Tonal Lilac

Yesterday dawned foggy and cold and ended up sunny and cold. I needed to bundle up to ferry Mr. Suz and the adult child to various appointments. 

After one day of greyscale, I was ready again for colour! Here, I'm trying tonal lilacs, with colour wheel adjacent reds/ and pink hues and incidentally also showing a few Top Picks (from various years!) 

1. For outside, I have my J. Crew stadium coat, plus burgundy hat, scarf, gloves, and red bag, with a strap that combines the tones. Shoes are cream. The pants are actually a very different lilac -- closer to mauve -- and on first glance I did not think they would work at all with the bluer lilac of the coat. But once I had the whole thing on, it seemed to blend ok, at least to my eye. That was a good discovery, because I really would not have tried them together if not for this experiement. 

2. Taking off a few items. 

3. The inside outfit -- sweater is a different again lilac background (closer to pink) with red and burgundy pattern. 

4. This is another lilac tonal outfits worn since buying the pants. The sweater is magenta; the scarf has various tones of lilac, red, burgundy, magenta in it. 

5. Here's the near monochrome version with the BR sweater. I did not wear this in real life because I sent the sweater back. I decided that a whole outfit this pale just didn't feel "me." I need a lilac that is more mid-tone, that has a bit more "oomph". Plus, as an outfit, this felt "off" for me. A bit too sweet for my personal taste. I do like lilacs and pinks but prefer to mix them up with rougher textures or other colours because otherwise I don't feel like myself in them. 

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20 Comments

  • Star replied 1 month ago

    These are pretty Suz!  I agree about returning the lilac sweater.   Interesting you would would not have tried the pants and coat together.  I cannot wear all white.  It feels totally off, even though it looks okay.

  • Sal replied 1 month ago

    How fun! I especially like the first with the hat and coat and scarf but they all work. I like the cream booties and the added dark details.

  • Suz replied 1 month ago

    Sal, I agree. I prefer the outdoor outfit. I think it is because it includes that element of higher contrast. Hmmmm. This is a fascinating experiment so far.....

    Star, that is so interesting. I wonder if all white just feels too "crisp" for your slightly RATE style? 

  • Angie replied 1 month ago

    LOVE lilac and reds on you, Suz

    Good job listening to your feelings with #5. Nooooo to bossy outfits, thank you very much.

    I like #1, #2 and #3 best! The contrasting burgundy and red make the lilac stronger. Bring it out. Like salting food to bring out the flavour. Gorgeous on you!!

    That said, the lilac-rich looks in #2 and #3 are equally strong - and there is less red :)

  • Firecracker (Sharan) replied 1 month ago

    These are all gorgeous outfits, Suz. I like #4 best; I think the simplicity and richness of the palette make for an elegant look. I like the burgundy and red accessories with your outdoor outfit. And yay, for finding a coat option you wouldn't have considered with those fab pants.

  • Jaime replied 1 month ago

    Fabulous outfit Suz! I get why you prefer the poppier versions completely. I also need that oomph in tonal looks. I can't help but think back to Kibbe, or at least the paradigm shift in thinking away from believing we should all aspire to the same style and execution.

  • Brooklyn replied 1 month ago

    I love these experiments! No 1 is my absolute fave. I love how the colours go from dark to light downwards. Almost ombré!!! And the boots bookend your hair.

    It’s interesting about the pants and jacket. I always think when wearing close but mismatched separates, it works best to throw in 2 or more other colours, so the mismatching looks intentional. It avoids that mismatched suit look, if that makes any sense. And you have lots of different colours here. It looks great to my eye.

  • Star replied 1 month ago

    Suz, It's not too crisp.  I actually like crisp sometimes.  It is because I need contrast and I prefer saturated colours.    For years i was owning pale unsaturated items and not wearing them much and not realising why, and buying even more sometimes!   I like white (on me) with a deep red, or navy, or emerald green, as examples.  It used to be optic white but these days I prefer off-white.  I am going to try cream too.

    Wanted to add that it is interesting that I like the lilac coat with the lilac pants in pic one, but not so much the lilac knit and pants in the last pic.  I wonder why.  Could it be that the tones of the lilacs are different, or the because the textures are different.  Either way I think it is great that you now have a winner outfit with the pants and coat together.

  • Runcarla replied 1 month ago

    Wow!  These outfits slay!

  • Suntiger replied 1 month ago

    Love the coat with the lilac pants! It's a nice combo with the burgundy.
    Glad to see the red and pink sweater in action too! I liked it on the main blog post, though wouldn't suit my coloring.

  • Dee replied 1 month ago

    Such lovely lilac combos Suz and I like the addition of the adjacent colours for more impact, I feel going all monochrome might not be my thing either, I prefer some type of contrast with colour tones.

  • RobinF replied 1 month ago

    I quite like the last look but you need to go with your gut. My favorite is #1 with the gorgeous coat. The white boots are perfect with it and I like the darker scarf and hat.

  • Suz replied 1 month ago

    Thanks, all -- such interesting reactions! Robin, that's it -- we always need to go with our own gut, I think. Or else it starts feeling inauthentic. 

    Dee, I think you're right, and it makes Brooklyn's point about adjacent colours all the more helpful. 

    Star, that's very interesting. I think cream could work well with your red hair and I can certainly understand why you might want contrast with very light colours! That's exactly what is lacking for me in my outfit 5 (the lilac pants with sweater.) Too light and monochrome for my taste (on me.) If my hair were dark, I might like this on myself. 

    Suntiger, thanks -- that sweater is really a winner because it is 100% cotton, which makes it a great cross-seasonal piece. In wnter, layer under or over for more warmth. In spring/ fall it works as is, and on summer evenings on in AC as a sweater. 

    Brooklyn, that's a great tip and might be why I feel better in the coat plus pants than I thought I would. 

    Jaime, really good point -- it definitely goes back to Kibbe and co. -- what works for our style personally. 

    Thanks, Sharan! 

  • Helena replied 1 month ago

    So pretty!! You wear both soft and saturated shades so well.

  • Joy replied 1 month ago

    Lilac is one of. My worst colors although from a distance it goes with white hair.   It looks amazing on you.   I got a matchy purple suit, not at all my color but a ilttle goes a long way. I plan to wear it with red-orange under the jacket to put the red next to my face.   

  • Suz replied 1 month ago

    Joy, I love the idea of pairing red-orange with lilac. That will be lovely on you! 

    Thanks, Helena! 

  • slim cat replied 1 month ago

    It's all fun and interesting combinations! I like #2 and #3 the best - contrasting color - burgundy - is perfectly complements lilac.
     I like lilac and violet colors but rarely can find enough pieces in retail - tee and jewelry at best so far ;-) .

  • Lisa replied 1 month ago

    Lilac and red are so pretty paired together and you look fabulous in a tonal lilac outfit. Great insights from the sweater that's getting returned in #5.

  • Bijou replied 1 month ago

    Your lilac coat is such a great piece for winter, especially when everyone else is wearing black coats. I particularly love #2 with the new sweater with a hit of red in the mix.

  • SarahD8 replied 2 weeks ago

    Ooh fantastic work here!

    Two thoughts:
    -I wonder if the outfit with the cardigan would also work with the dark boots (which would pick up the darks in the cardi...although I confess I originally thought the dark boots were actually burgundy, which would fit better with the tonal brief. Anyway, carry on!)

    -I actually really like the all-light lilac outfit on you. I have posted before about my icy lavender tunic shirt, which I wear as an essential -- I find that icy pastels can read as almost neutral, white-adjacent. So, if all light purple feels too "sweet" to you, what about including some of these palest lilac tones in a whiteout outfit? I feel like if white can extend to include cream, tan, and even toast, it can segue into pale lavender as well. I'm imagining your snow queen coat over top, and of course your stunning hair...

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