ChEEky PoP - MonochroMAYBE

Here's something worth trying. And I say that because I did it today and no one, that I noticed, pointed and laughed at me or called me any mean names.

Wear a WHOLE bunch of the (sorta) same COLOR!

It's a selfie taken in my bedroom. Who am I fooling here?

So I started with this tomato red meets blood orange top from Madewell. It's light, it's loose fitting, but snuggly graces my "curves," and tactfully hides your standard bra. I love a deep armpit (...) and this shirt has just that without sinking into ribcage territory. A top notch shirt if you ask me. 

Because, after a muggy weekend in Washington D.C. and a SOHO start to this week, I wanted to give my trusty denim shorts a break. I wanted something that would make the red/orange stay red/orange, rather than tend toward either of those color poles. 

The solution? A seersucker "denim" short purchased roughly one million years ago when I was still a faithful employee of PacSun. The colors are washed out with super gentle and fabricated "frays." They fit snuggly, but allow literally for wiggle room. They have a softer, warn-in denim effect, both in appearance and in texture. I figured the subtle pattern would be a nice contrast from the bold, solid top. 

I also hoped to look, just slightly, like an American flag.

Now, mostly because I wanted to squeeze one more day out of my blown out and flat-ironed hair, I needed some sort of head piece to cover up all the reasons I probably should have washed my hair. 

There was no not-awkward way for me to take this photo. 

I love, love, LOVE this super-simple headband by American Apparel. There's a wire hidden inside for ideal maleability. I opted for this patterned version to add a little bit of texture to my, again, bold solid shirt. (Also, who am I kidding. I have two of these things to choose from and the other is banana yellow. It's also the chiffon which I truthfully don't like as much as the cotton. SAWRRY.)

Okay, SO. Orange and white stripes on the tip top. Solid tomato red/blood orange in the middle. Light blue/white striped shorts midway down. As tempted as I was to put on my standard issue flip flops and call it a summer day, I want to wear an outfit rather than just clothes. So, what makes an outfit? Shoes.

Neon. Orange. Shoes.

Helpful short-length shot.

The color doesn't photograph so accurately. "Neon" really is the best term.

I got these suckers at the H&M in SoHo for $7 after the pair of tasteful wedges I was daring to wear around SoHo broke. Lesson learned. But LUCKY me! These bad guys were on sale, in my size, and LIKE WALKING ON AIR. (Though the best is walking on grass when the grass sneaks through the lacey cutouts and tickles your toes...yessssss.)

So to review. Head-to-toe orange. And a day without being called an Oompa Loompa. How's about a full body shot?

An restaging of a selfie I tried taking earlier in the day. Kooba bag cameo. 

Tortoise shell wayfarers by Betsey Johnson. Handmade necklace by Queens Metal Jewelry. Cell phone by Apple. 

And so there you have it. I carried on this whole day in this whole outfit. I was comfortable, confident, and friends were okay with being seen with me. (At least to my face!) As much as I love mixing textures, patterns and colors, sometimes there's nothing like ultra simple, favorite pieces that all seem to get along nicely.

What color combos (or...NOT combos!) are your favorites? What would pair better with this shirt that I love? Let me know in the comments section!

Don't take my advice. We are just dancers, after all.

Stay ChEEky!

-A.