Fall Outfit Formula Part 1: Long Over Lean Using Columns of Color
Earlier this month, I shared 5 simple fall outfit formulas with pants that I come back to again and again. I decided that it could be interesting to expand a bit on these formulas, drawing on outfit of the day photos from my archive, to provide more style inspiration for the coming season.
Today I'm starting with the Long Over Lean formula:
Long-sleeved top + Skinny/slim leg pants + Long vest
And though this combination may not be everyone's cup of tea, I'm organizing it around the idea of color formulas, which is a concept that can be applied regardless of the outfit formula (particular pieces or silhouettes) or color scheme of your outfit. So even if you wouldn't style Long Over Lean, you may still get some ideas for putting outfits together from your own wardrobe.
In homage to Marsha's recent post in which she Googled her own blog, I asked my intern (Google Gemini AI): How does Withinaworldofmyown blog definite color formulas?
On the fashion and style blog Within a World of My Own (written by Sally in St. Paul), color formulas are defined as strategic combinations of matching or different colored clothing pieces used as blueprints to build cohesive outfits. [1]
Unlike general "color combinations" that describe a broad color palette or wheel theory (like pairing blue with orange), a color formula maps specific colors directly to individual garments and layers within an outfit. [1, 2]
The blog defines five primary color formulas:
Inner Column of Color: A top and bottom piece styled in the same or highly similar color (e.g., a black shirt paired with black pants). This creates a continuous vertical baseline that can be layered over with a contrasting third piece or topper.
Outer Column of Color (or "Suit"): A matching topper and bottom garment styled with a completely different colored top underneath (e.g., a dusky rose cardigan worn over a white shirt with matching dusky rose pants).
Modern Twin Set: A matching or highly similar top and topper piece paired with a differently colored bottom (e.g., a brown T-shirt worn underneath a matching brown jacket or sweater vest).
Color Blocked: An outfit where all solid pieces are intentionally selected in entirely different colors from one another (e.g., a unique color for the top, bottom, and topper).
Matching Scarf Combo: Integrating a print or multi-colored scarf to intentionally tie distinct pieces together, serving as a "bridge piece" that mirrors and unifies the other colors in the outfit. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
The core concept behind these formulas is repeatable utility. Once a personal style preference for a certain formula is identified, it can be applied to any color palette or silhouette in a wardrobe to make daily outfit creation effortless. [1, 2]
I have to say, that is a really good summary! One quibble is that the "matching scarf combo" is conflating two ideas:
(1) Wearing a solid color scarf that matches another piece in the outfit to repeat the color, like a burgundy scarf with burgundy pants; and
(2) Wearing a print, multi-color scarf that contains two or more colors from the outfit, serving as a bridge piece tying them together, such as a teal sweater, brown pants, and teal-and-brown print scarf.
In this post, I'm going to focus on the two color formulas involving columns of color, the outer column/suit and the inner column (aka "column of color").
Color Formula #1: The Outer Column/"Suit"
In the Long Over Lean formula, this is a pair of skinny pants and a long vest in the same/similar color, but you could expand it to be any bottom piece and any topper layer in the same/similar color. A traditional professional business suit with matching navy trousers and jacket, a sweatsuit consisting of grey joggers and hoodie, and any level of refinement in between would qualify.
And the two pieces need not be sold together as a matching set to work this way: you can put together your own stand-alone pieces to make a "suit" that fulfills the matching/similar color requirement even though they are clearly different pieces. None of the outer columns/"suits" that I share below came as matching sets; I just put them together myself from what I had in my wardrobe. I would be highly surprised if you didn't already own an outer column in your own closet!
For the Long Over Lean outfits, I am working with the following outer columns/"suits" from my closet:
Dark grey skinny pants + medium grey sweater vest (similar colors)
Burgundy skinny pants + burgundy sweater vest (matching colors)
Navy skinny pants or dark blue skinny jeans + navy marl sweater vest (similar colors)
Black skinny pants + black velvet vest or black sweater vest (matching colors)
In my case, these four "suits" are in dark neutral or semi-neutral colors, but there is no reason you couldn't use light neutrals, rainbow colors that are soft or bright, or even double denim.
Let's get started with our variations!
Outer Column/Suit + Solid Top + Neutral Scarf
With grey suit, dark green top, and a light grey/white scarf, the overall vibe in this look is quite neutral, with the interest coming more from value contrast and texture. I like wearing these grey and black leopard wedges with my grey and black "suits."
Outer Column/Suit + Solid Top + Bright Print Scarf
Here I used the same grey "suit" with a black top for a dark neutral base and jazzed it up with a bright colorful butterfly print scarf that contains the black of the top while introducing several accent colors to the outfit.
Outer Column/Suit + Solid Top + Necklace
The grey "suit" takes on a softer and more feminine feel when paired with a light pink top and a bold vintage necklace with crystal and glass pearls. These dark grey flats with the black ribbon are another go-to pairing with my black and grey "suits."
Outer Column/Suit + Print Top + Necklace
The burgundy "suit" is a natural pairing with a plaid shirt that contains a wine/burgundy color in it, creating an outfit with an overall dark value that is more colorful. The silver necklace and pewter metallic loafers create a simple, coordinated set of accessories for the clothing combination to stand out.
Outer Column/Suit + Graphic Top + Necklace
If you question whether a casual "suit" can work, this look with a dark blue vest and skinny jeans "suit" and a bold French rabbit graphic T should clarify that for you. The rabbit top and the statement necklace are one of my wardrobe's Pleasing Pairings ("a specific, go-to base combination of items that she enjoys wearing repeatedly," says my intern).
Outer Column/Suit + Print Top + Solid Scarf
The same vest make a business casual office-appropriate "suit" with a pair of navy skinny pants. The floral blouse brings some soft feminine energy, while the bold blue solid scarf gives the combination extra oomph. This blouse has a bit of tan and black in the center of the flowers, which creates a Pleasing Pairing with my brown-based leopard and cheetah print shoes.
Outer Column/Suit + Print Top + Bridge Piece Print Scarf
Earlier this year, I combined the burgundy "suit" with a black striped T and matching black Adidas sneakers for a laid-back "suit and sneakers" vibe. The print scarf contains the burgundy, black, and white of the outfit (plus some grey-ish olive) and thus ties the pieces together. Pairing a striped T with a curved print scarf (e.g., florals, dots, ovals) makes for an easy print mix.
Outer Column/Suit + Print Top + Necklace: Skirt Version
While it's not nearly as common for me, I will sometimes do a Long Over Lean look using a skirt instead of pants. In this outfit, the grey knit pencil skirt, tights, and tall boots combo has a lot of the same feel as grey skinny pants while being very snow-friendly. The teal and white floral print blouse looks good with the grey even though it doesn't contain any grey in the print (it does have a bit of black).
Variation #2: The Inner Column
When people talk about "column dressing" or wearing a "column of color," it's generally the inner column that they mean: a top and bottom piece in the same/similar color. A dress that is the same color on top and bottom is an easy one-piece column. Most of the matching sets that have been all over the marketplace in the last few years create an inner column.
For my Long Over Lean formula, I'm focusing on long-sleeved tops and skinny pants/jeans in the same/similar color. Some of the tops are solids and others are prints that have enough of the pants color in them to give a column effect.
Inner Column + Contrasting Vest + Necklace
The burgundy T and skinny pants along with coordinating ankle boots create a long inner column from my shoulders to the floor. A black velvet vest brings texture and layered necklaces create additional visual interest. This is a very classic version of the inner column formula.
Inner Column + Contrasting Vest + Light Print Scarf
A black inner column with a grey vest creates a dark neutral background for playing with accessories. In this look, I added a white scarf with tiny light grey birds to create a combination high in value contrast, with the white popping against the dark outfit.
Inner Column + Contrasting Vest + Bright Print Scarf
This outfit shows another black column (this time with a drapey black blouse) topped with the grey vest, but the print scarf is very bright and color-rich, standing out beautifully against the neutral backdrop. Wearing the scarf rolled and long gives strong vertical integrity to the Long part of the Long Over Lean formula and draws attention to the beautiful complexity of the scarf's print and color scheme.
Inner Column (Print Top) + Contrasting Vest + Solid Scarf
This outfit illustrates both of the aspects of the "matching scarf" idea that my intern got a little confused by earlier. Note that skinny pants, print blouse, scarf, and boots are all dominated by the burgundy color with the vest being the one piece in a different color. The burgundy scarf and pants create a "matching scarf" color formula, and the blouse serves as a bridge piece that ties the grey and burgundy together (there is a bit of grey in the print).
Inner Column (Print Top) + Contrasting Vest + Necklace
Here is the same blouse, pants, and vest with different accessories. It's interesting, in this outfit without the burgundy scarf, the black background of the blouse feels a bit more prominent than it did in the earlier look. We might call this combo more of a Road Map Styling outfit ("color formula where you build a cohesive look by pulling various colors from a multi-color patterned piece...originally coined by personal stylist Bridgette Raes," says my intern).
"Sort of" Inner Column (Print Top) + Contrasting Vest + Necklace
I'm caveating this inner column as "sort of" because despite my thinking of this bird blouse as having a burgundy background, it's really more of a plum color, as you can see when paired with the burgundy pants. But this is where the "similar" part of "matching/similar colors" comes in, right? I think this blouse and pants create an inner column since the colors are close.
Inner Column (Print Top) + Contrasting Vest + Bright Print Scarf
Here is an example in which the print top is definitely of the same basic color as the pants; both are a dark navy tone. The burgundy sweater vest and matching flats stand out as more colorful against the very neutral background. Then a bridge piece scarf with bits of navy, white, and burgundy adds a lot of impact due to the dominant apple green color that appears nowhere else in the look.
I'll be back soon with part 2 of this post, focusing on the other color formulas!
Do you ever wear a column of color? Do you have a preference for the outer column/"suit" versus the inner column? Would you wear two pieces of similar denim together to make a column? Do you have any skinny pants/jeans or skinny/pencil skirts that you could use for a Long Over Lean outfit? Were there any variants above that you particularly liked or that inspire you?
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