There's so many wonderful things about the color red. It's emotionally-charged: passionate, vibrant, bold, romantic, adventurous, and so much more. Fashionably-speaking, it's both modern and classic. It's a beautiful color for every day and for special occasions. It can be the center of attention that immediately catches your eye, or it can serve as a gorgeous background. I like to use the color red wherever I can--but these days I most like it when it's in a form that I can wear. Ever since I watched the James Bond movie "Casino Royale", I've been head-over-heels for bright red dresses--
--Inspired by the dress that the character Vesper Lynd wore in the film. I now have two red dresses in my wardrobe, and a few different pairs of red shoes. A red dress can be worn with a lot of different accessories, but I firmly believe that if a girl is going to own a red dress, she should wear it with red shoes at least once or twice in her lifetime. ;) Red lip colors are also some of my favorite things to keep around...red is a wonderful, sophisticated color for makeup, but I think it really ought to be restricted to the lips, with a little spared to use for cheek color. Red eye makeup is--I find--tricky, at best.
Recently, I went on a shopping excursion with a friend, and we picked out some fabulous new wardrobe pieces for her, from H&M. Our findings got me to thinking: I really ought to write a blog post about the versatility of the color red in one's wardrobe. I think it's a color that's vastly underrated in clothing. Yes, it is a bold color, but sometimes bold colors can be treated as neutrals, in much the same manner as they can be used as impact-making statement pieces. In addition to that, red is far from a seasonally-exclusive color; it can be worn beautifully year-round. Allow me to elaborate, using the styles of three very unique ladies.
In Micah's set, I used bright, cherry red slacks as the focal point of each outfit. From left to right, the outfits progress in season from summer-early autumn, to autumn, to winter. Red can be paired with neutral shades--such as the shoes, handbags, and jewelry accessories with each outfit here--as well as brighter colors, such as the melon shade of the first outfit's shirt. It can be paired with pretty floral prints preppy nautical stripes, and cozy knit materials.
The trick here definitely lies in treating red as a neutral shade; the red slacks in each outfit here could easily be swapped out for a pair of skinny-fit jeans, and the effect would be much the same.
For my set, I chose a piece that I actually have in my wardrobe--a red dress, although it isn't this specific red dress shown here. Red dresses can be just as versatile a piece in one's wardrobe as red slacks; it all simply depends on what you choose to pair the red dress with.
For a really bold color statement in the first outfit, I chose most red accessories. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing the matchy-matchy game with your outfit these days! The combination of the slightly different but mostly uniform shades of red gives the outfit a put-together but not garish look. For a slightly more casual effect, denim, leather, and knit materials look really nice with red, and the red itself gives a cheery and warm pop of color to the ensemble. Lastly, a simple leather belt and pullover sweater transform the dress into what appears to be a skirt, paired with tastefully sparkling accessories and never-fail flesh-tone pumps. See? Red dresses aren't meant to be relegated to only the holidays!
For Jenn's outfit sets, I chose to emphasize a color that is always very trendy for the cooler months of the year: oxblood. (It's seriously in e-ver-y style magazine that's out for purchase right now!) My and my two friends' styles are very different: Micah tends to go for a preppy-chic look with lots of bright colors and girly accents, while I gravitate towards a layered country-sophisticated look, and Jenn has a classic minimalist style with a hint of edginess.
Jenn has the kind of style where she lets a statement color shine through in a few key pieces of her outfit: an elegant point-toed high heel in the shade of oxblood, a knit shirt paired with a cozy cardigan and faintly blush-hued jewelry, or a flowy dress with sparkling accessories. She never plays it too safe, but she never overdoes it either. If you don't want to wear an all-red outfit, but you still want to experiment with the red trend--be it bright red or the autumn-appropriate oxblood shade--Jenn's wardrobe system of subtle accents is the one for you!
What colors and trends are you looking forward to wearing for the autumn?
À bientôt!
-- Cait
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