Growing up I always gave my mom slack for owning an entire wardrobe of neutral colored clothing. Black tops, black pants, white sweaters, cream sweaters, grey coats – you name it, she had it. Whenever we went shopping I would try and slip a blue or purple top into her hands to see if a pop of color would make it into the closet.
The older I get the more I realize my own closet mimics hers almost exactly. Black tops, black pants, white sweaters, cream sweaters, grey coats – I’ve got them all. I understand now why she purchased the same monochrome looks over and over again, and continues to do so now. If you know what works for you, why change it? And not to mention the fact that neutrals never go out of style and are universally flattering.
Mom was right all along.
Two items I can’t live without are black and white striped tops and a worn-in black leather jacket. There’s just something so classic about a striped t-shirt that makes any outfit work. I especially love wearing stripes with blue jeans and a black leather jacket, even if that means looking like Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. The contrast between the blue jeans and black and white stripes is effortless. Leather jackets are a great staple to have in the spring and fall to throw on when the weather isn’t exactly warm yet, but isn’t freezing either.
This mock-neck striped top is just thick enough to fight the cold, but thin enough to layer under this jacket. The mock-neck is a great alternative to a full-blown turtleneck if claustrophobia isn’t your thing. It’s semi-fitted and gives a nice shape without being too tight, which in a turtleneck, can sometimes look strange on bigger busted girls like myself. Bulky turtlenecks are a little more forgiving in that sense. This top from Old Navy was a steal at $20. It was available in black as well, which means I probably should have purchased that one too.
I got this black leather jacket for Christmas last year from Express. I wanted something that a had a bit more structure to it than my previous jacket. It fits snuggly without feeling too stiff. I wasn’t too excited about that piece at first, but now I like the way it adds more detail and hangs loosely. Either way, you can’t NOT feel like a badass in a leather jacket. That’s kind of the whole point of wearing one, right?