For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
With fall on its way, let's check in again with the wardrobe built on this color palette.
Our three tops for September are a good reflection of the varying temperatures that can occur during a transition season. I'm happy to see a couple 3/4-sleeve tops in drapey fabric enter the closet, a versatile silver-grey and a lovely multi-tone purple floral print on a navy background. And this grey-ish beige 100% cotton pullover sweater with the funky elephant image is a lot of fun.
Light grey-silver 3/4 tunic - thrifted, Lands End/ThredUp - 3X - $16.40 - 8/2020
Beige elephant pullover sweater - Coldwater Creek - 2X - $14.97 - 7/2020
Navy/purple floral 3/4 top - thrifted, Kohls/Goodwill - 2X - $5.24 - 10/2018
The purple and grey theme continues with some violet ankle pants and a very comfy dark grey sweatshirt cardigan. A pair of stretch denim ankle pants is good for that period when pants are appropriate but jeans are still a bit too warm to wear. Finally, our wild card addition this time is a light peacock blue outerwear jacket; I was curious to see how a not-quite-in-the-color-palette accent color jacket could work in a capsule wardrobe. Obviously sticking with the color palette is the sure bet, but what if you fall in love with a jacket or coat in a color that is harmonious with your palette but not a match?
Violet pants - thrifted, Lane Bryant/Goodwill - 22W - $4.49 - 10/2018
Dark grey sweatshirt cardigan - thrifted, Livi Active/Goodwill - 22/24 - $4.49 - 10/2018
Denim button ankle pants - CJ Banks - 24W - $15.30 - 2/2021
Light peacock blue knit jacket - thrifted/ThredUp - ?
This wardrobe is getting a LOT of purple accessories this month, which is great to see. I don't wear a whole lot of purple, and the items I do have are all across the purple spectrum, as you can see with these additions. It's kind of amusing to realize that the only reason I have this many purple things to add is because I have been making purple bead jewelry...6 of these 12 items are DIY projects!
Violet/magenta ombré scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $1.50 - 12/2019
White/grey birds scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.80 - 12/2019
Purple/dark lavender 4mm glass pearl strand - made by me - summer 2021
Silver/lavender/rust tassel necklace - CJ Banks - $5.39 - 5/2020
Purple pearl/silver hoops - made by me - summer 2021
Orchid pearl seed bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2021
Pink small varied glass pearl strand with white/gold - made by me - summer 2021
Grey faux pearl earrings - Macy's - ?
Purple assorted bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2021
Purple/silver 6mm stone bead bracelet - made by me - summer 2021
Aloe/periwinkle bead bracelet - CJ Banks - ?
Purple flats - thrifted, Target/Goodwill - $5.24 - 2/2016
Outfit #1 is built on the most obvious pairing in our additions, the violet pants and purple floral print top. The ballet flats are definitely a more dusky plum/wine color than the outfit, but hopefully with the bead accessories representing a broad range of variations on the purple theme, the shoes won't be too much of an outlier.
In Outfit #2, the groovy elephant sweater is the star with a supporting cast of various purple pieces. You know I love a good ombré scarf, and this one is truly gorgeous. The DIY stretch bracelets are made from 3mm seed beads, 4mm glass pearls, and various gold-tone spacer beads. This is the first time I've used the long (25mm?) spacer bead on a bracelet, and I like the result!
Let's change our focus now to the denim ankle pants. Outfit #3 is a mostly neutral ensemble featuring a variety of grey and silver toned garments and accessories...and just a hint of purple in the necklace, bracelet, and shoes. I like that the cardigan is made from a soft sweatshirt material but has a less sporty vibe than a hoodie. I also sometimes want to be even more comfortable than my zip-up hoodies with their metal bits easily allow. Due to the cocoon cardigan cut, it works anywhere from a casual work day (WFH or office, depending on your office), running errands, a walk in the neighborhood, curling up on the sofa, or sleeping.
Outfit #4 starts with a very simple drapey top + slim ankle pants combo, accessorized with purple. I like making these world's easiest hoop earrings with multiple variations on a color theme, like with these purple ones that contain dark lavender, wine (that matches the ballet flats!), and light plum colored glass pearl beads. I think having a range of different versions of a color allows the earrings to blend with clothing/accessories in a lot of different specific colors because you're really matching to the color family rather than a particular color, if that makes sense. (This is related to that idea that I call a color being "in the span" of the colors of the outfit. With all the purple represented in the earrings, another shade of purple will easily seem to blend in with them.) You could throw on the dark grey sweatshirt cardigan to pop out for lunch at the nearby food truck, for example, but if you wanted a bunch of pockets for your phone, wallet, etc., a traditional outerwear jacket like this one would be convenient. And I think the peacock blue color looks good with the purple!
Our focal garment today is the violet Lane Bryant ankle pants that I thrifted for under $5 in 2018. In this May outfit, I wore it with the navy and purple floral top as in Outfit #1 above. The top has a light taupe in the print that works well with a cool beige topper like this cardigan. I'm typically not one to mix black and navy in an outfit, but when it comes to these classic beige-and-black captoe flats, I don't mind it.
In this June outfit, an otherwise neutral outfit gets a pop of color from the violet pants. I did add a string of amethyst beads (made a long time ago by a friend) as a small repetition of the purple color.
When I look back at photos from 2020 and 2021, I wonder if I will ever be momentarily confused by outfits like this one: clearly made for a cool March-in-Minnesota day, but only above the ankles. But since my feet don't easily get cold inside our apartment, during the WFH era I have quite a lot of surprising exposed ankles outfits. (I was trying not to laugh at the incongruity of it when taking the photo, hence the goofy expression.) Here you can see the violet pants + violet/magenta ombré scarf combination in action, and I think they are marvelous together. Overall, I liked this outfit a lot, and I remember feeling quite comfortable wearing it.
Today's rabbit addition hardly needs an introduction if you look closely at the extraordinary softness of the fur on this little bunny loaf. Welcome, Mary the Mini Rex! The bunny loaf is one of the most common domestic rabbit positions, which generally indicates a content, relaxed, comfortable, and perhaps sleepy bunny. Mary may have a bit of resting grump face (not at all unusual for a rabbit!), but from her body language, we can infer that she's feeling pretty good about life right now.
Do you purchase outerwear that matches your color palette, if you have one? Do you match your outerwear to your outfit? I mostly aim for a "doesn't clash horribly" level of coordination between my jacket/coat and my outfit.
In my next capsule post, we will take look at the September additions for our fourth wardrobe: #4 Olive & Beige, Kiwi.
I link up with:
Nike at Life as a LEO Wife (Sundays)
Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (Mondays; 3rd Thursday)
Michelle at My Bijou Life (Mondays, Fridays)
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 (Mon, Wed, Fri)
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)
Jodie at Jodie's Touch of Style (3rd Thursday)
Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)
Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)
Jacqui at Mummabstylish (Thursdays)
Nicole at High Latitude Style (Thursdays)
Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)
Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)
Erika at A Little Bit of Everything (Fridays)
Lucy at Lucy Bertoldi (Fridays)
Kimberly at Being a Wordsmith (Fridays)
Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)