Infusing more color into my looks
Owning a hubby may be required
The eye adjusts. I never thought I’d even say this, not to mention experience it on my own, in my very own closet. But I have encountered the impossible become true. I have faced and conquered my own fear of color. The eye does adjust. I think I’m a believer now.
Somewhat fascinated and inspired …but mostly intrigued by so many cool outfit ideas by the creative and color-daring women in my Instagram and Substack feed, I decided to give color a chance. The discovery journey started already last week… or was it the week before that - where especially Thursday and maybe even Friday were good examples of novelty color combos that I found energizing, uplifting or quite the opposite - soothing and calming.
The quest for more color and new, audacious (for me) color combos, made me realize though that I don’t actually own that much of the so called ‘color’. …or CORRECTION - I had not owned that much color until this Thursday. Keep on reading to find out more.
Yes, my wardrobe is mainly black, beige, navy, brown, with some white, ecru, grey and green. As I really wanted to push myself, I started my last Sunday outfit planning mindful ritual with opening my husband’s part of the closet first - in search of new, unknown to me tones and shades:
The first color that I really like on my hubby but which I otherwise would have never considered wearing myself is this burgundish one - here in the form of a wool jumper that my husband likes and wears a lot.
So, I started the week the week wearing hubby’s burgundy jumper around my neck - mainly as a scarf. It actually felt good and calming. The burgundy hue went well with the deep brown of the blazer and the milk chocolate top. The denim, which I absolutely cannot comprehend how I possibly could have lived without, is also working fine with the ensemble.
This was my Monday outfit.
The whole challenge or hands-on advice on how to do color infusion and what Irene wrote about here, was to simply start playing around with what you have, incl. borrowing from your hubby’s wardrobe. Once I started playing, I enjoyed it immensely.
As Irene puts it so well:
“As the outfits (…) demonstrate, you never know what will go together. Frankly, some of the palettes initially registered to me as ugly (…). Yet, I couldn’t help but keep looking; and, the more I looked, the more I appreciated their complexity. In conclusion, throw your colours together and give space for the alchemy to unfurl.”
For Tuesday I had planned a more toned down look with the infusion of white on my feet. This was definitely one of those ‘I nailed it’ outfits. Felt so at ease, yet elevated and modern. Yes, the main elements, i.e. the blazer and the skirt, are from Tibi - the brand that practically speaking guarantees the chillness and modernity in each of their items.
The white, chunky boot is the pop of ring 2 color that makes the the whole outfit look more cohesive. BTW - why the color white is part of ring 2 is a mystery to me… especially together with the green-brown color - the one between charcoal and brown in the Tibi Color Wheel.
But back to my Tuesday look. I absolutely love the sheen of the silk shirt; buttoned all the way up - something that I’m playing with more and more. Then the navy wool vest. And finally the checked blazer that we all know and love.
Wednesday was a little bit off-topic. It was also a little bit too ordinary. It was not really a styling; not really an outfit. It was just clothes. Good clothes. Every single piece can be a hero and it has definitely been. But together they somehow lost their powers. They neutralized one another.
I originally started with the following: turtleneck cashmere jumper, blazer vest, wool A-line skirt and white chunky boots.
The A-line’ness of the skirt made it all a little bit too nun-like, too mormon-woman for my taste. Now that I’m writing these words, I actually feel like trying again with my silk midi skirt in black from Anine Bing. It will add a different texture and may be just that tiny detail that will change the entire vibe and hence also how I perceive myself wearing the outfit.
Anyway, this Wednesday the skirt had to go. I took it off, together with the white boots. I put on my leather pants and brown suede ankle boots instead. Then I left the house. Once again, it was just clothes. Nothing really to write about. And yet… it’s all a journey and I’m sure you too may appreciate me sharing also the less fortunate outfits.
Shit happens and then you move on …to another great look that makes you smile and feel like yourself. The other garment and tool that I found in my hubby’s closet and that he graciously agreed to lend me for a day is a wool jumper in this slightly undefinable green shade. Take a look for yourself. It’s not a grass green. It’s not a pea green. What is it then?
I wore the green jumper both as a scarf and open, simply hanging over my shoulders, to reveal the double pearl necklace and most importantly my new preloved lace top. The top is finished with lace both at the top and at the bottom of the piece. I wanted to show both. I really like the result. Sexy was also something that I’ve been recently influenced by Allison Bornstein and Rachel Solomon to incorporate into my wardrobe. And so I did.
Just after work on Wednesday I headed over to a consignment store that I do not visit often enough - Second Copenhagen. Why not? Well, I wrote about it in one of my latest posts here on Substack.
If you only have 48h in Copenhagen
As much as I appreciate the ease and convenience of online shopping, it can only activate some of my bodily senses. Just a couple of senses to be more precise. Sometimes so few that it simply doesn’t make much sense to spend time and money trying to convince myself about a piece - new or 2nd hand. Just like with food and dishes that I only see pictures …
At Second Copenhagen I found at least 10 pieces that I was just super excited to try. The lace camisole was one of them.
Here with a cashmere and wool coat from Toteme that I would rather wear as an oversized blazer:
And here with another oversized piece - a yellow’ish blazer from Frankie Shop:
I loved it and so I bought it. I’ve already worn it twice.
I’m skipping Friday this time, as it was kind of an in-between day. I spent the entire morning in bed, working from home. I only got up to wash my face and make myself new cups of coffee. Our financial year starts already in November, so I’m already super busy planning and at the same time realizing plans for 2025. I have to admit that I was quite productive. Do you ever work in your bed and get things done?
After lunch I headed over to a disc shooting event with my male dominated team. Yes, I am actually the only woman in our Copenhagen office. So, it was either disc shooting or cupcake making :) I was the organizer of the pre-Xmas-party team-building activity. The boys enjoyed being outdoors and playing with heavy and noisy rifles. I was doing so bad at shooting that I decided if there ever was a war in my area I’d do much better in the kitchen…
As to the Xmas party itself it was super laid back and I was in such rush getting ready for it that the unimaginable happened - I actually forgot to take a picture of my outfit.
As this week and this post is all about color infusion, let’s continue to what I was wearing yesterday, i.e. on Saturday. If you’ve been following me for a while; maybe especially on my Instagram, you would probably notice something new in the picture below. The pants. Yes, another great preloved find.
How lucky can you be to visit two consignment stores in one week and actually find some amazing pieces that you just cannot wait to wear. These denim kind of slightly balloon looking pants was one of the items. I just love the color. It’s not a brown. It’s more a rusty brown, with a tiny bit of orange.
I paired the pants with my Tibi snail t-shirt and an old cashmere cardigan from Max Mara, plus grey wool socks and matching grey slippers, also from Tibi.
Now, if you ever come to Copenhagen, do put First Class 2nd Hand on your list of consignment stores to visit. This is where you find affordable pieces in pristine quality.
Here’s a little close-up of my Saturday stay-at-home look:
Once I was wearing the pants, there was no going back. I had to try them on together with this preloved jumper that I also found at First Class 2nd Hand. The knit jumper is from COS. The color is again difficult to define. Sara, the store owner and my friend, and I were trying to put it into words.
At a closer look it is yellow mixed with black, which looks somewhat like rotten green from a distance. We decided that it was so off together with the brown of the pants that they actually both worked surprisingly well together.
Here worn with a very light blue shirt for the contrasting elements around my face, at the bottom and on the sides, where the knit has deep slits.
To conclude - if I can wear and enjoy the so called color - so can you. Start playing with what you can. Can you borrow something from your hubby, brother or son? Can you borrow something from a friend?
I promise you. The eye does adjust and you may actually find joy creating new looks, just like I did. Good luck!
Oh, and so rude of me. Your outfits are awesome, and your styling ability is impeccable. I want to go to that store and buy everything.💕
You call this color?😆 Of course, I am totally joking with you and very happy for you to have discovered some new colours from your husband‘s closet. I love both the green and the burgundy sweaters.💕
Of your new purchases, I definitely approve of the lace trim, and I love the colour of your rusty brown pants.
White is in that position on the colour wheel because it is a true neutral: it goes with every other colour. Ha ha, I live in the outer ring.🥰