Be Intentional About the Contrast in Your Outfits

There are many ways to create contrast in your outfits. Between the clothing items, between the items and your footwear or accessories. Between all of those things and your skin tone. And you can create contrast within the patterns on items. 

Control Your Contrast

White jeans with black shoes for high contrast. White jeans with silver shoes for low contrast. White jeans and black shoes look vivid, graphic, and striking with a black top. White jeans and silver shoes look pretty, soft, and streamlined with a pastel top.

When an outfit looks off, try adjusting the contrast between its components. Consider the items, footwear, accessories and your own colouring. Use high contrast to draw attention to components, and low contrast to blend them in.

Team Accessories or Team Footwear

You’re on Team Accessories if your affection for accessories runs deeper than it does for shoes, and vice versa. Accessories are items like belts, scarves, handbags, eyewear, gloves, hats, wallets, watches, and jewellery. Footwear is a separate category. 

I bat for Team Accessories. I have a deeper love for handbags, eyewear, necklaces, bracelets, my Apple watch, and belts than I do for shoes. I do like shoes, and I enjoy browsing footwear departments. But since my feet are hard to please, and I walk a lot in all kinds of weather, I am down to a handful of styles that suit my need for extreme comfort. I have a lot more fashion fun with accessories than I do with footwear.

Come to think of it, even when my feet were less fussy, I wasn’t a big shoe person. A small footwear capsule and a bigger bag capsule is typical for me. I swap out my eyewear regularly because I have many pairs of prescription specs and sunnies. I wear my pearls daily with joy, and have rekindled my love for belts. I am definitely more of an accessory person than a footwear person.

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Accessories or Team Footwear? Tell us why, and no batting for both teams. If you can’t pick a side, sit this one out on the bench where I’m serving spicy cabbage and edamame in peanut sauce, with green beans and brown rice, cucumber salad, and Belgian pralines for dessert. My guess is that Team Footwear will win this poll. Surprise me!

Fab Find: Vionic Willa Loafer

If you’re after a classic slipper flat with a sturdy sole and arch support, try the Vionic Willa Loafer. They are winners for me and some of my clients too. The footbed is cushioning and has great arch support. The footbed is removable so you can replace it with custom orthotics. The outer soles are hard so your feet don’t feel too close to the ground. Flexible, but not too flexible.

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Vionic Willa
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Vionic Willa II
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Some fabrics are more comfortable than others. The suede and super soft leathers are the most comfortable. Some styles come in wide widths, or extended sizes. Some colours are on deep discount. Clients with bunions have found the soft leather versions very comfortable. Clients with wider feet enjoy the style in a wide size. Some have found the regular width wide enough.

I have narrow, low-volume feet, and found the loafer too wide. Thankfully, I was able to make them fit better by adding an insole under the removable footbed. Not perfect, but not bad at all. Now they stay on my feet, and do not rub. They are comfy, and look classically sharp with jeans and pants at the new shorter full length that showcases the whole shoe. I got the toffee leopard, which is the first shoe in the collection. I have a leopard belt that is not a perfect match, yet creates a co-ordinated look when worn with the shoes in an outfit.

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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Outfit Formula: Quiet Columns

You can create a column of colour by combining a top and bottom in the same or similar solid colour or pattern. Use any colour or pattern in any fabric. The low-contrast pairing has the visual effect of emphasizing the vertical. Dark columns of colour are the most common. 

1. Dark Neutrals

Here’s a dark column of colour in a low-contrast pattern. A pair of charcoal wide leg polkadot trousers is combined with a belted maxi coat in the same pattern. This creates a quiet column, and makes a statement. A black top, boots, and bag add to the subtle palette of the outfit, and complement the dark hair of the model.

Dark Neutrals

More examples of dark quiet columns:

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2. Light Neutrals

Here’s an example of a quiet column in light neutrals. Up top, a pullover, vest, and scarf in tans and heathered creams are layered and combined to create a column that complements the model’s light hair. The pants are in a barely noticeable plaid, which together with the wool, sheepskin, faux fur, and leather of the footwear create ample textural interest. I see a tan or cream bag complete this quiet column.

Light Neutrals

More examples of light quiet columns:

3. Pastel

Pastels are quieter than mid-tones and brights, so this lilac column of colour counts as a quiet column. A lilac sweater is combined with lilac joggers, and topped with a lilac trench coat. Purple socks break up the column a bit. White shoes and sneakers work well with the pastel column. The model’s dark hair and eyewear match the dark trim on the trench, and complement the darker socks.

Pastel

4. Column With Contrast

Last, a not-so-quiet column! The pants suit creates a column of navy. A high-contrast navy and white tee is layered underneath to break the silence. White sneakers match the white in the stripe of the tee. A louder navy and red striped sweater drapes over the blazer of the suit. I see a chatty red bag complete the look. Add eyewear and watch as desired.

Column With Contrast

More examples of not-so-quiet columns:

Link Love: Jewellery for 2024

Refinery29 reports that customizing charm necklaces is all the rage on TikTok, and they share tips and sources to build your own.

From rosettes to oceanic influences, here are 8 jewellery trends to complete your outfit in 2024.

Tarnish-free gold jewellery sounds too good to be true and often it is. Yet Refinery29 has rounded up 9 jewellery brands that deliver on this promise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article about vintage brooch seller Audra Dawes-Knowles, who turned her vintage accessories collection into a profession.

Fab Links from Our Members

Nuancedream directs us to “some serious straight talk from Alison Gary regarding trends, micro-trends, and ‘looking old’.”

Slim Cat enjoyed this article about “Mob Wife Style.”

Carol says: “There’s no denying Sofia Coppola has always had an ‘it girl’ factor. Here’s a showcase of some of her outfits.”

The New York Times regularly has articles of how well-known people spend their Sundays. This one, about TV news anchor Shannan Ferry, caught JAileen’s eye because she talks about her on-air wardrobe.

Jaime went on a deep dive on matters of taste, which has been bubbling around the Substack style world that she visits. She recommends giving this one, on how taste is not the same as preference, a read.

This led Jaime to a new favourite, Kara’s Substack, and her thoughts on the futility of trying to find your own taste.

Lastly, she also wanted to share this short YouTube video about how to easily keep your wardrobe looking current, which illustrates the sense behind Angie’s trendy bottoms philosophy.