I wanted to expand a little on having Sue “do” my colors. (Are things like this ever “done?” No, no they are not. They are examined and explored.)
I had developed a core set of colors that look good on me. But how much navy and cognac can one woman wear? I wanted a better sense of which ordinal points would best guide me in going beyond dark blue. And I was making one very wrong assumption, now that kept landing me in lavender, all bilious and everything. I thought that looking good in blue meant I should wear cool colors, whereas in fact there are dozens of “navies” in this world and it’s the browned, muted tones that should guide me. No more pale lavender if mustard exists. Smoky lavender being quite all right.
To put it as though this blog were our office, and we needed trite motivational posters on the wall, The Best Consultant Doesn’t Give You The Answers, Just The Right Questions. (Have you all watched Severance?)
Anyway. I ordered this dress. $50, linen, might be garbage. But I wanted a summer dress with sleeves, for sweltering errands and dinners outside on warm evenings, and this seemed like a good test case. Worn with my Céline bag?
I considered this t-shirt,
but in the end am too wedded to a certain severity of appearance (that will disappear the moment I open my mouth.)
Now I’m looking for something olive. Maybe this.
The only piece of clothing I’ve put in the Goodwill pile so far is a J. Crew tweed pencil skirt. I’m in no rush, and I’m thoroughly enjoying new ideas.
Have a wonderful weekend.
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18 Responses
I LOVE that mustard dress, was SO tempted by something similar a few weeks ago but in the end left it in the shop for its twin in a heathered cerulean. Still not sure I made the right choice so I’m glad you can play out at least a few mustard-flavoured days on my behalf (you will, won’t you?) (and I have no idea what Sue might say about mustard for me, but having known, absolutely, that I “couldn’t” wear it most of my life, I hear it calling more and more these days, and when I yield to the temptation, I get compliments. Shrug emoji needed here. xoxo
Frances, I feel your shrug in my bones. I will certainly wear the dress, if it’s good, in your honor. I’m so glad you like it!
The dress looks a brighter than the rainbow I see in the photo from last week but I think it could work. I like how the gathered up front doesn’t run around to the back. It looks cool without sending you into babydoll land. Presumably you’ll let us know.
The yellow shirt doesn’t seem like it falls into the same family as what I see draped over your shoulder at all.
RoseAG, I will definitely let you know. I have zero desire to entire Land of the Babydolls;) And the color may not be right, the yellow might not have been right. What with colors showing up on the monitor different than IRL, I figured it was worth a shot. But we. shall. see!
I am enjoying your adventures with colors, particularly because your own enjoyment is evident, and catching. Thanks for sharing this.
Marsha, Thank you! Glad it’s fun for you too:).
Please report back on your satisfaction with the dress. I find less and less in stores that interests me (when I can be interested to go to a store in the first place). There is so much great looking small-batch independent start-up stuff on the internet and I’d love a good way to identify the great from the scam.
Enjoy your playing.
Kristin, I will! It’s going to be a full ten days before it arrives, most likely, but I’ll let you know. And I agree. Finding a great straight-to-consumer brand is so much fun. Like when I found The Kit New York.
Sometimes our colors can change a little bit over time, too — and our contrast changes when we’re a little bit more tan, etc. It’s always fun to keep exploring and trying new things, isn’t it? I’m a deep or soft autumn myself depending on whether or not I’ve been outside much or bothered with sunless tanner, but probably more like a Lazy Autumn because I still stick to neutrals a lot and refuse to avoid black. :)
Speaking of exploring (and, more specifically, your recent encouragement to revisit things we’ve given up)… I haven’t quite dusted off my guitar yet, but I’ve been eyeing the possibility more seriously than usual and hoping — if I can be brave and figure out how to change the strings! — to do so soon. Thank you for the gentle nudges and reminders not to abandon our creativity. I could never explain exactly why, but I always felt better after I played. I hope you’ll share more of your writing as well as your color adventures with us.
Have fun shopping, and have a lovely weekend! <3
Jess, I agree, my colors do shift. They shift cool and warm, depending. Seriously, I’m on the cusp. But it’s always the “burned” ones that look best. I hope you do take out your guitar. I bet YouTube can remind you how to change strings, right? I am honored to share both writing and color. This blog is my creative home, if that doesn’t sound too pretentious.
Do you plan on wearing the linen dress wrinkly or pressed? I want to move to more linen clothes but hate ironing…The Ainsley dress on the Grae Cove website caught my eye.
Elizabeth, I’m thinking wrinkled. It should be nice and loose. I hate ironing too, I burn myself!!!
TOTALLY KILLER DRESS! For that matter, the styles of all the [mini, midi, maxi] dresses on the entire website were soooo great! I’ll wait to hear your report on how this grade of tissue linen launders, ie can a passerby see through it as you’re sorting produce at the farmer’s market, will it shrink a whole size smaller, etc. It looks to be just what I want to pull over my head in the morning [if I can EVER get out of my PJs], do things around the house so that I can answer the doorbell and walk to the mailbox with modesty [WASP]. Thank you!
So I gather that you wear Autumn colors now? You should look a Spring colors because I’m unsure if these are your colors!!! Don’t buy anymore until you look at Spring colors online is easy enough to do!!!!!!
Tip from an autumn: I’m gun shy about ordering olive green tops online. Olive green is a complex yellow/green, but it’s rare to find a designer who doesn’t add black to the mix. This Nili Lotan top looks like it might have too much black in it, for example. The flattering olives for autumns are the true yellow/greens. Enjoy this color journey!
Have you ever noticed I always comment on Sunday? I read your post on Saturday, but so much to think about…they I need to let my brain percolate.
First of all – I don’t understand the negative responses from last week. It’s a guide, and a fun, exploratory one, that has opened up a whole new rainbow to explore.
Secondly, I love that you’re doing this and open to such great colors like mustard/turmeric, olives and teals. That Celine bag is perfect with the mustard linen dress, which I hope works out.
Thirdly, although you think orange is a no for you, cognac is your orange.
xo
That mustard dress looks exactly like one I wore during my first pregnancy, except in bright orange (“winter” moi had a great tan that summer, so the color looked good on me). I made it again with my second pregnancy, but sleeveless and in a clear yellow – again, a great tan made that color possible.
So it’s not looking too “baby doll” that you have to beware with that dress, it’s looking too “baby on board”!
But I know you prefer wearing loose-fitting clothes, so I guess you have that one figured out…
Color preferences seem ever evolving. Lately I like rich jewel tones. Ruby, emerald and sapphire. I think I am a Winter. I like your new dress and it looks perfect for hot summer weather.
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