Tuesday, January 25

BREAKING THE RULES WEEK: TABOO COLOR COMBINATIONS

I'm glad Day One went so well, so now we can buzz right on into the second installment of Breaking the Rules Week. Today's broken rule? Never mix navy and black or brown and black.

Per usual, here is my flagrant shunning of that old sartorial commandment:



Navy and black together forever. And if you count the brown in the belt, then that's two illegal color combinations being attempted here. I think the main issue with black and navy blue is that the shades can look really similar -- so much so that the wearer runs the risk of looking like she just didn't realize that her slacks were navy blue and not black.

The trick then is to make it obvious that you are perfectly aware of the hues you're donning by keeping the contrast apparent and mixing in some navy blue accessories. You can't tell from the pictures, but my belt has a navy blue and white pattern on the band, which signals, "Yes, I realize my skirt is not black."

And some wonderful taboo color combinations from you guys --

Here's Lisa's (Respect the Shoes) take on color palette audacity -- which, as you can see, is not very audacious at all! Brown and black look amazing together, and maybe those who oppose this pairing have only ever seen it where the brown color is a deep brown, which looks too close to black. To avoid this and make brown + black work, do as Lisa does and make sure your brown accessories are lighter and brighter. The green cardigan is such a refreshing touch, too!


Next up, we have JG (Stuff Jewish Girls Like) and her take on close-hued ensembles. I know I said earlier that having things too close in color can make an outfit disaster, but JG shows that it can be done! Her look works because even though the cardigan is navy and the cords are a deep purple, it's obvious that the two choices were deliberately put together. Also, wearing navy blue pants with this outfit might make it too blueberry-ish, so this works in my book! I'm also kind of (really) obsessed with the blouse JG's sporting too...


Here we have Sara's (You, Me, & Anthropologie) take on blue + black, and isn't it a lovely look for sure? Again, reiterating that a surefire way to make these taboo combinations work is to make one color obviously different from the other, Sara has paired her black pieces with a bright blue dress. No one will ever think she didn't realize her dress wasn't black, haha! This look is simple and absolutely lovely.


And now, we have Elena (Caffeinerd) with her rebellious color rule-breaking ensembles. Both of these outfits prove that having a black dress with brown accessories is anything but wrong. In fact, I think the brown accessories vs black accessories makes both outfits much more fun and youthful, and when are those two adjectives ever a bad thing? (okay, well maybe "youthful" is bad when you're trying to buy liquor with a fake ID, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND, KIDS)



And last (but not least!), we have the ever-adorable Susan (Little Miss Fancie Pants) rocking a double whammy: black + brown and pattern mixing! The black acts as a nice neutral against her tan and brown pieces, which are the obvious stars of the show, so this color combination works. And who doesn't love a good plaid? Susan's also been feeling under the weather lately, so be sure to do your Get Well Soon dances for her! You know I'm doing one right now for ya, haha!

So here's what I learned from my foray into taboo color combinations: Keep it contrasted and keep it deliberate.

Thanks again to the ladies who sent in their outfits, and I'll see you all tomorrow with Day 3: spring florals and hues in the wintertime. If you've got an outfit for tomorrow or for any other upcoming day (check the schedule at the bottom of this post), email me at: amy.kelinda@gmail.com to be featured!

19 comments:

  1. I LOVE that you added all three colors in, black, navy AND brown! Yes, the belt counts. :) You look AWESOME!

    And I must say, I think I'm in love with Lisa's outfit with the pop of green added into her brown and black. Love it!

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  2. blue and black together forever indeed! and brown accessories go with EVERYTHING. A taboo colour combo that just came to mind is green and brown. if you're not careful you look like an extra in a Robin Hood movie ;)

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  3. I love mixing black and brown together. I used to be scared of it but then one day I became a rebel. :)

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  4. amy ~ i love your navy skirt! i was on the hunt for it (jcrew, right?) for ages but the navy sold out oh-so fast. boo hoo. i'm a fan of navy and black together ~ good point about making it look intentional. the eyelet skirt with the striped top is a great pairing too. all the ladies outfits are fantastic!

    thanks for the well wishes...here's hoping this doesn't stick around much longer. erg. ~ susan

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  5. I don't really understand that 'rule'; I don't think they look bad together at all, in any of the pictures!

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  6. I love your skirt...so much! Who cares about 'rules' anyhow? They are made for breaking!! :)

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  7. Love these pictures...

    Amy: I really like how the blue is set apart in your outfit not only by color but also by texture! Adds an extra bit of on-purpose distinction.

    Lisa: I second Amy and Melissa that your green cardigan is a great touch!

    Sara: Classic and pretty. Well played.

    Elena: I love the black and brown combinations. The way you put them together makes me wonder why the combination was ever taboo in the first place.

    Susan: I like what you did with the Made to Measure skirt! I just picked that one up but haven't come up with a debut outfit for it yet. I'm taking notes! Hope you're feeling better.

    Thanks for including me, Amy! It's a lot of fun to get dressed with these themes in mind.

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  8. Everyone looks so great! I love navy and black together! And brown too. I get so tired of hearing about "rules". Who made them anyway? You girls prove them wrong!

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  9. ohhhh i LOVE this outfit! i didn't even notice the colors breaking any rules because it looked so lovely right off the bat.

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  10. I love mixing cognac brown with black! Nice job breaking the rules ladies!!!

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  11. Your outfit looks great Amy! Not only have you done so well pairing those "never-pair-together" colors, but you have also layered different patterns & textures over each other beautifully! All the other ladies look lovely in their outfits too!

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  12. I'm loving this series of rule breaking post. Navy and black happens to actually be my favorite color combo. Go figure.

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  13. I think your advice is perfect. Make it deliberate!

    Each outfit is fab. Seriously!!! I really like black and brown together. A lot!

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  14. I don't understand how these rules came around. Clearly navy/black and black/brown combos can be worn! I think you are spot on with your advice Amy. Everyone has done a brilliant job at working these colour taboos.

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  15. Wow, this is a great post. Every outfit is a knockout. I've been trying to figure out the best ways to put black and navy blue together, and will remember your advice.

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  16. This is my all time favorite outfit of yours! You look great.
    I love breaking the black, brown, and navy rule. I remember a few years ago thinking it was the biggest fashion no-no, but oh how times have changed!

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  17. You ladies all broke the rules with perfection! I think it just shows that those rules don't really apply anymore!

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  18. Everyone did fabulous! I love them all!

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  19. Amy, the eyelet pencil is one of my mostest favorite skirts ( I hunted it hi and lo awhile back), you are rocking it , girl!

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