refining my wardrobe: part 2

via

This is the second installment of refining my wardrobe which is based off of Putting Me Together's Wardrobe from Scratch. Part one of RMW involved defining my lifestyle and what my style preferences gravitate towards. Part two is going to be all about colors. Again, this is based off of PMT's color post - all pictures are from Audrey's site or from Academichic and then sometimes altered by me. I highly urge you to read both of these posts before you read mine as they actually know what they're talking about and I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this.

choosing neutrals

Audrey recommends sticking to 1-2 neutrals that can be mixed and match throughout your closet. For me, these neutrals are a tan/cognac and black. I have purses (cognac | black), shoes (cognac | black), and belts in both of these colors, although I'd like to update the belts as mine were cheap and aren't in the greatest condition. I know that black works well for my wardrobe, and my black cigarette jeans were one of my most worn items. I'd like to also incorporate more cream in my closet, probably through tops and accessories.

choosing a color palette

Audrey suggests choosing 2-3 colors and focusing on those first for those building their wardrobe from scratch. For refining my wardrobe, I'd like to figure out what colors I feel most comfortable with and what is already in my closet, and then look to find what colors work well with them. In my closet, the majority of my clothes are in the blue and red color families. I rarely do orange, greens, or yellows (except for my mustard cardigan which seems to go with everything).  I just went and looked through the last few month's worth of outfits, and I rarely deviate from the red and blue family. I do enjoy darker greens as well, such as my cargo vest, and am actually on the look out for a military green shirt as I think it would be a great neutral alternative to a chambray shirt (I have my eye on this one).

According to Academichic's post on color, I should use the 2/3 triad rule to work with my colors of preference. This means I would work with 2 of the 3 colors and then work between brights and more muted colors. As I understand it (and we all know this could be wrong), a bright red cardigan with a muted blue chambray shirt would work well together, or a bright mustard cardigan would work with a muted purple. I think I'm going to keep a print out of this color wheel in my closet (or at least on my cell phone) so I have a guide for working with colors on a daily basis.

Understanding what color families I stick to means I can focus finding complimentary colors and pairings. I think a few more muted colors, such as darker teals, purples and wines will compliment the current brighter items in my closet well. I believe up next in Audrey's Wardrobe from Scratch is fit, so I'm sure we'll have plenty to learn from her!