REDalert Don’t let 2006 be a bland hue year. This winter, resolve youself to go off white (and black and brown and tan and…)

The other day, as I was rummaging through my closet trying to get ready for work, I came to a startling conclusion: Almost all of my winter clothes are black, gray, brown or tan. Oh, and I have an off-white coat, too. Woo hoo! I do own a bunch of colorful tops, but I hardly ever wear them.

I know this isn’t earth-shattering. Surely, I’m not the only person who has this problem. Neutrals are great because they go with everything, they’re easy to mix and match, and they’re universally flattering.

Don’t get me wrong. I was thrilled to hear that black is the new black. But I’d like to think I’m a little more daring than that. So I made a resolution to add more color to my wardrobe in 2006.

I got off to a good and early start during my Christmas vacation. I popped into Marden’s in Presque Isle, where I filled my cart with sweaters in shades of tomato red, Barbie pink and tropical turquoise (of course, I did grab a little black dress too, but it was Betsey Johnson and it only cost $32 – what’s a girl to do?).

In the end, I bought a bright red cowlneck and a frou-frou pink sweater, both by i.e. Relaxed, for $9.99 and $12.99, respectively. I love them.

I also love my new bag, a crazy bird print that I picked up at Country Store Antiques in Trenton for $18. It is fabulous and, unlike my Coach bag, I’m pretty sure no one else has one like it. If the outside isn’t bright enough to shake my winter doldrums, all I need to do is look inside at the lime-green silk lining. Long live vintage!

And long live Old Navy, which was practically giving stuff away on my last visit (a three-pack of undies for $1.79? In the words of Elaine, Get out!). I mulled a maroon velvet shirt, a filmy pink and silver lace top and a funky graphic T-shirt before settling on a pair of cream-colored velveteen pants (hey, you can’t go from all black to fuchsia pants overnight, folks). They only set me back $13.99.

I almost scored another pair of ridiculously priced pants at Filene’s. My friend Kristin introduced me to the wonder of Jeanstar, but the clearance corduroys were a little too high-waisted for my taste, so I skipped them. I did drool over the i.e. Tailored quilted jackets (plum – could it be my new color?) and the Valerie Stevens cashmere sweaters, though.

At Gap, I was prepared to buy a sapphire-blue pocket sweater ($19.99) until I noticed the tiny hole at the neck. I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy the same style in a pink, red and white stripe. I popped into New York & Co., where the sales were great, but nothing I wanted came in my size except for a pair of gray pants – and it’s way too early to start breaking new year’s resolutions.

Plus, I need to set aside a little bit of cash. I’m trying to save up for my one, big, coveted splurge of the season – a fur-trimmed Marmot ski parka at Epic Sports. It’s warm. It’s superstylish. And the best thing? It’s claret red. Not black. Not brown. But red. How 2006.

ShopNotes

. In last week’s best and worst list of 2005, I mentioned 7 for All Mankind jeans and 7Seven jeans in the same paragraph. For the sake of fashion – and clarification – they’re not the same brand.

. Speaking of jeans, all you Christopher Blue fans can now find the brand at The Grasshopper Shop in Bangor.

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