Color Play - Red and Orange Cream

As you know, the reason I like to play with color is to force myself to get out of my own preconceived box regarding color combinations. Most of us are familiar and comfortable with combinations like navy with white in the summer, or rust with yellow in the fall. We tend to stay away from those combinations that look like restaurant decor - think yellow and red (McDonalds), or team colors - yellow and green (Green Bay Packers), unless we are putting on our work uniform or going to a football game. However, I like the challenge of finding different or unusual color combinations allowing me to make better use of the clothing I already have in my closet.

Today’s outfit revolves around two new pieces I got in the last month: a red and white striped top and a creamy light orange eyelash cardigan.

I pulled out my thrifted St. John’s Bay wide leg pants. The only reason I chose these was so I could wear my knee brace without it being seen. Ha, ha. But I actually like the way the outfit turned out. Wide legs seemed to have jumped off the trend-go-round until next time, but that is no reason to get rid of them, if you have a pair. Every once in a while it is nice to wear something outside the trend box, just because it is comfortable and the right color.

My bright red striped mock turtleneck tee is from Maurices and was another great deal. I love stripes anyway. I have a few tops that are white with red stripes, but when I saw this red with skinny white stripes, I grabbed it. It is very soft and comfortable.

I also added a long pendant necklace with reds for a bit of fun.

This wonderfully fuzzy chenille eyelash sweater is the bomb. I love the fun texture and the luxurious softness of the knit. It is also extra cozy, so I have a feeling it will be popping up here and there throughout the chaotic weather of spring. I found this on the clearance rack at our local Meijer.

I used my red top handle bag again for the Valentine’s red color and added my SO ankle boots which matched my pants fairly well. However, silly me, didn’t think to put on my brown socks…ha, ha. Oh well, the little foxes match quite well.

Style Tip: To make your legs look longer and leaner match your shoe to your pants (and your socks :)). You can get the same effect with tights and boots of the same color.

What do you think of this color combination? I think it is fun and different, but not so different that it doesn’t work. Let me know what you think by leaving me some love in the comments.

I am including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. These are provided for your benefit and do not cost you anything to click on.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Pantone Fall/Winter 2020 - New York Palette - Samba, Fired Brick and Sleet

Red is not everyone’s choice of color, but this fall, both the New York and the London Color palettes offer a number of red shades that are sure to suit in one form or another. Whether you wear a whole outfit of red, red pants so they are not near your face, or just little splashes of red in your accessories, red is meant to be worn by everyone. I decided to pair these two different reds together, unfortunately the pictures don’t really pick up the Fired Brick stripes on my tee. They actually are a more brick red color. Oh well, this is about real life, so real life doesn’t always work out exactly as we planned. In fact, more often than not, it seems to be just the opposite. However, I do like this outfit, so let’s take a closer look.

I thought a little print mixing would be fun, so I pulled out these gray plaid crop pants from NY&Co. I’ve styled these on the blog before. You can see them styled with a brown moto jacket, with a silk sweater set, and with an asymmetrical vest.

My faux moto jacket is from Christopher and Banks. They do have some nice jackets, so I am always checking on their website to see what’s new. Right now they seem to have gotten away from the moto jackets, but they have this pretty plaid trucker jacket and this fun corduroy one.

My thrifted striped tee is Levis brand. Like I said, in person, you can tee it is a different red than the jacket, but for some reason it looks exactly the same. So many factors are involved in photography as my daughter would tell you.

Since the gray plaid has a light stripe in it that could be blush or tan or cream, I thought blush accessories would be fun and an interesting choice for a fall outfit. The thrifted blush bag you’ve see on the blog before and is also NY&Co brand. The booties are also making another appearance. I found these on clearance at Kohl’s a couple seasons ago and had to have them because they have bling. Ha, ha. they are SO brand.

My jewelry is very simple: a bead fringe necklace and a gold bangle bracelet.

What do you think of these colors? I do have quite a bit of red in my wardrobe, both the brighter, bolder Samba and the darker, more moody Fired Brick. What about you?

I hope you are enjoying this series. I am going to forego my Thursday columns for the next few weeks so I can get through the Pantone colors before we head into Halloween and the holiday season. Hard to believe we are already thinking about that.

Here is another look at the entire New York Palette.

Have a great week everyone.

Graphic and photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Here are a few shopping links. Be sure to take a look. These are brought to you at no cost to you, unless you purchase something of course. Every time you click on a link, I get a few cents. I appreciate every click. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

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