December 11, 2020
While we’re pondering using Echo scarves for our “12 Months, 12 Outfits” posts next year, I thought I’d dig into their site at some length…
What colors!
If I were forced to choose from among the 12 colors I show here, this might be my choice… Maybe…
Scarf – Echo; mask – Capelli New York; sweater – J.Crew; socks – Hue; bracelet – Akola
Although moving into the darkest days of winter, a bright red could never be a bad choice!
If you like orange and look good in it – WEAR IT! It’s just such a nice color, and we don’t see enough of it.
Same with yellow – especially a really strong yellow like this. Such a lot of light and cheer you would bring to your home, wearing this…
Silk mask – One Imaginary Girl; sweater – J.Crew; tubular scarf – Echo; bracelet – Ubuntu Life; socks – ASOS
Yep, you’ve seen this scarf before! But it’s so lovely with this sweater, and this color is just dreamy…
I went out on a limb for this scarf/sweater combo, but after I found the mask and THE SOCKS (!!!) I was pretty happy with it all; what do you think?
Mask – ConStruct x Best Friends; sweater – Banana Republic; scarf – Echo; agate bracelet – Savvy Cie; socks – Bonne Maison
Another somewhat familiar scarf, albeit in a different colorway. These clear, bright colors are great in the SO VERY GREY days of late autumn….
Okay, maybe this one is my favorite! The ruana is glorious…
Mask – Eugenia Kim; sweater – J.Crew; plaid ruana – Echo; bracelet set – Roxanne Assoulin; socks – Columbia
This color is called lilac, but it feels more pink to me! At any rate, I think most people would be flattered by this color – can you wear it?
Mask – Society of Threads; sweater – J.Crew; scarf – Echo; bracelet – Ted Baker London; socks – Falke
Classic navy takes on a brighter look with some fuchsia accents!
Mask – Emerald Sundae; scarf – Echo; sweater – J.Crew; leather bracelet – Jeff Wan; socks – Gap
This tone-on-tone grouping looks calming and elegant, doesn’t it?
Mask – AFRM; scarf – Echo; sweater – J.Crew; bracelet – Gas Bijoux; socks – American Eagle
Grey and brown are very elegant – it was a real struggle to find a brown and silver bracelet that didn’t cost a ton!
If you’ve absolutely GOT to give someone a list of what you want for a holiday gift, you could do worse than pick one of these colors and just send the link to your very kind gift-giver!
love,
Janice
p.s. NINE years ago (holy handbags!) I was asked to assemble a brown, olive and cream wardrobe for a very elegant retiree…
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I love them all, but oddly enough lilac is my least favourite. Soft colours look lovely on others but leave me feeling washed out. Janice, thank you for showing us so much colour. It just gives me a warm glow inside to see such vivid hues.
This is just awesome. I love color and would find it hard to pick a favorite. I, too, am really drawn to that blue patchwork scarf. Still wondering if it’s time to introduce blue into my closet! Like all I need is another color. Thank you Janice.
My two stand out favourites are the heather mineral and iced lilac although I also like elements of the dark grape. Lovely choices again Janice, I look forward to seeing how the wardrobes progress next year.
This was a lovely post to look at this morning—thank you. I can’t wear this light shade of pink-lilac, but I really like the darker shades of dusted purple or orchid. That pink-purple family makes me happy to have in my closet, and my daughter loves it too.
My favorite groupings here are the dark red, the dark purple, and the grey and brown combination. I love wearing something similar in the winter—warm medium grey with a darker brown-grey coat and boots. I wouldn’t put a scarf on my Christmas list, but maybe a flowered canvas tote!
Based on the comments, everyone is ready for color, but I love tone-on-tone groupings. It IS so calming. I would be happy to see more of these. If only I could wear beige without looking “like death warmed over”.
Janice,
Lovely colors, though brights overpower me . The ruana and purple sweater combo scream Beth T !
You guessed right Shrebee! The ruana is lovely and could be an inspiration for a purple/pink blended wardrobe.
Love brown/grey; also love all.the.socks!
Beautiful scarves. I REALLY hope you use the 5th scarf here – the aqua, blue, navy, teal-green, cream, coral and butter yellow, are my favorite colors. This scarf is gorgeous and I am purchasing it now as my own private holiday gift for myself. Shhhh. I can’t wait to see this in a year-long wardrobe! Please, please!
Echo scarves are beautiful and this is my favorite of all of them.
Janice
Janice CC, I love that scarf, too. I also would LOVE to see it in a year-long wardrobe. If I could justify a new scarf at all, I would be all over it!
The red/orange version of this scarf is also very appealing and could possibly be used as a year-long wardrobe. Can’t wait for the unveiling of the picks!
The navy and fuchsia is my favourite and I know they would be/are my best colours to wear but I can’t let go of my black/white just yet. Wonder if the scarf can be shipped to the U.K…mmm
The cranberry, ‘lilac’, and navy for me! Silver and brown too.
So delighted to se a cool pink after what seems like a decade of only warm ones.
Thank you Janice!
As much as I’m lusting after the aqua patchwork scarf, which is so beautiful, I am holding off on buying it. (BTW, they don’t ship to Canada.) I do wear a scarf almost every day. I am learning that some scarves are pure beauty and some scarves are actually wearable in my own wardrobe. Last January I couldn’t resist the Aspinal Lion and Peacock navy and turquoise scarf. The two browns and my hair colour were tricky to work with and the pretty turquoise is brighter than the softer aqua/turquoise I wear during scarf-wearing season. I bought it and still love the look of it. BUT, here it is December and I’ve rarely worn it, try as I might. I’m still learning what works for me and what doesn’t. Let’s see if I can resist this Echo aqua patchwork beauty ?. I’m a eat my words!
oh Lizette, me too – learning what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes I am able to resist, and other times my love of color just takes over and I hit the “add to cart” button. The struggle trying to make it right.
THEN struggle to try and make it right.. jheez.. TGIF
Lizette, I know what you mean. A few years ago I bought a dress that was too adorable to pass up (small tan rabbit silhouettes on a black background), but the colors did not suit me; I need to wear color. But the dress lives on a hanger on a hook on a door that is always open, so I see it many times per day. What was a poor choice for clothing turned out an excellent choice for home decor! Perhaps your lion and peacock scarf could serve this function for you if you frame it.
Framing the lion scarf is a great idea. Perhaps the rabbit dress could be made into a couple of cushion covers?
If we were pretending to receive one of these mini capsules for Christmas I would choose the burgundy one. Having said that, I think you should choose a soft, muted, denim blue for your 6 scarves/12 months posts next year. Your last post, with the December bracelet, received 29 comments. Women like it, own it and wear it. Blue is the American woman’s favorite color and we love our jeans!
Absolutely agree! And women need inspiration to get “dressed-up” in jeans rather than compulsively throwing on exercise attire.
Echo scarves are great for price and for quality. Two shops in my local village in Canada stock them. I really like the brown/grey combination because I’ve worked for years to combine my former neutral (brown) with my current neutral (grey). That scarf is so pretty. I can see it with my pink tops as well.
Looks like The Bay carries Echo scarves, and some of them are on clearance right now…
Hi Janice! Really love the collection of Echo scarves, and all of the color combinations. My vote is actually for the scarf featured with red but with orange or yellow. I think the dark background on that scarf will make the colors jump out (more)!
I think the brown-olive-cream is definitely worth a look-back, perhaps with one of these scarves / accent colors (I vote orange-y of course).
Yes please! I’d love to see what you do with my favourite colours and if you can find anything ethical that combines these colours.
I love the Modern Baroque Wrap – navy and fushia – scarf too! I vote to have this one be in your selection of six! Thanks for all your inspiration!
After your suggestion that you may use Echo for the 12 scarves, I did spend some time on their site. They have a great selection of style and colour and found a number I would love to see you use. I second the request for something with a pale blue/chambray in it. I do love a bright red and purple in the winter, just lifts the mood a bit. .
Hi Janice,
Thanks for the amazing finds. I really hope you could use the fuchsia/navy scarf next year or for any other series like a 4×4.
BTW, the amazing reversible leather bracelet comes in an exact combination of this scarf!
I love orange. I wear orange. It has been my only “colour” since Easter. It’s my favourite.
But finding good quality, well sized (I’m 6′ tall) and ethically made clothes in orange is a task and a half, especially when I don’t pair it with blue or navy. Not that I need more clothes, but searching for months when I do isn’t fun.
(I wear browns, olive, cream, dove grey and bright orange. And white, as I can’t get many things I want in cream or ivory instead of white. Actually, I find any clothes hard to find because I don’t look great in black or navy so won’t wear them.)
No blue, black, orange or yellow here. My favourite of the suggestions though is the grey and brown. I would be interested to see that with some sort of red and green.
These are all so nice, it was hard to pick my favorites, but I did:
1) Blue patchwork, no surprise there. It’s a scarf that whaps me every time, I like the color of “heather mineral” sweater (I own a similar one that is light teal with a white marl, that is fabulous), and come on, those pigeon socks? SO cute.
2) The first grouping with the burgundy sweater and paisley scarf is stunningly perfect set of items. I mean, WOW. I could look at the relations of color and shape among these items all day. The scarf and bracelet together bring no end of pleasure.
3) There were many contenders, but it’s the brown and grey set that eke out a third place finish. Brown and grey still feel like a very new and delightful combination to me; it’s elegant yet grounded, a feeling well expressed in the butterflies against the brown “ground” in the scarf and the leather cord-with-pearls necklace.
If I were choosing a scarf to follow for 12 months, of course the blue patchwork is my favorite and most suits my coloring. But I’m also strongly attracted to the first one if (as I hope is the case), that’s navy and not black. (Or is it navy AND black? I am frustrated by the description and single photo on their site. Color = “multi” isn’t very helpful, nor is the note “completely reversible to different colors” without a photo of the reverse.) Navy, red, and white makes such a great combination in every season, and I’m intrigued by the possibilities of that light blue. I think this scarf would look AMAZING with any shade of blue denim/chambray so a great choice for those of us who like to include that as one of our core neutrals. It doesn’t have the immediate whappage of the blue patchwork scarf, but as I look at it, I am more drawn in to the intricate design and subtleties of color. The navy/magenta and navy/pink/red options would also create palettes I would find personally relevant to follow through a 12 month cycle.
Well, as Shrebee spotted, the purple and ruana pulled at my heart strings.
However before that, the patchwork scarf and pigeon socks grabbed my attention. I love the necklace too.
Moving down, the iced lilac is one of my favourite pinks! It is an odd colour because it is a blue-pink so it does have an underlying lilac tinge. I’m intrigued by the scarf you’ve put with it. Red and iced lilac don’t seem like natural partners.
Navy and fuschia pink are a classic combination for me – one of my favourites.
The brights are bright ? but the mask and scarf with the neon red top are a great pattern combination. Well done for spotting that.
I like the brown floral and butterfly scarf, but that’s because it has butterflies on it and they always get my vote. it does look nice with silver grey. Brown isn’t a colour, I wear as I can’t find browns that I like.
My biggest challenge is the first scarf with the red top. As other people have commented it has an element of chambray in the pattern. I really would like to see this scarf as the inspiration for a denim/chambray wardrobe with red. I find that I’m having a difficult relationship with red which I used to love more than purple. I used to wear it in all shades but it seems too strong for me now. Perhaps softening it with chambray or soft-blue might help.
I do love the red bracelet though. That would easily find a place in my jewellery box. The pearls have a purplish hue which is an unusual combination with red.
I inherited a gorgeous fuschia coloured ring which I haven’t used much in the past few years , so I would be really interested in the navy/fuschia option.
I have been looking at the ruana again ?. It comes in six colourways, four which would tie into these wardrobes – purple as you have it (the colour is called Pickled Beet!), blue which would fit with the navy and fuschia, red and orange. It’s a shame they dont do it in green or shades of brown.
These colourways would be great for creating blended accent wardrobes. I would certainly use the purple ruana to create a blended wardrobe of purple, fuschia or magenta, orchid, iced lilac. There might be a hint of pale aqua. I would wear it with neutrals of ivory, grey, charcoal and navy.
I’m very tempted, even though shipping to the UK might be expensive…..
However, I was reading an article today on research that has been done by Prof Kent Burridge at the University of Michigan into the difference between “wanting” something and “liking” it when you’ve got it.
This is something that Lizette and Sally have touched on today – buying something because they wanted it but not really liking it when they had it. This is a powerful stimulus driven by dopamine in our brains. A simple example is going into the kitchen, seeing the kettle or coffee maker and switching it on to make a cup of tea or coffee but not enjoying it when it’s made because it tastes bitter or milky and you really wanted a cold drink to slake your thirst.
The examples given don’t apply to clothes shopping but it could explain why women, in particular, sometimes seem ‘addicted to shopping’ because combinations of colours or particular patterns will always make us desire things, even if we know deep down or that the items don’t really fit our shape or the colour scheme of our wardrobes, even extending to things we buy to decorate our houses. But we have to have it because….
So there is this endless conversation going on with myself about wanting and liking. Going back to the ruana, the conversation could go like this:
“I ? the purple ruana but I have similar ones already” (Burgundy/Grey and Light blue/grey)
“But I dont have a purple/pink one”
“But why do you need a purple one?”
So that I can be properly colour co-ordinated when I wear purple/pink”
But you have an ivory and purple checked wrap that you haven’t worn yet”
“But that’s just a wide scarf”
“But you bought it to go with your purple clothes”
“I know but a ruana is better because its shaped to drape over your shoulders whereas a wrap falls off or leaves a draughty gap”
“Also, it will allow me to create a blended purple/fuschia/orchid wardrobe”
But you’ve done that for your summer wardrobe without the need for a ruana”
But it can get chilly, even in the summer, and I like to keep my back warm”
“And its soooooo pretty” ?
Etc etc etc Sigh
I used to notice that my Mum could not go into a shop without buying something. I became conditioned to do the same. My husband says that he can ignore shops because he doesn’t need clothes, but if I ever ‘lose’ him when we are out, I trawl the bookshops and will find him buying another book because ‘it’s interesting’…..
As for the purple ruana:
“I could use it to create a blended purple/pink wardrobe for autumn/winter and I could wear it when I’m wearing purple at home but feel chilly.”
“But it might be too long for you”
“Then I could curl up in it on the sofa”
……….?♀️
Buy the purple ruana!! You know you want to…
You know, we could do a year-long wardrobe starting with a ruana – there’s no rule here that it must be a silk square…
love,
Janice
Janice – big hugs if you would include the purple ruana!
Here is the link to the article in the BBC News website
BBC News – The science of addiction: Do you always like the things you want?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-55221825
It’s a distillation of an interview on the BBC World Service.
By the way, I walked right past my husband this afternoon because I didn’t recognise him in a mask…. ?
Per Google: A ruana is a poncho-style outer garment native to the Colombian and Venezuelan Andes. In Colombia, the ruana is the characteristic and traditional garment of the department of Boyacá, initially made by indigenous and mestizo people, although it is also made in the departments of Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Nariño, Bogotá, Santander, Norte de Santander and Caldas.
Beth T,
Your above self conversation cracked me up ! As I was reading it, I had this image of a cartoon script with a person ( you) with the thought bubble over your head showing each progressive thought ! Ah the games that we play by ourselves, huh ! Let us know what you finally decide. Please don’t tell your husband that it was my fault ! LOL !
Haha, this dialogue got me laughing also. I SO understand this internal conversation mode. The neuroscience research is very interesting…I will need to look up that article.
I lost the internal dialog and ordered both the purple and the red ruanas. My work space is just freezing much of the time – and I can put a heater in my work room, but the minute I step outside into the larger space (the library) It’s delightful to have something to throw on. The one ruana I have (gray/purple/pine green/turquoise/black) has been getting heavy usage this year as I can tote it back and forth in my bag and throw it on as needed….and the price point was ok for me. Cheers! I love the comments! I learn from you! Well, sometimes……
I’d be interested to know how thick the ruanas are, Sheila. They are described as ‘chunky’ on the website. Also how long they are because I’m only 5ft. My worry is whether I would look swamped.
Where does the word ruana come from? Is it South American? Its rarely used in the ÙK – poncho, cape or wrap are the nearest equivalents.
A ruana is a poncho-style outer garment native to the Colombian and Venezuelan Andes. In Colombia, the ruana is the characteristic and traditional garment of the department of Boyacá, initially made by indigenous and mestizo people, although it is also made in the departments of Cundinamarca, Antioquia, Nariño, Bogotá, Santander, Norte de Santander and Caldas.
Oh that’s exactly the conversation I have too! >sigh!<
Beth T, I’ll let you know! I think ruana is south american. In my day we called them ponchos… but I prefer to use the word ruana. :)
Janice, I think you’re idea of a year-long wardrobe starting with a ruana is a wonderful idea!!
Some lovely scarves here! My top picks are the brown and gray, the dark red paisley, and the navy and fuchsia. – nancyo
The clothes posts are always inspirational, but the conversation afterwards is the best. Thanks for the laugh, ladies.
So true!
I seem to be in the minority, but I love the bright blue and red combination with the Heirloom Series scarf. It seems so versatile with all the colours in the scarf. And I need bright colours to look alive…
I am intrigued by several of the Echo scarves at different price points:
Dancing Butterflies $59 black, brown, and gray;
Water floral Square Scarf $29 Multi Color on Black;
Tropical Floral Silk Scarf $85 Aqua or blue flowers on deep teal with ficus border;
Black Plaid Silk Square, brown, black, gray, and camel
Chrysalis Silk Square $145 on black or blue spruce ;
Blooms of Oceana Silk Square $149 multi colored flowers on navy;
Bengal Blooms$149 bright colored flowers on black or white.
My #1 favorite is the purple set with the ruana, #2 is the lilac/pink grouping. I wear both these colors very frequently. Can’t wait to see what you have planned for 2021!
Navy and fuschia!!!!