Unexpected Combinations
Tis the season of red, or at least of dark red and red checks. I don’t own a lot of solid red pieces because the color is too strong for my personality. Red is bright and draws people’s attention; it has always represented confidence and strength to me, both of which I sometimes feel I lack in quantity. Hence, I often shy away from wearing red.
Lo and behold, many brands rolled out red clothing this season. Not just burgundy red, but red red. What’s even more surprising is that many of them often pair red with pink, a combination of colors I never thought would work. And I don’t mean a sweater with tiny red embroidered flowers and a pink skirt. I mean a solid red cardigan with a dusty pink skirt or a pink frilly blouse with a predominantly red checked mini-skirt.
Top: Noela; skirt: tocco closet; shoes: dazzlin.
Since I got a red sweater this past spring, I thought, “Why not try pairing it with this new pink lace skirt I got from tocco closet?” Red and pink, two colors on the opposite ends of a spectrum, have always belonged to two different worlds in my mind. The result of this experiment? It works! But then again, by the way the weather and world events go today, unexpected combinations seem to be the order of the day.
Top: Noela; skirt: tocco closet; shoes: dazzlin.
The way these two colors unexpectedly work well together reminds me of the in-between state I wrote about last week. Everyone is constantly in a state of uncertainty, and anxiety often comes with the territory. Am I going to look like a crazy person wearing these two colors that don’t seem to belong together? Am I going to like the college I choose? Am I going to be happy with this person? The list goes on and on.
I for one often let my anxieties consume me. (Just ask my husband. Sorry, sweetie!) I worry about everything in my life to no end. Is the school of my choice going to accept me? Is my dream company going to hire me? The truth is it’s scary to not know what’s going to happen, especially when it comes to school, work, health, or an aspect of life that’s important to you.
Top: Noela; skirt: tocco closet; shoes: dazzlin.
Just like how the colors unexpectedly come together, however, so do worrisome and difficult situations in our lives. If I hadn’t taken an underpaying job I took because of a lack of confidence in my abilities, I would never have had the motivation to look for one that I deserve and found out that I was destined for better things. Hindsight is always 20/20. Sometimes we get so mired in our own anxiety that we fail to see the purpose of the seemingly bad things that happen in our lives and forget that things do often work out.
Whenever you are worried about something, why not try creating unexpected combinations using the pieces in your wardrobe? Not only will the process distract you from your worries, but you may also get some fresh inspiration. Life is too short to spend it in worries!