Three Color Combinations

Creating outfits with two colors has always been easier for me than outfits with three colors. Of course there's black and white which can be paired with any number of third colors, but once I depart from that it gets a little tougher.  In my experimenting I've found that it works best as long as you use one or two neutral colors, and use colors in the same tone.

In this first outfit my navy blazer is my neutral color, and all three colors are deep jewel tones. I wore my burgundy ponte pants that I got last year.  I'm glad to see this color is still going strong again this year.  If you don't have anything in ponte yet, it's a very thick knit that offers lots of stretch while still maintaining it's shape and it's wrinkle resistant.  That translates into being comfortable and looking good all day, even if you're traveling!

On top I wore a teal blouse with a front zipper.  This is a great alternative to the more common button down shirt.  The zipper pulls the fabric evenly all the way down, preventing any gaps that tend to happen when I wear button down shirts.  I matched my shoes and purse to my burgundy pants to keep things simple.

Blazer - Brooks Brothers, similar

Top - Lafayette 148, similar from Ann Taylor

Ponte pants - White House Black Market Similar, similar

Purse - Via Spiga, similar from Tory Burch

Shoes - French Connection, exact

 

In this next outfit I wanted to wear my olive green blouse.  I love all shades of green paired with navy so I opted for my navy pencil skirt.  I could have added a navy blazer, but in an effort to practice putting three colors together I chose to go with my camel blazer instead.  Since the camel blazer and navy skirt are both neutrals I felt like I could do a little more with my accessories.  I wore these peep toe pumps, a Louis Vuitton purse, and a Tigers-eye necklace that all have multiple shades of brown in them and blend with the camel.

Camel blazer - J.Crew, similar

Olive top - White House Black Market, similar, similar

Navy pencil skirt - J.Crew, exact

Shoes - Monolo Blahnik

Purse - Louis Vuitton, exact but pre owned

 

How about you, what are your favorite three color combinations?

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Embroidered Skirt Two Ways

I've enjoyed this skirt all summer. It is white with a subtle beige geometric embroidered pattern on it. I usually wear it with my tan blazer and nude shoes. I like to change up my blouse and jewelry though for more variety. Here I'm wearing it with a sky blue wrap blouse, and below with a simple white shell.

 

Embroidered skirt - White House Black Market

Blue wrap shell - Lafayette 148

Nude Heels - Christian Louboutin

Tan Blazer - Brooks Brothers

Blue chalcedony necklace - Sri Lanka

 

Embroidered skirt - White House Black Market

White shell - White House Black Market

Nude Heels - Christian Louboutin

Tan Blazer - Brooks Brothers

 

Tropical Print Skirt

Several bloggers I follow are already talking about transitioning to fall clothes. We still have two months of summer weather left here in Houston, so wardrobe adjustments haven't even crossed my mind yet! On the flip side, I tend to start thinking about spring outfits while others are still wearing their Uggs.

Even though I won't be able to pull out my knee high boots until November. There are some things that I put away in mid September. My seersucker suit doesn't feel correct after Labor Day, even when the temps are still pushing 100. Tropical prints, linen garments, and sun dresses will all be relegated to the back of my closet in a month too.  With that in mind I'm putting my overtly summery pieces in high rotation until then since I won't have a chance to wear them again until next year.

I'm not usually a fan of floral prints, but lately a few have crept into my closet. They are all bold and tropical like this skirt, so I guess I just don't like grandmothery florals! 

 

Skirt - Ann Taylor current season

Blouse - Vince 

Blazer - Brooks Brothers 

Suede sandals - Audrey Brooke (one of DSW's in house brands)

Sometimes Custom Made isn't Great

This isn't actually a suit. The blazer is from Brooks Brothers. I have the matching skirt to make it a great summer suit, but it is a little tight on me right now (the struggle is real!). I paired it with this tan pencil skirt from White House Black Market today, for a little more casual look, and because it fits!

My French Blue blouse I had custom made in Thailand.  That's a thing there, there's a tailor on every corner. You can get beautiful clothes custom made for a fraction of the cost. My sister and I vacationed there several years ago. You can read about the trip on our travel blog, Two Traveling Blondes.

Unfortunately, my custom made blouse didn't turn out quite like I hoped. I took my favorite shirt for them to copy, but my shirt was a knit material and the tailor didn't have any stretchy fabric to choose from, so I picked out this silk in my favorite blue to try. The blouse doesn't work as well without the stretch. I have to wear a cami under it, as you can see, for both the front and the underarms, which gives it a much more casual appearance. It looks fine under a blazer for summer, but I usually pair it with jeans or shorts for a polished but casual weekend look.

My nude Louboutins round out today's outfit. They look custom made for me too! I don't think you could match my skin color any better! I knew I wore these shoes a lot, but since getting my Stylebook Closet App, I've found out that they are well worth the price tag, as they are the most worn shoes in my wardrobe.