Ladies: Need help coordinating colors for new suit..

[Cindy B]

I am NOT a fashion guru.. so I need some help here. I am a jeans and T shirt kind of gal....so to acutally dress business style is a challenge for me.

I have a new camel wool suit. It is a blazer, and a longer style skirt...

What color should the "shirt" or "blouse" be? I have medium color skin and brown hair.... Whats the best material?

I could make it "easy" and "boring" with a white/ecru shirt, but am looking for color...

What type of material, what color, and all that...

What type of shoe as well? I need to walk around in a train station and walk about a block from the the train station. What color shoe? I can't do heels, and I'm tallish to begin with...

This is for the conference I need to speak in. The conference is Tuesday, so I can shop tomorrow.

 

[ducklite]

As far as the top goes, I always prefer a lightweight sweater or lightweight knit rather than a blouse. Blouses tend to bunch and gap, where knits seem to lay flatter under a blazer.

There are some beautiful silk knits that are machine washable, try looking for Eileen Fisher, Liz Claiborne, Geoffrey Beane, and August Silk for some brands to start with. All hold up wonderfully and feel "right" when you wear them. As your jacket is camelhair, it might be a tad itchy on your neck, so you might want to look for a mock turtleneck. I don't care for merino wool sweaters, I find them itchy, but there are some very flattering lightweight ones out there. Watch the labels, they often need to be dry cleaned.

To go with camel, I agree, beige or cream are just "blah" unless you add a smashing, colorful scarf as well. I would look for colors in the wine and hunter green families. Both will look lovely. Pumpkin can work as well. You should be able to wear all those colors, but ask as sales clerk which color she likes better on you if you aren't sure. Pastels will wash out with the camel, so I would avoid them.

For shoes I'd look for brown rather than black. Brown suede riding style boots might be nice. Aeosoles has great, comfortable, stylish shoes. You might want to try Easy Spirit as well. Dressy suede loafers would look good, although with a longer skirt you will want a little bit of a heel (unless you go with a riding boot), although 2" in a clunky heel will be easy to walk in.

Good luck, and when in doubt, as the sales clerks. Most are very willing to help. Try to find someone wearing something you would wear, as opposed to someone who you think looks too "dowdy" or "trendy".

Let us know what you come up with!

Anne

 

[annemariec]

Hi Cindy B., I'm no fashion guru either. LOL. But I do like the use of color.

A dark brown, burgundy, or olive blouse (or sweater) would look nice. Maybe black. I'd play with those colors. Then maybe accessorize with a scarf draped around your neck or over the shoulders to pull the colors together. Nothing real foo foo, just a light touch. And you'd be surprised how it can soften the look of a suit.

White or ecru wouldn't necessarily be boring with some accessaries....

For me, comfort would dictate what type of material I'd want for the top. I like cotton, cotton blends and such. It has to feel good. A turtleneck, scoop or v-neck sweater would probably do the trick for me.

Since you don't want heels, I'd probably go with brown flats. Or maybe a very low square heel. But I'd go with a shade of brown.

Hope some of those ideas helped! And I hope your speaking engagement goes smoothly.

Annemarie

 

[Cindy B]

I do have three black lightweight mock turtle necks... but wasn't sure if I could do a sweater with a suit (all I have seen were blouses and not sweaters!)... I'm slightly top heavy in the front... so I am concerned about buttons on blouses...

I also have an ecru sweater set, and could wear the bottom half of it... (ie the short sleeve part)

I do like the idea of wine/hunter green or black

Now does the brown shoe need to be the around the same color (camel) or like a few shades darker? How dark can I go? I usually live in my sneakers/casual loafers as well...

Lastly, what color pantyhose... I think I have off black, black, and off white

 

[annemariec]

You can go with the same color shoe as your suit. A few shades darker would work well too. (I'd go darker.) As long as you are in the brown family, you should be fine.

I would wear a light brown pantyhose.

Turning in for the night.
Annemarie

 

[dcgrumpy]

I would wear a natural looking hose, definitely not black with a brown shoe and I personally do not like light hose.

 

[KathyTX]

Just to throw out some more ideas:

Here's a photo of a nice striped sweater under a camel blazer.

Along with many of the colors already mentioned, a rich teal blue would be nice with camel...

 

[swea_pea1]

I'm no fashion guru either, but I do dress in business attire daily...

When speaking in public, it's safe to go with the "boring" cream or white so that you don't draw away from your presentation. If this is a group that sees you pretty frequently, it's easier to wear the bolder colors without them being a distraction.

As for the shoes, a shade of brown is probably best with a camel suit. But never, ever have your hose a darker shade than your shoes. If you've gone with color on top, then natural hose would work best. If you're wearing a cream blouse or lightweight sweater, you could go with off-white hose.

Good luck! I hope all goes well for you!

 

[Disney Doll]

I also like navy or red with camel.

 

[wdwlover22]

I would go with a really nice white silk, and accent the outfit with maybe a nice belt, a scaf or just with a nice accent of a necklace and bracelt might get the outfit looking great!

 

[CEDmom]

I have a camel suit although I don't wear it often. I've paired it with pumpkin, red, black and pink. Stay with more muted tones, nothing really bright. I also like a fitted lightweight sweater because it gives such a nice line. I'd suggest a cotton or silk since wool might be too hot under the suit. Office buildings can be hot. As far as shoes, since you said you're tall I'd go with a chunky healed black shoe. Although you could go brown it's sometimes really hard to match camel and brown. You can't ever go wrong with black (except maybe with a navy suit). As far a hose, I'm not a fan of nude ones myself but they'd be perfectly fine. I'd suggest sheer cream ones myself. IMO hose shouldn't be darker than the skirt/dress or shoes. Good luck .

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by KathyTX
Just to throw out some more ideas:

Here's a photo of a nice striped sweater under a camel blazer.

Along with many of the colors already mentioned, a rich teal blue would be nice with camel...

I love love love that sweater!

It looks lightweight.. if I can get away with it, the first thing I am going to do is take off the suit jacket! I hate suit jackets for various reasons...