Neutral Mix

Many of the new (or new to me) items that I brought home from my trip to Minnesota serendipitously worked really well together, so I threw as many of them as I could into this outfit. In addition to the shopping that we did, Sal and I also did a bit of clothes swapping, so I came home with quite a haul. The pants, necklace, and several of the bangles are all things Sal sent me home with, and the open weave sweater and cardigan were purchases. That Sal must be a mind-reader; I searched high and low all last summer for the perfect pair of white jeans, and I never did find them. These are precisely the pair I would have bought, and they fit beautifully.

This outfit illustrates a philosophy of mine: the more neutral shades you mix together, the less they all have to match with one another. In this outfit the only non-black colors that truly match are the gray in the cardigan and the gray boots. Besides those I have a true brown (in the cardigan), a gray-brown (the open weave sweater), bright white pants, off white (in the cardigan), a black tank and jewelry, and both silver and brass bangles. In writing it seems like it would be a mess, but the different neutral tones work together to create texture and depth.

Notice how the hint of black peeking out at the hem of the sweater works as an intense background that makes the texture pop and creates a nice strong contrast at the margin between the sweater and the pants. Black shoes would have been very obvious, however I thought the gray ones picked up the grayish undertones of the sweater, even when I wasn't wearing the cardigan.

This is one of my favorite outfits I've put together recently; it felt put-together but also relaxed. Note to self though: do not wear a spiky ring with an open weave sweater; I had a close call with a snag that could easily have ruined my day.

Sweater: Eileen Fischer via Optiz
Necklace, bangles, pants: gifts from Sal
Boots: Bronx
Cardigan: 5/48, via Saks Off Fifth