Nikol builds her monochrome wardrobe around investment pieces in silk and cashmere - a slip dress, a blouse, a skirt, and wide-leg pants - all in neutral tones like cream, black, and navy. She keeps the look from being boring by varying her accessories: gold jewelry, a colored belt or bag, kitten heels, and even her lipstick color as the finishing pop.
Key takeaways
- Monochrome dressing works best when you build it around a few quality pieces you can mix and match in the same color family.
- Nikol invests in new silk and cashmere pieces because those fabrics are hard to find in good condition secondhand.
- One silk slip dress can become many outfits by layering it under a blazer, jean jacket, or cashmere sweater.
- Accessories - gold jewelry, a colored belt or bag, and your shoes - are what keep a tone-on-tone outfit from looking flat.
- Your lipstick color counts as an accessory too; a bold lip can be the pop of color on an all-neutral outfit.
- A silk skirt and a basic v-neck top can act as a neutral canvas you dress up or down with accessories.
Why does Nikol invest in new silk and cashmere pieces instead of consignment?
Nikol explains that about 95% of her closet is consignment, since she's been intentional about slow fashion for years. The one category she's never had luck with secondhand is silk and cashmere - it tends to arrive ripped or stained, and she doesn't want to put in extra tailoring work for staple pieces she wants to look polished right away.
That's why she partnered on pieces from a sustainable silk clothing brand for this video. She says their philosophy of no waste and only making what they sell aligned with her own approach, and she treats these as investment pieces meant to be worn again and again rather than fast fashion.
What does a cozy, at-home monochrome outfit look like?
Nikol's first look is her at-home, work-from-computer outfit: a cashmere knit set with wide-leg pants and a drawstring hoodie, paired with furry slide mules. She describes it as soft, comfortable, and elevated enough to wear through a day of Zoom calls or a lazy weekend afternoon.
How do you dress up a cream-on-cream monochrome look?
For a more elevated outfit, Nikol pairs a cream bow-tie silk blouse with wide-leg crepe silk pants in the same tone. She finishes it with vintage gold clip-on earrings, a bag she's styled as a clutch, and patent kitten heels - proof that in monochrome dressing, the accessories are what elevate the look.
She points out the blouse itself is versatile: it can be worn under a jacket, with jeans, or dressed up the way she's styled it here.
How can one silk slip dress create multiple outfits?
Nikol styles a silk midi skirt with a side slit over her cashmere sweater, kept to the same cream, nude, and gold palette, with a coral lip for contrast. She calls it an easy, effortless outfit that can go from day to a resort-style evening look.
Her favorite piece is a navy silk slip dress with a scoop neckline. She layers it under a black double-breasted blazer, and notes you could just as easily top it with a jean jacket, a white button-down, or a black cashmere sweater to make it look like a skirt. One dress, she says, can become many different outfits.
What's an easy go-to monochrome outfit for last-minute plans?
For a simple, polished option, Nikol pairs a glossy black silk skirt with a basic silk v-neck tee, treating the pairing as a neutral canvas. She says she'll add a chunky necklace, pop in a colored bag, or belt it, then finish with heels - an outfit she turns to when plans come up last minute.
How do you add a pop of color to an all-black outfit?
In her final look, Nikol pairs black wide-leg silk pants with a silk blouse, keeping the shoes black and letting a matching belt and bag be the color accent. She also adds gold jewelry and a cuff bracelet to keep it polished without overdoing it.
She wraps up by reminding viewers that accessorizing - through a belt, bag, shoes, or jewelry - is the real key to tone-on-tone dressing. She adds that makeup counts as an accessory too, suggesting a red lip could be the pop of color on a black silk top and pants.
Shop the look
Nikol uses Defiance Lip Gloss #62, Beach House Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #122. Explore the lips collection for more of the pro-aging makeup she created for women over 40.
Frequently asked questions
What is a monochrome wardrobe?
It's dressing in one color family from head to toe, built around a few staple pieces in the same tone that you can mix and match.
How do you keep a monochrome outfit from looking boring?
Nikol says the key is your accessories - gold jewelry, a colored belt or bag, interesting shoes, and even your lipstick color can be the pop that makes the look interesting.
What fabrics does Nikol recommend for building a monochrome wardrobe?
She leans on silk and cashmere investment pieces, since she finds those fabrics hardest to source in good condition secondhand.
Can one dress really create multiple outfits?
Yes - Nikol shows how a single navy silk slip dress can be layered under a blazer, a jean jacket, or a cashmere sweater to look like entirely different outfits.
Does makeup play a role in monochrome dressing?
Nikol treats lipstick as an accessory in these looks, suggesting a coral or red lip can add the pop of color a neutral outfit needs.
