For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
Before we get started, a review of our inspiration scarf, color palette, and lovely mascot.
After August's olive-heavy additions, some bright and dark tops are entering the wardrobe for September: a cheerful red long-sleeved T, a black peplum top, and a floral top. I've talked a lot about my love for navy-based florals, but many floral prints on black are also very appealing. I really like how this floral top aligns to our color palette: black with olive, beige, white, red, cobalt blue, and purple. Only the purple is extraneous to our palette, and only the pink and coral in the palette is missing in the print. By no means does a print have to conform to the color palette with this high of a fidelity in order to be a useful and versatile option (as we have seen with so many other print item additions), but when it does, that's a good sign.
Candy red long-sleeved seamed T - Ana/JCP - 2X - $11.24 - 9/2017
Black/olive/red floral top - Liz Claiborne/JCP - 2X - $13.99 - 11/2017
Black peplum top - Lands End - 1X - $11.93 - 6/2017
To wear with these new tops, Kiwi's Sally will have a pair of red skinny jeans. I know, the cool kidz are over the skinny jean silhouette, but it's such a practical and easy style to wear, I think it's achieved "timeless classic" status. Also in that category: an olive utility jacket. And as a layering alternative, a cream cardigan vest in a too-small size that continues to work well when worn upon in the front.
Red skinny jeans - thrifted, Target/Goodwill - 22 - $2.99 - 3/2019
Olive utility jacket - CJ Banks - 3X - $16.17 - 7/2020
Cream cardigan vest - Chaps/Kohls - XL - $23.46 - 11/2015
There couldn't be a better time than the month when a red top and jeans entered the wardrobe to introduce a bunch of red (and red print) accessories! I really like the balance across categories in this set of additions: 4 scarves (2 long, 2 square), 4 necklaces (1 short, 1 mid-length, 2 long pendants), 3 earrings (1 large stud, 2 beaded hoops), 3 beaded bracelet sets, and 1 pair of shoes. I LOVE red with a beige or camel-based animal print shoe, so I'm looking forward to building outfits with these cheetah Oxfords.
Red scarf - Target - $12.00 - 12/2013
Pink/magenta-red/blue elephants scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $3.20 - 12/2019
Red/black/blue/white circles scarf - thrifted, Echo/ThredUp - $13.89 - 4/2020
Aqua/blue/red/lime floral scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.20 - 5/2020
Red/clear seed bead endless strand - Fire Mountain Gems (FMG) - $0.38 - 7/2021
Red/gold multi-strand seed bead necklace - made by me - summer 2021
Red/silver pendant - JCP - $15.37 - 11/2015
Dark bronze owl watch pendant - FMG - $6.21 - 7/2021
Dark red crystal earrings - ?
Cheetah Oxfords - Corso Como/Nordstrom - $98.95 - 9/2019
Olive/black bead bracelet - CJ Banks - ?
Red bead/silver/flower rabbit charm bracelet - made by me - summer 2021
Red/white/blue/gold hoops - made by me - summer 2021
Black bead bracelets - made by me - summer 2021
Red pearl/gold hoops - made by me - summer 2021
It's funny...the square silk scarf with the red, white, blue, and black circle print had gone missing within a few months of purchase, and I was so terribly disappointed. It wasn't until we had to move things around so our A/C could be fixed that it turned up on the floor, still on its hanger but halfway behind a bookcase. So now I feel like I have a brand-new scarf to play with!
To begin, a couple outfits with the red T + red jeans combo. No, they aren't an exact color match, and the T is a more saturated/intense color than the jeans, but I still think they'll make a pretty good column of color. If the idea of wearing not-quite-matching items in a column is a bit unsettling (it can be for me!), layering over the column is a great way to reduce the impact of the pieces, especially the top, and cover up the demarcation where the two pieces meet. The cream vest is longer than the T, even if the T is worn untucked, so the only place the two reds will be visible next to each other is a little bit in the front. I really like the way the earrings and scarf work together in this outfit, bringing in a couple touches of blue.
Outfit #2 is for the more courageous wearers of a column of a bright accent color with no top layer to cover it. I included very simple accessories with a round theme and just a bit of print mixing with the scarf and shoes. I do like the cheetah Oxfords with the red jeans, and with my medium blonde hair, the shoes are a nice bookend.
Next, let's try the red jeans with the black peplum top. When I described skinny jeans as an "easy" style to wear, this is the kind of outfit I was thinking of. For those of us who like an tucked top with some drape or flow to it, it's easy to pair them with a skinny bottom piece for a "long over lean" silhouette. This top has a good deal of volume in it due to the lengthy peplum, so it is most straightforward to style it with skinny jeans/pants or a pencil skirt. Outfit #3 is an uncharacteristically built-from-solid-pieces outfit by my standards, though the shoes do provide one pop of print in the look. But I really like how it looks! The top, bottom, and topper in 3 very different colors is a favorite combination of mine.
In Outfit #4, the black top serves as a background for a very fun scarf covered in elephant outlines in different prints--it looks a bit like someone has cut out elephant images from a bunch of fabrics and appliqued them to the scarf. I admit, I hesitated a bit on this one since the jeans are a true (though not fully saturated) red and the scarf has a pink background with elephants in a pink-magenta-red sort of color. But as I looked at it, I decided that it looked pretty good to my eye and that the varying pink/red colors didn't bother me. In color wheel terms, isn't this just an analogous color scheme: Red + a tint of red (i.e., pink: red with white added to it) + red-violet (the color next to red on the color wheel)? On another note, don't the print shoes look right at home with the various print elephants on the scarf?
Finally, in Outfit #5, let's bring the red jeans and the print top together. I think the olive jacket would look terrific worn over it, but for this outfit, I didn't want the whimsical layered necklace to be covered up. I had initially thought I'd put the DIY multi-layer seed bead necklace first, then the single seed bead strand next, then the owl pendant hanging below. But as I played with it, I decided I liked the idea of shortening up the owl pendant to overlap the bottom of the multi-strand necklace and then having the medium-length single strand frame the owl from below. Worn against a print top, the necklace will blend in a bit. For greater visual impact, the necklace could be worn with the solid black peplum top.
With necklace layering, it's helpful to remember that almost any necklace can be made shorter or longer when you wear it, so feel free to experiment with those lengths! I've used purchased necklace extenders (search Amazon or your store of choice), ribbons, lengths of old t-shirt material, and who knows what else to lengthen necklaces that have a clasp. Endless necklaces that don't have a strand are not really suited for lengthening. But all kinds of necklaces can be shortened. I've used ribbons most often to take up some of the length. I know that small clear elastics are very commonly used (Jodie mentions it and other tips here), though I haven't mastered this technique. The owl pendant above came on a chain that is easy to shorten without any fiddling (because the chain is big enough for the lobster clasp to fit inside it), but if it weren't, I could easily move the pendant to a different chain...or a ribbon...or a cord...or a crocheted chain of yarn or fabric...etc. If you don't have experience with this, just google something like "how to change my necklace length" for approximately 66 million ideas.
Now one issue is that the method you use to change the length can show in the back. Some fixes are uglier than others! If you are wearing a topper piece, that can sometimes be arranged to cover any kludgy-looking bits in the back depending on the cut of the piece--a jacket has more coverage than a classic cardigan, for example. For many of us, our hair can cover a multitude of necklace-hack sins. One thing I have considered, but haven't yet tried, is wrapping something like a very lightweight small scarf, some fabric, some lace, something around all the necklaces in the back, once the layered necklace is on, to keep everything in place and to cover things up. But I suspect this is the kind of maneuver that sounds simple but is difficult to achieve for oneself while wearing the necklaces! It's a lot easier for me to either (a) wear my hair down or (b) just not care about it because I'm staying home, so that's my solution for now.
For our "how did I wear this in OOTD" part of today's post, I am featuring two garments from our September additions: the black floral top and the red skinny jeans.
First, I wore this outfit to WFH just last month as a summer-to-fall transition outfit for a warm-ish day. The red linen jacket and denim ankle pants (which you may recognize from my last post with the additions to the #3 Navy & Grey, Lily wardrobe) are both lightweight pieces, as is the yellow-olive scarf with an open weave fabrication. I'm wearing the same DIY red pearl/gold hoop earrings shown above and the warm-weather version of the cheetah Oxfords, pointy-toed leopard print flats.
I went back to the very-pre-WFH days to find this October outfit featuring the black print top and red/silver pendant from the September additions. Traditional work pants, a sleek cardigan, and dressy flats finish an office-ready look in which the rather exuberant floral print takes center stage.
I didn't find very many photos with my red jeans because I tend to wear them on the weekends, a time I've not been as diligent about taking outfit of the day photos. But I loved this April outfit with a red, black, and white color scheme and some fun but not over-the-top print mixing of the leopard print flats, polka dot top, and peacock feather print scarf. (I'm also wearing my watch with the realistic-looking heathery brown rabbit on the face for extra animal goodness.)
Speaking of realistic-looking rabbits, now it's time to introduce our new rabbit for September, who has a standard "wild-rabbit" style heathery agouti coat but is a Bunny of Unusual Size. Meet Bree the sandy Flemish Giant! This breed is 10-20 pounds and up to 30" long. The ears are massive too, 6" or longer, as Bree is showing us as she listens patiently for me to say something worth listening to.
Do you have any tips or tricks that you use to temporarily modify the length of your necklaces?
In my next capsule post, we will look at the September additions for our fifth wardrobe: #5 Brown & Black, Nelly.
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)