Friday, January 11, 2008

Denim is Navy

…or indigo or midnight blue or whatever.

Black and navy swing jacket, Forever 21. Black sweater, Ann Taylor Loft. Trouser jeans, Express. Yellow pumps, Victoria Spencer. Yellow brooch, Accessorize (or some other cheesy brand). Navy beaded bracelet, Bitten. Gold bracelet, from swap.

With all the hesitation people have over pairing black and navy, they often forget that we do it all the time when we wear a pair of dark jeans and a black top. Somehow, dark blue translates as a neutral when it’s denim. True, the blue of denim is usually multihued, but the overall effect is essentially navy. I think one of the easiest ways to start pairing black and navy is to start with a pair of dark jeans, add a black top, and then add one more dark blue item, as I’ve done here. (If you want to dicker over the color of dark denim being navy vs. indigo, take a look at the blue entry on Wikipedia. There, indigo looks rather purple. In fact Midnight blue and Sapphire look closest to the shade of the jeans I’m wearing. It’s all dark blue, though.)

I ordered this jacket after seeing it in a reader submitted outfit on The Fashion Police. From the photo, the brooch closure seemed to be some sort of fabulous, vintage-esque piece. I was horrified to open the package and find a Holly Hobby-esque brooch instead. It is COVERED IN BUTTONS. Except that it isn’t really covered in buttons…the coverage is so sparse that the cheap black fabric of the brooch’s base is exposed. Obviously, ratty button chic is not my thing so I began hunting for a replacement. Ideally, I would have liked something in black or clear stones, but after a few weeks of searching, settled for this yellow “jeweled” brooch for $5 at the Burlington Coat Factory. I think it’s quite an improvement over the button piece!

9 comments:

Elisabeth said...

Whew, good thinking on the brooch dilemma!

Knowing me I would have had a tantrum and sent it back (or, more likley, put it to the back of the wardrobe, never to be seen again!)

Anonymous said...

Holly Hobby-esque! OMG I forgot about good old Holly Hobby! Mercifully I also forgot my (much) younger years when I actually DID try to emulate her "style".

Anonymous said...

Fab, classy, streamlined, and the yellow shoes add that Kasmira-esque pop of colour. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

I loved the jacket when I saw it on the Fashion Police and it looks even nicer actually worn. I wish Forever 21 would deliver to the UK.

Kim said...

I think this is one of my favorite looks. I love a pair of wide-legged jeans. Those shoes- Wow! You make me want to be more brave in my style. It looks great!

Gervy said...

GORGEOUS jacket, FABULOUS trews, love this look.

Meg said...

I love it! And thanks, because now I have a new idea on how to wear a navy shrug (rather similar to your jacket) that I got from Ann Taylor.

And what is it about navy and black that has some people so up in arms? It's a lovely combination! Same goes for black and brown! The only time I really have a problem with those combinations is when they don't look deliberate -- like one navy sock and one black.

Meg said...

By the way, I love all the posts you're doing with navy. I'm hoping to work more navy into my wardrobe this year. I really like navy since it's not as harsh as black, but still easy to coordinate and figure flattering.

Chanelle said...

WOW! I LOVE this outfit! I love the little bits of yellow that pulls every together. Thanks for the inspiration.

~Chanelle