Green and Your Style

Green comes in all sorts of tints, shades, and tones, and of course is so predominant in nature. From the palest mints and dusty sages, to grass green, leaf green, emerald, Kelly green, lime, neon, seafoam, pear, moss, apple green, teal, jade, forest green, hunter green, and all sorts of olive. Take your pick.

Green is very popular with my clientele, friends, and family members. It is almost always one of their favourite colours, but the specific preferred green varies widely between them. Shades of olive, emerald, sage, teal and forest green are particularly popular. Some wear them as a dominant colour, and others as accents and in patterns. Those with green and hazel eyes tend to be partial to wearing green.

I have green eyes, but don’t wear as much green as I used to. Over the years my sartorial preferences have shifted to blue. That said, a bright lime or apple green is one of my favourite colours. It’s currently not represented in my wardrobe because it’s hard to find. If I could find it in items that worked for my style, I’d wear more of it. Several eyewear prescriptions ago I wore apple green specs and LOVED them. I might have my current prescription put into those frames so that I can wear them again. I also like neon green, and sour chartreuse. But the chartreuse is more yellow than green, so it might not count. I have a couple of olive items that I wear occasionally too.

Over to you. Do you like to wear green, and if so, which are your favourite greens?

Team Purple or Team Teal

You’re on Team Purple if you prefer wearing it to wearing teal, and vice versa. All tints, hues, shades and tones of purple count. From soft lilac and lavender, to bright orchid, dark eggplant, and everything in between. All sorts of teal count too. Rich, dark, and sometimes more green than blue, or more blue than green. Note that turquoise is not teal. Turquoise is bright and saturated, while teal is medium dark and less saturated.

Purples and teals are very popular colours with my clientele, friends, family, and with our forum members. Apart from fashion neutrals, they are the colours that people seem to gravitate to the most for clothing items. They are cool-toned, look great worn together, and create many positive emotions.

I don’t wear purple or teal. Personally, I prefer shocking pink to bright purple, blush pink to lilac, and bright turquoise to teal. So I’m sitting this one out on the bench while watching Team Purple and Team Teal wear these colours with panache and a happy heart.

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Purple or Team Teal? Tell us why, and no batting for both teams. If you can’t pick a side, or don’t wear either like me, there’s plenty of room on the bench where I’m serving vegan supper. Tofu Ketjap, Sri Lankan green beans, red rice with quinoa, kale salad, and gluten-free chocolate cupcakes for dessert. We ran this poll ten years ago and Team Purple won the race. Team Teal might win this time round. Prove me wrong.

Wearing Boots in Summer

It sounds counter-intuitive and seasonally confused to wear boots in Summer. It should be the time to expose your feet in breezier shoes like sandals, slides, espadrilles, mules, ballet flats, pumps, low-top sneakers and loafers. All much cooler options than boots with socks. 

Yet, wearing boots in Summer can work if you prefer to wear closed shoes with lots of coverage, don’t feel the heat on your feet, or are in air conditioning. It can also work when Summer temperatures are chilly. Wearing Summery skirts, dresses, jeans, pants, and shorts with cowboy boots or tough boots like Dr. Martens can be a fab look.

I see people in Seattle wear boots in the Summer with Summery dresses, skirts, shorts, and jeans. People in air conditioning all day do the same. Some of the boots are cut-out and d’Orsay silhouettes which are a tad more open. Wearing Summery slip and sleeveless dresses with tough boots is another on-trend nod to the ‘90s.

1460 Pascal Confetti Suede Lace Up Boots

It’s not the norm for me because I like to break out my breezy Summer shoes in the summertime. That said, I will wear white boots or blush pink Frye boots with pants, jeans and midaxi dresses and skirts in the Seattle Summer when the temperatures are chilly. Since we’re eating outside more these days, I will often wear socks and boots to stay warm as the temperature drops and the wind picks up in the evening. When I lived in Cape Town, which is right by the Atlantic ocean, it was the norm to wear boots on Summer evenings with jeans, pants, skirts and dresses because the temperature drops quite drastically close to the water.

Over to you. Do you wear boots in the Summer? Do people in your neck of the woods wear boots in the summertime?

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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NAS Top Picks: Dresses

The dress selection at the sale is small, yet every year frocks deserve a short top picks list of their own. This years winners covered a range of silhouettes, fits, fabrics, vibes, patterns, prices and colours. Click the links to see the back detailing of the dresses. 

Go to the collection page to see the item pictures alongside my descriptions.

  • Cinq A Sept Paisley Long Sleeve High-Low Dress: My favourite dress at the NAS. '70s fabness, luxe, and absolutely magical in motion. Swoosh-factor is SUBLIME. GORGEOUS drape, fabric and fit if you like high necklines and body coverage. It's longer on me than on the model, and looked splendid with refined white ankle boots. It has a black background and several cool tones, which aren't my thing. Yet I keep thinking about it, so maybe I should try it on again and ask hubs Greg for his assessment.
  • AllSaints Gia Sleeveless Rib Maxi Dress: Sleek and alluring in a subtle way, and comes in a soft cinnamon. The diagonal hemline adds pizazz to the simple dress.
  • Zadig & Voltaire Risty Glam Rock High-Low Slipdress: A forum member knocked our socks off in this dress. It's spectacular because the neckline and armholes both in the front and back fit very closely and neatly against the body. No spillage and plenty of unexpected coverage. GORGEOUS.
  • Vince Camuto Floral Print Ruched Body-Con Dress: Body Con Berry Sheath Fabness. Easy to wear, pack and launder.
  • Maggy London Diagonal Print Chiffon Shirtdress: I have this dress on order. I like the diagonal striped pattern, colours, and shirtdress silhouette. I hope it's longer on me than on the model. I'll keep you posted.
  • Halogen Mod Windowpane Plaid Long Sleeve Dress: GORGEOUS fabric and fun windowpane pattern. Beautiful sleeves. It works extremely well as a tunic over black pants. I gasped with delight when my client wore it that way with soft subtle flared trousers. Size down.
  • Madewell Smocked Square Neck Cotton Blend Dress: An absolutely darling dress that looked better on my clients then on the model. Has POCKETS. It worked flawlessly on a size US12 client who pranced with joy in the dressing room as soon as she fitted it on. Always a good sign.
  • Julia Jordan Floral Pleated Long Sleeve Dress: Great on petites and forgiving on the midsection. Sleeves might be a little long. A fab dress for a mild Fall and Winter.
  • Vince Satin Midi Slipdress: This is a sublime slip dress even if you don't like slip dresses. The fabric is like liquid metal, and the drape is divine. Very forgiving fit. Feels glorious against the skin. The straps are adjustable so you can position the neckline and armholes as low or high as you like. If you pull up the straps, you can achieve very neat and tidy coverage. Clients loved it styled with a denim jacket or lightweight moto jacket.
  • HARPER ROSE Belted Fit & Flare Dress: Easy Fit & Flare Fabness that can work well on petites. Comfy, soft, packable, crease-resistant, and classic.
  • RAILS Margot Long Sleeve Sweater Dress: Fluid and tailored in all the right places. Slim but not form fitting. Great on those who wear V-necklines well. Fab on a larger bust, and broad shoulder line. Works on a curvier figure.
  • Theory Bedford Mod Faux Leather Sleeveless Shift Dress: Darling on a petite apple shaped client, and tall rectangular client. Forgiving on the midsection, and with a mod '60s vibe. Options to layer underneath and over the dress are aplenty.

NAS Top Picks: Tops and Knitwear

There are fewer warm woolly sweaters and Athleisure tops at the sale. Many more blouses and knitted tops, which might be more of what people are wearing these days. That said, I was happy to see cotton sweaters at the sale which I think is a first. Cotton knitwear is less likely to pill and itch, and I’m a fan. Lots of black, dusty tints and shades, and earth tones, but if you click the links you’ll find more options. 

Again, I’ve made the hidden away and unexpected heroes top picks instead of the same NAS winners we see season after season.

Go to the collection page to see the item pictures alongside my descriptions.

Nordstrom
V-Neck Top
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Top Pick
3
Nordstrom
Alo Cozy Hoodie
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Top Pick
7
Nordstrom
V-Neck Sweater
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Top Pick
4