I've been spending a bit of time with Amy and the Tibi team on Youtube and trying to filter out what bits could be useful to me.

Many of the Tibi pants trigger wantsies in me, and I have to keep reminding myself that much of their appeal likes in how they hang on their petite frames. Nevertheless, slouchy wide trousers with cargo pockets, curved hems, crinkly nylon joggers, etc -- speak loudly to me and have me pondering how I might emulate the look and feel at a more modest price point and with not so much dragging on the ground.

I've also listened with interest to her thoughts on mixing neutrals and colours and the value of "icky" and "weird" colours. I see the potential there to add some tools that will help me continue to break free of my old black-heavy wardrobe without having to get rid of black entirely.

We met friends for dinner last night in the lounge of an iconic (very retro) local steakhouse. I tried to put some of these principles into action to see how it felt...

I didn't think to grab a photo, but here's what I wore:

• Wide-leg BR ponte knit pants in black. Lots of slouch, 'chill' pockets, long but not sweeping the entire street.
• An old pair of mid-calf dark brown boots from Timberland. They are nothing special, but they fill a gap and are quite wearable for office or dinner out. I realized I prefer wearing taller boots with wide legs. Felt quite swashbuckling.
• A bright olive green merino sweater. (In the past I probably would have defaulted to a black top)
• A dull gold/brassy pendant necklace from Lucky Brand -- a few years old.
• A camel topper -- not quite an outdoor coat, not quite an indoor jacket -- perfect for this weather. Hits me at about the knee. I like the proportion with the wide pants. It's big on me, so gives a bit of that Tibi/streetwear vibe.
• A burgundy patterned scarf with bits of that bright olive in the pattern and gloves in a deeper cognac shade to keep my hands warm on the way home. A patterned scarf is very 'me'.
• I carried my everyday cognac crossbody bag.

I felt really good about this effort -- Adding the brown boot to the black pants helped lighten up the bottom of the outfit and helped all the other earthy brown colours feel more cohesive. I think I would have felt less comfortable piling so many earthy colours on top of a solid black base.

I don't have a find for the green sweater but if I get energetic enough I might try to recreate the outfit later, in which case I'll add a shot.

In the meantime, I just wanted to share how I've tried to apply a couple of Amy's concepts in my own way to what's already in my closet.

And thanks to Jaime for sending me down this rabbit hole!!! I think it's going to help me get more wear from pieces I already own.