Halfpint and The Tricky Item, Part I

Pres,

You do such a great service to those of us who are still learning and even those who just love to talk fashion/style. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, love of fashion, good humor and patience with those of us who are struggling. I’ve already learned a lot and despite my Southern upbringing and strict “rules” for proper dressing, I’m beginning to see fashion and style in a completely different light. Non-matching is something that is still new to my eye. Typically, I’ll put a neutral bottom and shoe with a top in a nice color and then a second color jacket, necklace or bracelet. That’s as far as I can go.
My thoughts and therefore my questions may be disjointed. But here’s what I’m trying to figure out:

If I have a neutral pattern (b/w for instance) in a skirt, is that a Tricky Item? If so, then should the top then be in a neutral, or can it be in a color? If I have a pattern on bottom and color on top, can yet another color be introduced in the accessories? What if the pattern had b/w and another color, say red? Should the top be in one of those three colors? I’ve always thought that a color in a pattern should be repeated somewhere else in the outfit. Is this outdated or still a good rule of thumb?

What’s considered a Tricky Item? Is a pattern –in neutral or non-neutral colors? Or is a color? Or maybe shape? I’ve always thought that it could be any of those things. So, I’ve never put a pattern with a different color, thinking that I would then have two Tricky Items in one outfit.

I’ve heard Stacy and Clinton talk about pseudo-neutrals. What are they and how are they different from neutrals?

Sorry for the jumble of questions, but one thought flows into another and that’s when I stand in the store frozen with doubt. Please feel free to use any part of this for SOS, or just hit Delete and run the other way! :- )

Best regards,
Halfpint


The "rules" have really changed recently, so I'm not surprised at your questions!
I'll give them a try, but it will take me a few posts.

I started to talk about color "weights" on WNTW a while ago, and it's a tough topic to explain. The colors that can support each other have similar saturation levels, and the textures of the cloth are similar. The new mix requires the new colors, and the new fabrics. If you have a venerable suit, continue to wear it as an ensemble with a neutral blouse, as always. Don't try mixing it up for the new look. And be sure to be attentive to seasonal clothes; don't mix an obvious summer item with a winter ensemble.

Starting with the basics, find a few neutrals for background colors for your outfits. A really good one this season is gray. Don't worry about gray being unflattering to you; it's great for a skirt or pants, where the color does not appear near your face and neck. Other good neutrals are black, midnight navy (not bright navy!), and tones of brown (khaki, tan, ecru.) Assemble all your neutrals in one area. Neutral pieces could include a shirt dress, narrow skirts, knitted tops with wrap, scoop or vee necks. Some folks keep all their bottoms neutral and wear prints in tops only, and others wear print skirts only, to simplify things. This is a good policy for beginners.

Base your perfect outfits on a neutral. I have Black, Gray, Brown or White (for summer) in my mind when I decide on an outfit.
Is this a Black outfit? A Brown one? Once I decide, and pick the defining piece (the skirt?) and the pieces on the vertical line of that (the top); I work my way out to the periphery.

Out there in the periphery are the accessories, like shoes and bags. If I have picked a shirt with a bright print to go with my basic neutral piece, I'll continue to add neutrals that work with my basic color. So, if I picked a gray skirt, and a top with a white background and a bright print with orange in it, I'll find neutral shoes that support gray, like black ones. If my outfit has a black skirt, but my shirt is an animal print, I'll break out the red shoes for the periphery, and carry a neutral bag.

Tricky items are the ones that are noticed immediately. If a friend says: Your shoes (the red ones!) are gorgeous, we don't want the same friend to say, "and the chiffon scarf around your neck is so filmy, the mirrored embroidery on your skirt is so intricate, the turquoise color of your bag is so bright!" The red shoes would have been enough.

Thanks so much for your kind words!

To be continued...