Do We Sell Ourselves Short?

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As I’ve written about before, I have a lot of success finding the design elements I prefer in the athletic wear department: wilder patterns, more interesting details, etc.

I went to the Nike store the other day and picked up two things, One is a windbreaker that I won’t be able to wear for a few months, but that definitely fills the raincoat-sized hole in my wardrobe.

sportswear-bonded-womens-parka
Nike Sportswear Bonded Women’s Parka

The color is a great fit for DA, falling between the medium and dark olive green on the 7 strip on the classic fan, for people keeping score at home. And the asymmetry and angles make it a good fit for FG.

I went to the Nike store specifically to pick up that parka, but I couldn’t help also getting something else, a sweatshirt. I loved the pattern, and it is really soft. The length and boxiness make it a great piece for winter layering.

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Nike Sportswear Modern Women’s Crew

But of course, there is one glaring problem with it. It’s not a DA colorway at all. It definitely looks like some summer grays. I bought it cognizant of that fact. These colors don’t really do anything bad for my skin; they just don’t really do anything.

But we all know that color is really, really important, so I began to wonder, are we selling ourselves short by making exceptions for things that are okay in other ways, but just not our season? How bad is going outside of what you know is your best?

Part of the reason why this was on my mind is because lately, I’ve been watching a lot of the new Dressing Your Truth videos on Carol Tuttle’s Facebook page. DYT wasn’t a system I stuck with, but their new materials and palettes have intrigued me. They recently did a video series showing people in each type dressed in the wrong type, and the mention of how gray is strictly a Type 2 color in the Type 2 video got me thinking. DA would get a warm kind of gray, but gray is definitely a color that I tend to feel comfortable cheating with, even if it’s not DA gray exactly.

But this has made me wonder if I’m selling myself short. Black and gray aren’t terrible on me the way spring colors are, so I feel okay with cheating, or even dipping into the darker summer colors. But I know that they simply aren’t as good on me as a DA almost-black or one of my other neutrals. After spending several years in the color and style world, shouldn’t I be concentrating on having a wardrobe that only has Bests, no Just Okays? I should be in the mindset where every day, it is worth getting out of bed and putting on an outfit and doing my hair and makeup and accessorizing, and all of these things will be in harmony with me and present my best self. I haven’t gotten to that point yet. It’s not something I do even most days.

So while I will definitely wear this sweatshirt to death this fall and winter, because I still love it, I’m going to try to concentrate more on avoiding things that are the wrong color, and making an effort to find enough accessories so that my wardrobe is more complete. Going back to Dressing Your Truth, they suggest that people who are going through their course try doing full head-to-toe outfits in their type for 30 days, and I think I should probably try to do the same with my own amalgamation of style types and seasons. I identify with these types in theory, but I don’t always put forth the effort, in my closet or on my body, that I should–and that I deserve.

I did find on the Nike site that this particular sweatshirt also comes in that DA olive color, so I’ve ordered that too to put away for next year, when the one I have this season is worn out and I hopefully will have several months of dressing to my fullest under my belt.

sportswear-modern-womens-crew-1
Nike Sportwear Women’s Crew

Do you always dress in full head-to-toe outfits appropriate for your lines and your season? Or are you more like me, where you want to do that, but you fall short?

6 Comments on Do We Sell Ourselves Short?

  1. Nikki
    October 13, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    I wonder if this isn’t partly related to your essence. You’ve said before you feel most comfortable dressing at the casual level.And if essence really does play a part in our IDs then perhaps, if you were say SD or Classic, you would be more naturally inclined toward staying in your palette for a more coordinated look?

    Reply
    • stylesyntax
      October 13, 2016 at 9:07 pm

      Hmm, I don’t think so. Your look doesn’t have to be in your palette to be coordinated–and casual should be just as coordinated as anything else. I can easily see an SD or a DC defaulting to black.

      Reply
  2. Laurel
    October 14, 2016 at 2:17 pm

    I personally am a fan of DYT. I own 3 courses. I am a type 4 and I am own the 2 and 1 course because I’m trying to figure out my secondary. I am trying more and more to not settle or compromise. When I wear the right colors and the right styles I just feel so good. It takes more time, thought and effort but I think it is worth it.

    Reply
  3. Cory
    October 16, 2016 at 7:19 pm

    !00% of the time! Not even close. I have a couple of formal outfits that I think are pretty close to correct in both style and color. The rest of my wardrobe, I’m still focused on getting rid of things that are actively bad, and only adding things that are at least in the ballpark. I admire anyone who is able to look their best 100% of the time, but I’m not anywhere near that.

    Cool jacket!

    Reply
    • stylesyntax
      October 17, 2016 at 3:21 pm

      Thanks!

      Yes, ballpark is sometimes all we can do, given what is in stores at any given time. Sometimes you just need clothes.

      Reply
  4. Betty
    November 6, 2019 at 5:39 pm

    Interesting article! I’m also dark autumn and cheats a lot with black and grey – they are most better on me than spring colors also. My face not glow from it but they absolutely okay.
    I also stole some darker warm autumn and warmer dark winter shades that look good my natural coloring. I love a lot of colors so I always search what to borrow.
    I can tolerate some coolness, but not the best on soft shades. The most terrific are the lights: I cannot wear light beige skirt (!) because it clash my contrast. I try to avoid them because I feel like completely stupid on them next to my face they are so terrible.
    In Soft Autumn I feel tired. Some of them is OK but even dark grey better they aren’t do anything on me.
    I also cheat with reds: I have brighter shades sometimes than my fan but they are dark so not clashing my natural look.
    I think dress for your first dominant characteristics – for me to darkness – is the most important and you can cheat a little way in the second characteristic and bigger way in the third.
    But it also true I more energic and having better day if I wore my best colos. 🙂 So know your limits but don’t fear to break the rules.

    Reply

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