I’m a colour gal at heart, but love to wear neutrals too. I prefer to wear neutrals in bright combinations because it makes me feel more alive than wearing dark neutrals from head to toe. Wearing “bright neutrals” means creating high-contrast combinations, or wearing white-out (white is the brightest neutral of all). This outfit showcases high-contrast neutrals, until I take off the coat and scarf and I’m left with a column of silver grey.
One new thing in this look: I haven’t straightened my hair. I have naturally wavy hair that kinks into finger waves when I leave it to air-dry. A little product and scrunch and I’m good to go. Dead easy and drizzle-friendly in our rainy Seattle climate. I’ve been wearing my hair like this almost daily over the last few weeks. The waves have further softened my look and added a retro touch, which is in line with my current style goals.
Most of the items here are several seasons old, but I got the pullover and jeans on our travels last year. I usually wear the light grey pullover with white to keep things crisp, but as luck would have it, it’s an identical colour match with the G-Star moto jeans I bought in the Netherlands last Summer. I am generally not a fan of grey because it doesn’t make me happy. But in this very light textured shade it passes for bone.
I chuckled after I came home with these body con moto skinnies. Four years before I had filled my closet with baggy boyfriend jeans as a reaction to skinnies that were everywhere and looked overly tight. But last year I was ready to wear them again after baggy silhouettes had flooded the market. Oh how the pendulum swings.
I left the jeans at this length to create hem scrunch, changing things up from my uniform of cropped straight jeans and high-shaft booties. I chose light footwear to extend the column of colour under the coat, and to bookend my hair.
The ink blue Burberry coat is a pleasure to wear because of its immaculate fit, luxurious fabric, and understated hardware. It’s not a heavy coat so it’s best in milder weather. A modern classic like this has a high longevity factor for very good reason, and I’m going to have it for a very long time. It was Greg’s choice of topper for this outfit because it pops against the light grey. This is an important point when wearing neutral outfits in very grey Seattle. I feel that I get washed away into our drizzly un-sunny weather if I don’t make my neutrals pop against the cloudy weather. It’s another reason why my coat capsule is full of bright colours.
The classic Burberry scarf is my favourite scarf of all time. I’ve had it for years and will have it for many more. I chose to wear that instead of pearls, because my neck needs insulation, and it creates a high contrast with the rest of the outfit. But I also like the outfit without the scarf for a simpler look. The severe and hard-edged boxy black clutch was chosen to create a contrast with my soft blonde waves. Green specs, silver watch and wedding ring are all I need to finish off the outfit as I head outdoors.
A tailored and neutral outfit that incorporates the classics with a good dose of Modern and Current is a flop proof combination for most people. It’s an easy way to dress and quite versatile because it can take you almost anywhere. I don’t want to wear this vibe every day, but I do appreciate its no-nonsense integrity. It gets me back in line when I get carried away collecting very trendy YLF Finds.
