Here’s a good example of how to wear several different dark neutrals with a colour. The visual result is not as dark as the super dark head-to-toe look that’s on trend, although the vibe is related. The point is to encourage you to put similar darks together with items in your wardrobe. The darks don’t need to match. 

Here, black and three types of brown are combined with a deep bordeaux red. A black tiered midaxi skirt is combined with a tucked bordeaux pullover. A warm chocolate brown blazer tops the pairing. A cool and darker chocolate brown pair of western boots ground the outfit. A gingerbread belt is added for textural detail and interest. It’s the third brown and a lighter one. Not sure whether the belt will stay put sans belt loops, but you get the idea.

Feel free to switch out to the skirt for black pants or jeans, the black for navy, the browns for greys, and the bordeaux for forest green or eggplant. If you enjoy wearing dark outfits like this, experiment, and see what you come up with. Hope to see your renditions on the forum.

Frankie4 is an Australian footwear brand founded by podiatrist Caroline McCulloch. It’s built on the idea that people deserve shoes that look stylish and feel amazing. Each pair features the brand’s exclusive “Sole Hero” footbed. This feature cushions the heel, supports the arch, and eases forefoot pressure. Uniquely, styles like boots loafers, flats and sneakers come with custom inserts so you can personalize your fit.

Below is an example of the customizable fit pack that accompanies many of Frankie4 styles. It gives the option to custom-fit and personalize your pair. Whether your feet are wide, narrow, or somewhere in between, or even different from each other, this pack is designed to adapt. For example, narrow feet benefit from slipping a forefoot cushion under the front of the full-length footbed for a snug fit. Wide feet, including those with bunions or neuromas, will benefit from the half-length footbed, which maximizes volume in the front of the shoe while maintaining soft arch support. Furthermore, you can remove all the inserts and put your own orthotics into the shoes.

Frankie4 are not low-cost shoes. Although they are cheaper than Paul Greens, and go on sale. Their styles are clean, beautifully made, comfortable, and on the classic side of the fashion spectrum. Trendier designs come through too. The brand is also committed to responsible materials and ethical production, which you can read more about on their site. Footwear is manufactured in Brazil and Vietnam.

There are only two places you can get Frankie4 shoes in Seattle. At Nordstrom and at their brick ’n mortar store in one of our malls. Apparently it’s the only brick ’n mortar store outside Australia and New Zealand. The sales assistants are very knowledgeable and know their products. The service is excellent, and you get a 15% discount on your first order. Frankie4 has become a go-to brand for some of my clients. The comfort levels have been game changing because of the customization options and Sole Hero footbed.

I bought the Frankie4 Nina Boots in light brown. They don’t typically offer half sizes so I sized down. The sales assistant effectively customized the fit of the boots for my narrow and low volume feet. The boots fit very comfortably and look sharp (see me wearing them in the forum). The supportive and cushioning footbed is phenomenal. They are the perfect shade of brown for my style, which has been hard to find. Gorgeously modern classic with a slight western vibe. Since these yummy boots also satisfy my need for cowgirl boots, I feel very sorted. I FINALLY have dead right brown boots.

Cosy and warm socks can be an integral part of your Autumn and Winter outfits. Instead of hiding them under bottoms and in footwear, show them off. Socks can be a bold statement, or make a more subtle appearance. These outfits feature socks in outfits in relatable ways. The last outfit might be a stretch, but inspirational nonetheless. Use the combination of items in the outfit as a guide, and substitute your own colour palettes.

1. Cropped Pants and Loafers

In order to feature the socks, your bottoms need to showcase some ankle. You can showcase some ankle by rolling the hems of jeans, or sporting cuffed jeans and pants, or wearing cropped bottoms. Here, a pair of barrel shaped black bottoms is combined with a gingerbread pullover. It’s topped with a burgundy coat, mustard scarf and bordeaux loafers. Interestingly, the visible socks are a shade of olive, which gels well with the mustard and gingerbread despite their mismatch. Alternatively, you could match them to the earth tones or burgundies in the outfit.

2. Casual Skirt and Booties

A casual flared denim skirt is paired with a multi-coloured plaid shirt. A cinnamon and cream pullover tops the pairing. Black booties are the next mismatched addition. Short forest green socks peek out from above the tops of the boots. They match the bits of green in the plaid shirt. It’s a subtle match and a subtle appearance of visible socks, which might be more your cup of tea.

3. Clogs

A pair of cropped black barrel jeans is combined with a cinnamon turtleneck. A burgundy quilted jacket tops the combination. Whisky clogs with tan heels are the shoes of choice leaving a whole lot of sock exposure. Cinnamon and tan socks that match the turtleneck and heels of the clogs are a smashing choice. A teal wool hat is a fun mismatched addition.

4. Mishmash

This outfit remixes preppy fabness with ‘70s glam and a bit of athleisure. A blue and white shirt is worn under a burgundy and light blue argyle pullover. That pairing is combined with a pair of burgundy sweat pants. A big burgundy coat with toffee trim tops the lot. Black and animal print loafers match the model’s hair and the trim of the coat. Bold socks in a mismatched argyle are the statement making cherry on top. They’ve been scrunched for a dramatic effect, but you can wear them pulled up and under the pants. The burgundy and toffee in the sock argyle marries them to the rest of the outfit. Add jewellery, watch, handbag, and eyewear as desired.

We can be set in our ways about the colours and palettes we enjoy wearing. These are the neutrals and non-neutrals that make us happy and feel our best. Conversely, there are colours and palettes that we don’t enjoy wearing. We like them on other people but don’t wear them ourselves for a myriad of reasons.

Some colours and palettes grow on us. Sometimes it’s a matter of seeing these colours and palettes repeatedly. They become familiar and we develop a fondness for them. We see people wear these colours and palettes well, which makes us feel like dipping our toes and trying the looks. Over time we find the versions that work best with our style.

Sometimes we simply give into colours and palettes because there isn’t much else to choose from. We succumb to them because they kind of wear us down. We’re in the mood to change things up because we’re bored with the colours and palettes we’ve been wearing for a while, so we surrender. We integrate these colours and palettes in small and more subtle ways because they aren’t our favourites, although we do enjoy the refresh.

I find many of my clients who enjoy wearing jewel tones, cool toned blues and greens, or warm brights have over time warmed up to earth tones and the right versions of chocolate brown. Some developed a fondness for it after seeing it executed stylishly. Others gave in because they desperately wanted a change.

Over to you. Have certain colours and palettes grown on you over time?