My Beige Life

Zara coat (similar)
H&M sweater (similar)
Mavi jeans (c/o)
Zara boots (similar)
Looks Like Summer clutch (similar)
RayBan sunglasses
Celine necklace (similar)
Linjer rings (c/o)
Linjer earrings (c/o)
Location: Winnipeg Art Gallery – Winnipeg, Manitoba

The hashtag #mybeigelife made me chuckle the first time I saw it. I mean, the fact that fashion girls suddenly embraced beige in overwhelming numbers two years ago does seem like a big sartorial joke. (How can you make a fashion statement when you’re wearing the most neutral colour there is?) The life I strive to live is anything but beige – I crave adventure, constant changes of scenery and a neverending supply of new outfits. In fact, when we first moved home to Winnipeg in 2017, I complained (!) about the fact that Winnipeg, as a place, is undeniably beige.

…famous last words. Two years later, half of my wardrobe matches the city.

I can’t pinpoint what attracted me to the so-called beige life initially. I recall hunting for a camel coat for years and falling in love with the shade when I finally found the one, but that didn’t immediately inspire me to start wearing more beige tones. The change was gradual. And, interestingly, when I consider it in retrospect, I think it was subconsciously motivated by my feminist principles.

If the millenial pink trend was about removing the gender-based stigma from the shade, then beige life is about the rejection of conventional ideas of what is beautiful and eyecatching. Beige is the ultimate neutral. It is the wallflower of colours, nearly invisible, the shade people walk past without noticing. When you wear beige in the right way, it almost becomes a challenge – because every time someone takes notice of a beige outfit, you have defied their expectations without saying a word.

When I think of it that way, I know it only makes that I embraced beige life. I’ve always been difficult – a fact that the world never hesitates to remind me. And since describing someone as difficult is really just an uncomplimentary way of saying they are assertive, forthright and capable while simultaneously being female, I know the world is right, in its own way. It just has some catching up to do. In the meantime, I’ll just keep adding more beige pieces to my closet.

Shop the Post