When I was apartment hunting in NYC last fall I popped into the bookstore inside Chelsea Market and picked up a book called Confessions of a New York Taxi Driver for the plane ride back to London. It was the perfect light-hearted read for my travels, and being peppered with tit-bits on New York’s history it made for an enlightening read, too. One of those tit-bits was around the final service of the city’s now iconic Checker taxi cab in 1999. At the time, I remember thinking to myself how I’d love to style a photo shoot with one of the vintage vehicles. So, when Coca-Cola Freestyle invited me to style an outfit inspired by one of their low no calorie drink offerings, I hailed(!) my chance. Click through after the jump to read my tips for wearing yellow and how it can help you live on the light side of life!
Yellow is best pals with blue. FACT! It’s no secret that these two hues are my favorites from the color spectrum, but many people often tell me while they feel comfortable when it comes to wearing blue, they struggle with working yellow into their outfits.
The key to making yellow ‘work’ in an outfit is to temper it with a blue foil. In this outfit I opted for a hero yellow sweater worn underneath a vintage-look stonewashed denim jacket.
The texture and worn-in look of the jacket adds depth and a change in visual tone to the soft and clean vibrancy of the yellow jersey sweater. It’s this contrast that gives the overall look edge and interest.
As my outfit was inspired by Dasani Lemon flavored water, I swung by Five Guys to use the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.
It’s kinda awesome that you buy a cup and then have more than 100 drink choices to choose from. Just pick your category, such as the low no cal option, then choose your drink from the 70+ options in that group, before pressing ‘Push’ to pour. Simple!
Try it out for yourself by finding a machine in your neighborhood, here.
With my cup of Dasani Lemon flavored water I was ready to head back to the Checker cab – yellow balloons in hand, of course! I mean, any excuse to accessorize an outfit with balloons and I’m there. Balloons = #MakeYouSmileStyle, for sure.
This shows how the block of yellow works well as the hero item in the outfit. I only referenced the yellow again via the flash of hue in my shoe laces. This is all that’s needed to help pull everything together. If I had worn, for example, yellow shoes it would have been too matchy-matchy.
That moment when you literally can’t move in the cab because of too many balloons!
I do love how primary colors pop against one another so vividly. The fact that the checker pattern on the cab matched that of the cup made me smile too. It’s weird how incidental graphic matches like that bring me so much joy, but they do!
When wearing yellow it helps to work some pattern into your look, too. I chose a dark navy and white striped watch to give a pop of pattern, while a striped under shirt meant I could fold up the sleeves of my sweater to introduce another hit of pattern.
I think you can tell that I was 110% in my element here…!
Whoops! I was caught grammin’. Be honest, wouldn’t you if you walked past this cab?!
Given yellow and blue are my absolute favorites, I didn’t pass up the opportunity to spread my #MakeYouSmileStyle approach via the back window of the cab. Here’s hoping that this swish of passing yellow and bright balloons made others on the road smile as much as wearing yellow made me smile!
With the cab parked up, it was time to head home. What are your favorite ways to wear yellow? Have you ever taken a ride in an old Checker cab?
| Photography by Jean-Laurent Gaudy | Styling and art direction by Will Taylor | Posted in partnership with Coca-Coca Freestyle; all views my own.
27 Comments
Love the outfit and the checker cab!!
@Jonathon – Thank you! I had so much fun with the cab! 🙂
This.Is.Adorable!!
@Susan – Thanks so much!
Had never heard of that Coca Cola machine…looks fun! Cute post! xo
@Bella – I just discovered them last year when I went to Five Guys for the first time! Now I see them all over the place, even at my local movie theater! So fun.
Awesome that your hired the checker cab Will. Also digging that bold yellow sweater.
@Jack – Right? From the moment I read about them in the book last year I knew I wanted to hire one for a photo shoot!
Will, this is wonderfully thought out and put together. My son moved to Brooklyn last year and his apartment is close by that blue wall in the post! Thanks for sharing another beautiful blog post! Mary
@Mary – My pleasure. Thanks for stopping by! I hope your son is enjoying his time in Brooklyn!
I first came across this machine at a Pickleman’s in Kansas City last year. It is so much fun. My son and DIL are convinced it’s why I always want to eat at Pickleman’s when we visit. I usually work yellow into my wardrobe in the form of a shoe or bag. I am too sallow for more, but even an all grey or blue or black outfit looks wonderful with a bright yellow purse.
@Libbynan – Ha! I love that. Well there are a lot of different drinks to try! 🙂 And, I agree, yellow is perfect for using as a splash of color in a outfit via an accessory!
When I see bloggers wearing shoes like that I can never guess whether they are wearing socks inside… did you wear socks inside? Plz end this mystery for me, Will. You look great btw!
@Soutrik – Thank you! Yes, I wore sneaker ‘pop’ socks that are hidden inside the shoe!
I adore this post – so fun!
I hope you’re having a great time in NYC.
x
@Candy Pop – Thanks! Loving it here so much! x
I’ve always wanted to try wearing yellow, who knew that my blue-based wardrobe would complement the colour perfectly?
I’m having some difficulty finding any shirts or sweaters in a yellow similar to what you’re wearing in your photos. I’ve mostly seen mustard yellow or pastel yellow in shops.
Any tips on where I can find a sweater similar to what you were wearing?
Love your work, keep up the good work!
@Calvin – Thanks for the kind words. I love to read that you have a blue-based wardrobe, too! The sweater I am wearing here is from GAP this season so you can buy it right now! 🙂
I love the way bright colors can really brighten a mood! I do find that yellow can be tricky (and hard to find!), but it’s fun to add a pop now and then. Great photos with the taxi!
xo Charlotte
@Charlotte – Yes, it’s perfect for a splash of energy! 🙂
Blue and yellow are definitely one of the happiest pairings – always reminds me of the beach!
@Josh – Let’s head to the ocean right now!
You are too cute! Love everything about this shoot!
I love this! All of your choices are precise, every detail (from the “pop of pattern” to the scenery) is intentional and your ideas are easily captured and communicated through the images. A keen sense of balance while making a statement is also reflected throughout your blog. Nicely done!
This is a masterclass in colour, menswear, fashion shoot styling, modelling, photography, the creative process ( love that the starting point was the book) and commercial savviness. Thank you so much for my morning shot of inspiration Will.
@Jennifer – Oh, wow, thanks so much for the kind words! 🙂
I love this! All of your choices are precise and every detail is intentional. You know how to balance while still making a statement. Nice Work!