Why knowing your colors can save you money

This is a post I made in 2018, but I think it’s very relevant this time of year. A winter coat is often a big investment and getting it right is essential so you can wear and love the coat in years to come.

I guess most of you can relate to the scenario I’m now going to describe. It’s not real, but I have been in a similar situation several times and so have probably you. Ok here we go.

Jeg er sikker på at mange av dere kan kjenne dere igjen i følgende scenario. Det er en tenkt situasjon, men jeg har vært borti lignende situasjoner mange ganger.

It’s the January sale and i have decided to buy a new coat. I want a nice classic coat that will last for years and one day I find this Gant coat 40% off. It’s still not a cheap coat, but it’s really good quality. I’m a bit sceptic about the color, but the girl in the shop says the coat looks fabulous on me, so I buy it.  After all I’ve been looking for a while, and this is 40% off and it’s Gant. Initial price was $490  and now it’s $295

Det er januarsalg og jeg har bestemt meg for at jeg skal kjøpe en ny kåpe, jeg ønsker meg en klassisk kåpe i god kvalitet som jeg kan ha i mange år. Jeg finner denne grå kåpen fra det kjente merket Gant. Jeg er litt skeptisk til grå kåpe, men ekspeditrisen en ung dame som ser helt fantastisk ut forsikrer meg om at jeg virkelig kler denne kåpen. Jeg har sett etter kåpe en stund, den ser fin ut der jeg står i prøverommet. Den er fremdeles dyr, men det er tross alt en Gant kåpe og det er 40% på den. Det er også den siste igjen i min størrelse og de fyker ut ifølge ekspeditrisen. Den har kostet 3795,- nå er den 2275,-.

When I come home I realize I actually don’t have much that goes with this coat. I need scarf for the coat. After all I do live in Norway where we have real winter. I search on Pinterest to get inspiration. And fall in love with the grey and burgundy outfits. This is how I want to style the coat.

I go out searching for a scarf, I find a beautiful burgundy, but it’s insanely expensive it’s almost $130 on sale. I leave it and find another nice one for only $25, but then I find this really cute hat and it doesn’t go with the cheaper scarf, so I need to go back get the expensive one too. Now I have the perfect outfit. Or do I??

Så er det ut på jakt etter et skjerf som passer til kåpen. Jeg finner et helt nydelig burgunder skjerf, men det koster nesten 1000 kroner så det går jeg fra og finner et jeg liker som bare koster 199. Så begynner jakten på en lue. Jeg kan ikke finne en eneste lue som passer til det billige skjerfet, så jeg må til slutt gå tilbake å kjøpe det dyre skjerfet som passer perfekt med en fin lue jeg fant. Nå har jeg det perfekte antrekket, eller??

I’m ready to go out in my new winter outfit, but this day it’s really icy and the boots I planned to wear with this outfit don’t handle icy conditions and I most likely end up with a broken hip if I use them. The only boots I own that’s safe in these conditions stands out like an eye soar. I need new boots and actually I need a new bag too, because none of my bags work with this outfit.

Da er jeg klar til å ta i bruk min nye vinterkåpe, men akkurat denne dagen er det ganske isete og de støvlettene jeg hadde planlagt å bruke er fryktelig glatte og jeg har ikke lyst å brekke lårhalsen. Mine Timberland skoletter som har gode såler passer jo ikke til og egentlig har jeg ikke en veske som passer heller…..

Time flies they are starting to get sold out for winter boots, it’s difficult to find the perfect pair in my size. In desperation I end up with a pair of black over the knee boots. They are suede which is not very practical where I live, but they have rubber soles. They don’t come cheap they are $233 on sale, but luckily I found a nice burgundy bag for only $39.

Tiden går og de begynner å bli utsolgt for støvletter, det er vanskelig å finne det perfekte paret i min størrelse, i desperasjon ender jeg opp med et par semskede over kne støvletter. Semsket er ikke så veldig praktisk på Vestlandet, men disse har gode såler. De er ikke akkurat billige de koster 1895 kroner, men heldigvis finner jeg en fin burgunder veske til kun 299,-.

It’s February and I finally found all I needed for this new coat. The total amount I’ve used is $722, but I guess it’s an investment. It’s a lovely sunny day first time I finally wear the coat. I meet up with some friends, no compliments in fact a couple of my friends looks at me and ask if I feel ok. I look so tired and pale they say with concern in their voices. I feel perfectly fine, in fact better than in a long time. So why do I look so pale and washed out? I conclude it’s the burgundy and decide to buy another scarf and hat to go with the grey coat. Back to Pinterest to find inspiration. Maybe pink will be better…

Det er blitt februar og jeg har endelig komplett antrekk. jeg har riktignok brukt 5668 kroner, men jeg regner det som en investering. Det er en solskinnsdag i februar jeg bruker den nye kåpen for første gang, jeg skal møte noen venninner til lunsj. Jeg får ikke en eneste kommentar om mitt nye, fine, dyre antrekk. Isteden får jeg noen bekymrede blikk og spørsmål om jeg føler meg bra. Jeg føler meg helt fin jeg, bedre enn på lenge faktisk, så hvorfor ser jeg da så blek og sliten ut?? Jeg konkluderer med at kanskje det er det burgunder tilbehøret og så går jeg hjem for å finne annen inspirasjon på Pinterest. Kanskje rosa….

Next day I wear my real old, olive jacket and a rust scarf while out on a Sunday walk. I meet one of my friends from yesterday, she compliments me and is happy I feel better. And I even don’t have any make up on!!

Dagen etter er jeg på søndagstur, uten make up ikledd min gamle olivengrønne jakke og med et rustfarget skjerf tullet om halsen. Jeg møter igjen en av venninnene fra i går og hun kommenter hvor fresh og opplagt jeg ser ut.

So why was this such disaster? First of all, grey is a really bad color for me. I known that for a long time, charcoal is ok, but all other greys wash me out. Second burgundy is if  possible an even less flattering color on me than grey. But grey and burgundy is a beautiful combination and it’s so easy to be tempted when you see all the great outfits. Most pinks are not my colors either, so buying pink accessories would not have helped much.

Så hvorfor ble dette nye antrekket som jeg har brukt så mye tid og penger på ingen suksess? Først og fremst fordi de fleste gråfarger ikke kler meg og burgunder er en farge som om mulig er ennå verre enn grått på meg.  Jeg ser ut som om jeg står med en fot i graven om jeg går med burgunder. Men nå har jo grått og burgunder vært veldig i motebildet og for dem som kler det er det en fantastisk kombinasjon. De fleste rosafarger er heller ikke mine farger, så å kjøpe rosa sjal hadde ikke hjulpet så veldig mye.

Having a capsule wardrobe and being much more conscious when I shop is very helpful, I always think if I have at least 5 items at home to go with it. And after having my colors done, wich I payed $300 for, I know what to look for colorwise. I have a core closet in colors which suits me, and accessories in my colors too. So when I the other day found a down coat for $77 in one of my best colors a rust/mahogany color I didn’t hesitate. I have been a lookout for a nice warm coat for a while. I took it home well aware that I didn’t need to buy anything else to make this coat work. It goes with all of my boots, with several of my scarves and at least one of my hats. So total cost for the coat was $77. If I add the cost of the color analysis the cost is $377 so I actually saved $345 opposed to if I’d bought the grey coat. Yes I know it’s a constructed scenario and that the clothes in the example are quite expensive, but even if they had been much cheaper it would still have been a vaste of money, because honestly how many times do you use something that you know don’t suit you?

Heldigvis hadde jeg ikke gjort denne feilen nå, med kunnskapene om kapsel garderobe i bunn så hadde jeg nok ikke kjøpt en kåpe uten å vite at jeg har minst fem ting hjemme som passet til. Og etter å ha vært til fargeanalyse i fjor høst som jeg betalte 1800,- kroner for så hadde jeg ikke sett på en grå kåpe i utgangspunktet. Her om dagen kom jeg over en dunkåpe på salg, jeg trenger en varm kåpe og denne var i en mine beste farger. Den kostet 650 kroner og jeg visste at jeg ikke trengte kjøpe noe annet for å kunne bruke denne kåpen. Den går til flere par støvletter, sjal, hansker og luer. Så totalkostnaden på denne kåpen er 650,-. La meg så for moro skyld legge til kostnadene for fargeanalysen. Da er kostnaden 2.450,-. Så da har jeg faktisk spart 3218 kroner bare på dette ene kjøpet. Ja jeg vet at dette er et konstruert tilfelle og at klærne i eksempelet er ganske dyre, men dette var ting jeg falt for og likte da jeg surfet rundt på nettet for å finne eksemplene. Men uansett om det hadde kostet mye mindre så hadde det likevel vært bortkastede penger, enten hadde jeg rundt å sett skikkelig syk ut i årevis, eller jeg hadde mest sannsynlig følt det var feil for meg og ikke brukt dette antrekket.

Now I use colors I never even considered before, I learned that I’m an autumn and I suit colors like mustard, rust and olive green. In the long run this will save me a lot of time, frustration and money.

Nå bruker jeg farger jeg ikke ante jeg kledde, oker, sennep, rust, oliven. Jeg vet at høstfarger kler meg og at jeg i der lange løp kommer til å spare mye tid, frustrasjon og penger.

So to conclude, if you don’t have any idea which colors suits you and if you recognize  the story about the grey coat, maybe you should consider get your colors done? Knowledge is power also when it comes to knowing yourself.

Så konklusjonen er, har du ikke peiling på hvilke farger som kler deg og om du kjenner igjen historien om den grå kåpe, så kanskje du skal vurdere å ta en fargeanalyse. Kunnskap er makt også kunnskap om deg selv.

Until next time

Kari

 

Join my fun little group on Facebook where we do discuss things like this, we have different challenges. We are women from all over the world and we love colors. Colors in style by Kari Community.

 

Contact me if you want to have your colors dome, I’ve helped women from every continent to find the colors which makes them shine. I would love to help you too.

kari@colorsinstylecom

 

 

10 reasons why you should get a Color analysis

Maybe you like me had a color analysis in the 80’s or 90’s? Maybe you were happy with the result and has remained true to your season ever after? Or maybe not? Color analysis now are very different from back then. It has been a tremendous development and now the Color alliance system can provide you with your unique palette made out from your personal coloring. You will not only know your season, but also your contrast level and if you can borrow colors from other seasons your personal palette will contain these colors, too.

For many years fashion industry brain washed us to believe that black is a color for everyone, they even managed to brain wash me. I found it difficult to find colors from my spring palette and if you looked for anything else then black you had a hard time, so in the end I gave in and followed the crowd. A couple of years ago my wardrobe was at least 80% black, and for some reason I was unable to see that it was not a good color for me. When I look at myself in the mirror I’m not able to tell, but when I look at photos I can tell immediately. The thing is I rarely saw photos of me, after all I’m not in the selfie generation and i have been the photographer and not the model for the most. When I on occasions saw a photo of myself, looking really drab and tired in my black clothes I just assumed it was how I looked. Age does take it’s toll after all.

Long story short, I discovered the concept capsule wardrobe and started to write this blog, my friend Kari persuaded me to be a model myself- (in the beginning I used a mannequin doll)  It went surprinsingly well and I actually didn’t look drab, tired and old on the pics. Why? Because i had packed away my black clothes for summer and spring and decided to use navy as my base color. When autumn came I decided to use black as base again. And what a difference. These 2 pics taken in same light conditions within an hour convinced me to never wear black close to my face again.

I also decided to get a new color analysis, as I struggled with my spring colors from the 80’s. To my surprise I came out as an autumn, I was a bit sceptical in the beginning as these were colors I’ve never used before. I bought my first items in my new palette and:

GAMECHANGER, not to mention LIFECHANGER as I  not only found my colors, but also a new career. After a year I took a course and was certified a Color and style analyst in the Color Alliance system. Now my mission is to help others find their true colors.

So here’s 10 good reasons to have a color analysis:

1. You look younger and more radiant in your true colors.
2. You feel much better when using colors that really suits you. Somehow we subconcious know when the colors are wrong. but we are not always aware they can make a difference between a good or a less good day.
3. When you use your palette, you will avoid buying clothes which you will hardly use or never use at all. Who has never had clothes in their wardrobe with tags on? Of course they need also to be for your bodytype, not only color.
4. You will save money, not only because you don’t buy the wrong colors, but also because you will be much more concious when shopping.
5. It will save you time, not only when dressing, but also when out shopping. You will no longer waste time in the morning to find a scarf for that exact top, because now most your scarves goes with most your tops. And when you’re shopping you know which colors to try on and you know you don’t even have to look at the clothes in the wrong colors.
6. You will have more colors to play with, sounds contradicting? Not at all, in your very personal palette you will get 40 colors in hue, intensity and colors for your unique coloring. Maybe you think you don’t suit red, but most likely you do, you just haven’t tried on your red yet.
7. To buy make up will be much easier, especially lipstick and nailpolish. You just bring your palette and find a color that matches your swatches. You will also know if you’re cool or warm, and which intensity you should choose out from your contrast level.
8. If you dye your hair it will also be easier as you will know what to ask for when you’re at the hairdresser. Let’s face it not all hairdressers would know if you should have a cold or a warm hair color. And if you dye your hair yourself you will know what to look for.
9. You will receive many compliments when wearing your true colors. You just as well get used to it, and learn how to say thank you.
10. It’s a good investment in yourself, in your self confidence and who don’t want to not only look younger, better, more radiant and in the same time save money in the long run?

If you’re interested in a color analysis I am here to help you out. I work with clients both online and in person., I aim to make the online analysis as personal as possible so during the process I talk at least 3 times with my clients in face to face calls. It’s a longer and more complicated process online than in person, but the result will be the same.

Price is $ 299,- this includes a customized color fan, make up tips and we go through the fan together after you receive it.

You can contact me on the contact page or send an e-mail to kari@colorsinstyle.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest: Colors in style by Kari

Until next time

Kari

The versatility of a striped dress

Last summer I bought a quite inexpensive striped dress at Lindex, I styled it several ways and had some blogposts about it. Now it’s beautiful summer weather here and I already used this dress a couple of times. The other day I styled it very similar to one of the looks from last year. Same dress, same cardigan, same shoes, the only thing I changed was the bag, and I ditched the hat. Now that my hair is so short I look balled with a hat ha ha. The difference the bag and the new haircut made was really amazing.

Dress – Lindex, cardigan – Louche, sneakers – Adidas, bag – Even & Odd

Even if neither stripes or the colors of the dress are the best for me I think it works when I pair it with my colors.

Here’s same outfit from last summer.

And here’s the other outfits I made with this dress last summer. I sure can use some of them this summer too.

 

 

The dress with the green cardigan is still my favorite.

If you want to take a closer look at the outfits I made last summer you can find them here:

The Striped Dress – Take 1 Green cardigan

The striped dress – Take 2 a pop of red

The striped dress – Take 3 Navy blazer

The striped dress – Take 4 with pink denim

The striped dress – Take 5 the beige cardigan

 

We are in the middle of kitchen renovation, hopefully our new kitchen will be finished next week. Plummer is here now to move around some pipes, something we actually didn’t know was needed. Ah well, it has to be done.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram where I show a little of this and that, fashion, interior, flowers, nature…. It will soon be lots of photos from our new kitchen soon.  @momentsintimebergen 

We enjoy the summer days and since we don’t have a working kitchen it’s barbecue every day.

Until next time

Kari

Linking up with: Elegance and mommyhood

Sharing a journey

Northwestmountainliving

 

 

 

 

How to wear an autumn dress in spring

I found this chocolate brown dress on sale in January, I think it was 70% off. It’s from the Norwegian brand Close to my heart. It has pockets, I love it when a dress or a skirt has pockets. My plan was to use it in autumn/winter, but then I decided to try freshen it up for spring.

Jeg kjøpte denne sjokoladebrune kjolen på salg  i januar, 70% avslag, det kan vi like. Den er fra det norske merket Close to my heart og den har lommer. Bare elsker at en kjole har lommer. Planen var å pakke den bort for å bruke den til høsten igjen, men med den kalde våren vi har så er det greit å ha en langermet kjole. Så da frisket jeg den litt opp med noe fargerikt tilbehør. 

I’ve fallen in love with the color orange this spring, so I’ve bought a couple of orange items. I haven’t worn orange in my life before, but after the color consultation last summer I’ve found that orange is one of my colors.  The scarf which looks like it’s painted with water colors is one of my favourites and I’ve worn it many times already. I bought it from a friends shop, the brand is Manzini. I found the bag on sale on the webshop Zalando, it’s the brand Even & Odd, which is so funny as my oldest son’s name is Even and my hubbys name is Odd.

Jeg har forelsket meg helt i oransje denne våren, så det har blitt noen oransje tilskudd til garderoben. Jeg har vel knapt eid noe oransje før og ante ikke at det var en farge som kledde meg, men etter fargeanalysen i fjor sommer så har jeg jo funnet ut at det er en av “mine” farger. Skjerfet som ser ut som et akvarell maleri har blitt en favoritt, det kjøpte jeg hos Mocca på Knarvik. Min venninne Hilde eier denne butikken, jeg har aldri vært der, men hun var så snill å sende det til meg etter at jeg så det på Facebooksiden deres. Tror nok jeg må en tur ut dit en gang, ser ut som de har mye fint. Vesken er fra Even & Odd, noe som jeg synes er morsomt siden min eldste sønn heter Even og min samboer heter Odd. Den ble kjøpt på Zalando. 

I think this works, the accessories lightens up the outfit and makes it more springy. Also put on orange nail polish. This is also something I never got right before. I very rarely wore colored nail polish and when I tried it was for some evening party. It looked ok in the night, but when daylight came I couldn’t get it off fast enough, . I understand now it was because I picked the wrong colors. Now I can pick colors from my palette and wear colored nail polish also in bright daylight.

Jeg synes det fungerer, det blir et mer vårlig antrekk. Har også kjøpt orange neglelakk. Farget neglelakk har jeg i grunnen aldri vært noe begeistret for. Det hendte jeg brukte farget neglelakk om jeg skulle på julebord og lignende, men dagen derpå når jeg så på neglene mine kunne jeg ikke få fjernet neglelakken fort nok. I dagslys ble det det som hadde sett OK ut i kveldslys helt feil. Jeg har skjønt nå at det var fordi jeg valgte feile farger på neglelakken, farger som ikke passet til meg. Nå plukker jeg neglelakk ut fra fargepaletten min og synes det er helt topp å bruke farget neglelakk i dagslys også. 

Boots are from Roots, also bought on sale earlier this year. Suede is not the best material in rainy Bergen, but sometimes one have to be a little crazy. 😉 Ha ha

Skolelettene er fra Roots, de fant jeg også på salg, nå er ikke semsket skinn det mest praktiske i regnbyen Bergen, men pyttsan noen ganger er det lov å være litt vågal. 😉

Right now our house is the total chaos, we’re getting new kitchen cabinets in a couple of weeks and now we ripped out most of the old ones. We are working now on the walls and the ceiling.  I put out photos on Instagram account Momentsintimebergen of the process. The new kitchen will not very traditional and I’m really exited and I hope  will love it once it’s finished.

I disse dager lever vi i det totale kaos. Vi får nytt kjøkken om noen uker, nå er ca halvparten av kjøkkenskapene revet og vi jobber med tak og vegger. Vi har måttet skifte et par takplater og har spikret opp Smart panel for tak på en vegg. Det nye kjøkkenet blir ikke helt A4, så jeg er litt spent på om jeg kommer til å like det så godt som jeg tror… Dere kan følge prosessen på min Instagram konto Momentsintimebergen om dere vil. 

Until next time

Kari 

(should I add an xoxo?)

 

Sharing a journey

How to choose a scarf….

 Yes, finally after a record cold March and April so far today spring arrived. We hit about 50 today and I’ve been outside in the sun sweeping in our front yard and removing dead leafs from our strawberry plants. Later this week we will hit the 60’s. Oh joy.

Endelig er våren her etter en lang kald vinter. I dag var det 10 grader og sol, ryktet sier at det skal bli 15-16 grader mot slutten av uken. O lykke. I dag har jeg vært ute å kostet og fjernet døde blader fra jordbærplantene.

Haven’t blogged for a while, there has been no photo shoots lately, but hopefully now that spring has come and the days are longer Kari and Kari will team up again to do some photo shoots. Now it’s actually warm enough to wear some spring outfits.

Det er en stund siden jeg blogget nå, men vi har ikke tatt bilder på en stund. Nå som våren endelig er her og dagene er lengre og lysere så får Team Kari & Kari komme på banen igjen. 

In the mean time it has to be some tea cup selfies from me. This is how I take my selfies. Today I’ll show you some spring scarves I brought home yesterday.

I mellomtiden får jeg bruke noen tekopp Selfies. Her  er en link til hvordan jeg tar selfiene mine. I dag vil jeg vise noen skjerf jeg hadde med hjem fra en tur på Vestkanten i går. 

The dress is one of my few black items left in my wardrobe, I really like it, it’s very soft and comfortable and I like the fit of it. It’s from Desiners Remix. The shoes are from Nude of Scandinavia and are some of my favorite shoes. When wearing black I need to put a scarf in one of my best colors close to my face.

This yellow scarf is from Lindex, and I really like both the size and the texture of it. The price is also very pleasant NOK 149,- ($19) However for me the colors are a little off and it washes me out a bit. So even if I do like it I’m not keeping it. It’s also polyester so it can be a bit to hot to wear when temperatures rises a bit more.

Dette gule skjerfet er fra Lindex, jeg liker både størrelsen og teksturen på det. Prisen er det heller ikke noe å si på 149,- kroner. Men fargene er litt feil for meg og jeg blir litt utvasket i dem, så dette leverer jeg tilbake. 

This redorange and off white scarf is also from Lindex from their Holly and Whyte collection. I really like the orange/red color and the mix of stripes and flowers in the pattern, but the white is a bit to white for me.  However it’s also an inexpensive scarf NOK 149,- ($19) and it’s 100% cotton which means I can try to dye it in tea. If I dye it in tea the white might get the more yellow cream color which suits me. Definitely worth a try.

Dette rødoransje er også fra Lindex. Jeg liker miksen mellom striper og blomster i mønsteret, men det hvite er litt for hvitt for meg. Dette koster også 149,- det er i 100% bomull så dette har jeg lyst å prøve å farge med te. Da får det hvite forhåpentligvis en mer kremhvit farge. Det er nå verd et forsøk. 

This tangerine and moss green scarf is 100% silk and from  Unmade Copenhagen. It’s a more expensive scarf  NOK 699,- ($90) actually not to bad for a silk scarf. The size is perfect and the colors are spot on. If you look closely at the pics you will see it gives my pale skin some color. So compared to the other two which washes me out a bit, this one makes me look a more fresh. I have very little make up on and you can almost say that the right colors is the best make up you can get. Last spring I wouldn’t even considered this scarf, I wouldn’t in a million years imagined it would suit me.

Dette silkeskjerfet i oransje og mosegrønt er fra Unmade Copenhagen og koster 699,- Størrelsen er perfekt og fargene er helt spot on. Hvis dere ser litt nærmere på bildene så ser dere at dette skjerfet gir meg mer farge enn de andre. Jeg har veldig lite sminke på her, man kan nesten si at riktige farger er den beste sminken man kan bruke. I fjor vår hadde jeg ikke en gang vurdert dette skjerfet, for jeg hadde ikke i min villeste fantasi trodd at jeg ville kle disse fargene.

Having some exiting things going on now. I’m attending a 8 week course with the master of accessories Jennifer at  Mapp Craft Tiny Closet I have no idea how it will be, but I guess it will be awesome. It’s a Beta version and her first go at something like this.  We’re also getting a new kitchen in May. I will also attend another course in May, I will tell you more about it another time.

Det blir noen spennende uker fremover, jeg skal delta på et online kurs med den fabelaktige Jennifer fra Mappcraft Tiny closet. Det er et helt nytt konsept så det blir spennende. Jennifer er en mester med tilbehør. Og så får vi nytt kjøkken i mai en gang, det gleder jeg meg skikkelig til. Skal også delta på et annet kurs, men det kan jeg fortelle mer om en annen gang. 

 

Until next time

 

Kari 

It’s all in the details – Homeknitted socks

I’ve been looking a while for chunky wool socks in one of my colors. It has been s mission impossible as these socks obviously have to be grey. I found a pair of army green ones, but only in big sizes. I can’t live without knitted wool socks and the grey socks always stuck out like a sore thumb.

The other day i bought some yarn in a rust color, had no idea what to knit of it, but then it struck me. Socks, why don’t I knit my own socks. Then the old “I’m not any good at knitting socks” syndrom came up. Hello?!? I’ve knitted one pair of socks in my life, I was 17 and they looked really bad and was totally unwearable. This sock disaster has stuck with me for almost 40 years now and I’ve told myself knitting socks are not for me. Until now.

So that’s why I’m proud to say, I’ve knitted a pair of socks which are not only wearable, but they go with the rest of my colors and do not stick out like a the famous sore thumb. Now sock knitting is on my agenda,  I will knit, green, navy, mustard, brown and coral socks. I will knit socks in all other colors than grey. I can do it, I master the sock knitting game. It’s never to late to bury the I cant’s !!!

Now my socks goes with the rest, it’s all in the details.

 

Until next time

Kari

 

Spring capsule for a northener

 

Spring is here, well at least on the calendar. Reality however is completely different, outside it’s winter and snow. We’ve had a Siberian cold front the past week, the Beast from the east as it also has been called. In Bergen we got new cold record for March -12 degrees Celsius  (10 F) One place in Norway it was -42 C, which is about -43 F, I wouldn’t want to be there. The beast has not only struck in Norway, all Europe has been frozen. Actually it has been colder in Rome than in Bergen. Further down in Europe it must have been terrible, as they often don’t have houses built to handle this kind of extreme cold. For us it’s been Ok, we’ve had some really nice and sunny days. Once the wind stopped we had some lovely, crisp winter days and in the middle of the day we could actually feel the sun warming. Of course we long for spring, snow and ice is really not what we prefer this time of year. We do want to walk around in shoes again, but looking at the weather forecast it won’t happen anytime soon. So here’s what I’ve picked for my spring capsule so far.  Scarves, bags and jewelry not included I’ve ended up with 41 items. Both for home and for more dressy events.

TOPS

1 Navy tank top – Nu by Staff,  many years old

2 Navy linen tee – Claire, from last year

3 Coral camisole – Kettlewell colors, new

4 Cream long sleeved tee – Days like this, new

5 Coral V neck tee – Hanna (PM) from last year

6 Green (yes it is green) tee – Malene Birger, new 50% off

7 Cream light weight sweater – Second Female, old

8 Navy light weight sweater – Oxmo, last year

9 Coral Cashmere sweater – Woolland, new, 50% off

10 Orange red hoodie- Tiger of Sweden, new, 50% off

11 Cream blouse – Fransa, from last year

12 Navy, merino wool button up – Woolland, last year

13 Navy blazer – Massimo Dutti, many years old

14 Navy blazer – European Culture, many years old

15 Olive blazer – Pen and ink, last year

16 Coral blazer – Gustav, new 50% off

17 Navy cardigan – Holly & Whyte, Lindex, last year

18 Hazel brown, suede coat – Lexington, new

19 Burnt orange long cardigan- Haust- new 70% off

20 Forest green cardigan – Woolland, new 30% off

21 In addition my beloved hand knitted sweater. Åsemors kofte as this sweater is called.

I know, I’m a sucker for blazers, why would I have 2 navy blazers in the capsule? They are very different one is more a outerwear piece and the other is more like a cardigan.

My base color is navy, neutrals are cream, olive/green and brown.As you can see I’ve picked hues of coral and orange for my accent color this spring. The tops I’ve chosen is everything from a camisole to my homeknitted wool sweater.

 

BOTTOMS

22 Dark blue jeans – Five Units – old

23 Blue jeans – Floyd, old

24 Navy sweatpants – 2nd one, old

25 Olive sweatpants – Global funk, old

26 Burnt henna draw string pants – Kaffe, new 70% off

Can you tell I hate buying jeans and pants???  I’m looking for a pair of green pants/jeans. I also want a skirt, either a navy, green or brown leather one.

SHOES

27 Cognac boots – Timberland, many years old

28 Winter boots- Timberland, last year (and yes I need them a couple of weeks more)

29 Brown booties – Unisa, new 70% off

30 Green boots – Roots, new 50% off

31 Cream sneakers – New Balance, old

32 Cognac sneakers – Ecco, old

33 Navy loafers – Paul Green, old

34 Coral ballerinas- Ecco, old

Spring in Norway acquires a wide range of shoes and boots, we need shoes and boots for all kind of weather, from snow and ice to summer temperatures. In addition to the ones on the collage I will probably have to use my trusty rain boots more than a couple of times.

DRESSES

35 Patterned dress – Moves by Minimum, old

36 Olive green shirt dress – Bik Bok, last year

37 Burnt orange dress – Fransa, last year

Yes it’s still with me the patterned dress.

OUTERWEAR

38 Trench coat – Zara, old.

39 Utility jacket – Timberland, old (this is one of my most used items ever. I have worn it probably close to a thousand times and it still looks good)

40 Brown checked raincoat- BRGN, last year.

41 In addition I will also use this autumn/ winter coat from Iben. I have had this coat home on trial a couple of times, but first it was to big and then it was to tight. And when I stopped trying I found the right size on 70% off sale in Oslo last month. Destiny.

I really had some luck on the sale this year and me who thought I missed out on the whole thing being ill most of January. Funny enough I haven’t really been looking that hard, but with the knowledge about both which colors suits me I don’t have to look through a lot of clothes. Also the capsule concept, picking base, neutral and accent colors is very helpful. I know what to look for, and if I buy something in the color scheme I’ve decided to use everything will also go together with what I already own.

 

 

My last purchases, forest green wool cardigan from Woolland, green tee from Malene Birger, green boots from Roots and a spring scarf bought at Mocca Knarvik. Cardigan, tee and boots is a nice addition to my year round capsule.

I guess your spring capsule looks really different from mine, especially if you live a place where it’s actually spring now.

Until next time

Kari

Link ups: Sharing a journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why you should know your colors

I guess most of you can relate to the scenario I’m now going to describe. It’s not real, but I have been in a similar situation several times and so have probably you. Ok here we go.

Jeg er sikker på at mange av dere kan kjenne dere igjen i følgende scenario. Det er en tenkt situasjon, men jeg har vært borti lignende situasjoner mange ganger.

It’s the January sale and i have decided to buy a new coat. I want a nice classic coat that will last for years and one day I find this Gant coat 40% off. It’s still not a cheap coat, but it’s really good quality. I’m a bit sceptic about the color, but the girl in the shop says the coat looks fabulous on me, so I buy it.  After all I’ve been looking for a while, and this is 40% off and it’s Gant. Initial price was $490  and now it’s $295

Det er januarsalg og jeg har bestemt meg for at jeg skal kjøpe en ny kåpe, jeg ønsker meg en klassisk kåpe i god kvalitet som jeg kan ha i mange år. Jeg finner denne grå kåpen fra det kjente merket Gant. Jeg er litt skeptisk til grå kåpe, men ekspeditrisen en ung dame som ser helt fantastisk ut forsikrer meg om at jeg virkelig kler denne kåpen. Jeg har sett etter kåpe en stund, den ser fin ut der jeg står i prøverommet. Den er fremdeles dyr, men det er tross alt en Gant kåpe og det er 40% på den. Det er også den siste igjen i min størrelse og de fyker ut ifølge ekspeditrisen. Den har kostet 3795,- nå er den 2275,-.

When I come home I realize I actually don’t have much that goes with this coat. I need scarf for the coat. After all I do live in Norway where we have real winter. I search on Pinterest to get inspiration. And fall in love with the grey and burgundy outfits. This is how I want to style the coat.

I go out searching for a scarf, I find a beautiful burgundy, but it’s insanely expensive it’s almost $130 on sale. I leave it and find another nice one for only $25, but then I find this really cute hat and it doesn’t go with the cheaper scarf, so I need to go back get the expensive one too. Now I have the perfect outfit. Or do I??

Så er det ut på jakt etter et skjerf som passer til kåpen. Jeg finner et helt nydelig burgunder skjerf, men det koster nesten 1000 kroner så det går jeg fra og finner et jeg liker som bare koster 199. Så begynner jakten på en lue. Jeg kan ikke finne en eneste lue som passer til det billige skjerfet, så jeg må til slutt gå tilbake å kjøpe det dyre skjerfet som passer perfekt med en fin lue jeg fant. Nå har jeg det perfekte antrekket, eller??

I’m ready to go out in my new winter outfit, but this day it’s really icy and the boots I planned to wear with this outfit don’t handle icy conditions and I most likely end up with a broken hip if I use them. The only boots I own that’s safe in these conditions stands out like an eye soar. I need new boots and actually I need a new bag too, because none of my bags work with this outfit.

Da er jeg klar til å ta i bruk min nye vinterkåpe, men akkurat denne dagen er det ganske isete og de støvlettene jeg hadde planlagt å bruke er fryktelig glatte og jeg har ikke lyst å brekke lårhalsen. Mine Timberland skoletter som har gode såler passer jo ikke til og egentlig har jeg ikke en veske som passer heller…..

Time flies they are starting to get sold out for winter boots, it’s difficult to find the perfect pair in my size. In desperation I end up with a pair of black over the knee boots. They are suede which is not very practical where I live, but they have rubber soles. They don’t come cheap they are $233 on sale, but luckily I found a nice burgundy bag for only $39.

Tiden går og de begynner å bli utsolgt for støvletter, det er vanskelig å finne det perfekte paret i min størrelse, i desperasjon ender jeg opp med et par semskede over kne støvletter. Semsket er ikke så veldig praktisk på Vestlandet, men disse har gode såler. De er ikke akkurat billige de koster 1895 kroner, men heldigvis finner jeg en fin burgunder veske til kun 299,-.

It’s February and I finally found all I needed for this new coat. The total amount I’ve used is $722, but I guess it’s an investment. It’s a lovely sunny day first time I finally wear the coat. I meet up with some friends, no compliments in fact a couple of my friends looks at me and ask if I feel ok. I look so tired and pale they say with concern in their voices. I feel perfectly fine, in fact better than in a long time. So why do I look so pale and washed out? I conclude it’s the burgundy and decide to buy another scarf and hat to go with the grey coat. Back to Pinterest to find inspiration. Maybe pink will be better…

Det er blitt februar og jeg har endelig komplett antrekk. jeg har riktignok brukt 5668 kroner, men jeg regner det som en investering. Det er en solskinnsdag i februar jeg bruker den nye kåpen for første gang, jeg skal møte noen venninner til lunsj. Jeg får ikke en eneste kommentar om mitt nye, fine, dyre antrekk. Isteden får jeg noen bekymrede blikk og spørsmål om jeg føler meg bra. Jeg føler meg helt fin jeg, bedre enn på lenge faktisk, så hvorfor ser jeg da så blek og sliten ut?? Jeg konkluderer med at kanskje det er det burgunder tilbehøret og så går jeg hjem for å finne annen inspirasjon på Pinterest. Kanskje rosa….

Next day I wear my real old, olive jacket and a rust scarf while out on a Sunday walk. I meet one of my friends from yesterday, she compliments me and is happy I feel better. And I even don’t have any make up on!!

Dagen etter er jeg på søndagstur, uten make up ikledd min gamle olivengrønne jakke og med et rustfarget skjerf tullet om halsen. Jeg møter igjen en av venninnene fra i går og hun kommenter hvor fresh og opplagt jeg ser ut.

So why was this such disaster? First of all, grey is a really bad color for me. I known that for a long time, charcoal is ok, but all other greys wash me out. Second burgundy is if  possible an even less flattering color on me than grey. But grey and burgundy is a beautiful combination and it’s so easy to be tempted when you see all the great outfits. Most pinks are not my colors either, so buying pink accessories would not have helped much.

Så hvorfor ble dette nye antrekket som jeg har brukt så mye tid og penger på ingen suksess? Først og fremst fordi de fleste gråfarger ikke kler meg og burgunder er en farge som om mulig er ennå verre enn grått på meg.  Jeg ser ut som om jeg står med en fot i graven om jeg går med burgunder. Men nå har jo grått og burgunder vært veldig i motebildet og for dem som kler det er det en fantastisk kombinasjon. De fleste rosafarger er heller ikke mine farger, så å kjøpe rosa sjal hadde ikke hjulpet så veldig mye.

Having a capsule wardrobe and being much more conscious when I shop is very helpful, I always think if I have at least 5 items at home to go with it. And after having my colors done, wich I payed $300 for, I know what to look for colorwise. I have a core closet in colors which suits me, and accessories in my colors too. So when I the other day found a down coat for $77 in one of my best colors a rust/mahogany color I didn’t hesitate. I have been a lookout for a nice warm coat for a while. I took it home well aware that I didn’t need to buy anything else to make this coat work. It goes with all of my boots, with several of my scarves and at least one of my hats. So total cost for the coat was $77. If I add the cost of the color analysis the cost is $377 so I actually saved $345 opposed to if I’d bought the grey coat. Yes I know it’s a constructed scenario and that the clothes in the example are quite expensive, but even if they had been much cheaper it would still have been a vaste of money, because honestly how many times do you use something that you know don’t suit you?

Heldigvis hadde jeg ikke gjort denne feilen nå, med kunnskapene om kapsel garderobe i bunn så hadde jeg nok ikke kjøpt en kåpe uten å vite at jeg har minst fem ting hjemme som passet til. Og etter å ha vært til fargeanalyse i fjor høst som jeg betalte 1800,- kroner for så hadde jeg ikke sett på en grå kåpe i utgangspunktet. Her om dagen kom jeg over en dunkåpe på salg, jeg trenger en varm kåpe og denne var i en mine beste farger. Den kostet 650 kroner og jeg visste at jeg ikke trengte kjøpe noe annet for å kunne bruke denne kåpen. Den går til flere par støvletter, sjal, hansker og luer. Så totalkostnaden på denne kåpen er 650,-. La meg så for moro skyld legge til kostnadene for fargeanalysen. Da er kostnaden 2.450,-. Så da har jeg faktisk spart 3218 kroner bare på dette ene kjøpet. Ja jeg vet at dette er et konstruert tilfelle og at klærne i eksempelet er ganske dyre, men dette var ting jeg falt for og likte da jeg surfet rundt på nettet for å finne eksemplene. Men uansett om det hadde kostet mye mindre så hadde det likevel vært bortkastede penger, enten hadde jeg rundt å sett skikkelig syk ut i årevis, eller jeg hadde mest sannsynlig følt det var feil for meg og ikke brukt dette antrekket.

Now I use colors I never even considered before, I learned that I’m an autumn and I suit colors like mustard, rust and olive green. In the long run this will save me a lot of time, frustration and money.

Nå bruker jeg farger jeg ikke ante jeg kledde, oker, sennep, rust, oliven. Jeg vet at høstfarger kler meg og at jeg i der lange løp kommer til å spare mye tid, frustrasjon og penger.

So to conclude, if you don’t have any idea which colors suits you and if you recognize  the story about the grey coat, maybe you should consider get your colors done? Knowledge is power also when it comes to knowing yourself.

Så konklusjonen er, har du ikke peiling på hvilke farger som kler deg og om du kjenner igjen historien om den grå kåpe, så kanskje du skal vurdere å ta en fargeanalyse. Kunnskap er makt også kunnskap om deg selv.

Until next time

Kari

 

 

2017 – The year colors reappeared I

Happy 2018 everyone, it’s been more than a month since I last blogged. It has a reason, 2018 started kind of bad for me. 1 of January, I got what I thought was a cold, but as days went by I got worse and worse and I actually ended up in hospital due to my general condition was so bad. Only for one night, to take some tests and see if it was something else than the flu that made me so ill. To be in hospital was like be in heaven for a while, to receive such tender, loving care from the wonderful nurses was actually wonderful. And even if I didn’t get on my feet before 10 days after I got back from the hospital I still feel that the night being cared for and being fed properly made me a little better. It’s not to recommend to have the flu and pass it on to your spouse, if you’re both knocked out by the flu there’s no one there to take care of you,

2017 was a memorable year in many ways.  In August two little baby girls was born 5 days apart and made me a very happy grandmother. They are just the cutest little darlings and even if they easily could be mistaken to be twins they are still very different. It’s funny how early our personality shines through, even a little baby who does nothing else than eat and sleep has a distinct personality already the first weeks of their life. Now at five months they really show their true colors, one is a little monkey, never sit still and she loves to be handled a little rough. The other one, is more relaxed, very talkative and when you look into her big, brown, beautiful eyes you see all the wisdom in the world. She likes to be handled a little more gently than her five days older cousin.

 

 

2017 ble et minneverdig år for meg på flere måter. I august kom to små prinsesser til verden og jeg ble verdens lykkeligste bestefarmor. Som alle bestemødre synes jeg at de er verdens skjønneste og selv om de er såpass like at mange lurer på om de er tvillinger så er de likevel veldig forskjellige. Det er virkelig påfallende hvor tidlig vi utvikler vår helt egen personlighet, selv en liten baby som ikke gjør annet enn å spise og sove har sin helt egen personlighet allerede bare noen dager gamle. Nå når de er fem måneder så skinner personligheten mer og mer igjennom. Den eldste er en liten apekatt, i konstant bevegelse og hun elsker å bli herjet med, hun smiler omtrent hele tiden og nysgjerrigheten lyser av henne. Den yngste er litt mer rolig og bedagelig anlagt, hun er veldig pratsom og når man ser inn i de store, brune øynene så ser man all verdens visdom. Smilene kommer litt sjeldnere, men når hun smiler så lyser hun opp et helt rom. Hun liker å bli behandlet litt mer forsiktig enn sin fem dager eldre kusine.

I could go on and one about my two little sweethearts, but I’ll better stop here. So what else made 2017 a memorable year? Well it was the year I discovered the capsule wardrobe concept and last, but not least the year I found my true colors. It has made such an impact on me and I find myself more and more interested in the topic. Using the right colors can make you a better version of yourself. After years in black colors has taken over my wardrobe and not just any colors, but my true colors. When I think back it all started in February when I bought the home knitted sweater in ochre and off white. Suddenly I got tons of compliments about how well I looked. I was attending a course at the time, and all 18 persons there complimented me, everyone from the 20 something shy young man to the 70 year old very energetic woman. I was so surprised  and concluded it had to be the ochre color, as nothing else was different. I went home and dug out my color swatches from the color analysis I had in the 80’s to see if the ochre color was there, but no. Something was off, I never really fell to ease with the Spring colors given me back then, and you all know that black kind of took over the fashion world for years and years. We were literally dragged into a black fashion hole.

Jeg kunne holdt på i det uendelige om mine to små øyenstener, men nå skal jeg gå over til temaet. 2017 var også året jeg oppdaget konseptet kapselgarderobe eller basisgarderobe, noe jeg har skrevet om mange ganger før, og sist og ikke minst var det året jeg fant fargene mine. Det har vært så interessant og jeg blir mer og mer interessert i dette emnet. Bruker man de rette fargene så blir man rett og slett en bedre versjon av seg selv. Etter mange år i svart har nå fargene kommet inn i livet mitt igjen, og ikke hvilke som helst farger, men mine farger, de rette fargene. Egentlig begynte det i februar da jeg kjøpte en Fanakofte i oker og natur. Jeg gikk på et kurs da og en dag hadde jeg på meg Fanakoften. Jeg har aldri fått så mange komplimenter før, alle 18 på kurset fra den sjenerte unge mannen i 20 årene til den energiske eldre damen på rundt 70 ga meg komplimenter. Jeg skjønte ingenting, men fant ut at det måtte være okerfargen som gjorde utslaget for ellers var jo ingenting forandret fra uken før. Jeg gikk hjem og gravde frem fargeprøvene mine fra min fargeanalyse på 80 tallet, men okerfargen var ikke der. Her var det noe som ikke stemte, egentlig slo jeg meg aldri helt til ro med Vårfargene jeg fikk da, og som vi vet tok jo svart over hele moteindustrien i årevis. Vi ble bokstavelig talt dradd in i et svart motehull.

 

 

Just an example of how colors can either do you justice or drain you completly. These 2 pics was taken the same day. I have the same make up, it’s the same light conditions. So why do I look fresh on one photo and totally washed out on the second? It’s because of the colors. Black washes me out, look at my hair, this photo screams tired middle age woman in despeate need for a hair color. 

 

I guess most of us has a lot of black in our wardrobes, we have been brainwashed to believe that black is the ultimate basic color, and that all of us should own a little black dress, a black blazer, black pants, skirts etc. What we haven’t been told is that black is a really difficult color to pull off for the majority of us, the same goes for pure white, actually that’s even less flattering on most of us than black is. I will talk more about colors and my experience with the color analysis in my next post, so stay tuned if you find it interesting.

Here I am in black and white, but this i a more cream white which is my kind of white. Even if the dress is mostly black I still think it works because of the colors of the birds in the pattern. I’ve always felt this dress is right for me even if it’s black. This dress is so versatile, my dream is to find a  dress as versatile, but in my colors. 

 

Jeg antar at de fleste oss har mye svart i garderoben, vi har rett og slett blitt hjernevasket til å tro at svart er den ultimate basisfargen og til å tro at vi alle bør ha den lille sorte kjolen i skapet, at vi bør ha en svart blazer, svart skjørt osv. Hva omtrent ingen har sagt noe om er at svart er en farge de færreste kler, det samme gjelder ren hvit, det er om mulig en enda verre farge for de fleste av oss enn svart. Jeg skal skrive mer om farger og om min erfaring med fargeanalyse i neste blogg.

 

Until next time

Kari

 

 

Home knitted in the snow

Finally we had a day with nice weather and the opportunity to have a photo shoot. My friend and photographer Kari had the late shift in her store so before she went to work, we took advantage of the nice weather and the light. We even have snow, which is not very common here. Everybody think Norway has a lot of snow in the winter, and that’s true some places. I live on the west coast where we’re more used to rain in winter than snow. However if we drive an hour or two away from the coast we can find our winter wonderland.

 

Hat- homeknitted. scarf – Rosenvinge, sweater – Åsemors kofte, homeknitted, jeans – Fiveunits, boots – Timberland

 

I took up knitting again this year, and I have knitted a lot, mostly bunnies. I like to knit small things, so I decided to knit myself a new hat or two. This green one I finished late last night to have it ready for this photoshoot. The sweater is also home knitted, but not by me. I had someone knit this for me. In Norway we do love our home knitted sweaters, we have a lot of beautiful traditional patterns. We call these sweaters for kofter. This is not an old traditional kofte, but a quite new pattern made by one of the best knit designers in Norway Sidsel Høivik. Åsemors kofte is the name of this sweater.

It has a lot of pretty details, and a very unusual color combination and I love it. It’s one of my go to items this winter, and it’s a piece of clothing you have and wear for decades.

It’s advent, only 12 days left to Christmas and the snow really gets us in Christmas spirit. I’m so happy I bought these Timberland boots, they are so warm and comfortable, and  waterproof. They also have good soles so they handle icy conditions quite well.

Our house is decorated for Christmas and I almost finished the gifts, now I just need to wrap them. This year we will be 11 for Christmas eve, which is the most important day for us. That’s when we have our traditional Christmas dinner and open the gifts. It’s my first Christmas as a grandmother. Both my little princesses will be about 4 months old at Christmas, can’t wait to see them. Soon…

I have thought about writing a post about our advent and Christmas traditions and also show how I decorate for Christmas. I hope to get to do it soon.  The past weeks I’ve not been that well, it feels like all energy has left me, but slowly now I feel my energy level is increasing. Cross my fingers.

 

I wish you all a lovely advent, don’t stress to much, but take the time to enjoy this beautiful time of year.

 

Until next time

Kari