Fashion Obsession: Mixing Navy + Black

We all can name a fashion “faux pas” that we usually try to avoid on any given day.  We try to play it safe by the “rules” that, in my opinion, are entirely outdated by today’s standards.  Rules like, “don’t wear white after labor day”, and “don’t wear black with brown”, don’t necessarily apply to us anymore. Who made up these rules? What century did they come from? Okay, well there are some fashion no-no’s out there that are valid. Those like wearing socks with sandals, or the visible black panties through skin-tight white jeans. But I digress. There are a few trends I am currently lusting over that I would have previously dismissed by my grandmother’s fashion advice. One of those consists of pattern and print mixing. Who would have thought plaid and stripes would be so brilliant?? I will dedicate another post to this trend later. What I want to focus on right now is pairing black and navy. Neutrals are my favorite colors to incorporate into my wardrobe. Two of the colors I wear the most of would be black and navy. When Pinterest and Stitch Fix  introduced me to the idea of combining the two, I was hooked. Contrary to its belief, neutrals almost always go well together. I say “almost” because it has to be done right. In my opinion, it is all about the shade of the neutrals in order to make it work. I have seen some horrendous pairings of brown and black that almost made me turn green. However, when the right shade of brown is used with black, it is simply perfection. The thought of wearing navy and black together used to make me shudder. This mentality I had developed really affected my shopping habits as well. If I found something I really liked in black, I would buy the same exact item in navy just to wear with other items in my closet to avoid the navy/black fashion no-no. But those days are behind me now, and I am embracing the fashion trend I once rejected. Still not convinced? Here are some pins from Pinterest and Stitch Fix that have me begging for more:

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Stitch Fix

via Stitch Fix

And to show you how I have incorporated this trend into my wardrobe, I snapped a quick photo of myself with some of my favorite basic items from my closet (with terrible camera lighting included, sorry!)

Black Peacoat: New York & Co.; Navy Sweater: J.Crew; Black Leggings: Cabi; Necklace: J.Crew Factory; Shoes: Nine West

Love Always, Jillian Wade