January 29, 2018
I have to admit my age; when I hear the word (or words) Ultra Violet, I think of her…
Ultra Violet – credit unknown
She was the only one of Andy Warhol’s gang of friends to really capture my imagination…
But of course ultraviolet – is it all one word?, with no capitalization – is the “color of the year” for 2018! Which usually means that you can’t find a garment in that color for love nor money… but this year, the always lovely Eileen Fisher came through!
handkerchief hem tunic – Eileen Fisher; dress – Eileen Fisher; sweater – Eileen Fisher; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher
I could be VERY tempted by that dress… and if the idea of a deep red appeals, the tunic and the dress are available in “claret,” as well as muted teal and a lovely electric blue…
But back to my practical thinking – how might one actually WEAR this color with items already in one’s wardrobe? What neutral(s) will be best?
Let’s experiment…
For warm weather, this color with white holds a LOT of appeal to me… I could see tying the little scarf around a wrist, or a handbag handle, if the weather is too warm for fabric at the neck.
earrings – Amour; handkerchief hem tunic – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Salvatore Ferragamo; white linen pants – Eileen Fisher; mules – Badgley Mischka
From the easy to the difficult – as much as I love shades of green as a wardrobe neutral, wearing these together might require some deft accessorizing, or true affection for the combination which supersedes anybody’s opinion…
bracelet – Tiraphan Hasub; sweater – Eileen Fisher; tencel pants – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Mosaique; shoes – Softwalk
Black would be easy – and these jacquard pants add a little bit of interest to the ensemble!
earrings – Eka Devi; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; black jacquard pants – Eileen Fisher; bracelet – Nareerat; shoes – Arcopedico
These are described as light grey leggings, but they look an awful lot like beige pants to me! At any rate, they’re a nice neutral base for the tunic…
earrings- Neetu Barathi; scarf – Nordstrom; espadrilles – Kenzo; handkerchief hem tunic – Eileen Fisher; light grey leggings – Eileen Fisher
An unusual dark grey is perfect with the intense purple – I was surprised.
earrings – Alon Diller; sweater – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Missoni; grey pants – Eileen Fisher; flats – Softwalk
All of us who live in black own a nice pair of black cotton pants, which would be a perfect start for an outfit that goes full-tilt into brightly-colored accents!
earrings – Michael Krainer; scarf – Roberto Cavalli; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; black cotton pants – Eileen Fisher; sandals – Naot
This color is referred to as “rye,” but to me it feels like taupe! With any name, it’s always a welcome addition to the array of available colors in the clothing market.
ring – Wayan Sarjana; handkerchief hem tunic – Eileen Fisher; rye pants – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Roberto Cavalli; espadrilles – Gabor
Navy? Of COURSE navy looks lovely…
sweater – Eileen Fisher; midnight blue pants – Eileen Fisher; bracelet – Neeru Goel; scarf – Mantero; flats – Summit
This color is named “smoke;” when WILL designers make it easier for us to shop, and name things in a way that makes the easier for us to find online?
tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; smoke pants – Eileen Fisher; earrings – Zayd Makarim; scarf – Anna Rachele; shoes – Summit
White denim – how perfect for summer is this?
handkerchief hem tunic – Eileen Fisher; ring – Effy; cotton denim pants – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Salvatore Ferragamo; flats – French Sole
I thought that this combination would be easy – find a pretty floral scarf with green and purple to tie it all together, and you’re done! Ha… Still, I think there’s some appeal here…
sweater – Eileen Fisher; glen green cotton pants – Eileen Fisher; scarf – Hermès A Cheval sur Mon Carré; bracelet – Neeru Goel; sandals – Oofos
When all else makes you rip out your (thinning?) hair, denim is the answer! A pretty scarf, classic earrings and some fun flats, and you’re good to go!
tee shirt – Eileen Fisher; denim pants – Eileen Fisher; earrings – Neeru Goel; scarf – Nordstrom; loafers – Marsèll
Which do you prefer? I’m sticking with black, white and denim, which reflect my current wardrobe pretty perfectly… Or do we branch out and bring a touch of a new neutral into a wardrobe, for freshness?
love,
Janice
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Purple, my color since…. I was a girl. I like it a lot and combination with white is really beautiful for summer time and with black for winter. It goes excellently with pearls and silver. With light blue jeans also .. ohhh this is my year thinking on coloring my wardrobe. I also like the lighter purple too. Purple can be also very nice with yellow. Thanks for this post. Maja
Like Maja, I have loved purple since I was little. Even my glasses are purple! I don't think of it working with many other colors besides black, white and gray. You've opened up a new world.
This post shows so clearly that with the right scarf…..almost all colors can be combined!!!
Yes! I find that to be true of jewelry as well.
I'm all for branching out into new neutral colors. Love the Rye and Smoke and agree that it would be wonderful if some kind of standardization in color names were to suddenly occur!
I love this shade of purple! I would wear it with Denim, black or grey but I'd prefer it in a cardigan and over a white shirt or t-shirt. I'll definitely be looking for it this Spring – hopefully Talbots or J Crew will have it in the style I love.
I love purple. It’s one of my favorites and is always in style in my closet.
I wear a lot of purple, even my glasses. Loved this post! I like it with denim, grey, and white/off-white, but I'd also wear it with green if I had the right accessories. If that EF dress was less expensive it would be on it's way to my house!
Violet is a lovely colour, bright and vivid. I would partner it with the light, bright colours only, as I find the darker colours deadens its vibrancy. I only have one piece of clothing in violet; a sleeveless tunic top with embellished neckline in iridescent stones of emerald green, rose pink, amethyst and peridot which comes on holiday with me to the sun and worn with white jeans and strappy flat sandals -bright and vivid! Sharon, U.k.
My winter wardrobe: purple (shades of), navy, grey (light AND dark). Summer sees generally lighter shades of purple, though. Love the color.
Wow! I don't like that color! I don't even see the clothes, just that in your face color! On the other hand, I love dusty lavender. Looks like I'm in the minority here.
Thank you Pantone. For once the Pantone team must have been thinking "Hey, what works with older lady skin too?" because this violetty lavender does just that. I love it … and I think it loves me back!Hugs
Hugs, x.
Beautiful choices – thank you.
I love it with olive… It reminds me of Margaret Houlihan on MASH!
I kinda like the purple with the olive pants – it makes me think of Iris and Lilacs, two of my favorite flowers. Although, I think it might work better in a more floaty or dressy, less sporty style.
I particularly liked the dark grey and the rye combinations with the purple. I wear a lot of black and am always looking for new neutral ideas as well as ideas for colours to combine with my black basics. I have two neutrals at this stage, black and denim. I enjoy the wardrobe examples you have given previously of the similar outfits – one dressy and one casual option – very usefull.
I've never been especially fond of purple, and unfortunately the word ultraviolet makes me think of a 2006 movie of the same name, which always morphs in my head to "Ultraviolent" for obvious reasons if you've seen the movie (and if you haven't, don't bother!). That said, I do like purple with olive green, and it might even work with a more beige-hued blush pink, like the background color of your website (is that a new neutral?).
I hardly ever have anything in this color. I tend to blues and greens, pinks and red. However, about 6 years ago, I bought a short sleeved shirt at Chico's that I love. I love the color, the fabric and cut of the blouse, and the details (tabs on the folded back sleeves). I wear it with white pants or light beige pants in the summer. I have nothing else that goes with it, but I always feel good wearing it. I'll consider some of the other neutrals, but I really like the light ones to balance out the strong color. Thanks for showing us different ways to think about color combinations!
Love the purple! Black, white and light grey for me. Although I do agree that the olive looks lovely, like a flower. Janine
I do have a LS silk blouse in this color and I will wear it today, with navy corduroy pants. This blouse is the only thing I have in this color, not even a scarf. Because of that, I don't wear it much. I don't want to invest in more pieces this color but I don't want to get rid of it either. That's a bit of a dilemma. I don't want to hold on to clothes I don't wear BUT Winter is a long time here and it's nice to have a new color to take out of the closet when I need a color boost.