6 Scarves 2021: March Additions, #6 Grey & Navy, Sophia

For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.

For a description of my method, see this post.

Now we turn to the last wardrobe additions for the mad month of March. Let's ponder our palette and consider what might be coming for this capsule.

Yes! All these colors and stripes make me smile. And after last month's print skirt additions, I am feeling very good seeing a couple pairs of solid pants. I am crazy about prints, but it's good to have some supporting acts to support your stand-out pieces.

Dusky pink/mint/blue striped sweatshirt - CJ Banks - 3X - $15.45 - 9/2020

Grey/pastel striped pullover sweater - CJ Banks - 3X - $9.14 - 7/2020

Grey skinny pants - ana/JCP - 22W - $9.79 - 1/2020

Light pink ankle pants - thrifted, Talbots/Goodwill - 20W - $5.24 - 10/2018

Soft indigo utility vest - CJ Banks - 2X - $15.37 - 7/2020

A variety of scarves and a necklace are being added, which feels quite right for the kind of March we had this year, in which something like spring started visiting us occasionally at the end of the month. I wouldn't normally think of a necklace instead of a scarf in March, but such was the madness this time around. We have that same winter-to-spring vibe with the tall boots and loafers. Luckily we can count on pearl earrings for any day of the year.

Grey sweater knit scarf - Target - $12.00 - 12/2014

Grey/navy/ice blue ombré striped scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $8.99 - 5/2020

Light pink/mint necklace - Loft - $6.00 - 5/2020

Faux pink pearl earrings - ?

Pewter loafers - Madden Girl/Kohls - $4.75 [with Kohls cash] - 12/2020

Tall grey boots - LifeStride/Zappos - $99.99 - 10/2014

Cream/neon polka dot silky twilly scarf - thrifted, ThredUp - $4.20 - 5/2020

Now some outfits from this easy 2 pants x 2 tops group. Outfit #1 features various shades of grey with tall boots over skinny pants for warmth.

Outfit #2 is for somewhat warmer weather, when 3/4 sleeves and loafers are enough coverage. I love this sweatshirt/utility vest combination, as you will see below.

Here are three outfits in which I wore this sweatshirt/vest combination. This first outfit includes a thrifted snakeskin silk scarf (in colors that just happen to work extremely well with the minty blue and soft indigo), jeans, and fun striped knit flats. This is not a typical November outfit for me, but with the pandemic keeping me in my apartment all the time, I didn't have to dress for warmth and practicality as much as usual. I used the button-as-scarf-ring trick as shown here; instead of a hair elastic, I used a thinner elastic (that came with some packaging) that already had a knot in the end that keeps the elastic from pulling all the way through the shank. I chose this brassy button to coordinate with the buttons on the vest.

This early March outfit uses the same scarf, just worn differently, with soft indigo trousers and brown flats. It's interesting how tying the same scarf in a different way can really change up an outfit.

Then a couple weeks later, I wore this combination again with a different scarf, the same jeans as in November, and a fun pair of cheetah print Oxfords. Stripes on stripes is not for everyone, but I thought it worked pretty well in this outfit because one is a very broad stripe and the other is fairly narrow. The colors are not an exact match but close enough for them to look harmonious, I think.

OK, returning to our Sophia wardrobe, we have two outfits with the light pink ankle pants. Outfit #3 is the warmer one with a snuggly grey sweater knit scarf. If you find it hard to imagine wanting both a warm scarf and ankle pants + loafers without socks, I can get that. My feet tend to run warm, so I often get away without socks in situations that other people would be putting on serious slippers. But also don't underestimate the ability of a simple pair of "nude" (your nude) trouser socks to lend a sockless appearance while providing coverage for chilly feet and ankles. And I regularly extol the virtues of a scarf for giving the wearer control as temperatures vary from time to time or place to place. Where I work, I swear temperatures from one area to another can vary 10 degrees or more.

Outfit #4 has a fun "hurray! spring is coming!" vibe. Does it bother you to see this sweatshirt and pants together? They don't match, it's true. But to me, the color of the pants is in the spirit of the colors of the top, so they work. To reinforce that connection, I added a cream scarf with a lot of different colored polka dots, including several from the sweatshirt as well as the pink from the pants.

You may have noticed that the sweater, sweatshirt, and utility vest were all purchased from the same store within a span of about two months. One of the advantages of purchasing retail (rather than secondhand) is that when you like the colors on offer from a brand at a given time, you can buy multiple pieces that coordinate. Some retailers seem to be better at offering a range of garments in a given color than others. I've noticed that it can be hard to buy coordinating pieces at Lands End; for example, they will have a blue T and a blue cardigan, but they are different blues that don't match or even blend. But I've found that Christopher & Banks (plus size brand CJ Banks) seems to have a relatively limited number of colors at any given time with an array of pieces in each color. The downside is that they won't have the same colors for months on end; you have to catch them while they're available. This summer I got very lucky with CJ Banks having a bunch of light, muted, cool to cool-ish colors that look good on me and coordinate well with each other. You will be seeing many of these pieces in the Sophia wardrobe as we build it out over the spring and summer!

For the seasonal wardrobe matrix, recall that in each season, for each color category, I can mark what has been added each month:

x = solid piece

T = tonal piece (i.e., tonally works with this color though it is a different color)

O = ombré piece

P = print piece (not ombré)

Do you like to buy multiple coordinating pieces at once or do you add to your wardrobe in a more piecemeal manner? My approach has historically been very piecemeal, and of course that's still how shopping thrift stores works, but I did enjoy the ease with which I was able to purchase coordinating pieces this summer, and I plan to do target (not limit, but target) my retail purchases in this direction.

In my next post, we will recap the #1 Black & Grey, Gina wardrobe to date and explore some additional outfits!

I link up with:

Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (2nd Monday; 3rd Thursday)

Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)

Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)

Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)

Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)

Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)

Jodie at Jodie's Touch of Style (Thursdays)

Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)

Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)

Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)

Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)

Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)