fashion chronicles: evolution of an outfit

awhile back, one of you, dear readers, asked me how i come up with my outfits.  i realize that some of my color choices are insane loud bold (i can get away with that in my line of work), but many mornings, there really is a process (albeit, a bit of trial and error) so i thought i’d walk you through this morning’s outfit composition.  i will say that not all mornings are this wishy-washy, but i had some extra time and the boy was still asleep, so you get the long version!

it all began with a scarf.  i’d just finished knitting this the night before and i really wanted to wear it.  so i knew that no matter what, my outfit needed to include this scarf.

a quick glance over my closet and my yellow sweater popped out as a good contrast to the teal of this scarf.

and if you’re going for two primary colors, why not do all three?  so i added some red corduroys and a black and white gingham blouse. not bad, but i’d forgotten about the mustard-and-ketchup effect of wearing this sweater with these pants.  and also, that gingham shirt is three-quarter-length cuffed sleeves which, under the funky elbow-tight yellow sweater just felt too fussy for today (note to self, consider buying a better gingham shirt.  although this one might be okay in spring).  so i decided to go with a t-shirt instead.  i took the scarf to my t-shirt drawer to see if anything popped out.

hmmm…. i am fond of those polka dots… but i can’t resist the “zing!” of orange and blue today (they’re opposites on the color wheel and just sing when put right next to each other)the only problem?  although it may not be perfectly obvious from this photo, this particular orange shirt next to these particular red pants were kind of eye-hurty.

back to the closet to try something else.  these mustard pants sort of jumped off the shelf at me.  yes, the orange and yellow are only slightly less eye-hurty than the red pants, but for some reason they called my name today.note to self:  shop for a smaller orange t-shirt.*

it was still a bit harsh to see that much orange next to that much yellow (plus, hello it is february in wisconsin and i am not wearing short sleeves to work!  brrr!), so i tried a jacket in a complimentary hue (all warm tones would make my scarf that much more of a focal feature, right?):

sort of okay?  except i wasn’t loving the shoulder pads in that jacket today (note to self:  consider getting rid of the jacket if you avoid wearing it again in the future for similar reasons) aaaaand we were back to the mustard and ketchup thing.

in a surprise move, i thew on the purple sweater i’d worn yesterday just to see what it would do.  yes, the sweater is also a bit too large (saggy shoulder seams) but the color was exactly what i was looking for.  and it was comfy like pajamas.  in a last moment of waffling before my boy shuffled out of bed, i pondered switching my t-shirt for a more neutral gray to tone down the crazy.  i didn’t feel like actually changing clothes just to test it, so i sort of draped it over my torso in the places where it would lie if i were wearing it, then compared the two with my glasses off (it looked sort of like this):

i actually like them both, but decided to go with the zing for today, especially since my just-awoken boy came in crying because he’d smooshed his poor fingers in the door as he exited his bedroom, only half awake.  (“poor gabriel!” he wailed.)

although the scarf eliminated any need for a necklace, i did decide to wear my new favorite bracelet (thanks, sis-in-law!) since it matched the scarf so nicely (hard to photograph, but it is a lovely shade of deep teal, not black).

and there you have it.  maybe not my best outfit ever, but it did garner some lovely unsolicited compliments today, it was comfortable and cozy and i got to show off my new scarf.  huzzah!  (oh, i also added some striped socks that pulled in some of the colors of the outfit and some dark reddish-brown mary-jane style danskos.  sorry, no photos of the shoes with this outfit!) does that help answer the question?  or just bring up more questions?

*i never thought that a slightly too-large t-shirt was a big deal until this most recent weight-loss trend and fashion revamp.  one morning, as i got dressed, i realized that all that extra fabric along the sides and under the arms is not only unflattering, but in certain circumstances, can also be bunchy and uncomfortable!  although too-tight t-shirts are equally unflattering.  such a fine line.  good thing most of mine come from a thrift store so i can rotate through them without completely breaking the bank.