One of the biggest problems I had when I began covering was matching my scarves to my outfits. I had scarves; I had clothes. Making them mesh felt incredibly awkward.
Oh sure, a few combinations were fine, even great. When things obviously matched it was terrific. But I had so many that felt… not like they didn’t match, but like two scoops of different flavour ice cream. Plop plop, one on top of the other. Great for ice cream, not my favourite for fashion.
So what can we do to harmonise what we wear?
The most reliable way to deal with this is to treat the scarf or hat like your handbag or shoes. Have standard colours(that match your shoes and bag!), match your outfit, or use it to give your outfit a pop of colour.
When a scarf matches an outfit perfectly.
Standard colour scarf; can’t you just see a white bag or shoes or skirt? (Maybe light brown shoes or bag… or they could incorporate both. But not, say, lime.)(I would love to see this with some fantastic maroon or burgundy shoes and a matching Bible bag… because this lady is at services.)
Rocking some colour. Paired with a plain denim chambray shirt and extending the attitude with ridiculously, delightfully long earrings and chrome aviators, this lady is explicating to those who see her that she doesn’t tolerate nonsense or tastelessness. Life is short. Wear orange turbans.
Another possibility is to draw colours from one into the other, and vice versa. Wear a necklace that matches your scarf. Add a brooch to your tichel or hijab that matches your outfit, or your bag. Interwrap your headscarf with one that matches your outfit.
Use your makeup to work colours in that your wardrobe simply isn’t working for. Much cheaper and very simple.
Or just enjoy your two scoops life. If the colours don’t hurt the eyes together, perhaps you’re overthinking it, and you could enjoy a little more colour. Ask a friend to take a selfie from a bit further away than normal, then take a break and come back to it with fresh eyes. (Black headscarves get really boring, and really hot. Ask me how I know!)
This young lady clearly isn’t hurting from being banana and strawberry.
Her expression says, “We already know I’m dressed to kill. Now can we move on to more important things?”
One thing that definitely makes a difference is making your scarf look intentional: wrap it carefully with a lovely kind of wrap, pin it well, put a brooch on it, make it look cared for and not like you flopped your hair into a square yard of cloth. (Guilty!)
Another possibility is matching like prints. Check these out:
Scarf and jacket are different, but similar.
Polka dots are very easygoing. Even with orange, especially when you put on orange lipstick for them.
These prints are like siblings, more similar than different.
If all else fails do what the Queen does. Staid but reliable.
Ultimately, you can’t force things you don’t feel are right together. Trust yourself. Check colours together in daylight, too. But colour is your friend. I know from experience that every colour has a place in this world, a place where it looks utterly lovely and suitable.
How do you match your coverings to your outfits? What about anything you wear underneath to keep things decent?
Shalom,
Covering Style 