Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Great Fall Wardrobe Makeover, Part 2 - My Fall Accent Colours

Okay, yesterday you got the "treat" of seeing the totality of my fall/winter wardrobe lying on my bed! 

You got the delight of watching me pose, sans makeup, in three things that I just wasn't sure about...

and you saw my basic colour "sets" - black, navy, grey and a bit of khaki, with a heavy emphasis on the black and navy.

But it is the other colours that make my heart sing!

I have been obsessed with colour this year.  As you all know, this was THE year of colour in retail - and they were great colours for someone like me!



and



Taking pictures for this new blog has also been very helpful.  You are all very kind and complimentary when I wear colour, which tells me that I probably look best in some colour! :-)

And I have been reading a great book on colour:

Life in Color: The Visual Therapy Guide to the Perfect Palette--for Fashion, Beauty, and You!

You can buy it at Amazon here or in Canada, at my favourite bookseller Chapters, where it is being sold very cheaply here.

This book is great because you identify your style, and your colouring.  It reminds me of the old "colour" approach of the 1980s, but it is more foolproof and seems fresher.    According to the authors, and this would seem to be supported by what I get the most compliments on, I am a Moon.  That means I looks good in most blues, kelly greens and other rich green, pinks, some purples and the odd grey.

I could see this colour theory at work when I made "sets" of my other colours:

The Greens:




My 50 shades of green tops - lots of Jackies and a couple of Tippis (in Jade and kelly green and the new retro jade I just purchased in Boston).  The print is the nightshade floral camisole.  This print will be my touchstone print for fall.  I love the mix of greens, blues and dots of pink...While it was an early spring item from J Crew, it seems more fall-ish to me.


The bottoms in green - all skirts - moss tweed, the basket weave from this summer, the gardenshade floral, the pencil skirt in jade and last year's wool pencil skirt in viridian green.

The Blues:




These are my tops (you saw the skirt in yesterday's posts along with some navy tops) - lots of royal blue in a jackie twinset, my new blythe blouse, a periwinkle blue jackie twinset, a nice floral blue perfect shirt.  These colours make me feel healthy!

The pinks:

Okay - for some reason, I threw my animal print tops in here.  I don't know why.....I think I liked them with the burgundy pencil skirt!



This set includes a jackie twinset in sweet pink, a jackie cardigan in azalea, the pencil skirt in burgundy, matchstick cords in a maroon, wool cafe capris in bright dahlia, a casual jacket in a raspberry colour, a cashmere sweater in berry and one in a raspberry colour.  Also in this pile is the tippi in safari cat (a great off-season buy) and a Natasha blouse in animal print which I bought last spring and love)

I love these colour stories, but need to be somewhat careful how I wear them to the office as it is easy for me to go over the top!  A little can go a long way, especially on somone as tiny as me (aka short!).  As you know, I am also the boss where I work, and I want to look elegant, not like a walking green machine...

These will be my fall "colours" .  They will be matched with my basics and with accessories and they should make me happy!  I see some gaps, but that will have to wait for a later post in this series called "what I need or what I am missing".

Some colours that just weren't flattering have been relegated to the giveaway pile.  I know - you can add colourful accessories to those pieces (hello, Tippi in Heather Acorn!) but the reality is, I have lots of clothes and i have decided to only keep what I truly love and that I will reach for this fall and winter!!!

I will revisit this post every time I see a "Looks we Love" on the J Crew website in colours that are SO not me, but which I admire and then try recreate at home, to usually disasterous results....

16 comments:

  1. I adore your colors! I think the animal print is such a natural with pinks, they look fabulous together!
    You have lots and lots of gorgeous green too, I have to say those Valentinas in the jade would be an excellent addition and great for your office too!

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    1. Thanks Dani! I decided to expand on the colours I have for this fall's colour story, as well as my recent aquisitions in Boston! It is really helping, doing this exercise, I cannot believe the discipline it is instilling in me about shopping and style!

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  2. I love all your colourful pieces! Take a cue from the Queen. She always look great in pics with her colourful outfits, which are designed to catch the eye. A great tip to hold your team's attention and project leadership/confidence, IMO.

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    1. I agree completely! And the Queen just recently caught the attention of Daniel Craig - perhaps that would be me, too?

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  3. I have the tippi in the heather acorn,aka camel too and it makes me look sick too,lol and i always have to wear a bright scarf with.
    Learned my lesson,no more camel as a top for me:).
    Great colors as accents!

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    1. It was the darn "Looks we Love" where they showed it with the pale brunette model, coupled with the jade skirt, which I already owned. It was such a lovely little outfit! For me, one of the real problems is that the colours on the web are SO much lighter than real life! It is a real challenge, as when things arrive, I often go "huh?"

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  4. Your colors are fabulous. I know from seeing your pictures they bring out the richness of your coloring and will look wonderful this fall and winter. I wish I was as disciplined.

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    1. Well Tiffany, hold me to it! I am going to try to stick to these, but I am sure I will divert! Plus, I have my other basics - little camis and blouses in white, champagne, mint and silver that will also help!

      For me the big issue will to avoid getting "excited" about the next big thing...

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  5. I have been thinking about purchasing a heather acorn Tippi lol! I thought it would be a good neutral to offset some of the color I like to wear, but I don't know how it will be with my coloring. Beiges are like grays for me. Some of them look awful with my skin tone but there a few that work. I was thinking about trying the "marled camel" TIppi cardigan as an alternative.

    I love this post, you have amazing color in your wardrobe. I like the idea of choosing a print and pulling your color story from that.

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    1. Thanks Cate - I can wear the odd chocolate brown, but it has to be warm. The heather acorn was lovely but it was more towards the beige end of the colour scheme for my taste! I realized this week that I have only colour on my walls that I would wear on my body - purely subconcious!

      Let me know how you make out with the marled camel!

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  6. I think the deep saturated colors like your give off a vibe of confidence and style. As long as you're wearing the clothes and they're not wearing you, you'll be perfectly put together. You have so many outfit options - where will you begin?

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    1. Ah - now I will be on to Polyvore!!!! You are right - there is a lot to work from, once I separated the wheat from the chaff! And my vow is to only keep things I actually wear (besides party frocks, for example). If I head into October/November and things are still sitting there, that will be the sign I have not been brutal enough!!!

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  7. Beautiful colors!!! I am addicted to jcrew!

    www.simplyxclassic.com

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    1. Thanks Miriam! You are so cute! Your blog is very fun!

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  8. I am a green fan, too. I like the way the animal prints go with your pink story. I see a need for some rich navy to balance the brights. I think bright colors exude a confident vibe.

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