7 "Sweet Dreams" Outfit Ideas

The most recent Style Imitating Art challenge from Salazar at 14 Shades of Grey was based on the video Sweet Dreams, from which she shared 6 images on her blog. In addition to the OOTD I showed earlier in the week, which I based on my overall impression of the video, I came up with 7 other outfit ideas based on the specific screen shots on her blog. I had fun coming up with outfits inspired by the particular elements of each image! It is also interesting to see what aspects of the resulting outfits are outside the norm for me because one of the benefits of this type of style challenge is to stretch ourselves to try something new. Let's get started.

For the first image in black, orange/copper, and silver, I started with the polka dot scarf, then added pieces in black and grey. For the orange/copper element, I used the rust quilted vest and tall cognac boots. The necklace and bracelets keep the dot theme going, while the earrings have a more irregular, blobby shape that is also present in the inspiration screen shot. This was also a great opportunity to mix cool (silver, gunmetal) and warm (gold) metals. The color blocking of the black, grey, rust, and cognac without a bridge piece that includes all these colors is outside the norm for me, but I think it looks great. I could even imagine it without the scarf (though I do like how it ties various aspects of the look together).

The second image has a blue and pink swirl look, so I started with the blue tie-dye scarf. I added items in a variety of shades of blue and the bright salmon pink skirt as a pop. The earrings and necklaces bring in more of the rounded shapes. This outfit looks very much like a typical Sally outfit; I would normally default to my navy ankle boots with it rather than the loafers, but I do like how the tassels make the loafers another "two shades of blue" piece like the scarf and the bracelet stack.

The third image looks like candy or bubbles on a pink background, which brought this scarf to mind. The sweater and blazer add a strong dash of the bright pink color. I chose a polka dot skirt, bead earrings, and rounded bracelet that repeat the dot motif while coordinating with the colors of the scarf. The addition of a neutral like black can also make the resulting outfit a little bit easier to wear, especially in a work-in-the-office situation like I'm envisioning here. In fact, the base outfit here looks a lot like it was built from the February additions to the #1 Black & Grey, Gina capsule wardrobe! The wild card here is the inclusion of the cognac boots and the scarf with a light pink background worn with the dominant black + bright pink colors. I would never have thought to pair this scarf with that sweater or blazer, but I think in the context of the overall outfit, it's cohesive while introducing a "free to vary" element.

So far these outfits have been built around a scarf that ties in with the inspiration image, but with the fourth screen shot I'm breaking that pattern by instead starting with a print skirt. The navy background with a print in pink, lighter blue, and bright yellow was a good fit for this image. I chose the blue and white polka dot scarf next and filled in with pink and navy pieces that match the colors of the skirt. I liked these earrings here because the wash of blue color against the silver is reminiscent of the varying intensity of blue in the image's background. This outfit is 100% on brand for me, head to toe, including the polka dot scarf that adds a print mix element to it.

So here's a second version that switches out the basically-perfectly-matching pink top for a light yellow top that doesn't match the skirt as closely. I have never considered wearing my light yellow pieces with this skirt, but I think it looks good! Even though the top is a much more muted form of yellow, it coordinates pretty well. The resulting blue/navy + yellow color scheme is a really nice one that is less common than blue/navy + pink.

The fifth image called for a blue and pink color palette with a swirl print, and once again, I used a scarf to anchor the look. Because the scarf's print has a seafoam swirl but no proper blue colors, I used denim (the ultimate neutral) to represent the blue in the image. (Denim...is there nothing it can't do?) The warm watermelon pink pants coordinated well with the colors of the scarf. The DIY glass pearl earrings and bracelets reinforced the roundness concept while the DIY paper bead and glass pearl bracelet served as another bridge piece bringing the various colors of the outfit together. As a bonus, it added a subtle print mix to the look, too.

For the outfit based on the sixth image, I definitely wanted to highlight the elements of a warm bright blue and dots. The azure blue matching blouse and pullover sweater make for a vibrant and cheerful start to the outfit. As in the bright pink and black Outfit #3 above, I balanced the exuberantly colorful top half with a more muted bottom half...once again, a polka dot skirt but this time in grey and black. Looking through my scarf options, I was thrilled to find this colorful option with a complex mix of prints. It has multiple polka dot sections and at least two giant cartoon bugs that must be cicadas (remember this?). Thankfully the exact shapes are NOT obvious when the scarf is tied. Instead let's focus our attention on the fact that one of the polka dot sections in the scarf is a repeat of the black-on-grey of the skirt! The earrings continue the rounded theme, and the DIY seed bead bracelets repeat the two main colors of the scarf and inspiration image.

I decided to create a bonus outfit using the sixth image because all those brightly colored bubbles reminded me strongly of this necklace, which I used as the starting point for a warm weather outfit...since it will eventually be summer again, even in Minnesota. I chose to go full-on with color, undiluted with either neutrals or metallics, in a palette of bright pink, blue, and yellow. I was pleasantly surprised by how this one came together! Adding the yellow as a third accent color was outside my norm but it's an undeniably smile-inducing outfit.

Which of these inspiration images and/or resulting outfits resonate with you? Are any of the elements of the outfits outside the norm for you? Would you be up to trying any of those more wild card elements in an outfit yourself?

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