No More Boring Neutrals

I wear a lot of neutrals. I know. Nothing new here. While I will always be a fan of tan and beige and grey and white and black, I’ll also be the first to note that neutrals don’t have to necessarily be boring.

I love them for their minimal vibe but love to find neutral pieces every now and then that make a statement. You still get that chic factor with the neutral color palette but by adding in a fun texture or print you can totally transform your average beige to something exciting and fashion forward.

When we were in Mallorca last week, we had to make a trip to Zara. I love shopping at Zara & H&M whenever I go to Europe – they seem to always have better items or at least the same items we have here but styled totally differently on the mannequins…which somehow makes me want the pieces more. Anyways, we were planning to meet up with a local photographer to the next day and I wanted to challenge myself to pick out pieces that were a little out of the norm from what I would typically wear.

Now, this does not mean bright and bold colors like you might think. I wanted to stick with a neutral color palette since I didn’t know which locations we’d be shooting at but I still wanted to have fun with the looks. I mean…when in Spain!

GET THE LOOK 

PLEATED TROUSERS | WHITE CROP TOP | SANDALS | BAG

I found these brown pleated trousers first and fell in love. I don’t think I have a single piece of brown clothing in my closet. Beige, tan, camel…sure. But this chocolate-y brown is new for me. I was worried the color wouldn’t be so flattering but I actually love how it paired with the cream crop top can create a simple yet sophisticated look. I also fell in love with the pleats and sheer pant legs. These are such a fun pair of pants without being over the top. You can rock them to work with a blouse, throw on a v neck tee and sneakers for brunch or even wear them for long travel days. They were so comfy and lightweight and perfect for this transition into fall.

GET THE LOOK 

SIMILAR LEOPARD PRINT DRESS | PRINTED SHIRT DRESS IN ANOTHER FUN NEUTRAL | SANDALS | IDENTICAL BAG 

Up next. The leopard dress. I had this strange love affair with leopard last week for whatever reason. I typically shy away from animal print, at least over the past few months, but fell in love with this leopard print button-down dress. The midi length is so chic and you can choose how much or how little skin you want to show thanks to the full seam of buttons going up the dress. I sort of wish I would have left one extra button unbuttoned to show a little more leg but I’ll save it for date night.

What I love about both of these looks is that they are comprised solely of neutral colors yet are anything but boring. A full-on leopard dress, cholate brown pants…they’re cool and modern and the opposite of bland. So if you’re looking to take your neutrals up a notch, here’s my advice:

Try a fun texture like pleats or a ruffled material. If you’re not afraid of patters, go with a wild animal print, bold stripes or polka dots.

Photos by Joan Marc Capo Ramon