Wardrobe of Color

Sometime the end of last year, I decided to downsize my wardrobe. After throwing out all the clothes I didn't like or wear, I noticed a very prominent theme;

Black.

And red.

That was it. I had black shirts. Black pants. Black jackets. Black skirts. A red button up shirt. Two shirts with purple and red floral patterns. And a red vest.

I must look like death to my coworkers, I thought, ransacking my memory for any combinations I might possibly be using that didn't look primarily Gothic.


I need more color. 

My first attempts at shopping didn't work. If I just went looking for something I liked, all I'd find would be more black and red. I picked up a very nice black vest that way, but most of the time, I convinced myself to put whatever it was back on the rack. Nothing else looked interesting.


Alright. New strategy. We're going to pick a color and look at everything in that color until we find something we like. What's the opposite of black?
 
For some reason, I decided that color had to be orange.

I found an orange button up that I could wear under other colored vests. Made for a nice accent.

Also took to wearing scarves more often, especially in my hair as color accents and bows. Since I was struggling to find color, the option seemed to work.

My best break out picture, though, didn't involve orange. It involved this skirt I found while searching for orange. Teal, lace, and a bit shorter than I'm accustomed to wearing. I still feel a little bit awkward with it at work, although no one's said anything about it. I wear it less often than I would like.

I also pulled another orange item out of the repair pile. I found the sundress at Five Below (I now have a collection of five or six of these sundresses), but was only able to wear it once before it started falling apart in the wash. Basically, I can't repair this one to the point where I could wear it without a shirt over top, but it still makes for a very pretty and reliable skirt.


It also matches my workplace's promotional swag, which is convenient. They've given me both a t-shirt and a ballcap with the new logo, and it can be fun to suck up a little. Especially since it's basically black, orange, and white... my three favorite colors.

I've discovered that one style I particularly enjoy is to take a button up shirt and use it as a bolero jacket. Just tie the ends together. I continue to use that style, especially in the summer, because my workplace is freezing cold even when the weather outside is boiling. This gives me the flexibility of outfit to be able to take my lunch time walks and survive the great indoors.

I do like my winter outfits better though. Tights and leggings are cute, and boots are more enjoyable than sandals, but it's just too warm to wear those kinds of thing in the summer. Also... I need to replace my boot collection. They're getting worn down.


Oh, the necklace I'm wearing in this picture is actually a head band that my sister gave me. Turns out, it's rather painful as a headband (those metal leaves will dig into the scalp!), but it makes for an excellent accent when it isn't buried under my hair.

Autumn colors and leaves are so pretty. And the white-red-black combination is striking, especially when paired with the dark green stripey shirt. This might not be what I had in mind when I said "add colors to the wardrobe," but I still like my old favorites. It's more a case of adding options than of getting rid of old favorites.


And... there's my favorite dress of all, the one I bought in Marathon. This one is probably not the best style I've worn it in, but hey. I was on vacation!