For today’s blog post, I wanted to experiment with putting together a monochrome outfit. I’m usually not a huge fan of monochrome looks—I think they can appear cheap if done improperly—but I figured I should try it out again for myself. One of my favorite inspirations for all-over color and just super funky outfits altogether is Blaire Eadie of Atlantic Pacific. Her outfits may be the very definition of impractical, but I can’t help but love her whimsical pairings and color combos. I was inspired by her to create a more wearable monochrome look for the wintertime!
Something I’ve noticed in Blair’s monochrome outfits is that they always have a wide range of textures. I think one of the reasons I have been unsuccessful with uniformly colored looks in the past is because I tried to pair like fabric with like fabric, making me look like a walking cotton crayon. (It’s hard to explain why I think some monochrome outfits look cheap, but the best mental image that is coming to mind is a denim jacket paired with jeans of the same wash.)
For today’s look, I tried to pick items with various interesting textures—I’m not sure I did a great job achieving my goal, though. I started with this felt-like olive green jacket with black pleather sleeves. I love this jacket, but I’ve stopped wearing it in recent years because of a hole in the armpit area (I stitched it back together myself, but as is the case whenever I try to hand-sew, the stitch quickly broke open again). I thought the black of the sleeves would pair nicely with my tall black knee boots and add a touch of edge to the overall look.
For the base of the outfit, I wore this cotton green bodysuit and an olive green midi skirt made out of a sponge-like fabric. While the skirt does have a texture to it, it doesn’t really show up on camera, making my top and skirt appear as one fabric. My dad even commented, “I haven’t seen that dress before.” I think a better use of texture would have been to wear an olive green sweater instead of the bodysuit, to add a chunky knit to the look. Olive green sequins or lace would have been interesting, too! Of course, I don’t own any such pieces, so the bodysuit had to do.
When I think of a true monochrome outfit, I think of pulling off a look using nearly identical shades of the same color. Several different iterations of this outfit could have been created by using a lighter green top in lieu of the olive green bodysuit, or by using a different shade of green for the skirt. But for today’s challenge, I wanted to stick to using almost the same shade of olive green throughout the outfit. The only areas I deviated in the shade were with the lighter green clutch and the hair scarf, which I wove into my braid for a more interesting look. I think those hints of a different hue were necessary to add interest to this outfit, since the textures weren’t as visually stimulating as I had hoped.
Overall, I like how this outfit came together, and I felt very pretty in it. I think it almost looks like a female version of an old-fashioned military uniform, with the olive green, the pockets on the jacket, and the tall boots. The green clip-on earrings and maroon lipstick were the perfect touches to make my face pop.
Did I love this monochrome outfit, though? I really liked it and would wear it again, but I’m not convinced I was totally successful in my monochrome pursuits. I still need to get better at mixing textures because without that visual interest, wearing the same color all over can be quite boring. I’m looking forward to experimenting with single-colored outfits more in the future!
What about you, do you ever wear monochrome outfits? Do you like the look or prefer super colorful (or conversely, neutral) outfits? I was thinking of trying a maroon monochrome outfit next, with a lace maroon shell, my burgundy pleather jacket, and a maroon/purple plaid skirt… But now I’m thinking I should try an all-over grey outfit instead. Or is grey too easy? I do think neutral monochrome outfits are a lot easier to achieve than choosing a bolder color.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by the blog today, and I hope your week is off to a great start!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
Olive Green Bodysuit: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here | Green and Pleather Jacket: Dillard’s, $50, last worn here | Olive Green Midi Skirt: Nordstrom Rack, $25, last worn here | Black Knee Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here | Hair Scarf: Hand-me-down, last worn here | Green Clutch: Hand-me-down, last worn here
It does look like a dress but that is not a bad thing! I really like the texture you added with the jacket. I actually just had to sew two spots on a dress I picked up last week at a consigment store. I don’t know if the rips at the hem details of sleeves were from me doing it or it was like that and I didn’t notice but because of the material, my sewing is not noticeable. I like the dress too much not to fix it. Well done on this monochromatic look! I will be trying a cream monochormatic look for the next Sunday showcase with my sand camo pants. Hopefully my idea translates in reality!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thank you Mireille! And ah yes that happens to me sometimes, when I notice a stain or hole after the fact and am not sure if I did it myself. Haha! Glad you could stitch your dress up.
You certainly are a vision! I love the mixed materials and texture of your jacket and the woven scarf in your hair! Super cute outfit!
Thanks Laura!
I love wearing monochromatic outfits, especially green ones because it’s my favourite colour! I think you did a fabulous job here. I love the addition of the scarf in your hair too.
Hugs
Suzy xx
Thanks Suzy! Green is my favorite color, too.
I do enjoy monochromatic outfits. You caught my eye with the green palette! The different textures look wonderful with the jacket and skirt. Your hair is pretty with the scarf too!
thanks for linking!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Thanks so much Jess!
I totally thought that was a dress too! I like how you paired all these pieces together – I don’t think I have enough green in my wardrobe to try something like this but I could certainly do it with blue, haha!
Thanks for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup! Hope that you had a great weekend 🙂 We had a couple fun Christmas gatherings 🙂
Haha I think I could probably do it with blue too! I do have a lottt of blue pieces.
Such a beautiful outfit! I love how you’ve braided the scarf in your hair, it looks so pretty! Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Thanks Emma!