Before the whole blue and black vs. white and gold dress debate, there was the green sweatshirt incident.

I was minding my own business on the playground during morning recess when he cornered me.

“That’s more like an aqua color,” he taunted, pointing to my outfit of choice for St. Patty’s Day. I was wearing my favorite mint green Care Bears sweatshirt that had each bear hanging out on a fluffy cloud. I insisted it was green, but to no avail. I was no match for this class clown who was very gifted in the skill of debate. He had me seeing red as he proceeded to torment me with his book of jokes and pranks and wouldn’t leave me alone until the end of recess, when he disappeared into a hawthorne tree.

What the silly boy failed to understand is that there are different values of color. Value refers to the darkness or lightness of a color. My dear Care Bears sweatshirt happened to be of a very high value mint green versus the medium value kelly green that is usually associated with four leaf clovers and leprechauns.

Banana Republic blouse (similar) / Urban Outfitters skirt (similar) / H&M necklace (similar) / Urban Outfitters belt (similar) / vintage purse (similar) / Nine West pumps (similar)

Green symbolizes harmony, balance, and calm – but perhaps this head to toe monochromatic outfit will inspire some envy too. The monochromatic look is great for helping elongate the figure because of the long uninterrupted silhouette. You may remember this skirt from a past St. Patty’s Day post, but it just so happens to be the luck of the Irish that I thrifted a blouse that matches it exactly. For accessories, nothing beats a beetle necklace – I love how the iridescent hues from the rhinestones complements my head to toe green. Considering my lucky streak, maybe it will continue if I stay up all night.

Whether you recycle, compost, carpool, or smoke it, I’m sure you can agree that nowadays, green is the new black. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!