5 Days of Monochrome Outfits

Despite that fact that it's fall, i.e. everyone's favorite season for getting dressed and actually having fun with it, I've felt like I've been in a major style rut lately. Between a busy schedule and my first cold of the season – yaaaaayyyyy – I've been living in cozy loungewear more than I'd like to admit (although not a bad thing). Working from home most of the time doesn't help the situation, either. So when a new style challenge from A Vintage Splendor popped up in stories, I jumped on board. This time around it was a week of monochrome outfits. If you follow me on Instagram, you've likely seen some of these already in my stories, but I wanted to gather them all here – for myself to refer back to, and for anyone looking for some style inspiration of their own. I used this challenge to not only break out of my style rut, but made sure to take some photos of each look, too – because I've been feeling pretty uninspired when it comes to photography outside of work as well, and this was a great excuse to take photos of something other than stilllifes!

I love doing these style challenges because they force me out of my comfort zone and style items in my closet that may have been gathering dust – or explore different ways to wear pieces that are already on heavy rotation (like those snakeskin boots!). The last style challenge I took part in was 7 Days of Dresses, arguably more difficult than these monochrome looks (especially because it was April and still definitely winter in Maine), but no less fun. Monochrome was relatively easy, but the challenging part was making each look work for work. It's fun to put together outfits, but if I can't move in them, it's back to the drawing board. Below I'm sharing five real outfits from my week:

All White: When in doubt, all black or all white always looks amazing. I threw on a tan jacket to head to a coffee shop for the afternoon and felt like a giant latte. Not a bad thing. Paired with classic chelsea boots, this felt like a winner for fall.

All Navy Blue: The only * new * item I styled all week were these wide leg cords from Everlane. I got them, and I really wanted to wear them – so all blue it was. I paired them with a thrifted top I've had for ages but had never worn, and a thrifted blazer I picked up last month.

All Green: This skirt is actually a dress, a rare fast fashion purchase but one I could easily picture being worn several different ways – it's a slipdress, so I plan to layer it with sweaters, turtlenecks, and blazers.

All Black: You can never, ever go wrong with all black and a classic moto jacket. But if it needs some spicing up, snakeskin helps.

All Nutmeg: We deemed this "nutmeg" on Instagram – definitely not pumpkin spice.