Love is anterior to life,

Posterior to death,

Initial of creation, and

The exponent of breath.

—Emily Dickinson

I never thought I’d be into sweaters, but besides the navy and white Philosophy pullover and off-white Elie I bought for Christmas I also bought a green Tommy Hilfiger cable net pullover the other day, a gray and white winter print one from H & M online, and a navy blue Valentine’s Day sweater .

Sunday I was even inspired by an African-American woman I saw in an off-white knit pants set, long peach and white scarf, yellow sneakers and peach velvet purse.

Today, I decided to mix it up with a black vintage cardie over a white button-down from Target and a pair of print sweatpants from Nordstrom.

Ultimately, I feel I’ve turned into a new-fashioned sweater girl!

Even though I used to hate black because so many people use it as their go-to shade it’s become passé, I found a way to make my peace with it. Instead of wearing it head-to-toe I can add a pop of color, mix it with white or wearit according to a theme, such as beat chic or Chanel cool.

Today, I went slightly beatnik by coordinating a black turtleneck sweater, from H & M, with a pair of beige Dickies chino pants. I then topped it with my vintage black leather motorcycle jacket.

Perfect, against the blustery cold weather, the black garments me feel strong, safe and warm enough to withstand the urban battles I dealt with today. I can’t say this slight change of view has turned me into a huge fan of black but it has made me appreciate what the color can do for me when I need an extra boost.

This morning, when I woke up, and contemplated what to wear, I knew I wanted to wear the navy-blue and white striped Philosophy pullover sweater I bought for Christmas but initially I didn’t know what to wear it with, until I remembered and found all of my blue and white print pants. (I even have a blue navy blue and white polka-dotted skirt that would’ve worked if the weather had been a little warmer.)

Besides, my blue and white pants I also have white skinny pants, a white BoHo skirt, a pair of beige Dickies, green, cargo pants and red plaid pants that would’ve worked just as well.

Since it turned out to be such a cold and blustery day, at the end of it, I’m happy the layering and accessories worked and I got another opportunity to dress outside the box.