Pickle brine and burgundy wine

Unlocking a new (for me) color combo.

It’s a new year, Hautties!

I’m not usually one for setting resolutions or goals. However, like many, I’m enamored by

Mandy Lee @oldloserinbrooklyn

and love the idea of her 75 Hard Style Challenge. It’s absolutely something I plan to dabble in to get creative with the good stuff already in my wardrobe and curb my spending (*sobs and deletes Depop*).

Today’s newsletter is a sort of micro edition of Silly Little Outfits as I haven’t really been documenting anything over the holidays. My days recovering from the festive season have been spent reading, writing, and lounging in the sun, so getting dressed has taken a lower priority.

Scenes from the Australian festive season with friends. Yes, that's me being a menace and double-fisting a jello shot and a glass of wine.

For 2025, I’ve been musing about playing with more color, an often-ignored element within my current wardrobe. I don’t need to bore my readers yet again about Melburnian style lore and that seasonal color analysis is bullshit. I’ll always love wearing head-to-toe black and will probably never be a pink or pastel girlie, but I’m leaving restriction in 2024, opening myself up to explore new hues.

Last year, I completely milked a color combo I dubbed choc banana Chupa Chup - browns, butter yellows and buttercreams. Now, I’m venturing further across the color spectrum, with a new favorite: pickle brine and burgundy wine. I know I could just say burgundy but where’s the fun in that?

Altuzarra SS24, Miu Miu FW23, Acne Studios FW18, Prada SS96, Saint Laurent SS25

In December, I bought the FLORE FLORE Esmé Tank in the pickle colorway, dreaming about wearing it with the burgundy leather Victoria Beckham skirt I got second-hand in Japan. I styled it with the Zara foldover boots that were a gift for my last birthday and the hero piece of my Tokyo pre-loved shopping trip - the chocolate doe-print coat. As it’s high summer in Melbourne, this look is sadly hypothetical and will be stored in the vault for cooler temps.

Thinking about dressing for the current climate, I further explored inserting the pickle tank into outfits where I’d usually opt for a black or neutral top. In December, I also scored this archival silk Marni skirt (FW03) with colorful plastic spots sewn on after months of lusting after it from Guzzi Archive - one of my favorite Aussie sites for sourcing vintage goodies. The embellishments perfectly tied into the color scheme, which I doubled down on with my Bottega Jodie bag.

For this picture, I’ve got on some old Marc by Marc Jacobs gold and silver python scale platforms (circa 2016). A few days later, I ended up wearing this combo IRL to dinner at Yakimono and drinks at Mid Air with my friend visiting from London, though had to swap for some less exciting black platforms. The Marcy Marcs are currently in the repair pile with a broken buckle, but now I have some inspo to kick my arse into gear and finally get them fixed (Melbourne folks - On The Mend in Fitzroy is my go-to cobbler. They also do handbags.)

Mid Air

After playing around with these looks (and getting exasperated as I still have no idea how to photograph myself. I used an Octobuddy here, which I found to be a total piece of shit) the final OOTD became the tank and handbag with my Phisique du role linen checkered trousers, and Saint Laurent Tribute sandals.

Pickle brine + burgundy wine + rust. The term “New Year, New Me” can get in the bin, but really, 2024 Kayla would never.

Sharing some of my favorite reads on color below. I’ve probs mentioned a couple of these before, but they are so good that they bear repeating.

Playmobil-core

sanzo wada-approved color combos to break you out of a winter rut

Color Combinations I Love of Food Pairings I'd Hate

I Feel Prada in This Dentist's Office