When 50 Shades of Grey first came out, I was in the midst of my undergraduate degree. Dubbed as “mommy porn”, I didn’t read it out of the enjoyment of erotica, but out of the curiosity of just what made it so popular. I won’t lie, it was wildly interesting to find that such a crass novel was quickly climbing the upper echelons of popularity in pop culture. And being the bookworm that I am, I had to complete the entire series – reading only the first one third of the trilogy wasn’t enough.
While many others may have found inspiration for their bedroom, I instead translated it over into my wardrobe – enter 50 shades of grey, textile edition. I’m not quite sure what’s been getting in to me lately, but what first began as a love for neutrals recently delved further into a world of monochrome. I own a lot of black. Actually excuse me while I go and count the pieces in my closet, because I think that I own more than just a lot. Probably significant amounts. I wouldn’t doubt that I could go through an entire week of just wearing black without repeating a single piece.
The key to layering grey is by utilizing different textiles as well as different shades. But not only do the materials have to be different, but the silhouettes of each piece must too differ. You can’t layer 2 knits one on top each other and not expect to look a little bit like a marshmallow. You also can’t layer 2 cotton/jersey pieces without having the pieces ride up on each other due to static.
This sweater wasn’t legging passable. It wasn’t long enough to cover my front and back and I’m no highschooler, so that look doesn’t work for me. Instead of leaving it as is, or completely nixing the look, my beloved grey cotton T-shirt did the trick. Not only did it increase the length of my top, but added texture to a boring two texture outfit (the knit and the leggings). Not to miss out on the fact that the two layers kept me nice and warm on a chilly day.
But such a simple outfit needed a little bit of an oomph to pull it all together. I found this beautiful pair of chocolate brown Pour La Victoire boots on sale at one of my local Winners and instantly knew that it would be following me home. It’s safe to say that on its first day back, a couple of outfits were succesfully put together – this being one of them.
I will admit that I did cheat in the area of grey by injecting a little bit of brown into the picture, but when you stand back far enough away, everything passes for monochrome. At least my nails matched my boots, that counts doesn’t it?
Sweater – Garage | T-shirt dress – Zipia | Leggings – Under Armour | Boots – Pour La Victoire
