DECEMBER | 2019 | STYLE
QUEUING HUES
All right, Beaux, the time is here! We’ve gotten over the pastel pallets of spring, through the vibrant chromas of summer, are just beyond the mellow colors of our favorite season, autumn. Our seasonal cycle of style has reached its wintry end, and won’t officially reset until the spring. And before the members of the “Well technically…” crowd prepare their vocal chords to remind us that winter doesn’t officially begin until December 21st, rest assured that we know- so don’t.“Spring”, “Summer”, “Autumn”, and “Winter” exist as more than seasonal nomenclatures, they’re unofficial style labels used by the fashion industry to describe groups of seasonally acceptable colors.
We couldn’t even begin to tell you where these rules came from, but we can assure you that retail manufactures set their clocks by them. These guidelines exist as the reason we find ourselves wrapped in the warm colors of spring, cooling hues of summer, darker tones of autumn, and the cool and dark colors of winter. A lot of us don’t spend too much time worrying about seasonal colors because, well, who has that much time? Luckily for you, there’s us. Join us as we spend a little time with queuing the hues of winter.
BURNT ORANGE
Let's begin by spinning the wintery wheel of color. Our first spin lands us on the color commonly known as Burnt Orange. Burnt Orange, (also known as Hex #cc5500) is what we’re left with after fusing magenta, yellow, and black. The warmth this of this color is what solidifies its place on the winter color wheel. This hex is as aggressive as it is courageous, which is why we’ve got to tread really, really lightly when wearing it, but a successful wear is totally within the realm of possibility!
The key to wearing this shade of orange is to understand what works best with it. Remember that its an aggressive hue, so it won’t always play well with others. Don’t let this discourage you because when it does play well with other- it PLAYS! Consider pairing your burnt orange with complementing blues, greens, and yellows. We can tame the tone by coupling it with neutral blacks, whites, browns, and beiges as well. Check out some of the examples we’ve found while dicking around on Al Gore’s internet below:
Now Reignbeaux Lux wouldn’t be Reignbeaux Lux if we didn’t give provide you with a style suggestion from our friends at ASOS. You can apply what we’ve taught you by spending a little time with ASOS’ Heavyweight Cable Knit Half Zip Sweater in (you guessed it) orange. This piece might not fit the burnt orange bill, but it's the closest (and most stylish) piece we could find. This turtleneck sweater is worth making plans for with its half-zip fastening, cable knit finishing, ribbed trims and regular fit. Time and time again ASOS has proven itself to be the go-to brand for the latest trends, and they do their best to keep their fashion high, and their prices low. This piece retails for a smooth $44.50 (USD) and is available in most sizes.
Team up your Heavyweight Cable Knit Half Zip Sweater with a pair of grey wool dress pants, or take a casual approach by matching it up with a pair of light blue jeans with your chelsea boot of choice. Don’t forget the importance of understanding what colors and textures work best with this shade of orange and, as always, to style these colors and textures to your taste. Remember that fashion is what you wear, and style is how you wear it.
ARMY GREEN
Army Green, aka Olive Green, aka #4b5320, is where we land after our next spin on winter’s wheel of color. Army green acquired its name as terrestrial armies around the world began using the hue as a tool to camouflage themselves during combat. While the trend continues to thrive, we’re not fighting anyone about anything over here. However we are going to spend a little time exploring the ins and outs of one of the seasons most underrated hues. Army green’s versatility can be found in the way it can be dressed up or down. Its humble, yet outstanding, and despite the fact that we’re placing it on winter’s wheel of color, the hue is perennial, at best.
Army green can be easily paired with khaki, black, brown, navy, and wine tones. The trick to wearing this color is to keep it as simple as possible ! Although this color works well as an accessory, it performs best when used as a statement. Envision yourself in a pair of army green pants coupled with a beige top of choice (its okay to laugh at our choice of words), and tie the look together with a pair of high or low top kicks to achieve an edgy look. You can effect a timeless look by including a complementing blue blazer, a lighter and more neutral blue shirt with a pair of army green chinos as well.
Put this knowledge into practice with these travel jeans from our friends at Bonobos. These emerald green jeans retail for an affordable $98.00 and feature a signature curved waistband, striped pocketing, and a grey vegan suede patch at the back waistband with a [B]onobos logo. They’re also equipped with a zip fly and a 5 pocket denim styling as well. You might not be fighting any wars wearing these, but they’re certain to make those around you green with envy.
UNWIND IN WINE
Wine is more than something to be paired with a steak meal, it's one of, if not the, formal color of the season. Wine, which is known to many as burgundy (although wine sounds fancier to us) pairs well with metallic gold and silver, almost every neutral imaginable up to and including fashion fail safes black and grey. Wine, as a color, is born from shades of red and hues of blue and compliments almost any skin tone and body shape, and is as elegant as it is versatile.
Consider spending time with our burgundy fashion fave from D’Iyanu! The brand is the brainchild of Nigerian born Addie Elabor, and was launched in 2014. It offers its customers a fun, bold, and chic alternative to the norm, and is focused on inspiring individuals to dress in confidence and boldness. They certainly didn’t miss that mark with their Burgundy based Rammy Men’s African Print Blazer! This masterpiece is sure to be a fave among the card carrying members of tall Twitter as it accommodates heights up to 6’2. Its fully lined, is one hundred percent cotton African print and shell fabric, and comes equipped with two inside pockets. This blazer follows all the rules as it infuses pops of gold and black into its burgundy canvas and retails for a smooth $169.99 (USD)! The literal translation of D’Iyanu is “of or from [something] wonderful” reminding everyone that they’re uniquely and wonderfully made and to dress like it.
MUSTARD YELLOW
Mustard, as a condiment, is an acquired taste to say the least. The taste buds of some read the spice riddled sauce as mixture of sweat and mold, but mustard still holds the crown as the most commonly used (an appreciated) condiment in the world of food. The world of fashion is no different, as the color requires anyone daring enough to wear it to tread as lightly as possible. Why? Because as basic as this hue may be, stylishly incorporating it into our wardrobe can be a challenging.
Overcoming this challenge becomes easier after we accept the fact that a mustard yellow piece should almost always serve as the focal point of whatever look we’re trying to effect. Such, we’ll need to carefully combine our mustard yellow with complimenting shades of blue. Navy will always be an amazing pick because it serves as a perfect backdrop for this particular shade of yellow. Whites and charcoals serve in similar roles as well. Browns, violets, and other lightly colored berry tones (think fuchsia and magenta) play well with mustard yellow, but we’ve got to be careful to ensure that whatever color we pair our mustard with is similar in tone.
Consider spending a little time with Goodfellow & Co’s Standard Fit Cable Crew Neck Sweater from our friends at Target. This sweater will make for a perfect fit and offers a clean and classic style. It can be casually coupled with a pair of jeans, or dressed up with a pair of chinos. Its rib-knit crew neckline and cuffs offer an extra bit of style and it’s cotton-nylon construction ensures that it offers the perfect amount of ventilation. Target currently has this piece listed as a sale item, so you’ll want to move quickly in order to catch this $25.00 deal, otherwise you’ll pay for it at its regular price of $34.99.
