Bridgette, Fix My Outfit! Take this Outfit from Zero to Hero

I am thrilled to announce this new series, Bridgette, Fix My Outfit!  In this series, I will be fixing the outfits of readers’ submissions.  I am so in love with this concept because so much value can come from learning from real-life wardrobe struggles.  If you are interested in being featured, there is a link for more information at the end of this post.

Let’s get started with our first submission.  Exciting!

Take My Outfit from Zero to Hero

 Meet Kristol, from Jackson Mississippi.  Kristol told me that she considers this is a good basic outfit with no real pizzazz. She wants to know can she go from zero to hero by making this a more fashionable work look.

The first word that came to mind when I looked at Kristol’s outfit was drab.  It looked sad but I couldn’t figure out why immediately because camel and black is one of my favorite color combinations.  Why wasn’t in working here?

At first, I thought it was the shape of the cardigan which looks slightly limp but not so limp that it would drag the whole outfit down.  Then it hit me, it’s not the shape of the cardigan that bothered me, it’s the shade of camel that does.  Huzzah!

If you look closely at the cardigan, you will see the camel has a grey cast to it and if you remember my post this week on color theory and combining, you will remember that when you add grey to shade it will tone a color down.  The camel color loses its clarity with grey added.

How to Fix this Outfit

Kristol will benefit from choosing a camel color with more vividness and clarity over one that has been toned down with grey.  And this is a super easy fix.

You can really see how dull and toned down the cardigan Kristol is wearing is when you do a side-by-side comparison to the one I am suggesting as an alternative by J. Crew.  While both are camel, the J. Crew style has a clearer cast that looks brighter and clear.  If you want to get really nitty-gritty, the J. Crew cardigan has a lot more yellow as a base shade over the one Kristol is wearing which has a lot more red in the shade.  If you can’t see that or don’t understand, don’t worry about it.

The reason Kristol feels this outfit is lacking pizazz is that the drab color of the cardigan is bringing the outfit down and does not work as well for Kristol’s coloring which benefits from clearer and more vivid colors.

Outfit Fix Suggestion #2

If Kristol wanted to take this outfit in a different direction while fixing it at the same time, she could look to the rust accent color in the top’s print and use it as a cardigan shade as I did with this style.  This color is rich, clear, and vibrant, exactly what Kristol needs and adds some less expected finish to the outfit at the same time.

A Final Touch, Perhaps?

This last suggestion isn’t necessarily a fix like it will make or break the outfit.  I just thought it would be a fun suggestion.  If Kristol decided to go with a new camel cardigan in a more flattering color, she could try a pair of rust-colored earrings as an additional finish.  It doesn’t have to be this exact pair, just something in this color family.

Just as with all of my clients, Kristol could literally go the rest of her life never changing or fixing this outfit and be totally okay.  There is nothing so seriously bad with what she is wearing that she would wind up on a “worst dressed” list.  Often it’s just little tweaks here and there that make a difference and while most women can tell something is off about their outfits, few can figure out what the problem is or how to fix it.  This is what makes this new feature so fantastic. I hope to hear from you if you are struggling with a look so I can help.

My gratitude to Kristol for entrusting me with her outfit.