This outfit came together unintentionally but beautifully so. It started with this brown dress(I bought it last year but it’s back online at Madewell / Nordstrom) and I knew I wanted to pair a cardigan with it, over the shoulders like all the cool kids are doing. At first I thought this grey one would be the winner (like this outfit I wore here) but I was digging in my cardigan pile from winter’s past and found this perfect match. Hoarders luck! Then I remembered my favorite bag from last year from another pile (the purse pile, of course) and yet another perfect match to the dress and the cardigan. I’m telling myself this is why I don’t organize my clothes; the hunt and find is so much more rewarding. Pair that with my newfound 40-year old forgetfulness and it’s a lot of fun going through past season’s clothing. Something forgotten? No, babe — it’s something new.
After blogging for 15 years (YES 15! WE ARE ALL OLD NOW.), I’ve now hit the point of no return when it comes to trends. I’m convinced there are no new trends, just revised. And you know what? I’m just fine with this. I think for the first decade of my job, I was excited to chase after every trend, excited to see what new seasons brought but now I rest easy in the fact that there are many different ways to get dressed, not just one. I can reach into my expertise, if you will, and know that what was once a trend is now just a technique to get dressed. Monochrome dressing is a great example of this. There was a time when we influencers (née bloggers) introduced this as a trend. And perhaps it was for a moment, but now we know better; it’s not a trend, it’s a classic.
Monochrome dressing can be with any hue, of course, but the key is keeping it as similar as possible. I feel the need to explain this because I saw a Reels the other day and a woman paired a white shirt with brown pants and called it monochromatic. And I thought, oh, I think she means neutrals, not monochrome. So what is monochrome dressing? One hue, all the way down. I do think if you want pure monochrome to keep your accessories as nude or as close to the hue as possible, but as long as the main outfit is all one hue, it’s monochrome. The easiest of hues to do this with would be black or white, especially if you want to keep a look as chic as possible. As we level up in this monochrome game, we could easily move into other colors: Navy on navy, olive green on olive green, red with red, etc. (I won’t go through the whole rainbow.) The key is to keep them in the same warmth and tone, even if one piece is a touch lighter or darker, it can still work well. Think of the selected color on the gradient, not the spectrum. Different intensities of the color work well, but once you move out of the same color, you’re moving out of monochrome dressing. (Think red and a slightly darker red vs red and a pink.The first is the same color, different gradient, the second are two different albeit complementary colors.) But once you introduce a different color, even if it’s a neutral piece, it’s no longer monochrome. Mono means one, so let your outfit do the choosing. Black pants? Black shirt. White jeans? White shirt. Accessorize accordingly.
Here are a few examples, so you can see what I’m talking about:
Not Monochrome
These outfits are great examples of using similar tones but since there are many colors, it’s simply not monochrome.
Monochrome with Colors
Here are two examples of pairing two of the same hues together, even if one might be slightly lighter.
______________
I’ve realized looking through my archive this isn’t really a technique I use too much and I think I might start doing more monochrome. It’s an easy way to utilize what I already have and looking chic while doing it. I hope this helps you get dressed this week!
