I read Angie's post before getting dressed this morning, and I couldn't resist giving her suggestion a go! I began with this red sweater dress, whose colour is as bright as I can wear (and the exposed seams are a design element; I promise I'm not wearing it inside out, lol). It's a thick wool, very cosy, but I'm not a fan of the dress's straight shape on me. So I covered that up by layering a dark brown dress over top. This dress's waistband hits higher than my own, but I think the bodice has enough structure to stand on its own & be flattering enough. Particularly for quiet days. I finished things off with my funny owl brooch and gold rings, one of which is a garnet, so continues the red theme & brown tights for warmth.

For outdoors, I wore my brown-ish boots (they're a swirly brown-grey close up, but of course most people see them at a distance!) & of course my red coat! It's almost the same colour as the dress, which irrationally pleased me. I settled on my taupe hat & mitts, as another shade of brown. I was very warm on my walk, as it's still sitting just under freezing, so not too cold (my boots are wool-lined, otherwise I would have added high wool socks for extra leg insulation).

I'm not sure if I've ever combined dark brown & red before, but I really liked the effect! It felt evocative of the Christmas season, and winter approaching, without being over the top. Thanks to clever Angie. I feel like I could wander into a cheerier version of "Hansel and Gretel," perhaps the Christmas special. hehe I'm trying to get into the habit of repeating outfits & with forum approval I think this will end up on my repeats list (it's terribly comfortable, what with no belt thanks to the more structured woven dress & the cosiness of the knit). I have at least one more version of this colour combo to try out as well, which I'm looking forward to.

All suggestions, criticisms, etc. welcome as always! I believe I'm off to string up some fairy lights & unpack my Christmas decorations.