Chromophobia; aka the fear of color. We've all suffered from this at one time or another. You know that feeling when you sift through your closet and every color just seems like… too much? We don't know when or why these confusing feelings arise, but they seem to unexpectedly creep up every 4-6 months. Don't panic. Just try to move all those annoyingly loud colors to the hidden part in your closet– and focus on the neutrals. Believe it or not, there's a way to make neutral colors (black, brown, nude, beige, gray, etc.) interesting and fun! Like my mother always said, “Where there's a will, there's a way.”
This college fashionista does a great job of mixing up her neutrals to make it stylish and interesting. She mixes a black sweater tunic with neutral stripes, a paisley beige scarf, and brown riding boots with a brown bag. This is the perfect casual “cooler” weather outfit (Hotlanta is still rockin’ the 60s!) because it’s comfy, practical, and just interesting enough to be trendy with minimal effort.
Mixing neutrals is a great way to be fun and bold without being too out there. And let me clarify, by mixing neutrals I mean mixing anything about them such as color, texture, style, material, etc. This picture from About.com is a great example of the different way you can mix different neutrals. These are more feminine and earthy looks where the designer really focuses on mixing different textures.
Another example is mixing this fun- patterened neutral colored shirt with a pair of brown corduroy pants or suede shorts. It's still stylish- a bit more conservative, but never boring. You can also put together a cute menswear look like this one from J.Crew's fall 2011 RTW collection. The neutral blazer would be a key item in your closet and could pull any look together- including a LBD. This Celine look can also be an inspiration for those of us who don't have time to put too much thought into the day-to-day wardrobe (finals are creeping up after all). In this look, the designer mixes two shades of brown, with the top having a slightly different material than the bottom. Again- classic, but definitely not boring.
So never fear if it's that time of the year for you. Just put away those harsh reds, blues, yellows, greens, neon fuchsias (what?) and embrace those classy, tried-and-true neutrals you only pull out when you're going to your scary distant relative' s house. Mix and match and have fun with them (the neutrals; but maybe your relatives too)!
…After all, where there's a will, there's a way.