That is actually a very clever way to do it, especially since those base colors are relatively easy to differentiate, even for me. I'll admit that some patterns were a slight issue, but not enough to be worthy of complaining.
Knowing that I don't have to match an exact shade really does eliminate the problem. I can't speak for others, but for me personally, there is no need to go in a program the patterns to exclude certain colors. While the patterns may not jump out at me as much as those with normal eyes, I could usually see them when I looked closely (the most difficult to notice were on smaller pieces of clothing, such as certain shoulders/arms) but even if I can't see the problem and I can't get one outfit, I can always refuse the client and get another, thus really no issue at all.
While it is true I got this game to play the story, I really enjoyed the "grind" (I use quotations because it did not feel like a grind at all). Heck, I only mentioned the color issue because I MISSED being able to make outfits for clients in the end game. None of the items were excessively expensive (especially at endgame (of the current beta) where I was getting like 800 coins per outfit). The chapters were also cheap, and the payment from the required outfits was very generous. I would actually like to complement you on the integration of it. You obviously put a lot of time into the programming behind the fashion system/boutique and it is fair to make players use it (especially since each chapter only costs like 3 or so outfits to unlock, not some ungodly high number) I was unlocking hairstyles, patterns, and other items not needed to progress the story for the fun of it. If each route has as many chapters as Neil, I'd argue you could charge for the base game, not just the premium option due to the amount of content available. So do give yourself more credit lol, many adjectives come to mind when thinking about this game and the way you implemented the boutique and "hassle" is definitely not one of them :)