Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2021 - London Palette: Green Bee, Downtown Brown, and Olive Branch

Hi everyone! November is zooming along and I am still trying to get back into some sort of rhythm, not only here on the blog, but in life. Anyone who suffers from a long term illness can relate to what I am talking about. Not being able to sleep for such a long period of time and still dealing with unresolved symptoms make it hard to get back to what I would say is a normal routine. However, I know there are people who are struggling with much worse situations and I am thankful that I am able to do as much as I can. In fact, this past weekend, we were able to travel to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday with her, so that was good.

Unfortunately, there has also been other difficult things along the way. My son-in-law lost his grandfather this past week and I know that has been a great loss for the whole family. He was a dear man, a wonderful painter and loved his family, so he will be missed. As many of you can relate, it seems as we get older, we see loss happening around us at a more frequent pace. This too is part of life, and for me knowing God is holding me and my loved ones during these times, makes it a little less painful.

Now on to another outfit. As I said last week, while I am wildly behind, I decided to go ahead and show you these Pantone London Palette outfits as possible sources of inspiration for Thanksgiving Day wear. Many of you will be celebrating with friends or family and it is a good reason, to get out of those sweat pants and dress up a little bit, if just for your own mental well being.

You can’t go wrong with a pair of trousers, a pretty top and a fun scarf and bag. Obviously, you can pick your colors, but I chose to combine these earthy tones for a look that is a mix of military meets, moto chic.

My Downtown Brown moto jacket is a thrifted piece that I have styled on the blog before. It is a brand called Celebrity Works. I do like this medium milk chocolate brown. Browns can be tricky to wear, especially when they contain a little too much gray or a little more red, or well, you get the idea. A true brown is hard to find, but I think this brown hits the mark, so thank you Pantone for that one.

You’ve seen my Olive Branch pants numerous times on the blog as well. As I look at them in these pictures, I am thinking I might need to find a replacement pair. These are starting to look worn and really don’t look very flattering. Of course that may have had something to do with my chubby thighs. Ha, ha. These were Gloria Vanderbilt brand and I probably got them at Kohl’s.

For the Green Bee color I chose a thrifted Studio Works popover top that I did the front tuck on, which gave it the blouson effect. I also added the Green Bee paisley print scarf. The thought to add the Dana Buchman floral bag was a last minute addition, but I like how it pulled everything together. A fun floral bag is a great addition to your wardrobe, especially when it can serve multiple season duty. This one works just as well in spring, summer and fall.

I chose my trusty Olive Branch SO ankle boots for my shoes. My ankle boots definitely get used in these cooler fall temps.

What do you think of these colors? Would you wear an outfit like this to your Thanksgiving celebration? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments below.

I am including a few shopping links. These are affiliate links and are brought to you at no extra cost. If you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through one of my links I get a few more pennies. I appreciate every penny! All opinions are my own. Please note, I am not familiar with all of the retailers I list in my links, so be sure to read and understand their return policies in case something doesn’t fit or isn’t to your liking.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Until next time, have a great day.

Photo credit Jessica Trumbull with Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2021 - London Palette: First Blush, Ibiza Blue and Ultimate Gray

Due to my longer than usual absence from the blog because of my illness, I am going to bypass the wrap up of the New York Palette and the Intro to the London Palette for the Pantone 2021 color series and jump right into the London Palette, so that I can get this series concluded and get on with new content. I have been trying to give a more daily content on Instagram, which now also shows up on my regular Facebook account, but unfortunately, I have not been posting over on my Granny page. I guess I should start doing that as well. You would think all of these things would just be linked together. A few of the meds I am on are making my brain a bit dopey, so bear with me as I try to get things back into some sort of regular routine.

Here we are again, looking at a pastel pink on the fall color palette. I know pastels in fall are no longer taboo, but my brain still looks at this and thinks, “What a great spring outfit!” Maybe I should have paired First Blush with one of colors that seem more Autumnal to me, like Tomato Cream or Downtown Brown, but I liked the combination of blue and pink, so this is what you get.

My Ibeza Blue plaid shirt is a thrifted Faded Glory piece. I used this same plaid shirt in the spring for the French Blue color that was on the New York Palette. You can see that post here. You’ve seen these thrifted, distressed Lane Bryant jeans numerous times on the blog as they are one of my faves.

My First Blush jacket is also a repeat from my closet. Originally a Christopher and Banks purchase, this faux leather piece has some knit panels on the sides and under the arms to allow ease of movement and stretch. I added the scarf to bring in a little bit of added interest and additional color, plus with this being a fall outfit, the need for a scarf seemed more likely.

Ultimate Gray, once again makes its appearance on the London Palette, so I used this for my accessories in the metal chain belt, thrifted fold over bag and my silver sneakers. The only thing I did differently was the rose gold pendant. I just liked the way the color popped against the blue plaid.

While this look is certainly not what we would typically think of for the holidays, if you are more into pastel colors, this is a great casual look for that Thanksgiving celebration, especially if it involves a bit of shopping afterwards.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. Remember to order soon for Christmas. We have all heard how things are taking longer and some things are back logged so be sure to get your orders in, or even better, don’t deal with that added stress and try to buy local. That is what I am thinking about doing at least for part of my shopping this year.

These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Jessica Trumbull with Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone - Spring/Summer - 2021 - London Palette - Pirouette, Indigo Bunting and Polar Night

As always, with the Pantone color series, I find their choice of names for their colors intriguing. Today’s colors center on a pretty purply pink, called Pirouette, which, of course, makes me think of a ballerina. Indigo Bunting is a pretty blue, much like the bird after which it is named. I have had the privilege of seeing an Indigo Bunting flitting through the trees at one of our local metro parks a few years back. They regularly reside in Ohio in the summer time, but like to hang out in abandoned fields, scrubby bush areas and areas with red cedar trees, none of which I have around my house. Polar Night, much like its New York partner Inkwell, is a very dark navy blue.

This fun, multi-print dress is a few years old and was a Kohl’s clearance purchase. I really like many of the pieces by Vera Wang, made specifically for this retailer and called Simply Vera by Vera Wang. These are the pieces that real world women like myself can afford and wear. I have styled this dress, like a tunic for a trip we took to Florida a few years ago. You can see that post here. The dress really contains all three colors, except that its blue borders on being more of a teal.

I decided to add the bright blue sweater, another Christopher and Banks cardi, as my attempt at the Indigo Bunting. It is a tad bit bluer and maybe brighter, but I think it works well. I would have never thought to pair it with this dress, but I like how it looks.

This is me being silly as I commune with nature. Ha, ha.

I centered all my accessories around the necklace that is perfectly Pirouette. Since the beads are strung along a silver chain, I went for silver as my accessory color of choice. My thrifted silver clutch and my SO ballerina flats makes the outfit just a little more dressy.

What do you think of these colors? Would you wear them? Do you have any of these colors in your closet? Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment here on the blog or on Facebook.

Don’t forget, I also post on Instagram and typically you’ll see more of what I wear on a regular basis. Right now my daily looks are very casual, since I am not working, but you’ll definitely get to see more of my clothes, that don’t make it to the blog.

As usual, I am including a few shopping links for these colors. These are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Have a great day!

Graphic and photo credit, Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone - Spring/Summer - 2021 - London Palette: Illuminating, Marigold and Ultimate Gray

Illuminating and Ultimate Gray are the two colors of the year, so just like I did for the New York Palette, I decided to pair the two colors together and for this one I added Marigold, which was also on the New York palette.

We decided to go to the Toledo Botanical Gardens again for these pictures and we did come across some beautiful blooms. This particular bush is a rhododendron. I just did some research and found out that all azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas. Whether you like azaleas or rhododendrons they are all beautiful.

Once again, I chose my recently thrifted bright yellow jacket to serve as the Illuminating color. The jacket is D&Co. (Denim and Co.). It has a nice stretch to it and I like the 3/4 length sleeves for a change of pace.

I’ve styled my medium yellow tee on the blog before. You can see it styled with a leopard print skirt. Having tees in a variety of colors comes in handy when you want to put an outfit together. This thrifted tee is Apt. 9 brand.

My Gloria Vanderbilt jeans were another Kohl’s clearance find. They are soft and stretchy, so great for my fluctuating weight. I say fluctuating, but it really doesn’t go up and down. It either stays the same or goes up. Ha, ha.

I wanted my accessories to make a statement since the outfit itself was not overwhelmingly interesting. I found this pretty layered necklace in gray tones somewhere along the way. I think it was a thrift shop nearby. I added a few beaded bracelets to tie the jewelry together.

When I decided on the thrifted tan loafers, I knew my Nine West snakeskin print circle bag would be the perfect piece to complete the whole look and bring everything together.

What do you think of these colors together? Do you like the lighter yellow of Illuminating or the richer tone of Marigold? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I appreciate when you give me your feedback. It can be kind of lonely as a blogger, when I don’t know if anyone is reading my content or looking at my posts, so I really love to hear from you.

I am including a few shopping link for you to enjoy. These are affiliate links and are brought to you at no cost. If you click on a link I get a few pennies and I appreciate all of your clicks. I do not get paid to write my blog, I do it as a hobby and as a service to whomever wants to follow along. I hope that I inspire you to take a second look at your wardrobe and see new ways to put things together, that you never thought of before.

Photo and graphic credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone Fall 2018 - Red Pear, Nebulas Blue and Sargasso Sea

Last week, I introduced you to this fall’s Pantone color palette. Now that I am just getting started with my series, I noticed their website already has the color palettes up for Spring 2019. I understand that in the fashion and interior design industries they always need to be one step ahead, or all of a sudden things have gone out of trend and disappeared. That reminds me of a verse from the book of Ecclesiastes which was written by King Solomon.

“That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.”

— Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NASB)

Even a man as wise as Solomon, knew there was nothing new under the sun. Look at the movies and books that are currently out. It is pretty much the same story, just written with different characters and a different setting. Heck, how many times have they revisited Spider Man and Predator? Ha, ha. That being said, the color palettes that come out are really nothing new. They call them by different names, make one a little more blue based or yellow based and say they are fresh and new.

However, I do enjoy color and I like to create outfits using color in combinations that may be new or different, at least for me. Following the color palettes that Pantone puts out each season allows me to do just that.

Here are the first of this fall’s palette.

Red Pear and Nebulas Blue are on both the London and New York palettes. Sargasso Sea is one of the classic colors or what I like to refer to as a grounding color. Red Pear borders on a maroon and my pants are really too red, while my version of Nebulas Blue appears spot on. Sargasso Sea is navy by any other name, but even there you can see all the different shades of navy. My Ralph Lauren thrifted blazer is almost too blue, while Sargasso Sea seems to have more gray in it. I think my loafer heels and bag are a little bit closer to the Pantone color.

I added this colorful bandana for a scarf as a way to bring together the red and blue and add a pop of yellow.

The blazer, shoes and bag were all thrifted. The bag is Simply Vera Wang; the blazer is Ralph Lauren and the loafer heels are Relativity. Everything you see in this outfit with the exception of the scarf I have styled on the blog before. It just goes to show that our closets are a great place to look for new color combinations and outfits.

What do you think of these colors? Do you think these colors represent the fall season? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I have received a few messages that people are having problems commenting on my blog posts. If you an issue, please let me know. I contacted the help team for the platform that I use when I had a problem in the past and they said they couldn’t see any problem on their end. If you have an issue, please shoot me an email, so I can see how widespread the problem is.

I’ve included a few shopping links. These are affiliate links, which means I get a few cents if you click on it. All opinions are my own.

Pantone Fall 2018 - Introduction to the Color Palette

Once again, I am visiting the Pantone fall color palette. If you are unfamiliar with the Pantone Institute of Color, they are considered to be the leaders in color technology. Here is a quote from the About Us portion of their website.

“Pantone provides a universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization – leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides customized color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce approved Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories”

— Pantone website

There are two major cities in the fashion industry that put out their corresponding color palettes for each season. The graphic below shows a combination of the New York and London Fall palettes.

This year’s fall palette is a blend of traditional seasonal hues, soft pastels and pops of bright color making for an interesting color mix. You could pick one color from this palette or all of the colors and when combined with other seasonal trends such as animal prints, plaid and camo make amazing outfits that go beyond our normal expectations for fall.

In addition to the twelve colors above, last spring Pantone also began putting out a classic color palette. While these colors remain more neutral and unchanged, thus the classic descriptor, they present an option for what I call a “grounding” color for our outfits. While some people like to wear color on color, others like to have small pops of color with a more classic foundation to keep their outfits grounded and impeccable.

Next week, I will begin showing you how I put these colors together to form outfits that are both classic and colorful. For now, here are few sneak peeks. I hope you’ll join me then.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone Spring 2018 - Recap

Now that my series is over, I thought I would show you all of the outfits together for a fun review. Just a refresher, the Pantone Color Institute puts out a palette of colors twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. These colors are the basis from which designers, both fashion and interior, draw their inspiration for fabrics, clothing, paint and furnishings. I always consider it a challenge to draw outfit inspiration from these colors, even the ones I may personally not like. Let's face it, not all colors are necessarily pretty in everyone's eyes. However, I think it can be good for our brains to think outside the box and try new things. 

These were the two palettes. Many of the colors overlapped and I made reference to that in the posts. I personally think these two palettes were perfect for spring. Most of the colors were bright or light, with a few more earthy tones, which combined rendered great spring outfits. 

Here were my outfits. If you click on the picture it will take you to the original post.

I was glad that Pantone added the four classic colors of Sailor Blue, Harbor Mist, Warm Sand and Coconut Milk. These colors are perfect for grounding an outfit and keeping it from getting too over the top with color. Is there such a thing? Ha, ha. 

I think out of all of the colors from both palettes my favorites are Ultra Violet, (no surprise there, since I love purple), Arcadia, Pink Lavender and Ash Rose. All but Arcadia fall into the purple range. What can I say, I love purple! If I ever had a sports car it would be dark sparkly purple. Ha, ha. 

I hope you enjoyed this series. Let me know in the comments what your favorite colors were from this spring's two palettes. I always love to hear what you are thinking. 

Join me on Thursday for my Outside the Box column. You never know what I'll be showing off there. If you follow my Faith page, check back tomorrow for more on my Mulling It Over series as we delve further into 2 Timothy 2. 

Have a great Tuesday!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. 

Pantone Spring 2018 - Introduction to the New York and London Palettes

This spring, the Pantone palette is full of pastels. Both the New York and the London palette have a number of overlapping colors that instantly say spring. I am excited about introducing this series to you and even though the colors have been on the Pantone website since last fall, I feel that the end of February and beginning of March are the perfect times to introduce spring colors. 

I'll confess, up until a few days ago, I couldn't even think about spring. As much as I want it to be here, I know there are still cold days ahead. However, with a forecast of temps in the forties and fifties, I think I can finally blog about spring, knowing that it will soon be here in all of its splendor.

The above graphic as well as the photos in this post are done by Rebecca Trumbull. Rebecca, not only takes amazing photos of all varieties from pets, to weddings, to seniors, to models, she also dabbles with managing social media accounts. If you need someone to manage your social media Rebecca might be a good choice. She is organized, has strong business savy and knows her way around the internet. (She didn't ask me, or pay me to advertise, I get something better, she's my daughter!)

As you can see by comparing the two palettes there are seven overlapping colors that appear on both palettes. These are :

Cherry Tomato - an orangey red described as "...impulsive....demanding attention...courageous..."

Blooming Dahlia - a peachy salmon.."subtly alluring...with understated appeal."

Meadowlark - a pretty yellow, described by Pantone as "glistening with joy and illuminating the world around us."

Pink Lavendar - lavender with a little more pink and a little less blue. Described as, "..soft and romantic...that charms with its soothing sense of quiescence."

Ultra Violet - Medium purple with a "complex and magical" hue. This is Pantone's choice for Color of the Year. 

Almost Mauve - this ultra light blush is perfect for using as a neutral and pairing with any other color. 

Lime Punch - appropriately named, this color makes me think of citrus fruit and warm sunny days. 

In addition to these duplicate colors each palette has five other colors:

New York Palette

Little Boy Blue - the color of sunny skies and a feeling of "expansiveness". 

Chili Oil - think spicy for this deep reddish brown. 

Arcadia - a green with blue undertones, reminiscent of tropical waters.

Emperador - a rich chocolate brown.

Spring Crocus - described as a "...witty and flamboyant...fuchsia shade...."

London Palette

Palace Blue - not quite royal, but "...sparkling with energy...."

Ash Rose - a more earthy darker pink.

Nile Green - reminiscent of sage and honeydew melons.

Spiced Apple - similar to Chili Oil, but with a deeper brown.

Rapture Rose - a pinky red "...that brings flirtatious charm to the Spring 2018 palette."

In addition to each palettes' twelve colors, this year they added four Classic Colors which can be used with any palette choice for a foundation from which to build an outfit. These are the same for both New York and London and are:

Sailor Blue - dark navy.

Harbor Mist - light to medium gray.

Warm Sand - tan with more yellow tones.

Coconut Milk - white to off white. 

The following photos are some sneak peaks at my series that will start next week, where I will feature outfits using two or three of the palette colors as well as a classic color. 

I hope you'll join me next week as I begin my Pantone Spring 2018 series. Check back on Thursday for my Old Becomes New column. 

Have a great day. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Shelbee in The Spread the Kindness link up and Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. 

Pantone Fall 2107 - The London Palette - Royal Lilac and Golden Olive

This is the final installment in the London series of colors from the Pantone Fall 2017 palette. I love the brightness of these two colors, especially together. For some reason they make me think of fall and of a Bohemian gypsy vibe. Maybe it is a flash back from the bright psychedelic colors of the late 60's and early 70's. Royal Lilac is a purple worthy of a king. Purple is one of my favorite colors and we rarely see it on the runways and magazines of the fashion world. Purples in those realms seem to tend more towards wines, burgundies or maroons.

Once again, let me say that when I look for these colors I try to get as close as possible to the color that is being portrayed in the Pantone palette. My colors do not always match exactly, but the point is to introduce you to the colors on the palette and show you ways to style those colors. Just like Toast and Copper Tan, Golden Olive was a difficult color to find. I had this top in my closet and the actual color seems a bit more green than what appears in the pictures, but not quite like the Golden Olive.

Out of all the color pairings that I did from the London palette, I like this one the best. There is something about the contrast between the purple and the mustardy yellow, that appeals to my inner gypsy. In keeping with that idea, I thought I would accessorize with a brown hobo bag and brown slouchy boots. 

For my jewelry I added a brown lariat choker and a long metal and bead necklace that tied into the purple skirt

One of the other things I like about this outfit is the comfort. The material of the top and the skirt is basically heavy weight tee shirt material, so it moves with me and there is no binding or pinching. This is also a great transitional outfit as the weather cools. The 3/4 length sleeves on the shirt, the maxi length skirt and the boots all provide full coverage for those chilly days ahead. 

What do you think of these two colors? Do you like them? Would you wear them? I hope you will leave me a comment in the comments section below. I appreciate when you do and it helps my blog grow.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a shopping link below, I get a few cents. Every lttle bit helps, so thank you for the clicks. Part of why I include the links is to show you real items that are currently available in the colors I post, or at least close. All opinions expressed are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Thanks for hanging out on the blog today. Check back on Thursday for another Fall 2017 trend.

Pantone Fall 2017 - The London Palette - Flame Scarlet and Otter

This year the Pantone Color Institute decided to share two color palettes for fall. Both the London and the New York palettes have similarities, such as Navy Peony and differences. However, I feel that both palettes feature rich colors that easily transition us into fall. You might feel that these colors are not for you and when I first looked them over, I was not excited, but as I began to ruminate on them and look for pieces in my closet and at the store that would best represent each of these colors, I grew excited to see how each of these palettes would translate to real outfits that an actual woman would wear. 

To keep this series to a minimum I decided to challenge myself to come up with outfits that use two of the colors at a time. This week I am featuring a bold, rich red labeled Flame Scarlet, paired with a warm hue called Otter.

I've styled these Worthington brand trousers before on the blog. You can see that post here. This light weight open weave sweater is a great piece for transitioning to fall. Days can still be warm, but mornings and evenings can be cool. I just put a similar colored tank underneath.

I opted for black accessories and kept them to a minimum. I felt the black was a suitable contrast for this two toned outfit. A single strand beaded necklace and a beaded bracelet were my only jewelry. 

I dug this black top handle bag out of my closet, all the while wondering why I have so many purses and bags that I don't use! It is like clothes and shoes. I keep intending to come up with other ways to style all these different pieces, but life!

As you can tell by the fact that this post is a day later than I normally post, that my life is crazy busy. I have been back at work putting in about 30 hours a week, picking up my grandson from school and then trying to spend time with my spouse in the evenings, after which I simply have no energy left to work on the blog! Oh well, that's me...Hi! My name is Amy and I am an actual woman!

My shoes are a simple black pump that I've worn on the blog before. 

I like Flame Scarlett paired with Otter. What do you think? A bold color with a more subdued neutral? Or do you like to pair two bold colors? Maybe you like a more neutral palette all over. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. You feedback is very important to me. 

Below you will find some shopping suggestions. These are just options so you know what is available in these colors. This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a shopping link I get a few cents. If you purchase something through my blog, I get a little commission. I appreciate all your clicks. 

I hope you enjoyed this look at the first two colors of the Pantone Fall 2017 London color palette. Thank you for stopping by the blog.