Read Part 1 first : Expectations and Resistance
Part 2: Limits, Accents, and Acceptance
Compliments and Reduction
I did receive compliments. More than once, people told me orange suited me. Some even assumed it was my favorite color, seeing me wear it repeatedly – not knowing about the project.
At the beginning of the month, I wore full orange looks. Later, I reduced it: orange on top, jeans or black underneath. Partly because my wardrobe options were limited – I didn’t want to buy many orange pieces knowing I probably wouldn’t wear them later – and partly because it was simply too much.
I realized I prefer orange as an accent. A collar peeking out. Sleeves. A single sweater. A hint, not a statement.
Quality Over Color
Quality mattered more than I expected. One sweater had a nice color and an okay cut, but the fabric was so poor that I never enjoyed wearing it. Another piece – cashmere, beautiful quality – felt good on my body, but the shade was more muted and the cut quite conservative.
Better, but still not quite me.
Small Experiments
For a few days, I even wore orange color-therapy glasses. That, surprisingly, I loved. The world looked sunnier, softer, warmer.
But only in small doses. I don’t like glasses in general, and I can’t work or write with them. They were nice for coffee, meals, short moments.
Again: a little was enough.
Stability Without Belonging
Psychologically, the month was more stable than some previous ones. No big emotional crashes. I felt motivated, even if focusing was hard. Step by step seemed to be the only way.
I also noticed how narrow the orange spectrum feels. Compared to green, it’s surprisingly limited. Move too far in one direction and it becomes red. Move the other way and it turns yellow.
When a piece leaned too yellow, people told me how well that yellow suited me – which made me stop wearing it, because then it didn’t feel honestly orange anymore. As if I was cheating.
And orange itself has no cool version. Red does. Yellow does. Orange is warm. Always.
Unanswered Questions
At some point, I started wondering if this discomfort has deeper roots. A belief. A memory. Something from childhood I don’t consciously remember.
I can’t explain it rationally. It feels subconscious.
And instead of forcing myself to “get over it,” I decided not to fight it.
Unlike with purple, I didn’t even try to make myself love orange.
Letting It Be
I accept that maybe there will be another phase in my life when I’ll need its energy. Or maybe not. Both are fine.
I’ll stay open to orange details, accents, moments – but not to living in it every day.
Midway through the month, I was watching Desperate Housewives, and one character casually said she hated orange – that it’s a warning color, used for life vests, traffic cones, prisoners, and that it makes her look pale.
It struck me as a funny coincidence – hearing orange described out loud, right in the middle of a month I was quietly negotiating my own relationship with it.
Closing the Circle
October is coming to an end. Not just the orange month, but the entire project. Twelve colors. Twelve months. A full year.
I’m genuinely proud of myself.
There were highs and lows. I didn’t always write regularly. But I stayed with it. I wore the colors. I paid attention.
Orange taught me that not every beautiful color needs to feel like home. Sometimes, it’s enough to walk through it, notice it in nature, let it pass through your life – and then gently let it go.
