Accessories

Red, White & Blue-ty Bundle

Skyrocket Your July 4th Style!

Happy day, reader dearest!

What happens in the US every year around the 4th of July? Sales of red, white and blue clothing skyrocket. (See what I did there? Skyrocket? Fireworks? #punny) I think it’s a pity, because many of those items (Particularly the $5 patriotic tees.) see maybe two wearings and find themselves relegated to the donate bin. That’s a poor use of $5 (A CPW of $2.50 for a tee is no bargain in my book!) and a sad environmental choice.

Let’s solve that holiday style conundrum with a Beauty Bundle. Today, I grabbed a few Red, White and Blue options from my own closet to pull into a festive Bundle to accessorize some basics. (How basic? Super basic. You’ll see!) The blue and white were easy since I am all about blue and white for this summer’s capsule wardrobe. No red? Pink works well too! You don’t have to do the traditional RWB for the 4th. Pink is red. And any color of blue will do! If you are looking for more Independence Day style inspo, check out this, this, or this.

Back to building the bundle. Pull pieces in patriotic colors and shapes. Star earrings? Perfect! A striped scarf? YES! No scarves? I’m willing to bet that you have a red or blue bandana (OR bandanna. Yes, both spellings are widely found!) somewhere at home. Remember, this can be as dressy or as casual as suits your lifestyle. Maybe you do bandanas, sneakers, and stud earrings. If you’re more boho, flat sandals, a tassel necklace and the bandana tied as a headscarf. You do you. That’s what style should be all about!

Here are the basics.

Now let’s see what we get mixing some of those accessories into a white outfit and a blue outfit. I prefer sticking with one color and accenting with a second (and maybe a splash of a third). I find it visually more appealing than splitting your colors and wearing equal amounts of RW&B. That feels like I’m trying to be a flag and should be hoisted on a flagpole. Ouch!

Let’s start with white.

Never underestimate the power of red nail polish and a red lip to finish an outfit! You can find those at any price point at your nearest drugstore or even your grocery store! Too hot for jeans? Or no white blouse? Sub in white shorts or a white tee if that’s more your jam!

Now let’s tackle blue.

I think my favorites here are the white shoes and red flower and the red headscarf look! If you are wondering why I’m repeating the color, it’s all about the Power of Three.

That’s not all!

Obviously, you could wear the white jeans with the striped shirt and the cutoffs with the white blouse and mix and match accessories to your heart’s content. That gives us at least 8 more looks, easily! To crunch the numbers: 2 Tops X 2 Bottoms X 3 Shoes gives us 12 base outfits to accessorize with all the other accoutrements as we please. Whew. That’s oodles of choices! No $5 tee necessary!

How About You?

Can you pull yourself together a RW&B Bundle? What color base would be your favorite? White or Blue? Or mixed? (Your plans for the day might be the determining factor on that one… All white and an outdoor picnic aren’t the best mix!) What might you wear for the 4th? If you are reading from elsewhere, what color combos work for your national holidays? Do people dress in national colors or costume? For what kinds of events? Holidays? Sports matches? Do tell! I love to hear from you…

Stylishly yours,

4 Comments

  • Sally in St Paul

    I had never thought of a color beauty bundle for Independence Day, but it makes complete sense! You’ve inspired me to pull together a RWB bundle for myself, and to look at RWB OOTDs to see what ratios of the colors I like best. This will be an interesting exercise for this week.

    I think my favorite is the first blue outfit, though I would not be able to resist subbing in the pants for some double-stripe action.

  • Leslie Susan Clingan

    Great way to build red, white and blue looks without being over the top with stars, stripes and the flag. I did buy the $5 tees for everyone in my immediate family this year because we are going to do a beach vacay and I want to bribe some random someone somewhere to take our photo in our matching shirts. Have wanted a vacation/holiday family photo for so many Thanksgivings, Christmases, Easters. We won’t even be together officially on the 4th but we will be together in July. Close enough.

    I really like the striped blouse or shirt with the denim shorts. Kind of like a mullet. Business or structured on top and party on the bottom!! Cute look.

    • Liz K

      A family photo sounds like so much fun! It’s been years since we’ve had one; we are long overdue. Enjoy your family time, Leslie, whenever it comes!

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