For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
While stores are ready for fall, we are still working through our casual summer additions to these six wardrobes. Here is a reminder of the color palette and mascot for the Kiwi capsule.
Here are our garments to date. For warm weather, we have:
-2 dresses: both print
-6 skirts: 3 print, 1 black, 1 pink, 1 camel-gold
-3 pants: 1 full-length, 2 ankle
-5 short-sleeved tops: 1 print, 1 olive, 1 red, 2 pink
-1 3/4 sleeve top: print
-2 sleeveless tops: 1 print, 1 apple green
-1 short-sleeved cardigan: pink
-1 lightweight jacket: ivory
-1 lightweight vest: stone
We'll first look at a set of neutral additions, including beige skimmers, a striped short-sleeved T, and 3 exercise tops in black and white. While these neutral garments aren't the most exciting items in the world, they will help build the foundations of a summer wardrobe and multiply the outfits Kiwi's Sally can put together with her print and accent color items.
Cream/black striped T - EVRI/Kohls - 3X - $5.00 - 5/2020
White exercise T - JCP - ?
Black exercise tank - Kohls - ?
Beige skimmers - thrifted, Terra & Sky/Goodwill - 2X - $3.99 - 9/2019
Black exercise T - Kohls - ?
Today the red accent color in the palette gets a big boost in warm-weather clothing: ankle pants, knit skirt, lightweight 3/4 sleeve blazer, and a white T with a heart motif. Although it would be wonderful if all the red garments were in coordinating colors, it's not such a problem that we have a variety of shades here. Red is a pretty bold color to wear head-to-toe, so the solid red items are likely to be paired with neutrals and prints where the specific version of red doesn't matter as much.
Red ankle pants - Worthington/JCP - 18W - $17.49 - 2/2017
White/red heart T - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 3X - $5.00 - 5/2020
Poppy red knit skirt - Belle & Sky/JCP - 1X - $11.89 - 6/2017
Strawberry red blazer - thrifted, Chaps/Goodwill - 18W - $5.24 - 10/2018
Of course the accessories are in great shape because we have been adding them in good numbers every month.
I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with these new accessories! As is appropriate to coordinate with the garments that entered the wardrobe this month, there is a lot of red here as well as some black and white. We have an entire red beauty bundle here with two pairs of earrings, two necklaces, bead bracelets, and flats. I couldn't resist including two White Rabbit themed pieces: the pocket watch pendant and the red/silver charm earrings (that I made earlier this summer). The wild card addition is the plaid Rocket Dog sneakers that I've had since at least 2007.
Black polka dot/stripe scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $2.40 - 12/2019
White Rabbit pocket watch pendant - Zad - $32.26 - 11/2015
Red seed bead/silver/White Rabbit hoops - made by me - summer 2021
Red leather leaf earrings - Amazon - ?
Aqua/red/white bead necklace - Target - $12.34 - 5/2015
Leopard bead necklace - made by RB - $3.00 - ?
Red/silver ribbon necklace - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - $11.81 - 6/2014
Cream seed bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2020
Black/white seed bead bracelet - made by me - summer 2020
Red seed bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2020
Red plaid sneakers - Rocket Dog - ?
Red buckle flats - Me Too/Nordstrom - $53.56 - 8/2013
Let's start our outfit building with these red ankle pants that work very well with the heart T as the basis of a summer office outfit. The bold bead necklace brings in a second accent color. Even though the aqua isn't repeated anywhere in the outfit, I think the pop of color is a nice option near the face.
In Outfit #2, the knit skirt and flattering vertically striped T are an easy combination that look a bit dressed up (because people think skirt = dressed up, even if the skirt is as comfortable as bike shorts). A trio of red accessories complete the look.
Let's switch gears and see what we can do with the beige skimmers. If you're wondering what skimmers are, they are cropped pants that end below the knee but are not as long as typical capris. These pants end about 3" below the knee on my 5'8" frame...which is long enough for me to feel comfortable wearing them to work (which tends toward the more casual end of business casual in the summer) as "pants" rather than "shorts." In Outfit #3, the low-key skimmers and tank top are made more work-friendly with the addition of the strawberry red linen jacket. The pendant is not a functioning watch, but it does have adjustable hands on the clock, which I like to set to about 5:05 when I wear it to work.
The most obvious use case for skimmers is as a substitute for shorts (which have the advantage that when you sit down in a hot car, the back of your thighs don't get burned!). In Outfit #4, a trio of items from the red beauty bundle get added to the base of cream and beige. I'm seeing the sheer polka dot scarf worn as a headband in this one.
And finally, a couple of outfit options for a situation in which you know you are going to get quite warm but would like to add in just a couple stylistic details for fun. The skimmers and your choice of moisture-wicking exercise T is amped up with bold red earrings (that are lightweight, bring attention to your face, and don't contribute to your body over-heating) and a pair of nifty plaid sneakers that bring all the colors of the outfit together.
Our garment spotlight today is the linen strawberry red jacket that makes for a surprisingly versatile summer office piece. Let's take a look at three ways I've worn this jacket to work (pre-pandemic).
In this June outfit, red and olive green are combined in a way that does not scream "Christmas in summer" to me. I like this black floral blouse as a bridge piece for these colors. (By coincidence, three of these five items are already in the Kiwi wardrobe!)
This July outfit is another green + red summer look utilizing multiple items in the Kiwi wardrobe. I admit that I do not readily combine red and pink in an outfit, even though I am fully on board with this as an idea and understand that pink is just red lightened with white. For some reason, though, it just doesn't sit easy with me to do it myself. But the blush pink skirt's print contained enough various shades of red to make me comfortable topping it with the red blazer. I kept the necklace and shoes light and neutral so they don't compete with the color in the garments.
This August outfit uses color in a more common way, especially for an office outfit: dark neutral pants, print top, colorful topper. While I would get bored of this formula if I wore it every day, it's a popular option for good reason! The bold red pendant and flats give this ensemble extra oomph. Selecting colorful accessories with this formula results in a more exciting look than the typical neutral necklace and navy shoes. Of course, for even more fun you could pull a different accent color from the print top and wear shoes in that color instead. I just took the matchy-matchy route this time.
July's rabbit is a true pleasure for me to introduce: Aria the red Mini Rex! By my count, this is the fourth Mini Rex to join our menageries this year, and I am by no means tired of seeing them. That gorgeous fur is so soft and luxurious that I would happily have an entire capsule of Mini Rex. (I am biased; the rabbits I've had in the past were Mini Rex and this will always be my favorite breed.)
Would you wear red + green outside of the holiday season? Do you have any tips or tricks for wearing this combination without looking like a Christmas card?
In my next capsule post, we will look at the July additions for our fifth wardrobe: #5 Brown & Black, Nelly.
I link up with:
Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (Mondays; 3rd Thursday)
Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)
Debbie at My Random Musings (Mondays)
Leelo at Beauty by Miss L (Mondays)
Roxanne at Glass of Glam (Mondays)
Claire at Claire Justine (Mondays, Weds, Fridays)
Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)
Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)
Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)
Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)
Shelly at The Queen in Between (Wednesdays)
Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)
Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)
Jacqui at Mummabstylish (Thursdays)
Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)
Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)
Michelle at My Bijou Life (Fridays)
Erika at A Little Bit of Everything (Fridays)
Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)