June 18, 2014

Let's keep pastels for spring and summer





Outfit details

Cocoa brown 1950s nylon (chiffon) scarf: eBay
Brown and white cameo earrings: Handmade by me
Mint green 1980s does 1940s dress: Veronica Vintage
Vintage (c. 1960s) metal and brown glass brooch: likely thrifted or from a yard sale (had for years)
1950s white gloves: Gift from a dear vintage loving friend ♥
Brown faux leather handbag: eBay
Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay
Brown 1940s style pumps: Consignment store
Lip colour: Clinique Raspberry Glace


Photography by Tony Cangiano
 



































Though I wear vintage and vintage appropriate styles far more often than not, I've always adored fashion general and it might surprise some to know that I read a number of modern fashion magazines and follow current trends relatively closely (though not since my early high school years have I felt the slightest inclination to keep up with them when it came to my own wardrobe). As such, last autumn, when design houses from Dior to Sonia Rykiel sent a bevy of pastels down the runway for fall 2013, I sat back, entirely unswayed, made a few "hmmm" noises to myself, and felt a bit like someone had tried to pull the wool over my eyes and convince me that Halloween was in fact Easter.

While a palette as soft and appealing a newly hatched chick's feathers might work well for those who celebrate fall south of the equator, where our autumn is their spring, for those above it, the idea of pastels for this dark, subtly brooding, wildly majestic season felt woefully out of place, and to my mind at least, quite frankly contrived.

There are certainly times when a whisper of a pastel shade can work well for fall - say a cream, flax, or pale peach alongside darker hues of the season such as rust, saffron or eggplant, but in general pastels are in their true element not when the leaves are tumbling to the ground, but when they're springing to life again, the weather is finally heating up, and the prospect of summer looms on the horizon.

Pastels are to the colour world as candy is the culinary one, and just as a bowl full of saltwater taffy would be a rather strange meal to have for dinner, instead of the usual savoury entree you were expecting, so too did it feel like someone had served us up a big, fat sartorial helping of something that was best left until after the heavy, filling players had their natural turn.

I didn't even contemplate busting out my vintage pastels last autumn, as cocoon coats in shades of fairy floss pink and pants suit in what suddenly felt like almost cloying shades of lilac and lavender parading across the pages of Elle, Vogue, In Style, and no doubt myriad other fashion publications. No, my soft and gentle hues, colours that are to the eyes what a a kitten's paw pad is to the touch, remained firmly entrenched in the warm weather half of my closet and thus they remained until April hit.

Then, like the world itself springing back to life, they rubbed the proverbial sleep from their eyes and little by little, bit by bit, began to appear in my wardrobe once more until they reached their zenith in the form of this sweetly fun chocolate mint inspired ensemble.

I purchased this dress in early 2013 from the Etsy shop of fellow vintage gal Holly, who many of you may know from her great blog (of the same moniker as her shop), Veronica Vintage, and it is making its blog debut here nearly a year and a half later. Though I'd worn it before, it wasn't until I partnered it with hints of dark, warm brown via my accessories that I felt like I'd really hit upon the outfit I wanted to photograph it as part of.

Large doses of pastel colours, regardless of the season, can be tricky to pull off, especially after the age of about ten years old. I love them in principle, but find I usually need to temper their mild mannered nature with undertones of darker, moodier - one might say - hues, in this case shades of brown so yummy they look as though they might have been plucked straight from a chocolate factory.

I've worn this exact outfit three times lately, including once to an antiques auction and again on the day when these photos were taken at Gyro Park here in Penticton, and love it more each time it's sported. Perhaps that’s because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that this not the kind of outfit I would bust out, unless circumstances (for whatever reason) strongly dictated doing so, after Labour Day. White? Yes, that old wardrobe rule chestnut I'll happily disobey, but pastels are to go into hibernation the moment the first pumpkins hit the farmers market stands.

Just as one wouldn't (likely!) wear a snowsuit to the beach in June, or eat Christmas dinner on a random Thursday in August, so too are there certain colours that are best left in their respective seasons - at least in generous helpings. Much as this outfit would raise many an eyebrow if worn in April, so too should we as a collective whole embrace the fact that pastels are for spring first and foremost, with their wearing continuing on into summer, but fading out of our daily attire like the chlorophyll in the leaves come the first whisper of fall.

Some hues are universal, great from the first to the last day of the year, but others suit specific times of the year best and no matter how much the fashion tribes and powers that be may try to convince the general public otherwise, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I love knowing that I have the wearing of pastels to look forward to as soon as the last mighty snowman of winter has helped the grass turn verdant once more. This is a natural order to the seasons and to the wearing of colours, and sometimes its wisest to leave well enough alone and savour the best of each one's palette in the moment.

68 comments:

  1. I love pastel shades for spring and summer, my favourite shades being mint and yellow! I, too, try to wear season appropriate clothes (and colours) and so the few dresses I have in these pastel shades only get worn as often as weather allows it (which in the UK is not very often!) :)

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  2. I love that about colors. They're so specific to each person and yet we find ourself time and time again drawn toward certain hues during certain times of the year :) I have a question hopefully you could answer. You're the only blogger that comes to mind when it comes to 80s doing 40s well. I'm in the process of about sew my own lingerie undergarments and recently came into a load of vintage kwik sew patterns dating back from as early as 1960 but mostly from the 80s. my question would be I suppose how could I get them to mimic 40s/50s lingerie minus the bullet bra craze? Any thoughts you have would be most appreciated.

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    1. Hi Belle, that's very true, most of us do gravitate towards certain hues time and time again. I know that when I look back at some of my early childhood photos, from the age onward when my parents started letting me pick out my clothes for school in the morning, I was selecting hues and colour combos then that I still enjoy wearing (at least some of) to this very day. I think that our love of colours stays with us in much the same way a passion for certain foods or music does throughout our whole lives.

      That's a great question, thank you very much for asking it! I should preface my answer by saying that I'm not, for all intents, a sewer, so on the technical side of things I can't be of much help, I'm afraid, but I can certainly offer up some general suggestion. For starters, think about - fittingly :) - colour, as it's a very good starting point. Typically most of your off-the-shelves lingerie in the 1950s (as opposed to say things from Frederick's of Hollywood or the like, or which someone made themselves in a less common hue), with exceptions made for crinolines, were soft shades such as white, peach, nudes, pale blue, and creams, so opting for fabrics in similar shades (and of course, classic black is always a good choice, too) is a good jumping off point. On the fabric front, a lot of the materials used in lingerie today were around in the 50s and used for the same purpose back then. Think nylon, rayon, satin, chiffon, silk, and airy cottons in particle. Adding feminine details like lace, little bows or satin (or silk) flowers, trims, ribbons, and in some cases sheer overlays, can all help add to the mid-century look of any vintage piece.

      Length wise, most slips still came to the knees or below, panties were (generally) high waisted, long line bras (my bra style of choice bar none) were commonplace, and girdles or garter belts were often worn, generally beneath one's slip, and helped give women the iconic figure shapes that we now associate with those eras, so they well worth making or investing in to this day if you're keen on sporting an especially 1940s or 50s silhouette.

      Two books that I'd suggest checking out for further help on their front are Vintage Lingerie: 30 Patterns Based on Period Garments Plus Finishing Techniques by Jill Salen and Irresistible: The Art of Lingerie, 1920-1980 by Desire Smith, as I'm sure they will be chock-a-block with inspiration to further help you on this lovely undertaking.

      Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have more questions. I'm always delighted to help a fellow vintage fan out however I can.

      ♥ Jessica



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  3. I think it depends on the outfit. A pastel pink blouse with a very tweed suit is quite lovely but there's no way I'd wear a pastel pink dress in the winter, even if it was wool.

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    1. Very much so, I agree, and that's what I was saying in regards to small pops of pastels working well in the colder months. It's the full on, head-to-toe confectionary hued garments that are a lot harder for me to get behind when it's minus -25C outside. Could some gals pull it off and still look fabulous? Probably, yes, but there would still be something jarringly out of place about so much light colour in an outfit during the winter to my eyes at least.

      Thank you for your comment, dear gal!
      ♥ Jessica

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  4. I completely agree with keeping pastels for those warmer spring/summer months. Especially here in New England where each of our seasons (all five if you are counting mud/sugaring season) are so different. I don't tend to wear I lot of pastels in my everyday wardrobe, I mostly wear earthy colors, but when I do its in the spring and early summer months. I like my brighter colors for the months with bright and cheery weather and my cozy colors (mustard yellow, rusty orange, browns and purples, etc.) for the cooler fall months.
    I love that you paired the mint dress with brown! I think that shade of brown looks great with just about every pastel color. I can see why this has become a favorite outfit for you for this time of year. It looks amazing with your hair color too!
    -Emily

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  5. Such a lovely, inspiring post Jessica! A few years ago I thought how odd it was that we don't wear bright, light colors in winter, since it would seem that if we wore such Summer-y colors in the gloomy winter, it might boost our outlook on the long, cold weeks ahead; but over the past few years I have come to embrace wearing a darker, more autumnal color palette throughout the cold months, and enjoying my whites and springy florals and pastels in the Spring and Summer. Thanks again for your sweet words!

    Blessings,

    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

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  6. Oh my goodness gracious, I completely forgot to add that your outfit is cute (I especially like the hints of chocolate brown), and certainly gives off the effect of a chocolate mint in the most delicious, fashionable way possible. :)

    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

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    1. Hello sweet Brigid, thank you very much for the wonderfully nice pair of comments. There are times in the long, icy dead of the Canadian winter when I turn to bright, punchy hues, too, though very rarely pastels. I'm sure that some people can rock them and have this soft palette work in fall and winter for them, but such is not usually the case for me and since I do have a particular fondness for fall's hues, I'm rather giddy to rock them for a few months. :)

      Big hugs & many thanks for all of your fabulous recent comments (not just this lovely pair),
      ♥ Jessica

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  7. I love pastels! Another gorgeous outfit - I am envious of how you manage to throw these together.

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  8. Oh, my pastel!
    One of the most adorable shades of gentility is precisely what you wore in this post: minty green. It radiates refreshment and joyfulness. And it's the "friendliest" color there is. You look so lovely while wearing it. I must say: you look like a Messenger of Spring with an amazing background!

    I hope you're having massive amount of fun!

    Marija

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  9. You've really got me contemplating the seasonality of the pastel palette! This is only slightly related (and pretty ridiculous) but I picked up a well worn 80's copy of Color Me Beautiful at the thrift store for a giggle (and to enjoy the awesome, stylized line-art!) and despite my cheeky intentions, it still has me thinking far more than usual about color choices. There certainly is, as you describe, a mood or a vibe to pastels that seems intrinsically linked to the season. Do you feel like there are color palettes that are inherently better on gals (or guys) with certain complexions, eyes, or hair?

    Just curious! :)

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    1. That is still, bar none, one of my all-time favourite fashion books. It sparked an even greater love of colour and its role in one's wardrobe in me as a young girl that has never wavered. I read my mother's copy until, no joke, it was falling apart at the seams, and purchased one of my own years later, which I still enjoy rereading periodically. Was the "draping" and seasonal palette theory 100% spot on for every women (or man) who tried it? I'd argue, no, but it was helpful for many and I think it helped a generation of people look at their relationship with colour in a whole new way, which was certainly a good thing.

      I do feel that some colours work better on certain complexions (and hair/eye colours) for sure. I've witnessed it firsthand myself and avoid wearing certain hues near my face (at least in large doses because of it). Three in particular that do me nary a favour are fuschia, certain light and pinky-purples, and lime green (most yellows and oranges, too, unless they're either super light or very dark). They wash me out and/or cause my (fair, subtly pink tinged) skin to take on a certain unattractive yellow tinge. Generally speaking - and this is where the CMB theory got a lot of things right in particular - those with pink undertones in their skin suit warm and blue based colours best and those with yellow/olive/brown tones suit cool and red based colours especially well.

      In terms of colour and gender, I'm of the mind that we should all be able to wear any colour we want regardless of our sex (it's rather antiquated - and not in a good vintage kind of way - to assign colour or for that matter, even certain garments to each gender), but do objectively feel like some hues tend to suit women and men each better. A man in a head-to-toe pink suit, for example, will rarely appeal to the average onlooker as much as that same chap in a black, blue, dark grey, or even green suit. As women in this day and age, I think we have more leeway here over our male peers and can usually wear just about any colour we want (in progressive societies at least) these days without even so much a single eye being batted, which is a good thing of course (hopefully the same will be true for guys one day as well). What are your thoughts on this topic, my dear?

      ♥ Jessica



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  10. So beautiful..And perfect outfit :)

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    1. Thank you so very much, my dear. That's a wonderfully nice compliment!

      ♥ Jessica

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  11. so pretty Jessi ! this color looks great on you ! <3

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    1. Thank you ever so much, my sweet friend. I went through a real mint green phase a few years ago and feel that it's coming back again now, especially since I hit upon pairing this particular dress with chocolate brown.

      ♥ Jessica

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  12. Good to see I'm not the only one with pastels on the brain. ;) I love this on you. The minty green really sets off your red hair, and I love how you ground it with the brown accessories. I really must get my own stash of those filmy scarves - they just seems like such an awesome, versatile accessory, whether you're showing off a good hair day or disguising a bad one.

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet dear!!! You know, and I fully understand that some might find this hard to believe, before just a few months ago, I only had one or two of these classic nylon/chiffon scarves. It's true! I loved constantly seeing them on other vintage and rockabilly gals though, so I made it one of my wardrobe goals for the year to buy more, which I have been doing, plus a dear friend sent me some as a gift, so now I have about a dozen of them in different hues. Not a complete rainbow quite yet, but I'm working on it. What are some colours in particular that you're looking to find?

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. That was so sweet of your friend to gift you with those. I think one of the reasons they've been on my brain recently is that I keep seeing them on you and other women whose style I admire. I think some basic colors like pink, blue, and maybe black would be a good start.
      You know, I went back and reread your post. I think I got a bit distracted by all the lovely photos, but I think I have to disagree. There's something really refreshing to me about icy pastels in the winter. I have this really lovely pale blue coat that I wore constantly this winter. I think if you wear heavier, more luxurious fabrics and balance it out with deeper, richer accents, it can actually work really well. I might be a bit of a fashion lemming, though, because I never really thought about pastels in winter until they were all over the runways last year.

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    3. I started out with a cream coloured one, which was wonderfully versatile - black is still missing from my collection, which again certainly isn't a full on rainbow yet. I'm hoping to find some of these types of scarves for my Etsy shop. They used to be everywhere at thrifts stores when I was younger, but (at least here) I rarely encounter them there any more. Perhaps I find some at yard sales this summer.

      It isn't so much that I dislike hints and hits of pastels in winter, it's more that I was irked last year by how the mainstream fashion powers that be tried to push pastels so heavily in a season (fall and on into winter) when they've traditionally not been part of the general colour scheme. It felt sooo cloyingly contrived to me, that's all. Come winter though, i do completely agree with you that a bit of pastel here or there can be gorgeous - calling to mind everything from figure skating costumes to iced Christmas cookies - and if one wants to wear them in the colder months, go for it (my only fashion rule is that there isn't any rules! :)), they're just not something I foresee myself embracing on a large scale during the chilly half of the year. (I can easily picture how beautiful your pale blue coat must look on you, especially with your soft blonde hair.)

      ♥ Jessica

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  13. You look so pretty in your pastels! I actually love soft pinks, greens and blues but they argue with my yellowish (golden!) skintone. I can get away with peachy shades and some lilacs, however, and like you I see them as classic shades of spring and summer. Peach just feels wrong in winter to me!

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    1. Oh, doesn't it though? Outside of the realm of candy and Christmas ornaments, peach is not a colour that tends to suit winter in the Northern Hemisphere particularly well at all.

      One of my favourite tricks for colours that tend not to look very good on me in large doses but which I want to wear all the same is to put them on the lower half of my body in smaller doses - say a handbag, pair of shoes (or socks), or belt and make sure that all the other colours I'm sporting really work well with my colouring to help counterbalance the not-quite-perfect-for-me shade.

      ♥ Jessica

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  14. I've never really associated colors with specific seasons--like you mentioned, it's probably a regional concern. I spent a good chunk of my life living on the equator--nothing but summer there! I don't actually wear pastels much in general, I think brights look better with my hair and skin color, but once in a while I'll pull out something in mint!

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  15. Lovely outfit, and interesting post. I'm with you in preferring pastels for spring and summer. They'd feel odd in the fall. But then, a snuggly beaded wool sweater in winter white or a a fluffy angora cardigan in pale pink can feel just right on the coldest, snowiest days of winter. Sort of "icy" rather than "Easter-y."

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Liza. I totally agree, and was thinking quite heavily about that point shortly after this post went live. A whisper of soft, icy pastels in winter can be a very lovely thing for sure, especially if tempered with darker colours or worn in the glow of a Christmas tree, which adds such depth to any colour.

      ♥ Jessica

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  16. Jessica, you look like the embodiment of mint choc chip ice-cream in these photos!! That dress is just darling with all the cocoa brown accessories, a really lovely combination. You're looking very summery indeed! P x

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    1. Your lovely comment is every bit as sweet as mint chocolate chip ice cream itself, dear Porcelina, thank you very much for brightening my day with it.

      ♥ Jessica

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  17. your outfit is soooo beautiful!!!! genius to pair the fresh mint with chocolate brown! love!
    the seasons - i agree and not. i have some icy pastel garments in heavy wool and their pink or pale blue color look great with some snow :-) (remember my ski jumper...) its really the material&design i think.
    xxxxxx

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    1. Agreed, sweet Beate. I think I just needed to say my piece about the way that designers and high street shops tried to shove pastels down our sartorial throats last fall as though it was suddenly weird we hadn't all been wearing them during that chunk of the year since the dawn of time. It felt so forced and unnatural and had the exact opposite effect of what was intended - I avoided pastels all the more in defiance of the trend. I agree though for sure that a gentle dose of pale colour can look amazing in winter, especially in sweater/cardigan form.

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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    2. luckily we found a way to avoid all that fashion industry madness :-)
      hipphipphooray for individual style and 2.hand clothes!!!!!!!!
      hugs&kisses

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  18. Jessica, I`m with you on this, a little pastel or winter white is OK but for me full on pastel doesnt seem to work in the winter light.Being in the southern hemisphere , we are now in early winter, I am in Australia`s coolest state but our winter is nowhere as harsh as yours.
    You look lovely in your pastel dress, just right for early summer. Glad your trip went well, congratulations on the presentation, I am sure everyone enjoyed sharing your vintage knowledge.

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  19. I love wearing pastels, but only during spring and summer season. I would feel kind of out of place wearing to much pastels in the winter and autumntime. There's a special feeling in spring when you get to dig out lighter and brighter clothes out of the wardrobe and hide all the dark and thick clothes way back in the closet. It's like we, like nature, is coming to life again after the dark season. This got a little too philosopical, I blame the late hours. Haha. I hope you're having a darling week!

    PS. You look so happy in these photos, it makes me smile! :)

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    1. I love to wax philosophically myself, too, sometimes, fear not. I love it when my readers do just that in their comments - it's lovely to know that something I wrote triggered such deep thoughts in another person.

      That's awesome! Thank you very much for saying that you feel I look happy in these shots. I very much agree with you, I do. I think sprang from a mixture of what we were doing that day and the fact that it was warm enough to wear short sleeve, airy dresses like this again finally.

      Big hugs, lovely lady!
      ♥ Jessica

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  20. First off, I adore this dress! It's just the perfect shade.

    Second off, I completely agree. My pastels do not get a whole lot of wear in the colder months. They just don't seem to fit. I will occasionally pair a pale yellow top or dress with a more autumnal cardigan in fall, but other than that, those garments are just gonna have to wait until spring!

    Cheers!
    Jenny

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  21. Hmmm I agree that in general I prefer pastels for summer. However, I have seen 1950s and 1960s pastel winter coats that I thought were VERY chic. I wouldn't wear a pastel dress in winter though, definitely not. I like this color on you a lot and as always your look is perfectly accessorized. On another note, I used to read a lot of modern fashion magazines, but I really haven't for a year or so.

    retro rover

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  22. mint looks so good with dark brown ... wonderful!

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  23. I agree that our clothes should be a nod to mother nature. A lady will also get many more years of wear out of a classic piece if only worn in season, versus year-round.

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    1. Excellent point, Kathleen. That's another added bonus of dressing with the seasons for sure.

      Thank you for your lovely comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  24. I actually find pastels look great on women in winter and autumn, particularly the cooler toned ones. It reminds me of those beautiful pastel caps on buildings in St Petersberg. Somehow they just work with the snow there! They feel less juvenile on me in winter garnments and cuts than a summer dress, which doesn't feel as professional. Plus it's a fabulous feeling to be the only splash of colour walking in a sea of black and grey!

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    1. That's really good perspective on things, my dear, and fundamentally I agree with you. Sometimes, more so than in winter than fall, pastels can work beautifully. My big gripe was really with the fashion industry suddenly trying to make like pastels in the cold half of the year were 100% normal and that we should act like they they always have been. It felt woefully contrived to me and didn't spark a desire to follow their suggest and do so in the slightest. Sometimes pastels can look nice in the snowy months for sure though, I agree, especially as others have said in the comments here in sweater/cardigan form.

      ♥ Jessica

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  25. I love pastels, but I think they work best in accessories. If worn with the right pieces they look fine any time of year, but I definitely agree that wearing a pastel dress in fall or winter will look out of place except perhaps if it's styled with dark accessories.

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  26. Oh, Jessica, this is a breath of fresh air (though I agree with you completely). Some rules are better for being held to, methinks! Occasionally a rush of rainy fall days will get to me, and I'll add a small dose of non-autumnal colour to my outfit, but it's always a small bit, enough to brighten things up but not so much that I feel as if I've stumbled out of a time machine expecting it to be May.

    Of course, this tactic does allow me to get away with wearing colours I otherwise couldn't put so close to my fair skin, too, but to go about in a springy green like this (which suits you *SO* beautifully, I love the brown with it—I think plum would go wonderfully, too!) instead of darker sage or loden would feel really odd. As you note, in smaller doses with more seasonally appropriate tones & textures pastels look great, but that is about it.

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  27. That mint green and chocolate looks divine on you sweet gal, you remind me of nothing less than a delicious confection of mint and chocolate macaroon or some such sweet.

    I do tend agree with your seasonal pastel preferences. Pastels in autumn and winter just feel so... wrong. I find myself automatically reaching for jewel tones and blacks which I never wear in spring/summer. So whether I want it or not, pastels are reserved for warmer days!


    xox,
    bonita of Lavender & Twill

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  28. First of all, I love your fresh outfit! You look beautiful. Mint and brown looks a perfect match. And your cameo earrings are so cute! And is handmade by you! I'm so proud of you :-)

    In my country I never saw many people concerned to season colors like in some countries, such as yours. And let me tell you that I enjoy so much learning about it with you! It makes so much sense. And I need to learn so much more. Please more, more! I'm starving for colors. :o)

    I love to see your smile in this perfect outfit :-)

    Miss Beta

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    1. Thank you very much, my dear friend! It's a joy to share in my passion for colours with you. I've never been the type to shy away from colour in the slightest and love that my closet looks like several small rainbows are inhabiting it (I sort all my clothing by type and then by colour, arranging it from lightest to darkest). If there's ever any colour related topics that you'd like me to write a post or, or at least include mention of in the scope of a larger post, please don't hesitate to ask - I'll make sure you never go hungry for colour again! :)

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  29. I love pastels too but don't seem to actually have any in my wardrobe which is curious. I have a tendency toward bold colours or white. I think perhaps it's because I know I suit firey shades very well and pastels are an unknown quantity.
    I too subscribe to a modern fashion magazine just so I know when the vintage style trends roll around and I'll know when to look in the shops which I have a tendency to avoid most of the time.
    This dress is awfully pretty, I just love the shade xxx

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  30. Shows how much recall I have on my wardrobe, one of my favourite tops is pale pink! And it's sometimes teamed with a pale pink patterned skirt :)

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  31. Pastels are my favorite, and while I wear them here and there during the colder months, I wear them to excess in spring and summer. There's something wonderful about wearing more muted colors through the winter months and the hatching of spring that follows, where I pull my pastel beauties out of their storage bin slumber. I loved the language you used to describe how to wear certain pastels in the fall, too. Peachy shades with earthy browns and greens sounds lovely. It's a combination I've not yet tried.

    I just recently stumbled upon your blog thanks to Suzanne from Style Files. I look forward to reading more of your posts and seeing more of your lovely looks!

    <3 Liz
    www.withwonderandwhimsy.com

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  32. Yes, Jessica, I love autumn too much to wear pastel colors when my soul hungers for the rich hues of fall. Although, during December and January, I could see myself wearing a pink pastel classic sweater set with a gray pencil skirt.

    This dress looks like just the sort of thing I would have worn in the 80s. I love the way you accessorized it with your lovely browns. I particularly like the chiffon scarf and glass brooch. This outfit nicely accentuates the color of your hair.

    :) Hope

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  33. You look lovely in your pastel dress. And I like the bronze accessaries. I guess we have the opposite problem here in Southern California. Pastel clothing helps keep us from melting in the sun. And we are always looking for an excuse to wear our winter clothes and boots. But it hardly ever gets cold enough for that:(

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  34. I'm with you!! Pastels are for spring and summer.

    You look so great in this outfit! Chocolate mint indeed - I love it! The dark browns balance out the mint shade incredibly well.

    Lisa.

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  35. This made me smile as I agree completely with you, I would never feel like wearing pastels except in the summer. In actual fact, I have very few pastel coloured clothes as stronger colours suit me much more but I always think of them as a palette that comes out in warmer weather. The first time in the year that I like to see pastels is at Easter, as Cadbury's mini eggs have shells in lovely colours, lemon, pale pink, baby blue, off white, lilac and brown!

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  36. What a gorgeous out and that color looks great on you. I'm afraid to pastel colors. I feel that they won't suit my skin tone. I also have a very hard time dressing vintage/retro casual.

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  37. You look lovely!

    I agree with you, certain colors just to seem to be better suited for certain seasons. I don't wear a lot of pastels because they don't work with my skin tone, but it certainly doesn't stop me from finding ways I can accent my outfits with them when spring and summer roll around. :)

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  38. I agree :3 Pastel in autumn and winter just feels really out of place.

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  39. Wow, this is such a lovely dress! I love the color, It goes so well with your hair and accessoiries!

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet dear. I love mint green, too. It's one of those rare colours that is both serene and invigorating at the same time and thus, I find, is able to play so nicely with light and dark hues alike.

      Have a beautiful start of summer, honey!
      ♥ Jessica

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  40. Do you have a comment waiting acceptance on this one? I know I wrote one, but sometimes my comments get lost in cyberpace, for some strange reason.

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    1. Hello dear Sanne, no, aside from this one that you left today, I don't have any waiting on this post. Thank you for checking first though. I'm sorry if the interwebz mysteriously ate your comment. Please feel free to share it again with me.

      Hugs!!!
      ♥ Jessica

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  41. This is such a pretty dress! Mint is a colour I love but I couldn't agree with you more - pastel colours are definitely for Spring/Summer and not the colder months however, a small sprinkling of them can certainly brighten a cold winters day, just not a complete outfit.

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  42. I adore how pastels look with greys and browns.
    While I totally understand your point as how colors almost "belong" to a season... I find it limiting.
    Its like me, where i live its just sun and sun+rain weather, which would limit my options.

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  43. Ok, well I remember that I wrote that it is a very difficult colour to style and that you have done a fab job. I love the choko mint combi, I dont think I would have thought about that. I have noticed when I comment from my iPad my comments sometimes get lost, quite annoying. I always check back to see if you have replied. I love your replies and think they deserve to be read., therefore I found that this was missing my comment. Never trust technology. ;)

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    1. Oh goodness, that is so very true!!! I've had comments and emails disappear into the ether of the internet many a time myself, too.

      Aww, I adore your thoughtful comments and always look forward to receiving them, so I'm all the more touched to know that you enjoy my replies. I really like the time, thought, and depth that you put into your comments and feel very much like we're sharing an actual spoken back-and-forth conversation when you enrich my blog with one of them.

      Big hugs & happy last day of June wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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    2. Same over to you, dear. :) You are the cutest, kindest, loveliest internet friend one could ever wish for. :) It came to my mind that I also wrote that I agree on keeping pastels for summer. Because what is there to forward to if not the change that comes with seasons!? I adore seasons, and already look forward to the darker and warmer colours of autumn, but they would also look completely wrong now. Wishing you a beautiful day, dear. :)

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    3. Bless your sweet heart, dear Sanne, you are also off-the-charts sweet, kind, generous, thoughtful, caring, friendly, and lovely, too. We're a great fit, the two of us, and I really am thankful that our vintage loving paths crossed online.

      Tons of hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  44. this is why i love 80s does 40s or 70s does 30s, 90s does 50s, etc... great looks and better pricing. not to mention i don't feel as bad, god forbid, something were to happen to it as i would with a original 40s frock. terrific look as usual!

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