Vintage Suit

As a follow-up to last week's Breaking Out of a Fashion Rut series, I thought I'd play around with a few neutral-color looks this week, since many of the rut-bound probably have a closet full of neutrals that could be put to better use. Today I started with this vintage 1960's suit that I bought recently from Violetteville Vintage. Though the suit is entirely black and gray, there are still a few different ways to play around with it. Today I went for an entirely neutral look, however it would also work to add some vibrant accents of color; for instance a red scarf and then a solid layer of red tights underneath these patterned gray ones. Adding color to an outfit like this one should really be done sparingly, because the overall intention is that the outfit be mainly neutral.

To add interest to the monochrome outfit, I brought in some patterns with the leopard top and knit tights. I also punctuated the black trim on the dress by adding the black scarf and boots. The top is sheer, which brings a little depth to the otherwise flat texture of the dress, and the scarf has tiny shimmery black threads throughout. With an outfit like this one, it's important not to forget the sparkle and shine; in addition to the scarf I also wore a stack of shiny bangles, a few silver rings, and the small rhinestone brooch that you can see on the scarf. There's no need to overdo it; a little goes a long way on a patternless, flat background such as this dress. Also, I didn't want to take away from the adorable mod look of the suit by piling on too many accessories.

You can create this kind of look with black as well; just make sure that black comprises most of the outfit, and offset it with accents of another neutral such as ecru or gray. The idea with this approach to wearing a neutral is to really go all the way with it and make it look intentional. Even when you're dealing with a matched suit such as this one, it's still possible to put your own unique flair on the look by bringing in texture, pattern, and contrast.

Suit: vintage
Blouse: La Redoute
Scarf: local import store
Tights: Hue
Boots: Modern Vintage