Transition Your Style with Spring Accessories and a Color Discussion

The beginning of March has just about everyone excited for Spring color to arrive.  Though mountain laurels and even our precious Texas Bluebonnets are blooming, even San Antonio is facing a freeze today and dreary cold weather hangs on.  I know many of you are experiencing far worse weather than a one or two day freeze, but suffice it to say, we all are ready for the warmth and beauty of a new season.

Several commented yesterday on WOULD YOU WEAR IT that the outfit was boring and lacked color.  So, I thought I would give you a platform today…how much color is too much?  What are your favorite ways to wear color?  There are some of you who seem to get angry over wearing black…anyone care to share why?

While we discuss this, I have selected some springtime accessories for your consideration in the slideshow below…..so for today, let’s have a “colorful” discussion and see if we can warm things up a bit!!  Keep the hope of spring alive and of course

KEEP SMILING!!

P.S.  I will have some fun styles coming up this week, and will explain why I laid low this past week!

27 Comments

  1. Color, for me, is in smaller doses. I start with neutrals and add color with a scarf or necklace. Neutrals serve me well and make choosing what to wear much easier. I liked yesterday’s outfit very much because of the basic, neutral aspects. I do wear red and coral, but don’t ever wear color on the top and bottom at the same time. I also love black, and navy, and neither makes me angry! I’d like to hear from someone who does get angry about black though, to get a different perspective. My style is more understated. I do lighten up my basics in spring and summer. I think that our use of color is often related to life experiences. I was raised to never call attention to myself, and a few unfortunate adult experiences reinforced that. Too much color at once makes me nervous! 🙂

  2. Our life experiences are related to color…a lot of insight there, Karen. I need to ponder that one!

  3. I agree that this dreary time of year makes me want to break out some color. I usually only wear color on top (I don’t consider khaki a color!) and I usually tone it down now with a neutral cardigan. I’m always drawn to pinks and corals this time of year. With my skin looking so pale and pasty, I feel that pink gives me a nice rosy appearance. I have never worn color on my feet. I always opt for black, brown or tan shoes. I guess I also thought that color on the bottom made me look large, so the solid neutral pants, capris or shorts are my uniform. I have started looking for some new makeup and skin care products for the spring and summer. I think we all feel as the winter drags on we can all use an overhaul! And the spring weather improves my mood and makes me feel lighter and happier so my wardrobe should reflect that!
    Happy Sunday….waiting for the snowstorm here!

  4. One of the most important things I consider nowadays is versatility, as I need lots of clothes right now for a full time job (and mixing separates is the easiest way to get that), but will need many fewer as I transition to retirement. (Pam, I would love a post about how others repurposed or downsized their wardrobes in the last years before retirement). I tend to favor neutral (often black or navy) pants with lots of tops, many colorful solids. I do not like pastels, and they don’t favor my coloring. But I do wear prints … on scarves (I own over 100 lol). I also wear colorful shoes and colorful, large statement jewelry. I always figure people notice your top half more than your bottom half. Some colors I associate with happiness, and I think all gray can look dreary. But no colors make me angry. I do sometimes feel a little sad that the very bright, jewel tones that I once loved now fade me out, and sometimes black can do that to people too. Perhaps people are angry/mourning their past lives or feel naturally a bit frightened or insecure about aging.

  5. Good points, Linda. Insecurity about aging could influence these responses. Thanks

  6. I love color! It would be hard for me to pick a favorite, but I love red and orange. That being said, I have a lot of black pants, blue jeans (and black and burgundy, and stone, and white.) There are always so many ‘rules’ (who makes these up?) and since I am a redhead there are even more. Well, this year, I decided to ditch the rules. Pink actually looks nice with my hair, and coral does too. I think we should wear what we want as far as color goes. If you feel good in it, it will give you confidence and that goes a long way. And no, black doesn’t make me angry-there are few things more stylish to me than a nice black dress with a pop of color from a scarf or bold, gold jewelry..my ever so stylish elderly aunt looked her bold best in oversize black frame glasses, a crisp white RL shirt, and black slim pants. And rings!

  7. I keep my pants neutral in color & wear brighter colors on top. I usually stick to solid tops or small geometric prints. I also go totally neutral on occasion. A crisp white shirt goes with anything & always looks great. I wore a black top with khaki pants while I was out shopping last week & was complimented on the look. I have bright white hair, so I think black sets it off perfectly. One neutral outfit I wore a few weeks ago I will never wear again. I wore a light gray sweater with dark gray pants. By the end of day, I felt as dreary as the weather. I sometimes think black makes people depressed because with associate it with mourning.

  8. In answer to Linda, I found that when I retired I needed very little in the way of work clothes of the past. I donated most of my jackets, tailored pants and blouses. It all will depend on your life style when you retire. Will you be traveling, going on cruises, visiting friends, active in sports etc. etc.? I would suggest not buying any more work clothes and enlarging your weekend jeans, shirts and other casuals to your garment collection. Now I just about live in jeans but add color and texture through the tops as Pam suggests.

  9. I did not know it was still associated with mourning. I love wearing black and believe it to be so classic, chic and strong that it never occurred to me some see it as depressing. I guess it goes with how black pieces are styled. However, like you Becky, I wore an all gray outfit one day and felt very drab as well. Thanks for pointing out that some may see black associated with depression and mourning.

  10. I love navy with a pop of white. Black comforts me, not sadly, just feel safe in black, usually with a smashingly bold necklace or bright longish scarf or shawl….
    In summer, white jeans are my go to, with bright tops, but not loud florals….they just don’t appeal to me. I’m short at 5 4 so petite patterns or solids still seem best, tho love a navy/white stripe too…..

  11. Thanks Paulette! I have a new pair of blue and white pants on my spring wish list. I need a better fit than I have right now!

  12. Thanks, Jill. I too was thinking maybe to try to bridge the tailored work look with more weekend friendly pieces. Maybe something slightly too casual for the workplace could be dressed up there, and then would actually get worn in retirement? I see fashion bloggers styling tailored blazers a lot with jeans, but would I really do this, or be more likely to throw on a more casual jacket or cardigan? One thing I have been doing is buying more flats and casual shoes. I find I can get away with these at work more than I thought. Guaranteed I’m leaving the heels behind when I leave full time employment!

  13. I already left the heels behind…out of necessity! But, I love a blazer with jeans. And I love jeans, but I want my retirement to also make a statement when I go out. I hope you ladies will join me to tomorrow to get some new ideas.

  14. I recently learned that the colors and styles we choose are often rooted in us as early as childhood. With 5 granddaughters I have discovered what appeals to me may look great on them but can make them feel uncomfortable. I am drawn to navy, black and white, red, turquoise, Kelly green and blues. I wear these colors from shoes to hats and in between. Literally, clothes, accessories and shoes “wink” at me, and having them in my wardrobe makes me happy. I have tried to force adding browns, yellow, orange, greys and pinks and despite fitting well and being good quality, it grinds my gears to wear them and I end up donating them all. If you are drawn to color, I believe you should embrace it as long as the items conform to the style and fit that enhances your appearance.

  15. What a great conversation on color. With blonde hair and a fair complexion, I always feel the need to add some color, so my tops and accessories are usually colorful with mostly neutral colors on the bottom. During the cooler months I love scarves, but once it warms up I rely on jewelry to tie my outfit together. I retired several years ago, and one of the first things I did was donate my “work” shoes. As someone mentioned above, I love more unstructured jackets than tailored blazers. I’ve purged a lot of black tops and jackets from my closet, not because I hate black but because it’s not a good color near my face. I don’t hate any color, but gray is near the bottom of my list of favorites. It looks so good on those with the right coloring, but I’m not one of them. I agree that there is a lot of psychology in color and wearing what makes us feel good is probably more important than following some prescribed list of colors.

  16. I retired 3 years ago and soon after doing so, I donated many of my work clothes. BTW, I hadn’t really sorted through my closet for 15 years-gasp! I kept several pairs of dress pants and my favorite blazers and dressier tops but have found out that I wear NONE of them since we do a lot of traveling by RV. I just did another sort through my closet and feel I’m zeroing on just those clothes that I wear a lot and are flattering and match my lifestyle. I want to attain a capsule wardrobe and though I have a ways to go, am getting closer to that goal. Hope this helps and congratulations on your upcoming retirement. It’s great!

  17. I am similar in coloring to you and also am steering away from black near my face. I’m growing out my blonde hair to it’s natural color (silver) and am studying what adjustments I need to make regarding colors I wear near my face as well as makeup colors.

  18. Thanks for sharing Shelley… I want to clarify that I do not have retirement close by. I figure it will happen someday but that could be several years away. Not time for congratulations but thanks anyway!

  19. I recently sorted out clothes in my closet. When I finished, I tried a quilters’ technique I read years ago about squinting your eyes and seeing what predominant color shows. In my case it’s blue which is a color that looks good on me. My goal is to further refine my wardrobe to coordinate more with blues and less with my habitual black. Hope this is helpful.

  20. I absolutely LOVE black – always have! Now that I’ve gone white/silver, I find that black (or navy) is a staple for me. An outfit that is a star in my closet is a black column (top/pants or capris in warm weather) and a colorful kimono/shawl/jacket! Depending on the weather/occasion/my mood! – I can dress it up or down – I can be casual or dressier for church. I always loved color – but found so many no longer looked “right” when I stopped coloring my hair. And my skin seems to be much paler than when I was younger, so lots of color washes me out. I still love my blues – so many lovely shades from navy to turquoise! And all your lovely reds have inspired me to look for something similar this spring! Not sure why some folks might “hate” black – maybe they think it’s an “Old Lady” color? It’s a staple for me!

  21. I love black too and it looks good on me…I will never completely abandon it! Thanks Shirley!

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