Lilac is a colour that doesn’t suit me that well. It tends to skew a bit cool and light for my preferences. But it was my favourite colour as a child and I still like it enough to wear it in small doses.

I decided I would like some lilac in my summer wardrobe. I introduce new colours cautiously because I have such firm (some might say narrow) views about how I’m prepared to wear and mix colours. However, when I do successfully introduce a new colour, it’s very exciting and really gives me a lift.

I started by dyeing a cotton shirred waist skirt lilac. As I was able to design the colour, I opted for a deeper, more pink lilac, which suits me better than a lighter, more blue or grey lilac.

Knowing my preference for tonal looks, I then decided to build a small capsule around the skirt of coordinating tops in different shades of purple. This was a bit of work as I did not have much purple in my wardrobe. I bought a couple of purple toned tops and dyed some pink tops from last summer in various shades of purple.

What follows is my experience with blending the lilac skirt and the other purple items into my wardrobe. Keep in mind that I am coming from the perspective of preferring a deeper, moody palette and lower contrast. Pics 1-5 are some pictures from my lilac/purple mood board that show what I’m looking for.

All outfits are casual daytime outfits.

Pics 7-9 Tonal with contrast accents
An easy way to wear the new skirt. I do a tonal column in purples and use my bag, jewellery and/or shoes for contrast. I quickly found that I preferred the darker purple top in 8-9 with the skirt to the lighter purple top in 7. I prefer the light purple top with darker bottoms (as in pic 21 and 23), so that the overall palette is medium to dark.

Pics 10-14 “Best colour” on top
I think my best colours are reddish and orangey browns (camel, rust, cognac, chocolate brown) and dark and brownish reds (burgundy, oxblood, wine). Wearing the lilac skirt with these colours on top works for me because it puts a more flattering colour next to my face. They also deepen and warm up the palette. Not surprisingly, this has proved to be my favourite way to wear the lilac skirt.

Pics 15-16 Peacock colours
I am a bit obsessed with peacock colours. These were my attempts at the palette in pic 5. It’s a coolish palette, which is not my best. (Probably a mistake putting these photos right after my best colours.) I added lots of gold and tan to warm it up. I liked 15 but I do feel this combination is difficult for me to pull off. Not deep enough. No 16, even though it is cooler, felt better because it is deeper. I think a deep palette is more important to me than a warm palette.

Pics 17-18 With teal
Continuing the peacock theme, I tried the lilac skirt with a teal top, but wasn’t wild about it. (No photo.) Instead, I tried a teal asymmetrical skirt with one of the purple tops. I was thrilled with this rich and unusual colour combination.

Pic 19 With olive green
I didn’t like this combination at first but I warmed to it. Not my favourite but one I will wear for variety.

Pic 20 With washed black denim
Generally I don’t like black with solid colours. I prefer it with other neutrals or with patterns that include black. However, I found I liked pairing the purple tops with my black cargo skirt. I think it’s because the skirt is a washed (not saturated) black. More blue-black. And the blue undertone matches the undertone of the purple tops. Also, the white contrast stitching breaks up the expanse of black and makes it look less flat. The skirt is a very lightweight cotton and works for warm (but not super hot) weather. Best buy of summer.

Pic 21 With plum brown
I have a pair of plummy brown linen shorts that I wear at home. I love the purple tank tops with them and have worn this combination often over summer.

Pic 22 With white (and lots of bronzer)
When I was in my early 20s my favourite summer outfit consisted of white pants, white knit top and lilac blazer. Yes, things have changed. I like this combination because it reminds me of that outfit. I don’t think it’s deep or moody. Lucky I’m not too strict about that

Pic 23 With overdyed burgundy denim
I tried this on for fun but it’s too warm to wear it yet. I like this combination for Autumn.

Conclusions

I would rate my lilac/purple capsule as a success. It’s quite the change for me and has given my summer wardrobe a refresh. I don’t think lilac is going to become a signature colour for me, but I can make it work.

Dark gold, tan, camel and cognac accessories function as neutrals in my summer wardrobe and are my key tools for pulling together a non neutral outfit and for warming up cooler colours. They also add a touch of summer lightness to my otherwise deep palette.

What do you think? Was this post of interest?