Use Orange as a Touch of Vibrancy in Your Wardrobe— and Learn how to Update Fashion Trends, Creatively 

I think it’s fair to say we all love the vibrancy of orange, but not in an entire ensemble – please! Too many took the “orange is the new black” craze very seriously.  So let’s put orange back in perspective, and make it a dynamic accent color.

Taming the Orange Demon

Problem: you say you love orange and have a ton of it now! Think about this as you change over wardrobes  this fall (I liken it to spring cleaning and fall weeding for my closet).  This is a great opportunity to thin out your garments and donate to nonprofit organizations that support women entering the workforce, such as Dress for Success.  In other words, spread the orange around, and get some of it out of your closet.        

Don’t Just Purge, Merge

Keeping a few select pieces of orange is fine, since it is a perfect accent color for most fall outfits. Use orange to liven up the usual earth tones that come back around every year like saddle brown, olive or moss green (or whatever poetic names designers, marketing agencies and paint stores are giving these colors this year!).

Orange is still a great basic color, and plays well with all the others like gray, navy, brown and green.  However, like any beautiful bold color, add it here and there, but don’t cover the entire “canvas,” or you end up with a more attention-grabbing outfit than you may have desired.

Or, are you someone who didn’t go off the deep end and buy a closet full of orange? If you didn’t, buy something now, it’s okay. Easier and wiser to buy a few choice pieces to liven up that classic suit you wear to work.

Make An Impression With Vintage

I first put orange into my wardrobe after a trip to Amsterdam about thirteen years ago. Orange was everywhere and I loved it. I came home that fall, and my first purchase was a tailored knee-length orange raincoat.  I was way ahead of the U.S. fashion curve, and no one else was sporting the color. Being ahead of the trend meant that you could find virtually nothing in stores then, and I felt a little smug because I knew no one was going to be able to go out and copy the look.  I received a lot of compliments and inquiries about where I purchased my coat.

My secret in that case, and a great fashion tool for anyone: my love of vintage clothing and jewelry.  Take time to scour the shops for great pieces that to accent your wardrobe and keep it from getting boring; I love to buy classic, vintage styles and create a new look by adding them to current pieces or vice versa. My cool orange raincoat was a 1950s mac that I still have and wear today, and my very favorite wardrobe pieces are from the 1940s and 1950s.

If this is something you might like to try too, check out your local vintage stores, garage sales and thrift shops.  You’ll know pretty quickly if you’re a vintage lover/hunter. It usually takes one really great find and you’re hooked! Next, if someone compliments you on whatever you found and wore, that’s the endorsement that it was the right thing to do.

Fashion Trends Versus Style

Bottom line is, have fun with your wardrobe, introduce colors that work for you, and find or develop a style that you can build on over the years. And, yes, orange has a place in it.

So select a favorite orange jacket, sweater, scarf, an oversized handbag or tote, pair of shoes or piece of jewelry that you love, and hang on to it. You can bet it will all come back around again, and you will be glad you did. By doing this, you will build a wardrobe that will last way beyond the fall of 2015.  Buy good quality classic clothing for your wardrobe, styles that never go out of fashion, and have real fun with the trends by only spending money on a few accent or accessory pieces.

What’s next?  We’ve headed back to the 1990s with ‘jewel’ and pastel tones. See what I mean…it all comes back around again!

Vintage Shopping Tips:

• Inspect clothes carefully, a couple of times, back and front.
• Don’t buy stained or garments that need repair.
• Old stains often weaken the fabric, and the cleaning process can create holes or even shred the fabric.