Gray Scaling Up

While everyone is wearing bright and sometimes shocking colors/patterns for the Spring, I've taken the more (gasp!) subdued approach to dressing. My love for bright colors will not go away, but these days I'm limiting them to accessories.

During my recent clothing investment period, I purchased pieces that were primarily black, white, or gray--colors that can do no wrong year in and year out. They caught my eye because they were very interesting despite being quite simple in nature. If I had to describe them in 2 words, it would be "understatedly cool."

The best bang for the buck (or rather, forty some odd of them) is this Love Yaya tunic. I bought this a couple of months ago because I wanted a dressy piece for the Fall/Winter in which I can stay somewhat warm. The Shopbop picture looked really cute, and when I got it, it looks even better in person. It's like wearing one of those shapeless gray sweaters (with the triangle just below the collar, which is also on the tunic), except the cut is super flattering and not frumpy like its apparent inspiration. Made of terry, it's incredibly soft and comfortable. It's a lot shorter than I thought, so I can't wear it as a winter dress as I would have liked...unless I wear leggings, which I've been staying away from for the longest time. (Maybe it's time to give in?) At any rate, it's simple without being boring, and as you can see, I've worn it many times already. I'm sure I'll wear it many more times.

(Worn as a dress...probably not gonna happen again.)

(Both of these are work looks.)

(Dressed down for the weekend).)

My weakness for cashmere sweaters made me fall for these two sweaters. I haven't worn them much yet because the weather warmed up shortly after I bought them, but lately it's gotten colder again, so maybe I'll get to wear them more. The first is a cashmere-blend sweater from the Max Studio outlet. I love how the knot of the tying sashes is off-center, and placement of the stripes is very appropriate. Instead of overwhelming the senses with lots of stripes, the stripes only appear on the top half; the little bit of stripes on the sleeves evokes the layering that I'm so fond of. The sweater looks great with jeans, black pants/skirts, and what have you. It matches especially great with my old Alice + Olivia black pants with the really bold white pipings. Sorry for the butt shot, but fitting contrast, don't you think?

The other cashmere sweater I got was a vest by The Breed. [Not counting the coat I bought a while back, t]his is probably one of the most expensive pieces of clothing I've ever purchased (despite being 70% off), but it's such a stylish and clever take on the good ol' (boring) sweater-vest. When Shopbop had the 20% off code, I just couldn't resist:

I bought this primarily as an edgy piece of work-wear, but I see a lot of potential as a casual piece. [Ed.--here's a more casual look.] At any rate, it's quirky yet conservative enough that it'll stand the test of time.