Most likely, you already have the pieces that you'll need to make this style concept work, so there's no need to go out and buy new clothes (but feel free to do so if your bank account is right). Begin building your look by finding strong colors and pairing them together piece by piece. From there, let your personality and mood inspire you to create a striking outfit.
Today, in my neck of the woods, the forecast called for grey clouds, a mix of snow and rain, and the return to work after a three-day weekend. So my mood was telling me to pump up the volume (but stay in the season too, cuz it's cold out there). I chose to pull out my Jack Spade honey mustard corduroys and started building on that. Yellow can be a great neutral to use for color blocking and many different colors go well with it. Using yellow as a base, in this case my pants, is a nice way to get color in your outfit because it is bold and creates a statement but isn't overwhelming to the outfit. Next, I wanted to keep things bright so I chose my turquoise gingham button down, from J. Crew, to compliment the pants. To fully realize the color blocking scheme, you don't want to just stop at you shirt and pants. Continue the concept by picking a bold shoe and maybe an accessory or two. For me, I chose to wear my Cole Haan oxblood ankle boots and added another pop of color with my red strapped Timex watch, thus giving me a balanced and fully realized color blocking scheme.
Now, it's still cold here in Boston, so I wanted to add a piece that would keep me extra warm. So as a twist to the outfit, I threw on my dark grey, wool, herringbone blazer. Not only will it keep me warm, since it's wool, but it also gives the outfit a sophisticated edge and sets me up nicely for a day at the office.
So with that, I leave you to explore your own closets and create new and inventive color blocking outfits. Remember to take risks and be inventive.
Cheers,
The Chic Chanteur
