21 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Navy blazer: BR Outlet
- Teal nursing tank: Old Navy
- Purpley gray skirt: BR Outlet
- Purpley-gray belt: from an H&M dress
- Wedges: thrifted
End Notes:
I’ve realized that even though neutrals serve as the core of each of our wardrobes, we each have a slightly different take on these go-with-everything hues. I think of A. as our neutral-on-neutral queen, creating outfits that layer different neutrals for a soft but rich effect. And I think of S. as being more dramatic with her bold pops of color against neutral backdrops.
I’m not entirely sure how to articulate my own approach, but I do know that I have a tendency to decide that a certain color is a “pseudo neutral” and that it therefore goes with EVERYTHING. Take my favorite wine color, for example. Often, even before spinning my mental color wheel, I’ll grab one of my wine colored cardigans just to see how it looks with a given outfit. More times than not, it works.
The dark bluish-green color of this top is another one of my recurring pseudo neutrals. When I was in undergrad I had a cardigan this color and I was convinced that I could wear it with anything and everything. As a basic top, this nursing tank is starting to prove itself just as versatile. After all, it worked well with that wild floral skirt a few weeks ago, and today it solved my dilemma of what to wear with this sort-of-gray sort-of-purple skirt. It makes the outfit more interesting than if I had just worn black or brown on top but it’s more unexpected than wearing, say, my purple cardigan.
Do you have a pseudo neutral?
21 September 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
Lookin’ lovely, E. That skirt is truly fab on yas.
I definitely utilize red and hot pink as my psuedo-neutrals, even though they certainly are NOT. And I think your choice of teal is an excellent one. It’s a shade that can conform to nearly any color scheme.
actually- it’s that very same color, teal. :P
I LOVE this look!
I think pseudo-neutrals can depend a lot on an individual’s wardrobe. For me, teal, eggplant, and olive green will go with pretty much anything I own, so I consider them neutrals. I do lean on olive green as a neutral more than anything though, I think b/c it’s a type of khaki and in some circles is actually considered a neutral.
I’ve decided red goes with everything. As it’s my favorite color and it’s in my wardrobe. Either my shoes, bag, glasses, top, or dress.
Even my laptop is red, and now I’ve decided that I’m getting a red laptop bag.
My pseudo neutrals are red and leopard print. Honestly, I’m convinced one or the other goes with everything!
This look is great. I love the skirt. I think my pseudo neutral is teal. I have so many things in this color and am convinced it works with just about everything. In fact, I’m wearing a teal sweater right now, but I’m actually using it as my pop of color today.
I don’t know that I have any pseudo neutrals in my wardrobe… I’ll have to think about that. But I love the idea of teal and wine. This outfit is fabulous!
my favorite pseudo-neutral is maroon. i definitely feel that any muted-but-saturated color will work though, like teal or plum.
Teal and purple are definitely two of my pseudo-neutrals. I’ve also found that almost any color, in a darker shade, can work that way. Love the way you’ve styled this outfit!!
I use the two EXACT same colours as my “pseudo” neutrals! Go figure. I have a pencil skirt, shorts, and scarf in the red-violet colour and a 3/4 length shirt in the teal. They gets more wear then you would believe! Am going to figure out some more pseudo neutrals for me.
And recently, I have gotten more into layering different kinds of neutrals against one another or wearing lots of different colours. Neutrals with a pop of colour seems so boring now!
This combination is just fantastic! I have been a little obsedded with “off” color combinations lately. Everything that blends ligth/dark/cool/warm/dusky/bright in an interesting way. And teal does that very well. I think that the majority of your outfits could be described as “off” combinations.
I like the way the blazer looks with the darker hem of the skirt.
My neutrals include dark brown, dark red, burgundy/maroon, denim blue (the colour, not the fabric) and ivory.
I love teal as a neutral. I’ve started thinking of orange as a neutral lately and have been incorporating it into my wardrobe a lot…scarves, bracelets, shoes, blazer sweaters…you name it, it works for me!
Love the colors!
I just realized how much you remind me of Gillian Foster from the show Lie To Me! In the second picture it’s most similar. Love you for wearing such a wonderful outfit(love you anyway:)
[...] neutrals is no real challenge for me. I love my neutrals and love to mix them and was in fact crowned “our neutral-on-neutral queen” by E. last fall. I’ve never shied away from black and brown, wearing it for both casual days and teaching [...]