A Step by Step Guide // How To Style a Monochromatic Outfit

You know which celebrity style I just love and cant get enough of? The amazing Jennifer Lopez – and here’s why.

Have you ever noticed that she is the queen of monochromatic? Whether it’s her personal preference or the way her stylist has formed her brand – I love everything about it. It looks simple and chic and is more difficult to achieve due to the blend of shades, patterns, and textures needed to pull the entire look together. Seriously, Google her style and you will see. I’ll be here when you get back.

I wanted to emulate that style and took a ‘swag’ at it using what I had in my closet that could be used to inspire a similar look. 

Here are the steps I used to approach this new challenge I gave myself: 

(1) PULL ALL THE SIMILAR COLOR PIECES TOGETHER IN YOUR CLOSET for both tops and bottoms and see what color your resonate with the most. When I reorganized, I noticed that I had lots of black pieces (…shocker…) but I also had a good blend of navy blue pieces too. So I decided to go with the navy blue as my color pallet and see where I land! 

(2) PAIR A TOP AND BOTTOM TOGETHER AND TRY IT ON. Trying it on is key to this working. You have to feel good in what you wear so don’t just eyeball it on a hanger. You know what’s interesting? I started to find old pieces that I have buried in my closet and got excited all about them again. This high waist navy pant hasn’t been paired in a while and neither has this sweater. It really helped me to refresh my brain on what I already owned.

(3) ADD A LAYER ITEM FROM THE SAME COLOR FAMILY  – whether its a cardigan, sweater, or vest like I did here. As I have mentioned multiple times before – I love the TBLA rule. (top/bottom/layer/accessory) It doesn’t work well in the summer with the heat, but its perfect for the spring, fall and winter seasons. I bought this plaid vest at Zara and loved bringing it back out again. It gives the look a little depth and while the plaid takes me a little out of being fully monochromatic – oh well!

(4) IF YOU HAVE SHOES IN THE SAME COLOR – USE THAT TOO. My shoe options are very neutral with the exception of one or two colors and this pair of navy suede shoes were just the right shade. If not, a neutral shoe could work in this instance too. Don’t be discouraged. 

(5) ACCESSORIZE THE LOOK. Grab your favorite necklace, earrings, rings, sunglasses — anything that makes you feel happy when you wear it. I brought back those pom pons that were a hit a few years ago and attached it to my bag. I thought that it connected it to the outfit and gave some dimension too.

I am so happy with the way that this whole look came together AND with only using items that I already owned. I think that this challenge was a great way to see old things as new again and be more sustainable with the items that we purchase. I linked the ones that I could find below if they still sell these items (or have similar versions of them) so that you can recreate a similar look – but by all means – you can use any color palette you’d like!

If you use this step by step pull a look together that you love – SEND it to me on instagram so I can see it @thecubiclecollections!

Have a great week!

SHOP MY LOOK:
SWEATER (XS)  // ZARA VEST // PANTS //  SHOES  //  BAG, Similar Here  //  TORTOISE SHELL SUNNIES 

Photos by Kels Converse Photography