color fatigue
That title, right? I can't take credit for it, it's part of a question submitted to me (by my ingenious friend Courtney) last week before The Brass Owl spring trend workshop. The question, and the subsequent answer, were so exciting to me that I knew I wanted to devote today's post to the subject. In case you missed it on FB, Courtney's question was as follows:
"I never have the right transitional outfits in the spring, I'm either too cold or too warm and my palette is still pretty gray/black. What's the best outfit to conquer temperature confusion and winter color fatigue?"
That, right there, is some JUICE. A helluva question, and I'll be honest I had to think about my answer. But here goes.
We spend 3-4 months of the year stuffing our down coats like turkeys, piling on every bit of warmth we can imagine, wearing muted tones and hoping against hope that snow boots go with everything. This fatigue Courtney mentions is two-fold. We're tired of the stuffing, and we forget what it's like to see the sun shine - even when it comes to our wardrobe. By the time winter passes us by, we're so used to covering ourselves up that we almost forget what it feels like to have the sun on our face and neck. So sometimes we get a little confused. We go crazy and wear a floral dress without tights when it's 55, or decide it's time to break out our pastel jeans and sandals. We feel weird, and we should.
Warm weather doesn't mean we have to go from one extreme (stuffed turkeys) to another (pattern and color crazed - and probably still cold). Take it easy, and start small.
1. Switch out your down coat for a wool one. Remember that awesome super sale pick you scooped up at the end of the fall season? Now is the time. Wool coats, come out. Pea coats, trenches, lined waxed jackets, faux fur. Make no mistake, we still need coats right now, we just do not need the big guns. Bring out the medium guns.
2. You still need to layer. Everyone is rolling their eyes, I know. But you can't go out without a sweater, cardigan, or some sort of layer between you and your newly dusted off spring transitional coat. Bring a larger bag and stuff it in there if you overheat, which is unlikely because the high's are in the low 50's right now.
3. Neutral color. While we're still warming up our color muscles, go easy on yourself and do some classic neutrals (which, by the way, are super in for spring!). Swap out those black jeans for blue jeans to keep the transition going. Add a dainty piece of jewelry and a bold lip. Et voila!
// top (less expensive option) // jeans (less expensive option) // necklace // lipstick
Now TELL ME you're not excited to get dressed this morning - I know I am!
xoxo,
