Last year, we talked about outfit building blocks and outfit formulas, which gets us most of the way to an outfit. What’s left? Well, choosing the specific pieces to use in an outfit. This can feel tricky when colour is involved. If you fall down the rabbit hole of reading about colour theory online (much less stuff like seasonal colour analysis), it’s not difficult to feel overwhelmed. Ready for my hot take? I think all those theories can make it all seem far more complicated than it is.

Assuming no vision impairments, figuring out what colour combinations work can be very simple: just look at them. Put two pieces of clothing next to each other and check to see if they look nice together or not. That’s it. There may be a lot of science behind that, but you don’t need to know about it in order to put together a well-coordinated outfit. It’s how we can look at a person’s outfit and find it visually pleasing without having to pull out a colour wheel to confirm whether it is, in fact, a good outfit.

I don’t use a colour wheel when I’m putting together outfits; after years of practice, I have a number of favourite colour combinations, which I know work well together, but I also still experiment all the time. I start with one piece of clothing, the one I know I want to include in my outfit. Next, I pull out a bunch of different options that might be suitable for completing the outfit, ignoring colour to begin with. Say I start with a skirt (I often start with a skirt); I might pick three or four different tops or sweaters, depending on the season – maybe more, if I’m feeling really adventurous. Then I put each top next to the skirt and see how they look together. I don’t usually try anything on at this point, since that takes extra time and this is a speed elimination round. I usually have a favourite combination right off the bat, but if I narrow down my choice to, say, two tops, then I make the final decision after trying on both versions of the outfit. If I like both, I’ll wear one and make a note of the other, so I can wear it another time; this way, I’m making the most of my experimental session.

Still not convinced? Ok, here are some traditional colour theory-based “rules” to consider.

Monochromatic and analogous schemes

This one is self-explanatory: it’s about wearing the different shades and tones of the same colour head to toe. (Note: monochromatic can also be used to refer to a black and white colour scheme. That one’s a classic too.) Monochromatic can be trickier than it appears. If you look at the classic fashion colour wheel, you will see that there are at least two blues, two greens, two yellows, and so on. You may or may not have each colour sufficiently well-represented in your closet for a truly monochromatic look (unless we’re talking about neutrals like black, beige, white, etc.).

An analogous scheme can be easier to achieve: you’re looking to mix several shades that are next to each other on the colour wheel. Personally, I like to do at least three because the combination not only looks richer, but also because there is less risk of it looking like you were going for monochromatic and simply missed the boat.

Complementary schemes

Complementary colour schemes are probably the ones most people think of when it comes to colour theory: choosing colours that are directly opposite to each other on the wheel. Think pink and green, orange and blue, violet and yellow.

A split complementary scheme is similar, but instead of choosing the colour directly opposite, you choose the two colours on either side of it. For a triadic scheme, you are looking for a combination of three colours that are equidistant from each other on the wheel. Using a triadic scheme can result in very bold outfits, which can feel overwhelming to some folks, but it’s possible to tone down its impact by choosing softer or more muted shades of each colour. If you’re trying to use multiple colours in an outfit and start to feel like you’re losing your courage, it may help you to revive it if you “ground” those colours with a small amount of black – for example, a black belt.

The “cheat code”

Yeah, there’s a cheat code: a way to pick amazing colour combinations without doing any work at all. How? Find a pattern you like. It can be from your closet, your house, a book, anything. Look at the colours used in the pattern. Pick two or three. Voila! You have a colour combination you can be sure works because a professional designer with years of experience used it to create a pattern that you already love. It doesn’t get easier or more failproof than that. This, by the way, is also the easiest way to figure out how to wear patterned clothing. The simplest option is to pair a pattern with one or more solid colours; to choose complementary garments, pick colours from the pattern itself. If you want to pattern mix in advanced mode, you can choose different patterns that feature similar colour palettes. Start with black and white patterns if you’re feeling hesitant, and use solid white or black pieces to tie them together. I have thrown together every black and white pattern under the sun, and this approach hasn’t failed me yet.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, use the same approach but expand the colour palette; choose patterns in similar colours, and pick one of those colours to emphasize via accessories or a solid-colour third piece. For example, if you have a jacket and skirt that both feature blue and orange in their respective patterns, you can pick a top in the same shade of blue; if your top and bottom are patterned and you’re not wearing a third piece, a pair of blue shoes or a blue bag can do the trick.

The bottom line, though: colour is fun! Remember how fun it was to mix paints when you were a kid and take liberties with the colour of the sky and the grass and the sun? This is exactly the same, except way less messy. Have fun with it!

Details: Ralph Lauren blouse & skirt, vintage vest, BCBG belt, Thierry Raboutin shoes (all secondhand)

Thoughts: To me, this is a quintessentially Jo March outfit and I love it so much despite its very muted colour palette. It’s all about the details, like the delicate paisley pattern on the blouse and the lace insert, and the texture contrasts. I chose a jeweled belt instead of something more southwest-inspired because I wanted to lean more into the late Victorian vibe than the prairie vibe with this outfit, and also felt that a juxtaposition of influences might overwhelm the outfit. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be loud to be special.

Details: Dries Van Noten dress (eBay), Zara jacket, vintage scarf, Thierry Raboutin shoes (all thrifted); DKNY skirt (Poshmark)

Thoughts: Remember this dress? It’s been a while since I wore it last, but it’s as lovely as ever. Dries Van Noten truly is a genius when it comes to patterns. I decided it was time to pull out the dress again because I wanted another go at a Ralph Lauren collection look (from 2014, I want to say but don’t quote me on that) that has lived rent-free in my head for a long time. It’s a long, floral, diaphanous dress with a brown tweed long-line blazer; long patterned scarf, sandals with chunky wool socks. It’s one of my core moodboard looks for the Bohemian avatar, and I’ve done different takes on it before. I’m still hunting for the original RL dress, but use this dress in the meantime because the bottom part is floaty floral chiffon so it has a similar movement. I added to it by wearing my sheer panel DKNY skirt underneath, to extend the floatiness. I skipped the sock-with-sandals part because it’s not my thing, but did use my sock-shoes as a hat tip to that idea.

Details: no label cardigan (thrifted), CoH jeans (thrifted), Ralph Lauren belt (Poshmark), J. Crew blazer (retail, old)

Thoughts: I loved the stripe pattern of this cardigan and wanted to build an outfit around juxtaposing it against the blazer pattern. (Side note: I always used to call that pattern a “check” but recently saw a Reel that revealed I was wrong: it’s actually a houndstooth, but colourful not monochromatic. The more I know!) But the cardigan has a deep V neckline, which means, by the time I tuck the front and put the jacket on, little of the stripes can still be seen. So I wore it backward! Instant sweater.

Details: Uniqlo sweater, Cartonnier jacket (both thrifted), Ralph Lauren skirt (eBay), Tignanello bag (Poshmark)

Thoughts: For this outing of THE skirt, I decided to pick green as the focus colour, and add the yellow as a pop. The jacket was a compromise to the weather, which required me to wear a heavier topper. I don’t love-love it, but it’s ok and it was the best option I had in relation to the rest of the outfit. I hate when Mother Nature gets in the way of my sartorial goals, haha!

Details: Ralph Lauren shirt & vest, Ports International jacket, Ferragamo shoes (all thrifted), Paul Smith pants, Ralph Lauren belt (both Poshmark)

Thoughts: Just another Historian outfit, remixing pieces I call “old faithfuls” — reliably great staples. The vest and jacket, in particular, fit that bill perfectly. I can wear them in so many different combinations, with so many different pieces and different colours. And they also work great together. The pants are great too, though they’re a little more statement than staple thanks to the plaid pattern; I feel they tend to stand out a bit more. But I love the cut, and I wish I could find more pants like this — I’m really struggling lately to find trouser-style pants that are neither skinny nor full wide-leg. Anyway, on to the rest of the outfit. I picked the green shirt to pick up on the green in the plaid, and added the belt as a nod to Papa Ralph, who often wears a big buckle number with his preppy fits.

Details: InStyle sweater, American Apparel coat, CoH jeans, Asos boots (all thrifted), Brave belt, Tignanello bag (both Poshmark)

Thoughts: This outfit was built around the turquoise/orangey brown colour combo. That’s basically it. I added the grey coat because I’ve noticed how well it works with outfits that feature brown; as a “grounding” neutral, it works better than black in this kind of situation, I think.

A few weeks ago, my husband sent me a link to a Homes & Gardens article and told me the good news: our house is finally trendy. You see, the newest trend making the TikTok round is called “bookshelf wealth” which is everything you probably imagine from that title: maximalism with books.

If you’ve been around for a while, you probably know what my house looks like (and has looked like for more than a decade):

So, you see, my husband wasn’t kidding. Our house is trendy. The first thing I thought about as he was telling me about it was that one time, a few years ago, when someone who saw a picture of our living room called it “old fashioned”. Little did they know!

As I read the article my husband sent me, I felt rage build up inside me. Before I let it all out here, let’s take a moment to appreciate this passage; it resonated with me deeply, and it’s important context for the rest of the discussion.

“Books serve as windows into one’s soul, revealing a person’s identity and interests. They carry the power of evoking specific places and hold memories of where they were read. Some books become inseparable, akin to old lovers with whom you’ve shared countless moments. The physicality of books, in an era dominated by digital media, adds a homely, tangible, and nostalgic element to decorating. They are not just objects; they are vessels of personal history, making them a perennially significant and cherished component in interior design trends.”

The article got my hackles up from its subtitle, and things didn’t improve much from there. This quote, in particular, encapsulates everything I find enraging about it:

“The ‘tyranny’ of minimalism has perhaps led us to put these things away, and this new ‘trend’ has perhaps given us permission to liberate these possessions and proudly showcase them. Critics of the trend have said it encourages overconsumption but my tip is to start with what you’ve got, however modest, and transform your space into a reflection of your unique journey. And if you find you want more books to read you know where to come.”

The critics are goddamn right!!!

Ahem.

I am sad whenever I hear people worry that their clothes are “dated”. I am never not convinced that the concept of “outdatedness” is, above all, capitalist consumerist propaganda designed to make us feel inadequate and in need of stuff to compensate. But I also understand that personal appearance has a social dimension. People are judged on how they present themselves in public, and clothes play a role in that. I understand why people are concerned about living up to certain standards or expectations. (Though I still believe that the average person, including anyone whose opinion has a direct and quantifiable impact on our livelihood, isn’t sufficiently conversant with every fashion micro-trend to form adverse opinions about us based on the fact that we’re wearing last year’s ankle booties. YMMV) So, whether I share it or not, I get the preoccupation with fashion trends. Interior design is a whole other story.

For those of us fortunate enough to have one, a home is the only truly private space, a place where we can exist without fear of judgment, fully and wholly ourselves. The notion that we need “permission” to display things that are meaningful to us is so absurd to me, it leaves me barely coherent. It’s positively Orwellian. It is the curse of social media’s flattening of aesthetic; when everyone and everything looks the same everywhere all the time, anything even slightly different begins to look and feel transgressive — like it needs permission and/or justification.

You don’t need permission to have a minimalist home. You do not need permission to have a a maximalist home. Neither one is good or bad, or better than the other. You shouldn’t feel constrained to make your choice based on what everyone else is doing. They don’t live in your house.

The other thing that enrages me about the “bookshelf wealth” trend at a more general level is something the article does touch on. This isn’t just an aesthetic; it’s a way of living, which then creates an aesthetic. It’s a certain set of values, a mindset. It’s not something you can do and then not do as trends come and go. My book collection — along with every other collection in my house — represents a decades-long labour of love. It’s the story of my and my family’s life; each piece reflects something of us — our hobbies, special moments, travels, family traditions. You can’t buy a life in one fell swoop. You build it, piece by piece.

The article’s suggestion that “now’s the time to take out all those books and things you’ve been hiding in shame” is utter nonsense. Nobody who actually cares about and has collected these things over the years is keeping them in a secret stash somewhere. Why would they? Who does that when they love and value something? This whole angle is a way to pay lip service to the notion of authenticity and intentionality, when in fact all articles like this are doing is promoting consumption, period. Mindless consumption. If you don’t value something unless somebody tells you it’s trendy, buying it is the definition of mindless consumption.

And books? Damn. Books deserve better. Not to mention our trees.