Weekend Wardrobe: Unconventional Colors Cool Weather Basic 4x4 Wardrobe

From Mango

The usual suggestion when putting together a basic wardrobe is to select a favorite neutral and build from there, but what if you are not a fan of black, grey, navy, or any of the other usual suspects?  The simple solution is to find a color or colors that you do like and use those choices instead!  It may be a bit difficult to build a wardrobe around a color that is not considered a neutral as apparel will probably be harder to find, but if that is your preference just go for it!

I am basing today's wardrobe on the striped sweater in brilliant cobalt blue and emerald green shown above.  It caught my eye immediately as I was browsing the Mango website, and with a bit of searching I was able to come up with enough items to create a basic wardrobe.  These colors are certainly not for everyone, but if they make you happy then that is all that matters.  I added a bit of white for some contrast, but other than that small amount of neutral color this wardrobe is all about just two bright hues:

Let's start with the first set of four which includes the inspiration sweater:

Clockwise from top left: Boden Short Sleeve Breton Top in Soft Blue/Ivory; Hanes Relaxed Fit Women's ComfortSoft V-Neck T-Shirt in Deep Royal; Mango Striped Cotton Sweater in Green; Uniqlo Women's Drape Wide Pants in Blue.

The second set of four focuses on the emerald green:

Clockwise from top left: Land's End Women's Relaxed Short Sleeve Supima Cotton V-Neck T-Shirt in Bright Sea Blue; Land's End Women's Print Pique Mesh Polo Shirt in Grass Green Print; Uniqlo Women's Extra Fine Merino Crewneck Cardigan in Green; H&M Paper-Bag Pants in Emerald Green (no longer available).

We return to the cobalt blue color in the third set of four:

Clockwise from top left: Saint James Unisex Minquiers Moderne Striped Sailor Shirt in White/Light Blue; Land's End Women's Shaped Long Sleeve Cotton V-Neck T-Shirt in Vibrant Blue; Land's End Women's Performance Cardigan in Dark Cobalt Blue; Busy Clothing Women's Smart Trousers in Royal Blue; 

The last set of four introduces a skirt, white jeans, a top with all three wardrobe colors, and a bit more emerald green:

Clockwise from top left: Land's End Women's Relaxed Long Sleeve Supima Cotton V-Neck T-Shirt in Vibrant Clover; Boden Mollie Top in Greek Blue Bloomsbury Spot; Boden Hampshire Ponte Skirt in Sap Green; H&M Skinny High Ankle Jeans in White Denim.

And here is the complete 4x4 wardrobe:

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Quite the colorful collection, but I think it works just fine as a basic wardrobe even without a traditional neutral shade.  Next week I will add accessories to this collection, which could be a challenge.  I am not sure what colors I will use for these accessories, but I will try to make them unique!