I think I've mentioned a few times on here that I want to get a little pickier about my color palette. This week I had a mini-realization about how I combine cardigans with other things that may help me on the first steps down this route.

For some reason, I generally have this weird urge to "conserve" my cardigans and make sure more of them get regular wear by choosing the least versatile option that goes with whatever I'm wearing. So, for example, if I'm wearing a patterned dress with a few colors and a neutral and I happen to have a cardi in one of the colors, that's my default for wearing with the dress. Or, if I'm wearing an all-neutral outfit that can work with a whole bunch of different cardigans, I'll choose one in a color that goes with less in my wardrobe rather than one in a neutral or in a favorite color. I'll do the same thing with other pieces of clothes, too, but cardigans are probably where it's most obvious.

But the thing is, I suspect that this is kind of dumb. It leads me to wear some of the same predictable outfits over and over even though they're not necessarily the most flattering/interesting/happiness-inducing combinations in my wardrobe. It also means that it's sometimes hard to tell whether I'm wearing something a lot because it's a favorite or just because it's there and I'm semi-consciously trying to wear it whenever there's an obvious opportunity. Which means it's harder to make smart decisions about buying new things.

Anyway, now that I'm aware of this pattern, I'm trying not to do it so much. This week, I made a point of choosing the cardigan that I wanted to wear the most rather than one that made sense according to my screwed-up Conservation of Cardigans system. Even if it meant that I wore the same black cardigan on Tuesday and Friday. Hopefully no one at work noticed!

I know none of these are super-cutting-edge or anything, but they felt a little more purposeful than some of my outfits and like it's maybe a stepping stone toward a more precise understanding of my style.

With the dress in #1, I usually wear a pale lilac cardigan or a slightly darker lavender one, both of which are probably lighter and cooler than ideal for my coloring. Sometimes I do gray, but it's one of these two just as often than not. This time I went with a black one instead, and I really like how it plays up the drama in the pattern.

The dress in #2 obviously goes with a bunch of things, but this is the first time I've worn it with this teal cardi. Since I love teal and think it's pretty flattering on me, I always feel like I'll have more chances to wear this cardi with something it more explicitly matches. Meanwhile, I see this dress as another opportunity to wear, you guessed it, the lilac or lavender cardigans that don't look that good on me. Or my red one, or one of various other options that are fine but not super-exciting and don't feel quite as "me" as the teal one.

The top in #3 is new. My first instinct probably would have been to wear my red or golden yellow cardigans because the warm tones would work with the black/brown of the top, telling myself it would be a shame to pass up a chance to wear one of them. But I chose the black one instead, which meant I got a more streamlined effect that made the brown tones in the shirt stand out more, and also that I could wear fun dangly earrings and my rarely-worn cognac oxfords without feeling like there was potentially too much going in in the outfit. (BTW, the red and yellow cardigans are both wearing out, so I'm wondering if I even need replacements in similar colors.)

Does anyone else do something similar to this? Or have any tips for resisting the urge to pair something with the least-worn option rather than the best one?

P.S. I've really spent a lot of time babbling about cardigans here this week, haven't I?