THE WAR ON NEUTRALS

I’M MAKING THE CASE FOR COLOR.

I feel like I’ve read one thousand blog posts opining on the magic of a capsule wardrobe. And, no knock to them, but when the question of color comes up, the default is: neutrals! I say, fuck that.

Let me start by saying that I like neutrals and believe in the power of a closet foundation that relies on neutrals. But this capsule wardrobe obsession that spans across the Internet makes it seem like the only way to achieve closet nirvana is to invest in beige, cream, white, and black. And that anything else is just a waste of space.

I would like to challenge that assertion, and make the case that color can indeed make its way into a capsule wardrobe and thrive. So let’s start with a hard one: yellow.

Yellow is happy. It can be bright, it can be loud, it can be all the things we tend to shy away from in this new world of quiet luxury and elevated basics. But I think it can be sophisticated and elevated, if styled to be so. Dressed up through texture, fabric, and silhouettes, here’s my no-fail formula to making a bright color like yellow part of your next capsule wardrobe adventure.

01 TEXTURE

Yellow, or any bright color, can use some help from texture to ground itself, tone it down to make it feel more grown-up. When I’m shopping for yellow, I find myself gravitating toward pieces that boast a chunky cable knit, or maybe a shirt that’s ribbed, to layer on some visual interest to your look.

02 FABRIC

I am such a snob when it comes to buying the right fabrics. No need for acrylic and polyester and synthetics - not only do they feel terrible, they wear terribly as well, loosing their shape and falling apart after just a few wears. So what fabrics are allowed? Cotton, wool, silk, cashmere, maybe a linen. These are natural textiles, that when are made by a reputable retailer, is going to wear so much better. So with this in mind, take your yellow and make it a thick wool cardigan, a cashmere sweater, a ribbed tee-shirt. Quality fabrics are going to continue to elevate your bright tones and make them more capsule cool.

03 SILHOUETTES

How it comes together and playing with proportion is going to complete your bright-but-still-luxe look. Knowing what silhouettes look best on you - I look good in cropped pieces - they help define my natural waist and have the added benefit of making my legs look just a little bit longer. I know I look terrible in anything with a dropped hem, so I’m just going to stay away from that. Get where I’m going here? Maybe? A garment’s silhouette is going affect how the clothing fits on you - and if you’re short like me, that means you want pieces that are going to make you look and feel a little taller, pants that are cropped so we don’t look like we’re drowning, and an under layer that’s going to be more fitted to create an hourglass shape.

YELLOW COLOR COMBINATIONS

01 Yellow + Brown

02 Yellow + Beige

03 Yellow + Olive Green

04 Yellow + Blue Jeans