Building Blocks

Have you ever thought of the pieces in your wardrobe as architectural building blocks?

Do most of those blocks work together to create a cohesive look, or are they scattered bits of unrelated pieces with little in common? Think of a building designed and built using classic lines and details that relate to each other and include balanced proportions. The elements of a building that complement each other combine to create a whole that is pleasing to the eye.

This look serves me well throughout most of the warm weather months. I enjoy wearing flowing tunics with interesting hemlines and three-quarter length sleeves. These tops work well with most of my straight leg pull-on jeans. I look for pants with a smooth wide waistband so that lumps and bumps from regular jean style pants don't show through the fabric of the tunic. The long, lean line created by the straight legs balances the fullness of the tunics.

Add a bold necklace or a stack of related but different bracelets and some eye-candy shoes, and I am ready to go anywhere.

Notice the details. I have created a bookend effect by repeating the turquoise blue in the necklace with the same shoes. A bookend effect can also mean matching your hair color with your shoe color. Bookending means that you are beginning and ending your look with a similar color or tone within a color.

The gold reptile effect on the heels relates back to the straw clutch's gold bamboo effects and the gold details in the necklace.

The Vince Camuto shoes are old from Ross. The Lily Pulitzer clutch is old from Finely House Couture.

Combining various hues within a color can create a very soothing effect. For example, tan, paprika, and ivory are all in the brown family, and they look rich and elegant when worn together.

You can always combine the hues of a color combination with one of your neutrals. For example, my cool skin tone base neutrals include black and white. Your warm skin tone base neutrals might be brown and ivory.

The navy blue Clara Sunwoo top was sent to me by ShopMyFairLady.

Note the odd closure of the necklace visible in this photo. I tied the too long necklace strands in a loose knot and then closed it. It hangs too long, resting between the girls in a most unattractive way. We busty gals must be careful with necklaces and bags that are worn across or between the breasts. Unfortunate choices can share way too much information. I prefer not to draw even more attention to that area.