For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
I have been itching to see more color in the Kiwi wardrobe, as promised by this color palette. Is it going to happen in March?
Hmmm...well, this isn't very colorful. These three black items will prove very useful, I have no doubt. The black skirt is an interesting case; it's a high-low skirt that is cut higher in front and longer in the back, but I like it better when I shift it around and make it an asymmetrical hem. That's all good, but black garments are not what I and Kiwi's Sally have been yearning for. However, that fourth item is quite a prize indeed. It's blue and it has rabbits all over it! I almost missed out on this item. By the time I realized it was available, my size was sold out. But I kept haunting the site until it popped up again in my size, and I grabbed it! Although it would be somewhat more versatile if it had a collar, I like that as a button up shirt it can work as a stand-alone top, a piece to layer a cardigan/vest/jacket over, and a little lightweight shirt-jacket in warm weather. $35 is more than I'd usually spend on a simple cotton shirt but BUNNIES.
Black moto vest - ana/JCP - XL - $16.99 - 11/2015
Black maxi skirt - thrifted, Rue21/ThredUp - 2X - $4.80 - 12/2019
Black V neck long-sleeved T - thrifted, St Johns Bay/JCP - 2X - $4.49 - 6/2017
Dark blue/black/white rabbit shirt - Coldwater Creek - 2X - $34.97 - 7/2020
Oh yes, here are the bright colors I have been looking for! And by bright, I mean really quite bright. That's been a point of interest/challenge with this color palette all along: the combination of muted neutrals like cream and olive with some vivid accent colors. We'll see how that all resolves itself, but for now, with the black garments above, we have a lot of opportunities to get colorful!
Azure blue blouse - Loft - 20 - $8.00 - 5/2020
Circus tent striped skirt - thrifted, Who What Wear Target/Goodwill - XXL - $3.99 - 10/2018
Azure blue open weave pullover sweater - Loft - 20/22 - $8.00 - 5/2020
Red cocoon cardigan - thrifted, Target/Goodwill - 2X - $3.74 - 9/2018
And it doesn't end there; our accessories are bringing in some wonderful color as well. As soon as I saw that rainbow striped scarf online, I knew I would have to get it to try with the circus tent striped skirt. I realize that the colors aren't perfectly aligned, but I just couldn't resist the idea of stripes plus more stripes. And I had to add the cognac boots that are as gorgeous with black as they are with navy.
White/black/blue/red birds scarf - Amazon - $10.99 - 10/2019
Azure blue/aqua tie-dye striped scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.37 - 8/2020
Rainbow striped silky scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $12.99 - 5/2020
Black/red/blue butterfly scarf - Kohls - $12.00 - 12/2014
Peacock blue/pink drop earrings - CJ Banks - ? - 2020
Black ankle boots - Sam Edelman/Nordstrom - $69.90 - 11/2014
Tall cognac boots - Sam Edelman/Nordstrom - $126.60 - 11/2014
I'm excited to get outfit building with these refreshingly colorful items, so let's start with the circus tent striped skirt. (I mean, that's not its official name or anything; it just looks like a circus tent to me.) It's not super obvious in the image, but that what looks a bit like a wide blue-green stripe in the skirt is actually two stripes: one emerald green and one bright blue. So of course I could not resist wearing this azure blouse and sweater set and the rainbow striped scarf with it. Sure, this is a TON of color, but I would readily wear it. Kiwi's Sally just needs to pick a day that she doesn't mind being very visible.
For Outfit #2, I kept the bold color idea but substituted candy red for azure blue and ramped things up with some print mixing. I'd say the overlap in colors between the skirt and scarf is about, what, 80% or so? I think that's enough for them to resonate well. And this is a good chance to test out the black + cognac boots formula by wearing a black T and black tights/leggings with it.
Turning to the black skirt, I tamped things down a lot in Outfit #3, in which the detail of the unusual asymmetric hem and the ankle boots that I think of in my head as the "bad-ass boots" are not distracted from. To inject a bit of sweetness and light, a white bird scarf and colorful drop earrings round it out.
Outfit #4 also has a yin/yang feel with the lovely rabbit shirt worn with a tough-girl vest and boots. On average, is this outfit a wild hare? For any time but the height of summer in Minnesota, a scarf is a welcome accessory. I think I've mentioned before that I don't like turtlenecks because when you feel overly warm in one, there's nothing you can do about it. I prefer to wrap a scarf around my neck as it can be loosened or removed entirely to help adjust for temperature variations over the course of the day. For some people, the fiddle factor makes scarves too annoying to deal with; for me, it's a benefit.
Here is a version of Outfit #4 worn on a quite warm September day. The rabbit shirt and the asymmetrical skirt (not shown here to its most dramatic advantage) are interesting enough that a simple multi-chain necklace and plain black patent flats complete the look. I like that this rabbit print is cute without being childish. Don't get me wrong! I like childish rabbit prints too. But despite its name (Funny Bunny; my goodness, available now in lucky size Small) this one has an almost Scandinavian folk art vibe about it. OK, I know nothing about Scandinavian folk art, which I only assume to exist because that's a place with people of whom surely some made art. But in any case, it isn't an obvious "this must be made into a baby's quilt STAT" fabric.
Now for a couple of ways I've worn the circus tent striped skirt in cool to cold weather. First, a good transition-season outfit that still has the tights and boots but an unlayered lightweight black blouse and a green scarf to provide color near the face and alignment to the local temperature.
And now a February version--see what I mean about quilted vests and February? Minnesota in February, it is beyond cold and endlessly long for a month with only 28-29 days in it. Here I've bundled up in an acrylic poppy orange-red sweater, quilted vest, and scarf. That sweater was a good match to the red in the skirt, but I realized again that this color looks terrible on me--it makes my face look somehow simultaneously bright pink AND disappearing from complete lack of color--and it's now waiting to be donated. Oh, and I also don't like acrylic because it's too warm, so not sure what I was thinking there. I was probably thinking "this sweater would match my circus tent striped skirt," actually...which is not exactly a rarity; for example, the candy red cardigan we added this month that looks reasonably good on me color-wise also matches very well. Well at least it was only a $8.49 mistake! (But I was right about the matching bit.)
OK, are our eyes completely saturated with these bright blues and reds now? If we find ourselves going back to some of those more muted neutrals in the palette next month, maybe that would be a nice change of pace.
For the seasonal wardrobe matrix, recall that in each season, for each color category, I can mark what has been added each month:
x = solid piece
T = tonal piece (i.e., tonally works with this color though it is a different color)
O = ombré piece
P = print piece (not ombré)
Does anyone have suggestions for how they keep tabs on items they might want to buy? For example, I now am eying this Garden Bunny sweater at Coldwater Creek, which I can't justify buying at full price so I'd like to watch it and see if I can get lucky when it goes on sale. With the Funny Bunny, I just kept visiting the site until it was back in my size, but there's gotta be a better way.
In my next post, we will look at the March additions for our fifth wardrobe: #5 Brown & Black, Nelly. Cobalt blue is a possibility in this palette; will we see blue for 3 wardrobes in a row or something totally different?
I link up with:
Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (2nd Monday; 3rd Thursday)
Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)
Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)
Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)
Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)
Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)
Jodie at Jodie's Touch of Style (Thursdays)
Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)
Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)
Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)
Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)