Building complements: How to do it?

A couple of comments on my post about building summer complements from footwear seemed worthy of follow up and exploration: 

Jessikims said: I’m curious about other people’s complement collections. How many should a person have? You have silver cognac, one bright color, one white, it sounds like. I have blush, white/black patterned, rose gold.... but I certainly don’t have every color in the rainbow (or even in my palette). I guess they just evolve naturally... you find a new olive belt and you remember your olive sneakers and you think “complement!”

And SarahDB noted that she is not a bag person and does not wear belts so the elements of her complements might differ. 

I don't think there is any "should" about it -- have as many complements as you like or can afford! And base them on bags, scarves, footwear -- whatever you like!

I do think they sometimes evolve naturally -- and sometimes on purpose. My silver one has grown quite naturally with the switch to silver hair (since silver and grey bookend well) although it started even before that with a pair of pewter sandals and a silvery belt, back when I was still blonde. I loved the pewter sandals so much I started looking at pewter and silver footwear more regularly.

 The cognac complement also  evolved naturally in the first place (I had the vintage belt already and then picked up sandals on sale on a whim.) Meanwhile, I'm trying to create a red one on purpose because I adore red footwear and think a bright adds zip to a summer closet composed almost entirely of blue and white. ;) 

In terms of my thought process, metallic and white are both reliable neutrals for me in summer, easily worked into both casual and dressier outfits. Silver gives a bit of "dressiness" to casual looks. Cognac is also a neutral; it's a bit more unexpected for my closet since I wear almost exclusively cool colours, but it's "grounding" as others have said, and adds warmth to blue, white, grey, and black. Red is a bright well represented in my closet already and I love it, so it's a natural to build on. I'm actually starting that complement with clothing items vs. footwear or bag. 

If I could, I'd have other summer complements also -- maybe fuchsia, or mustard, or blush, or lilac or purple -- something unexpected. Accessories are so much more important in high summer when we don't have the luxury of layering toppers! Footwear can make or break an outfit. But I have 3 to 4 months of summer weather where I live and can only justify so many sandals. ;)  So I'm trying to contain myself for now. Next year in my more temperate climate I may add some complements based on dressier closed footwear. 

My winter complements are sadly lacking and that is an area I intend to build on this coming fall/ winter. I have some scarf/ clothing item complements and that is truly about it! Partly this is due to the constant need for snow worthy boots in my winter climate and their sober colours. I'm starting to plan ahead for building in new colours next year. 

How about you? How have you built complements? Have they evolved or have to set about it purposively? Do you think there's an ideal number? Should they be neutrals, or colours? 

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Building spring/ summer/ fall complements, the sandal edition

Sorry for all the posts, Fab Friends. Guess what? Spring did not happen here, and summer has arrived with a vengeance. That means new footwear. Usually I buy sandals in March but this year I didn't. And it turns out that I had to retire a lot of summer footwear. I retired 6 pair of sandals for reasons of wear or comfort. Actually 8, if you count the two that I got rid of straight away at the end of last summer. 

That left me with two pairs...a semi-dressy Ralph Lauren gladiator, and a taupe cage sandal with a high heel that I rarely wear except for going out, even though the comfort is surprisingly good. 

I replaced an ill-fitting Camper silver casual sandal with the Eileen Fisher Sport in silver. This will be very versatile for me. I've already worn it more than I wore the Campers last year! 

I am also replacing my Fitflops (which I wear to walk in constantly in summer) with a silver pair. These are my most casual footwear. Together with my silver sneakers and silver pumps, I think I am covered for silver summer footwear. Which is not to say I wouldn't look at another pair. :)  

Silver bookends my hair. I have a silver belt (though it needs upgrading), and I always wear silver jewellery. Complement sorted. I don't have a silver bag, but I am on the lookout for one sometime during the next few seasons. 

A white sandal was a HEWI and I found one that works! Yay for Wittner. https://wittner.ca/collections.....cts/dafina 

In summer I wear a lot of white. It somewhat bookends my hair, and I have a white bag and a white belt as well as large white earrings and pearls. I like these somewhat dressy yet easy to wear sandals. Complement sorted

I am also interested in a bright sandal, red to be exact (or one with red in it.) I've ordered the one below to try. We'll see. This would be an easy complement for me. I don't yet have a red bag but they are easy to find and I should be able to find one on sale. I don't have a red belt, but  I have big red earrings, a red scarf, several clothing items that include red. Red works really well with my whites and blues. Complement sorted. (Assuming these sandals work.) 

My favourite belt is cognac. It's mixed leather with snake effect and a silver buckle. I love it as a warm contrast with my summer whites, blues, light greys, black. Unlike all my other belts, which don't work with higher rise jeans, it fits with all my jeans, whatever the rise. Cognac and leopard were both easier for me to wear when I was a blonde, but I haven't gotten over my love for them it seems, and in the last few years I found a pair of low heeled cognac sandals by Seychelles (in Finds) a real boon in the closet. (To the point where I plan to add cognac footwear for fall next year also.) 

Well, today I went in search of something similar (having failed to find anything in Vancouver, Toronto, or even online in Canada!!) and came home with this higher heeled ankle strap! Which was not what I was after.

The thing is, it is SO comfortable I can't believe it! It's made by Vionic and their shoes usually don't work for me, but this one does. 

But is it a sensible purchase? Trying some potential summer to early fall transitional outfits below so you can see. I wouldn't wear it for doing errands or walking 5 miles or heading to the beach but I'd wear it for city trips, going out for a meal with hubs, out with girlfriends. 

They do make it in black, so I could get it in that. (I don't own a black sandal.) But it's lower contrast in the tan/cognac against my skin, and I think it looks better with the wood heel, too. 

I guess what I'm saying is, I want one colour or the other, regardless, because it feels that good! 

Photo 1 -- my all time favourite "got for a song, still going strong" shirt! With my all time favourite cognac complement. 

I could add a pair of big cognac earrings and maybe some clothing items (scarf, another top) with those tones in a pattern as well. 

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Boden dresses: my turn and K/R

While away I availed myself of the sale and made my first-ever Boden order. Boden comes from the UK to Canada. There was free shipping and no hidden costs, but of course the CAD prices are higher than the US prices. And I will have to pay for returns, though if I want to exchange, they will send the new item free again.  

Overall, I'm impressed with the quality of these dresses. They are old-fashioned in all the best and (depending on one's style descriptors) some of the worst senses of that word. They are ladylike, with whimsical patterns and retro cuts that remind me of dresses my mother sewed and wore in the 60s and 70s. They are also beautifully and thoughtfully constructed of lovely fabrics. Some are cotton and lined in cotton -- imagine that! 

I found them more or less TTS. For reference I am 5.4" (standing tall!). I usually wear a 0 or 2 or XS in BR, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, etc. S in Zara. And a 2 to 4 in higher end or designer stuff. At the moment I'm about 10 pounds up from my preferred weight so depending on cut and brand, I sometimes go with the larger size mentioned here; at my lower weight, I'd go with the lower. My bone structure is slightly more substantial than Angie's, but still on the small/ narrow side, and I'm a small busted hourglass/rectangle. 

I ordered 3 dresses in UK 8 (US 4). Two in L length, and one in regular. And one dress in UK 6 P. Partly I went with what was available and partly I based my choices on descriptions in the reviews and the cut of the specific item relative to my body type. 

First, Phoebe in cotton jersey. (#1) I got this is UK 8 regular. The fit is perfect.  It's a very casual yet presentable throw on and go dress, which is an extremely useful item for my lifestyle. Mr. Suz loved it right away, so it's a keeper. It comes to just past the top of my knee in the regular length. 

Next, the linen notch neck dress. (#2-5) I adore the 100% soft linen fabric, the cut, and the style of this. It has a size zip for easy on/off. I ordered long partly because it's what they had in my size and partly to see if I would like the extra length. This is a K/R, however, because although the fit is great, I'm not sure about the colour, which reads coral. Not my best. And the pattern feels a bit girlish to me. I would absolutely love this dress in a different colourway/ pattern, but wonder about it in this not-quite red. Thoughts? Keep and leave as is? Return? Keep and hem? 

Then we have Penny in 8 long. (#6-8) Penny is the longer sleeved version of Phoebe -- it's just cotton knit. But I thought it would be a great transitional fall dress for me in Vancouver. Easy to dress down or up. In this case I definitely like the extra length. In cooler weather I would wear with hose/ tights. K/R?

Finally, Jade. (#9-13) Jade I ordered in UK 6 P. The fit in the bodice/ bust/ waist is perfect. The length is to mid-knee rather than below knee, but still a decent length. The clear colours are fresh and pretty -- this is a beautifully made dress, as Christina pointed out! I found a way to do the sash so that it doesn't feel so "girly." But I still think the pattern may be too girly for a woman with hair as grey as mine. Perhaps I should exchange it for the plain navy, as a more sophisticated option? I do like the style, even though in itself it's more girly than my usual. I haven't had a true sundress in years and there's something lovely about that. 

FWIW, Mr. Suz thought this one was a definite keeper. He didn't much like Penny (but I do) and he quite liked the linen and thinks it works. 

Note also another new purchase, the Wittner Dafina white sandals. Super comfy soft leather and a good heel height for me. Sorry, no Find yet. https://wittner.ca/collections.....cts/dafina

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WIB, rise comparison, and K/R J. Crew edition

Hello, YLF friends. I am back from my extended work related trip. While away, I did a bit of online shopping and a bit of bricks and mortar shopping. The latter was somewhat disappointing. As Angie often reminds us, the good stuff tends to be available early in the season. And Vancouver turns out not to have the options that Toronto (a much bigger city) has. Ha, who'd have thunk it? ;)  However, I did pick up a few items in person while away. And I also received a few orders on my return.

Before going away, I availed myself of new white jeans and shorts from the Gap. All are stretchier fabrication than I prefer, but not sausage casing, and not see through.

This set of photos shows a comparison...Pic #1 is my older CoH Elsas (which I love, but which have a lowish mid rise on me); #2 is the higher rise button front Gap jeans; #3 is the Best GF Gap jeans -- their rise is somewhere between the other 2.  Since we're on the topic of rise measurements, I have longish décolletage, shortish (1.5 hands) waist and long rise. Do you have a preference of rise style for me? For comfort, I am gravitating to a higher rise these days more and more.

The shorts are a bit longer on me than on the model. They can also be rolled up. 

An in-store purchase was the Eileen Fisher Sport sandal in silver. I have had my eye on these for a few years but had never had an opportunity to try on. I used to own a knock off by Ecco but it never fit me properly and I had to pass it along after a season -- it did not give enough support. These do, and are very comfortable, although I admit I got blisters on the bottom of my feet from wearing them for an 8 mile walk on a hot day the first wearing! ;) These will replace my silver Camper sandals from last year which refuse to stay on my feet -- the curse of a narrow heel.

Another purchase was the HEWI soft grey cardigan to replace an old pilly one. It's nothing fancy but has a soft hand, a good length, and a pretty heathered tone of grey. (Sorry, no Find yet). 

The K/R portion: All J. Crew, all on sale

1. Silk striped top. In summer I have a need for breezy easy tops and prefer them in natural fibers. B&W stripe may be too bold for my relatively low contrast levels, however. 

2. Blue sack dress. Like LisaP, I adore unfitted dresses, especially in summer. This one has fantastic reviews and a nice drape. But it's viscose. Bad idea or okay? 

3. Striped sweatshirt with funnel neck. Boxy cut, cotton, easy to throw on over a dress or skirt as well as pants/ shorts, but I do have similar options without a funnel neck. 

Sorry for the photo quality -- I do my best with the poor lighting. 

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Topshop dress

Super warm and sunny in Vancouver and so I get to wear bare legs and a dress! Imagine that. Love this Topshop Angie pick. 

Bonus pics from May 3 and 6 in Toronto for the conference I was co-facilitating. A bunch of us gave a reading in a bookstore to kick things off. It was crazy warm that first night, too, but also raining so I had a raincoat. Wore my red jacket 5 times on the trip -- now it is too warm for it here. 

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Red jacket

On my way and challenged myself to bring and wear the red jacket. Desperate to replace these sandals that I pulled from donate pile due to forecast for high temps later today. Not sure about photo quality.

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