When I read this blog post, on Friday, apart from a pair of pajamas, I did not own a single item in soft pink. Or any kind of pink.
Why? Not because I dislike pink. Cool and even neutral pinks flatter my skin tone, and over the years, I've bought pink top after pink top after pink top.
Only to avoid wearing them!
Somehow, pink items always end up feeling too sweet for my taste. I put them on, and then take them off in favour of something else.
Tired of wasting money, three years ago I absolutely swore off all pink except for PJs, undies, and loungewear.
Until Saturday's shopathon, that is.
More on the amazing Seattle gathering later, but for context, I was absolutely in the market for a cropped and fairly fitted denim jacket to replace one of my earliest YLF purchases that had finally given up the ghost after 14 years.
We'd tried a number of options in the adult sections of different stores without success. Then I reminded Angie that I'd got a previous white denim jacket in the kids' section of Old Navy. (A detail she remembered, by the way. She has a memory for people's wardrobes like you would not believe.)
Anyway, while at the Gap, we headed to the kids' section. There, I found my blue denim jacket! Better yet, it cost less than a third of the price of the cheapest adult option we had seen.
I also wanted a white version, which they did not have. But -- you guessed it -- they did have a soft pink number. If I'd been shopping on my own, I'd have walked right past it. In fact, I did walk right past it without even seeing it!
But when the lovely Nuancedream pointed it out and encouraged me to give it a try, I couldn't say no. Meanwhile, the patient Firecracker and Angie held my stuff and offered opinions.
What can I say? Gap had a Buy one, get one half price deal going on. that day. It seemed like a sign.
I have owned this jacket now for four days and have already worn it three times. So much for not wearing pink!
What makes it work for me? Angie's trick of pairing it with something high contrast, for starters. Also, this jacket is a slightly "dirty" colour -- a greyed out pastel, rather than one mixed with a lot of white. Normally, I prefer clearer, less muted colours, but here, the grey takes some of the sweetness away from the pastel and makes it feel easier (to me!) to wear.
More on the other items and our amazing fun get together in a later post!
