Pantone Autumn/Winter 2025 - New York Palette: Brandied Melon, Hot Chocolate and Bright White

Today I am showing you outfit #5 from my Pantone Autumn/Winter New York Palette series. This is the last trio of colors from this fall palette, and hopefully next week I’ll start the London color palette. You can see the original colors in this Pinterest pin.

Today’s outfit revolves around a mellow orange named Brandied Melon, a soothing brown reminiscent of Hot Chocolate, and Bright White, mimicking the gorgeous clouds we see meandering through the late summer sky.

I chose this unique, thrifted patchwork top for the pops of Brandied Melon. I love the boho vibe and the variety of colors and print. I looked up this brand, Style & Co, and found that Macy’s was the original retailer. I always find it interesting that I will find a certain brand and then find more pieces of that brand as I thrift. I must be drawn to them for a reason.

My Bright White Gloria Vanderbilt jeans have been around for years. I purchased them new at JC Penney, and use them whenever I need a pair of crisp, white pants that are both casual and dressy. I have a hard time photographing white, or any lighter colors outside. Oh well, not worries. You get the idea. You can see these jeans styled with a yellow sweater, a floral kimono, a velvet jacket, a fall jacket, with a white top and sweater, a black vest, and a multi print top. There are more, but you get the idea. White pants are not restricted by any season and go with every color.

Since the top didn’t contain any browns, I added my thrifted Hot Chocolate corduroy bag. I love this roomy, casual bag, and the strap is long enough I can use it like a cross body bag.

I kept my accessories simple. My faux suede, SO ankle boots were from Kohl’s a number of years ago. My necklace was from a few years ago.

If the weather was cooler, I could easily add a longer cardigan for another layer by picking another color in the top. It would look great with olive, black, white, and even the Mauve Wine (see my first outfit in this series, here.)

What do you think of these colors? Do you wear white all year round, or just in the warmer months? Please leave me your thoughts in the comments or leave a comment on FB. I love to hear your ideas.

I included a few shopping links under each item. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I hope yo are having a great middle of September!

Winter Trends - My Take on Patchwork

Last Thursday, I shared a few of the 2020/2021 Winter Trends. I know many of you don’t really care about being trendy. You are comfortable in your own style. However, I know many of my followers are interested in learning and growing in their fashion sense. Taking a look at what is trending for each season is a good way to explore different fashion ideas and take the plunge to try something new. While there are numerous trends out there for each season, I try to focus on those that best coincide with my fashion philosophy. If you missed my post on My Fashion Philosophy just click on the link to learn more.

I’m starting my Winter Trend series with my take on patchwork. Patchwork isn’t a trend that I would like to have a lot of. While patchwork is a step up from the casual hobo look of distressed jeans, I feel that patchwork is too contrived and thought out. I know that might sound silly, especially coming from a woman whose mother always put patches on our wholly jeans and elbows when I was growing up. I do like patchwork in the form of varied colored patches on jeans or a jean jacket, but it becomes a bit much when it is a whole skirt or top.

How fortunate that I found these fun patchwork jeans when my girls took me on my birthday tour. I found these at Style Encore in Findlay, OH, and they were on clearance at 50% off, so I got them for $9.00. Thrift stores like Plato’s Closet, Clothes Mentor and Style Encore are at the top of my thrifting price point, so when I can find things at half price, I feel like I am paying a price I feel more comfortable paying for a second hand piece. They are definitely higher quality stores with brands that are more top notch, so if you like brand shopping, but want the price points of a second hand shop, these are the stores to look at.

These patchwork jeans are a brand called Est. 1946 Denim, and have a soft, stretchy feel, so are definitely comfortable and made for real life. They have a high waist and while not a super skinny leg, narrow towards the ankle. I like that the patches are a lighter shade of blue. I also really like the cross hatching on the left leg (my left, ha, ha) between the two patches. The patches add texture and interest to an otherwise simple pair of jeans.

I found this long sleeve tee at the same shop as the jeans and it was also on clearance. When I saw the word Shine I knew I had to bring it home with me, even after I tried it on and realized it was a pajama top; Ambrielle brand from JC Penney. Never say never to wearing a pajama top as a regular tee shirt. We wear regular tee shirts for pajama tops, so why not the other way around. Heck, these days women wear their bras and camisoles as attire to be seen by the world! Ha, ha.

Let me tell you more about why the word Shine has special meaning for me. A fellow blogger Debbie Stinedurf of Fashion Fairy Dust, last year decided instead of having a list of New Year’s resolutions to choose a word for the year. I thought about doing that last year, but I never did. This year, when she mentioned it on Instagram, I was immediately struck by the word “light”, so that is the word I chose for myself for this year. I want to incorporate light into my life in the form of truth, and revelation, especially through God’s word and works written by fellow Christ followers. I also want to be a light of hope and encouragement to my family and to you all who follow my blog. Lastly, I want to incorporate light into my writing. I have always had the thought to have light, somehow be a part of my stories, in a similar way to Thomas Kinkade incorporating light into his paintings. When I saw the word Shine on that tee, it just seemed that it was a confirmation that I had chosen the right word to focus on.

To make the look more monochrome with an emphasis on winter textures, I added my light blue chenille cardigan. I love this soft, cozy piece and it gets plenty of wear time in the cold months.

I though earth tones would be a good compliment to this mix of gray and blue. My George satchel from Walmart a few years ago, was the perfect accompaniment as it has the patchwork vibe going on as well. From there I chose my Nine West ankle boots from Kohl’s go go with the dark brown on the bag.

Do you like patchwork? Do you have anything patchwork in your closet? What do you think of this outfit? What sort of patchwork piece might you add to your wardrobe in the coming months? Do you have New Year’s resolutions? If you picked a word for the year 2021 what would it be? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I’m including a few shopping links for things with a patchwork look. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Thanks for following along. Have a great day.