flats to wear with jeans and almost any top. And I just bought a pair of brown riding boots (which I wore almost every day on the cruise, because they're so comfortable, so I don't mind that I spent a little extra on them) - they are the perfect shade - lots of good brown shades for fire, I think, many very warm golden browns with names like "cognac."

Now that I have my color cards, I went through my closet earlier today comparing colors and trying to figure out what fits. Unfortunately, the breakdown goes something like this: about 40% cool colors (including black); 30% earth colors; 10% (at best) fire colors; and about 20% "I have no freakin' clue" colors... LOL. I guess I have a lot of shopping (and thinking) to do...

The jacket has a pinkish beige look to it in this picture, I think, It doesn't look like that to my eye in real life.

Now, I'm a bit confuzzled....do you think the jacket is Fire now that you look at it in outdoor light? It still looks cool and powdery to me, even against white background in sunlight.

If the jacket doesn't have that pinkish beige look IRL, maybe it is warm - I think it's hard to tell if we don't have an accurate picture. The fleecy lining on the collar and belt looks very warm, so maybe part of the reason the rest of it looks powdery and cool is because it's next to that... I have a beige corduroy skirt that might be the same color as the jacket is IRL, if it looks a bit warmer (and definitely not pinkish) - my skirt IS a warm shade, but when I was packing today (with Kim's posts fresh in my mind) I noticed that it looked somewhat cooler in comparison to my really-warm camel-colored corduroy pants. I guess what I'm saying is, there are degrees of coolness and warmness, but even a warm color will look cooler next to a warmer color. Perhaps enough to throw a photograph off.

And on the topic of packing... I leave early tomorrow morning, and probably won't be back on this thread until I return the following Saturday. Hopefully my color cards will be here by then so I will be shopping and probably have lots of questions! Don't have too much fun here without me! ;)

This must be Celebrity days. :rolleyes:

 

Celebrity also has great prices on Summit for 7 day sailings out of San Juan. I got a midship oceanview cabin, with $80 OBC (through a TA), for the Dec. 4 sailing. If you subtract the $80 OBC, I'm paying just over $100 a night for single occupancy oceanview (not obstructed) on Celebrity!

 

And it's not some repo cruise, it's 5 of the best ports in the Caribbean (six including San Juan), then a sea day at the end.

 

I'm staying in San Juan for 2 nights post cruise, in a charming Old San Juan hotel for $100 a night.

 

BTW, Dec. is a great time to sail the Caribbean ;) ... no hurricanes, and the ports are decorated with their H o l i d a y s trimmings; and so is the ship.

 

Come join me! :)

Sounds like a great deal! But I think RT airfare NYC-San Juan would probably cost more than the cruise! (Especially during the holiday season.) But have fun!

Can you see in the "color party" that IF the color of the dress were the color of the shirt, it would be "doing it's own thing"? It just doesn't "go" at all. The fact that the purple on it's own may SEEM like it SHOULD be an ice color to you, but you can see how it GOES...you have to start trusting in your eye's ability to see the harmony and blending of colors...

Yes! I see it! :D

Thanks for all the great tips! I usually do about 90% of my shopping online... guess that's going to have to change! I mean, I could theoretically throw a "color party" on my computer screen, but I guess you can't always trust how colors look on the monitor as compared to real life, especially if it's borderline. (Of course, there are always returns...)

I've been web-window-shopping at Old Navy, and re-read through the posts about Old Navy clothes on this thread, and I don't think these colors were mentioned.

I am wondering about this sweater in Ireland and Seal the Teal (LOL): http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=60790&vid=1&pid=770298&scid=770298032

I wish the green had a bit more yellow in it, and the aqua had more green in it, but I'm really not sure. I know the Ireland color was discussed in terms of a tee, but this looks warmer than that one (perhaps because of the fabric?)

This dress: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=15292&vid=1&pid=789683&scid=789683032

In Marina Blue? Still having a lot of trouble with blues. (The same old warm-periwinkle versus cool-royal problem.)

Is this top in Goodnight Nora a "light clear navy"? I'm afraid it might be more of an ice royal, but compared to the "Crowning Achievement" shade it looks warmer: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=55405&vid=1&pid=507719&scid=507719502

This was discussed in other colors (I want to get it in The Bluest Eye... it will be my first FIRE blue ever!) - but what about Gia Blue? Is that a bright fire periwinkle or a powdery air periwinkle? http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=55405&vid=1&pid=771874&scid=771874032

I LOVE periwinkle and I have never worn it because I nearly always dressed in dark and/or muted colors (the few fire colors I DO have are mostly things that were gifts - maybe people were trying to tell me something!) - so I really want to get my periwinkle issues cleared up so I can start wearing it!

This one isn't a question. I LOVE the color "Red Aloud" - I wish they had more items in this shade: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=55405&vid=1&pid=771875&scid=771875132 They have a few other items in the shade, but some of them are muted, and one even looks cool - I'm guessing the differences are due to the fabrics.

I wish Old Navy sold more office-appropriate clothing. I am going to need suits soon, and I have started looking, but have not found anything yet besides black, charcoal, light (cool) gray, and dark navy. I usually get my suits from Victoria's Secret (in seasonless stretch, the stretch cotton doesn't hold up well), Banana Republic or J.Crew, and NONE of them have any good options for a spring/fire. I am a size 0 so finding suits in my size is hard enough, most stores/brands (except expensive designers) don't go smaller than a 4, but if anyone happens to stumble upon good fire color suit available in a size 0, PLEASE let me know!

Her new line is on Amazon today and drab is right .. don't like it at all

 

I just read a lot of your book blog and it is wonderful. As a huge reader myself I must say i agree with many of your reviews (probably why I found it so entertaining !) I got a Kindle last year and I am finding it has opened up a whole new array of authors through the "free" books section. They are often a debut author (who will be on there for a few days and then on the buy it list) or the last book my an author that is coming out with something new or a who knows why its on there book .. but at the price of free I am really broadening my reading horizens! I have bookmarked your blog and will be watching it from now on :)

I've been browsing and enjoying SeaBunny's book blog too! There's a lot there, so I have it bookmarked so I can keep coming back to it. I am looking forward to reading Super Sad True Love Story - what a great review. And I've been wanting to read Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities for a while now, but it's not yet available on my Nook, but I'm waiting to see if it pops up because I'd rather get the ebook than buy a hard copy.

That was totally OT, so to bring it back :D - have read Tim Gunn's new book yet? I think it looks pretty good, not solely about fashion but also about life, and manners, as I understand it.

Then on top of it, when someone says they're "done talking" it's a dead giveaway that they have no real basis for any accusations. What was that business of Gretchen talking on the QT to Michael C after all she's said about him? She should have been AUFED for her attitude alone, which was the worst tonight.

I agree about the attitude - I would have preferred to see her go than Christopher (not that I like his line at all, either) and I really thought she might, after the attitude she gave Heidi. Do we think maybe the judges are keeping her around for ratings, since virtually all the show's viewers hate her?

As for her talking to Michael C., though - I think it's just a case of hating Ivy more than she dislikes Michael C. I get that. It doesn't mean she isn't two-faced, I'm just saying, I think that might have been her motivation.

Oh and .. I miss Cassanova .. that smile and his attitude was great last night!

OMG, I know... design aesthetic aside, wouldn't it be great to just hang out with him?

I think that was an inappropriate challenge: make clothes that look like my drab, boring line (OK, maybe if I'd had more time to study Heidi's line, I might have felt different -- nah, probably not). Great plug for Heidi's line, terrible challenge for the final 6. These folks are supposed to be doing their thing, not Heidi's. I think April came closest to staying true to herself.

 

Totally agreed with the judges decisions. Andy and Mondo were close, but it wouldn't do to have Mondo win three times in a row. And Andy did do some awesome sewing.

 

I can't really remember anything about Christopher's clothes. Did he ever have a win?

 

Ivy? What a b****.

 

Gretchen? What a busybody, know-it-all.

 

Heidi? What a diva.

 

As a big bodacious woman, I could totally have worn everything Mondo made, tho. Wish they were out there to buy.

 

Any one know what Mondo's name really is? Surely he's not named "World War?" LOL

As usual, I agree with everything you said. Except I'm pretty sure Mondo DID win three times in a row, and last night would have made four if he'd won... that would have been really insane. I actually liked his line better than Andy's, but I liked Andy's designs as well, so I'm not unhappy with the results.

I actually really liked April's looks, but not for what the challenge was - they looked like neither activewear nor anything that would sell on Amazon. I'd like to see the first look made from a dressier fabric for an evening dress.

Heidi is horrible. I can't believe how she talked about Mondo's "attitude" after she was so incredibly nasty to him. The way Heidi dealt with Gretchen - that was constructive criticism, actually more of a suggestion, and Gretchen got all crazy. The way she dealt with Mondo was just plain mean, and his reaction, although far from ideal, was understandable - and was actually gracious compared to Gretchen's.

Here is a picture Curt posted a long time ago. He had found all these FIRE shirts at Express for a rockin' deal. IIRC, he even bought multiples of these shirts for when they would wear out... His philosophy is to get it when you find it...especially in "the basics".

 

 

I'm reposting this photo because the Season thread is so long, and you might have missed this post. Anyway... the blue in this photo totally "goes" with the other colors...notice that not one looks out of place or sticks out like it's "doing it's own thing." If you try to get too analytical with it, you might look at the blue and think because it is really BLUE and not aqua-ish that it looks cool... if you try to pick out the blue alone and analyze it... so don't do that LOL... this is the help of clustering and making color parties...

Thank you, I STILL have not gotten through the whole season thread... and it's frustrating because some of the posts confuse me more than they help. (Not yours, of course, you are always perfectly clear. ;))

I see how the blue fits in... I'm confused, though, about the one on the bottom right. That looks like an ice color to me, even though it "goes" with the other fire colors in the photo... I don't get it. It looks the same as that ICE royal sweater that I took a horrid test photo in (or at least, the way that sweater looks IRL -it came out a bit different in the photo). I guess it's almost like a dark periwinkle, which leads into the next segment...

"Periwinkle" is in every palatte...A while back, I tried to find the periwinkles for some of the different palattes...here is the post that I did...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=24145490&postcount=2885

 

Here will be a very confusing statement... FIRE periwinkle is more of a purple color with a blue undertone, but the blue undertone is a "warm blue" ROFL

Okay, so that post is helpful because I can see how the AIR periwinkle is more powdery and the EARTH one is muted, but there's no example of an ICE periwinkle. Although I don't see "periwinkle" on that chart, their royal blue and royal purple both look essentially like a dark periwinkle (and, incidentally, like the shirt on the bottom right in the above photo). So then my confusion I guess is mostly limited to the darker shades, and how do I tell if it's a dark FIRE periwinkle or an ICE royal blue/purple? (Without having to buy the item first and do a test photo!)

Pink as a color is mixed in art by adding white paint to red paint... so if you add white to an orangy-red then you end up with a more coral-ly kind of version of "pink"... whereas if you start with a more blue-red and mix white, you get that blue pink. So, for all those reds in the middle what kind of pink results? Where does the line cross between the pinks as it does for the reds? And are any of the "warm pinks" NOT coral colored? Do these questions make sense to you?

 

...Post a pic of you in that sweater on the Season thread and we will all chime in with our opinions... it's the next phase that happens after figuring out your palatte... now you go through your closet to see how much stuff you have that is IN your palatte!

 

Does that help? LOL.

Okay, as opposed to the periwinkle discussion, I actually really understand your explanation of hot pink. :D I would say that the color of my top is like if you mixed a bit of white AND orange with red... and yet it still looks more pink than coral-orange. (In terms of the photos, more orange that your middle picture, more pink than the gown on the right.) I will try it on and take a photo later, though, and present it to the judges. ;)

Anita, you are so helpful. You should really start charging for this, you could make a living off of it!

First off, Kim, I want to apologize - I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to hijack your thread - I just have a lot of questions on the same subject so it doesn't seem to make sense to start another one...

And I forgot to say last time - Terri: Love your style! I love everything that you posted above (and not just the colors)!

I have a couple of questions. These shoes are labeled "hot pink" but to me they look more like a warm violet, and a fire color. But I'm not sure, so... ?

And Bluefly won't let me copy the code for photos, so I have to use the link instead - what about this sweater in "blue jay"? I am having a lot of trouble with blues. I am going through my wish list and not having much luck finding cold-weather clothes in fire colors other than ivory, camel and warm brown. I want some color! Anyway, here is the sweater:

http://www.bluefly.com/Hayden-blue-jay-cable-cashmere-crewneck-sweater/COLOR_CROSS-SELL/303426303/detail.fly

And this one in "acid lime" I can't tell if it's really more of a yellow-green as the color describes (good) or a greenish-yellow (bad, courtesy of Anita ;))... "russe" looks good in the photo but I'm afraid it might be more of a fall color IRL... and what about "blue slate" (which is very inaptly named, since it's not grayish AT ALL - it may be warm or cool, I don't know, but it's certainly bright). http://www.bluefly.com/Hayden-acid-lime-cashmere-crewneck-sweater/COLOR_CROSS-SELL/307337212/detail.fly

Have no idea about this blue:

Or this one:

Finally, I love this dress, but I can't tell whether it's a cool fuschia or a warm violet... does that even make sense?

Okay, I'll shut up for now. Too many questions, I know. I'll leave off with one that is neither cold-weather clothing nor a question, but just a great fire color dress that I fell in love with at ModCloth, only $47.99!

http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Dresses/The+Naturalist+Dress

Like Member123 said...obsession is completely normal... I think that we all go through the phases of obsessing over all the color information, especially in the beginning when we all want to completely redo our wardrobes and want to train our eyes. I think that once you feel like you "get it", it isn't so much of an obsession (taking up so much of your time) as it is just a tool that you use regularly. If that makes sense.

 

I made comments on the way I see the colors above... Since Terri was actually in the store, her comments would probably be more relevant...

I am soooo glad I'm not the only one!

 

You really need your pale green to read more like this does on my monitor...

 

... I think that the point is though, that if you are looking for a pale green, it needs to read like green with a yellow undertone and NOT yellow with a green undertone, which sounds ridiculous even as I type, but seems to be the truth...

 

I have found this to be true in general...

 

like blue... if it is a BLUE color and leaning toward the violet end of the spectrum, it looks cooler than if it approaches the green end of the spectrum...

 

green... if it is GREEN will look cooler the more it leans toward the blue end of the spectrum and warmer toward the yellow end...

 

yellow... if it is YELLOW will look cooler toward the green end of the spectrum and warmer toward the RED end...with most oranges being warm...

 

red... if it is RED will look cooler toward the blue/violet end of the spectrum and warmer toward the yellow/orange

 

violet... if it is VIOLET will look cooler toward the blue end of the spectrum and warmer toward the red...

Thank you, Anita! I know this was not for me but I found the whole post, and the quoted section in particular, very instructive. (I am still really confused with periwinkle, however.)

I also love how you get so many of your color examples (I'm thinking of the season thread as well) from nature... do you happen to teach biology or something? ;)

You have once again explained color in a way I can understand. I'm a very visual person--in Organic Chemistry I used to build molecule models with gum balls or jelly beans and toothpicks so that I could "see" what they looked like.

I am exactly the same way! (Except I would never, ever subject myself to organic chemistry... LOL) I am so glad you started this thread. :D

Okay, I'm finally going to chime in here. This thread has been very instructive, but I still have questions!

Anita: Loved the purples you posted. I think I'm finding it easier to identify fire purples than fire blues. Many of the right shades are what I personally think of as "bright plum" or "bright violet" as opposed to true purple (which in my head translates as bluish/cool). I think we all probably have different ideas of what different color-words represent, but I think that for all of us, once we see a good example, it helps to think of them in terms of our own color vocabulary. (Another example: "light warm gray" means nothing to me; but "yellowish gray" is a way to think of it that I completely understand.)

When it comes to the blues, however, I'm still utterly lost.

On my monitor, the dresses with black have a very slight purple-ish tinge to them, which is the give-a-way for the ICE version of royal blue

This confuses me, because periwinkle is supposed to be a fire color, and periwinkle is nothing but slightly purplish blue. Is it that purplish tones are okay in lighter blues but not darker ones? I don't get it...

BTW, I'm due for a new peacoat - I have several coats that are long and dressy, but my one and only casual winter coat is a peacoat in a dark eggplant. Not only do I want to replace it with a fire color, but it's getting old anyway - and after vacation, I am DEFINITELY going to buy the green Old Navy coat that Curt posted here - I just love that color! :D (And my old, dark-and-muted addicted self never would have ventured to buy such a color.) I'm also going to check out some other stuff at Old Navy, as they do seem to have a lot of winter clothes in fire colors... which seems to be (unfortunately) rare. I'm not a big fan of that store anymore (quality has gone downhill in the last decade), but they do still have some nice things, and since it's cheap, I can get some fire-color "fillers" until I can afford to spend more money on higher quality things. Now that I see how important it is to wear the right colors, I'd rather wear a somewhat cheap-looking item in my palette than a designer item that's wrong for me... and I am all about quality when it comes to clothes, so that's quite a statement, coming from me.

Terri: I LOVE the violet color in that coat... I'm going to be scouring the racks for that shade!

And I have one more question. Can hot pink ever be a fire color? I have this super-bright pink cowlneck top, and I think of hot pink as a "cool" color, but this one really seems to be warm - it's not coral, and yet the undertone seems decidedly orange/yellow and not at all blue. It's sort of like if you took Curt's "clear bright warm pink" and made it a lot brighter and darker. I guess I'm answering my own question, but I really didn't think that hot pink could be warm (without crossing the line into coral).

Thanks for the patience, everyone!

OMG, I loved reading this thread, and agree with a lot of what was posted (minus the muster drill and the toilets). Time to chime in!

Pre-cruise:

- There is a lot I love - looking forward to the cruise is almost as fun as the cruise itself - but what I most get into is shopping for clothes for it, especially formal night dresses!

- Reading through this thread is so enjoyable and reminds me of all the things I love about cruising, so I might just make it a tradition before every cruise ;)

Then...

On the way to the cruise terminal, when I get my first glimpse of the ship... it is the same feeling I used to get as a kid when we got close to an amusement park and you could see the top of the roller coaster(s) above the trees! I can't think of anything else in the world that gives me that feeling anymore.

On the ship:

- Going to my cabin for the first time & getting my first patter (and then getting every patter thereafter... love them!)

- That first drink up on the deck before sailaway

- Sitting at a bar alone - AT the bar - and chatting up the bartender. They're all so friendly, most are from interesting places and have great stories (not only from home, also from working on the ships)

- Writing in my travel journal every night

- Being rocked to sleep by the movement of the ship (yes, I know it's been said a million times here, but it might be my very favorite thing)

After the cruise:

Looking at all the photos & scrapbooking, and...

Wearing my cruise perfume. For every vacation I go on, I buy a new perfume. I won't wear it (after having tested it to make sure I love it!) until the first day so I don't have other memories to associate with it. Then, after vacation, every time I put it on, I am overwhelmed with memories and for a minute I feel like I'm back there again. I love it! (I still get this feeling from the perfume I wore in May, and now I'll have a new one soon!)

Do any cruise lines besides Carnival do Halloween stuff on the ship?

But, there's no such thing as too many shoes.

Amen to that. And heels on a ship day make me a newbie? How about they make me a girl who loves to wear heels? My friends all joke about it - how I must have come out of the womb in heels, how I can't even walk properly in flat shoes, etc. I just bought a pair of flat riding boots because I suppose I will need to wear them on my NE & Canada cruise in two weeks, at least for walking through Acadia Park in Bar Harbor... *sigh*

I am definitely guilty of eating a ton of food, taking a ton of photos, and packing a ton of stuff, and if I go on a hundred more cruises, I don't believe any of those things will change. And if loving everything about the cruise changes, my vacations probably will as well.

The funniest thing about this thread - I was reading through all the posts - first someone mentioned carrying your cruise card on a lanyard, and then someone else said carrying a purse on the ship, and I was just thinking, "Where's a girl to keep her cruise card, then?" :confused: when I read this:

I think I would prefer a lanyard to some of the places I saw women pulling their s&s cards from last week! The poor waiters who had to touch the cards after they pulled them from their bra! I would be totally grossed out.:eek:

OH.

I think I'll continue to carry a little clutch bag around, thanks. ;) Must have lipstick, cell phone (just in case), tissues, my coffee card (on Princess) and Truvia with me at all times anyway. If a cute purse makes me look like a newbie (which I suppose I still am), so be it.

I'm packed n ready! Actually I've been ready for 3 weeks!! Virgin cruiser?? In realty, Heck NO!! In my mind.... HECK YES!!! Can't wait to meet my sailing mates--Drinking the continous cocktail while sailing under the Sunshine Skyway heading to one of my favorite ports, Cozumel .... I'll give details upon my return........:D

LOVE the attitude, Debbie! :D Let us know how it goes, I'm thinking of doing a western Caribbean cruise in March, maybe Princess, maybe NCL, maybe something else, but almost certainly one that hits Cozumel!

I pity all of them designing for Heidi.

Amen to that. Has she done something that I don't know about that qualifies her as a judge? Modeling definitely doesn't count. I wish Tim Gunn took part in the judging; he certainly has better taste than Heidi.

So it is pretty much unanimous .. we want Gretchen to be the cheater ??

YES. I'm surprised no one has brought that up yet. Of course, since we want it to be Gretchen, it won't be. So who WILL it be? Maybe I'm naive, but I'm having a hard time seeing any of the remaining designers cheating. I would have expected it of Ivy, maybe, but she's gone (thank God). Gretchen is too self-righteous to cheat (unless she could find a way to justify it to herself or argue that it wasn't really cheating). Mondo is too sweet and honest. April seems to have a strong sense of self, and I don't think she'd compromise that for the sake of winning (good for her). So my guess is Michael C, who doesn't seem to do too well under pressure, with my second guess being Andy, who will be under a lot of pressure to redeem himself after last week. I don't know what to think about Christopher; he seems too nice to cheat, but I feel like we don't know much about his personality. What are everyone else's assessments?

I am pretty new to CC, and I had thought that all the message boards here related to cruising... but I was thrilled to find this thread! LOVE Mondo, and his designs - I want him to win so I can shop for his stuff at Piperlime! A lot of his stuff is too out-there for me, but he's definitely done some very wearable stuff - I know everyone loves the off-the-rack look from the L'Oreal challenge, but his outfit from the Marie Claire challenge is still my favorite (I really thought he should have won - Gretchen's ugly jumpsuit made even the rail-thin model look lumpy), with his Jackie O. look at a close second. Oh, and his revamped bridesmaid dress was just amazing.

No comments yet? What's up with that?

 

I HATED Gretchen's dress. It must have looked very different in person. To me it looked like something Margaret Dumont would have worn in a Marx Brothers movie (BTW, that is far before my time, too -- think plus-size dowager in a mature flapper-style dress)

 

Super happy Mondo won. Liked Andy's outfits. Thought April should have been in the top 3 instead of Gretchen.

 

I have not liked Valerie's design for 3 weeks in a row (at least). Ivy has been all over the place. No problem with who they sent home. Valerie will be going soon.

 

Did you all think it was funny that Gretchen thinks she "owns" burgundy. Too bad Michael had paid no attention to the fact the judges don't like that color.

SeaBunny, I agree with EVERY SINGLE THING you posted here - I guess we have similar taste. Although Gretchen's dress to me, at least from the front, was more along the lines of smelly flower child who lives in the back of beat-up van and practices crystal healing. Are the judges on crack?

My thought when they announced the bottom 3 and top 3 was I didn't think Michael C's was that good to end up in the top 3, because surely the bottom 3 is Valery, Ivy, and Gretchen. And then Gretchen ended up in the top 3 and I went *****!! Who is she sleeping with to keep ending up in the top with her shapeless, dowdy clothes?

 

Loved, loved, loved Mondo's outfit and thought it definitely deserved to win (although wouldn't have been upset with Andy winning).

Agreed. I was certain that Gretchen was in the bottom! April's designs were certainly better than hers - but even Michael C's were! It made me want to yell at the judges on the TV screen the way other people yell at football games.

About time Valerie went. I'd have auf'd her 4 weeks ago.

 

Hooray for Mondo! His outfit was the clear winner. I'm pleased he didn't tell his story until after he'd received nothing but praise for his design -- that way there was no way sympathy played a role.

 

I feel like Mondo is a sure bet for the final three. I want April to get there, too, and I think she will. I suspect the other one will be Gretchen. I would rather see either Michael or Andy (depending on how things go in the future).

Agreed, again. I adore Valerie as a person - she seems really sweet and always tries to keep a positive outlook - but no so much as a designer. I'd say that I'm surprised that she lasted so long... but then, Gretchen is still there...

And I totally agree about Mondo. I love that the judges' praise made it pretty clear that he was the winner before he told his story. And then it seems that if his story played a role at all, it wasn't sympathy, but a recognition that he has this amazing ability to turn something sad into something beautiful and even fun - in keeping with his signature. His clothes really are fun and playful, and I think that's important. I also think this challenge was perhaps (besides the back story) not as difficult for him as for the others, because there is always something personal about his designs. And I think that's why he's been so successful.

And of the remaining designers, I think Michael is the one who gets that the least. I mean, I would rather see ANYONE get to the final three besides Gretchen, because her clothes are just hideous, and I think that Michael is a lot better than the other designers on the show seem to think - but I do often look at his designs and think "boring" or "seen that before." He's not BAD, but his designs aren't usually very interesting, and I think he just hasn't really fully developed his signature style yet - I think he will do so eventually, and then he may be just amazing - but he's not there yet.

So I part ways with you at the end there, because I'd much rather see Andy in the final three than Michael. Despite Andy's extremely disappointing design from this week, he definitely has a signature look, and his designs are often gorgeous (I actually really, really WANT his resort look - for my next Caribbean cruise!), sometimes hideous (remember his supposedly "Jackie O" look? huh?) but always interesting, and always true to his own very distinctive design aesthetic. (With the exception of this past week. But I will give him a pass for being emotionally distraught.) I would love to see Mondo, April and Andy in the final three - but I just know Gretchen is going to worm her way in there.

No one's been mentioning Christopher. Which is appropriate. Usually quite elegant, but also usually quite boring.

Just want to say one more thing about April. For the first few episodes, I thought she was horrible and certainly going to be eliminated quickly - but I'm glad I was wrong, because either her designs have improved or she's grown on me. The whole deconstructed-babydoll look is definitely not something I'd be interested in wearing (with the exception of her resort look, although I thought it looked more like lingerie - but I'd probably wear it) - but I'm at least always interested in seeing her designs, and I can appreciate them for what they are. Like Andy, I think she has a distinctive aesthetic, and that's important.

Gretchen does too, of course, but hers is just horrible. I will concede that she is probably not entirely the self-righteous judgmental (ahem) "witch" with a victim complex that the interview clips make her seem... but I still don't like her clothes. At all.

Last year I got the Celebrity Summit in May to Bermuda for around $850.00 for the entire cabin inclusive of taxes and port fees. The itinerary puts you in Bermuda for three days and the weather on my trip was fabulous....look at those early Summit sailings for 2011...i think prices will come down....

 

I will be on summit April 30 San Juan to Bayonne...again the whole room is around $950.00 and that is for an 8 day cruise...... That ship stops in Bermuda on the way back ffrom the Carribean...I thought it was a great deal......

Thanks for the info! As for Celebrity to Bermuda - right now the cheapest to Bermuda is over $1100 - and that's before fees & taxes - and it's May 8th, which will be too chilly for me. I'd love to go in July, or June at the earliest - I'd like to be able to swim, and I was even chilly on the top deck of the ship down in the Caribbean in early May! I know it's more expensive in July, but I'll keep my eye out for deals between now and then. I signed up for Celebrity's emails.

That's a great deal on your April cruise - I'm looking to do something tropical in March or April so it's actually tempting, except I've done eastern Caribbean (& most of those ports) the past two years, so I'm looking for southern or western Caribbean this time. But $950 for 8 days is such a great deal, especially since I'd only need airfare one-way. Most of the deals posted on this thread are RT from FL, so I'd need to fly RT too, which makes a lot of the deals not so good.