Sunday, October 31, 2010

Surprising Subtlety

As I wrote about in my last post, autumn is all about reinvention. Trying something new or abandoning your default look, fall is about shedding your old habits.

One of my long-standing habits is a tendency to wear lots of color. I tend to reach for bright colors and love combining colors in interesting ways. This is in stark contrast to my friend A. Her closet is filled to literally overflowing with blacks and whites. She is proud of the occasional red piece in her closet, but has to be coerced into actually wearing any of them.

I used to scoff at A’s affinity for black and white, and really any obsession with neutrals, however this autumn I’m feeling a little differently.

The fall runways were full of tailored pieces, and there is no better way to show off a beautiful silhouette than with a lovely neutral. Navy, gray, black and winter white—those are the colors I’m craving this season. When your color palette is this neutral, you can wear more embellished pieces. Ruffles, bows and sequins go from overly young and in-your-face to classically feminine.

Because of my love of color, however, I will be adding a little bit here and there. Not so much a pop of color as a hint, I’m thinking of deeply saturated colors like plum and turquoise. These can be used on accessories like a turquoise beret paired with blacks and grays; they can also be used to add a sophisticated turn to basics, such as a plum cable-knit sweater.

The difference between these colors and my usual pinks and reds is a desire for subtlety. These are grown-up colors, not concerned with being noticed but with being sophisticated. Sometimes the best way to standout is to remain neutral.

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