The Colorist Edit Week 011
This week at the colorist
Welcome to week 010 of The Colorist Edit. A day late!
We’re closing out June and have officially entered the middle-of-summer territory. I have to say, the temps here in AZ, usually 110+ by now, have been surprisingly mild, and the early mornings have actually been pleasant. I better not jinx it.
If you don’t know, Arizona summers are brutal, with temperatures reaching close to 120°F in mid-July and August. It usually doesn’t drop below 100°F until the end of October, so this has been a very nice surprise.
I will say, though, as a local, there is something magical about the summer here. The dry heat, the clouds, the emptiness, and the sudden onset of wild monsoons and dust storms can sometimes feel like something out of an adventure novel.
And now, back to fashion.
At the end of each newsletter, I always link what I’ve been eyeing lately, along with follower favorites.
If you’re new here, think of this edit as the deeper recap of what we’ve been talking about on Instagram. There is always more underneath, so this is the slower version, the version where we can actually sit with the ideas a little longer.
And one last thing before we recap the week, I’m kicking off my new paid series, The Colorist School of Taste: The Foundation of Personal Style.
Think long-form video lessons where we go deeper into discovering personal style, understanding trends, fit, culture, and how to triangulate it all in a way that actually feels like you. The first intro post is live now, and you can check it out here.
Let’s get into it.
On The Run
I see so many parents defaulting to running shoes for almost every outfit. It doesn’t matter what the outfit is, the running shoes are on. Why?!
It’s baffling to me. Listen, don’t come at me about foot health and comfort, okay? That is, 99% of the time, an excuse in my opinion. You can have both comfort and style, I promise. Stop selling yourself short!
So we broke it down, and I shared a few other options that still feel practical, wearable, and comfortable, but make the outfit feel a lot more intentional.
And yes, I also mentioned Birkenstocks. They can work, but they don’t automatically work with everything. Like most things in style, it really comes down to proportion, context, and how you’re styling them.
Which is also exactly the kind of nuance we’re getting into in my new series for paid subscribers. You can check it out here.
Three Color Combo, IRL
Hey, hi, hello it’s me! Since I talk about color so much, I thought it would be fun to show you how I actually use it in my own wardrobe.
These are real-life outfits from my closet and a look at how I combine colors in a way that still feels wearable, personal, and easy to repeat. I’ve been feeling very bold primary and complimentary color combos as of late. Maybe its the summer heat or the intersection of sports and fashion recently, either way it’s made getting dressed a lot more fun.
I have a few staples I almost always reach for when I want to add a pop of color, like these blue Freda Salvador flats. I love them so much.
Classic, Fantastic
We put a little spin on the three-color rule for the dads this week.
Some color combinations are classic, and some are just fantastic. I thought these were great summer combos, easy and wearable, but still intentional.
I saw a few comments about brown as a “pop of color” being weird, but it’s not really about the specific color on its own. It’s about the combination of colors together and how they play off each other.
That’s where the magic happens.
Coooool
I did a little “yap” on being cool and following trends this week.
Many people in the comments get confused by this and wear the idea of being anti-trend like a badge of honor, but if your entire style is built around rejecting what everyone else is doing, you’re still reacting to everyone else. Being cool is not the same thing as being anti-trend.
Cool people aren’t necessarily avoiding trends. They’re just not letting trends make all the decisions for them. They know how to filter what’s happening through their own taste, their own lifestyle, and their own sense of self.
That’s the difference between looking like you’re following the internet and looking like you’re actually choosing.
Could You Be Cooler?
This is my new favorite series. I think it’s so fun and fresh, and I hope it’s inspiring you all to think a little differently about getting dressed.
This one was for the men, and it’s supposed to be a little out there. Crazy, shocking, maybe even slightly confusing at first. That’s the point.
Once you get past the initial reaction, I hope it makes you think. The goal isn’t to copy the look exactly. It's to take little bits and pieces you can translate into your own personal style to make it more unique to you.
I added links since there were a few requests for this one, but a lot of them aren’t the exact same as the video since the pieces are couture or older archival looks.
Take a peek if you want some ideas for your next shopping spree.
Trends Aren’t the Problem
Following the theme of the yap, this video was also about trends in fashion and why they’re often misunderstood.
This was actually a repost of a video I made a couple of months ago. There are a lot of new faces here, so I thought it was a good time to revisit it.
A lot of the conversation I see online around trends is about being anti-trend, or how the internet is ruining fashion, but I don’t think that’s quite right. I don’t think trends or the internet are the real problem. The missing piece is that fashion is deeply personal and we’ve lost some sense of ourselves.
We can see more, reach more, and explore more than ever before, but somehow, instead of helping us stand out, it often makes us want to fit in.
It’s time to learn how to use fashion as a tool for self-expression again.
WIWTW
I’m going to start doing weekly recaps of what I wore as a way to introduce more of my personal style and taste, and hopefully give you a little inspiration along the way.
Instagram seems to be missing a lot more people and moms real-life outfits (but still cool), not just looks that are completely filtered and optimized for Instagram.
Some of my outfits may be algorithm-worthy, and some may be more practical mom fits, but over time I’ve honed my style to feel eclectic, casual, colorful, and unexpected. I am also a heavy outfit repeater, so if you’ve seen the shorts once you’ve seen them styled ten different ways. Clothes are meant to be WORN, right?
As I share more of these, you’ll start to see how I weave the ideas we discuss into my everyday looks, through color, proportion, styling, and the little details that make an outfit feel personal.
A Few Things I’ve Been Thinking About
These are the questions that have been sitting with me this week, and they’re the foundation of everything we’re building here:
The idea of personal style is interesting because I think most people assume it’s something you can find online, or figure out with a pen and paper, but personal style is not found. It’s practiced.
It’s something that becomes part of you. A living, breathing thing that does not exist without your experiences, emotions, likes, dislikes, body, lifestyle, and point of view. Nothing anyone can say or show you will automatically make your style feel more like you. You have to live it. You have to build it. You have to do it consistently.
You have to try new things, put together ugly outfits, make mistakes, and eventually find the combinations that actually feel like you. It only becomes stronger through trial and error. Inspiration and references are great. They can be incredibly helpful, but they will never feel personal until they have been filtered through you.
And with so much access to everything online now, I think people forget that.
Style used to feel like more of a quest, a way to show what culture, subculture, mood, or world you were part of. A way to distinguish yourself from others. Now, I think a lot of people use it to blend in.
But where is the art in that? Where is the expression?
So next time you get dressed, try something that surprises you. Try something that pushes you a little. That’s where your unique style starts to exist.
What’s Been Catching My Eye (In No Particular Order)
I was gifted a few pieces from BONBONWHIMS, but I NEED more! I’m obsessed with these pave earcuffs and want as many as I can stack on my ear as possible . They also gave us a code for 20% off, use COLORIST20. And the rings! The color combos are so good, I also saw Gigi. Hadid and Taylor Swift like to wear a few of their pieces.
On the thought of accessories I have been meaning to post this, I love my cat clip from Solar Eclipse. They have so many whimsical pieces that are handpainted and made in New York. I also want to get a few more. You can use code THECOLORIST15 for 15% off.
I’ve been loving beachy, shell jewelry like these here.
If you missed any other shopping links, be sure to bookmark my shopmy or LTK.
Want to Be Part of The Colorist?
I would love to start seeing more of what you’re wearing, experimenting with, and trying in real life.
Tag me on Instagram if you’re testing out a color combo, trying a new silhouette, or just having a good outfit moment. I love seeing what you’re wearing and highlighting people in this community.
And if you want actual feedback, you can submit your outfits here. I’ll review select submissions on Instagram, and I’d love to see what you’re working with and help you train your eye a little more along the way.
As always, I’m so happy you’re here!