Orange was the color that came after brown – the supposed bridge between earthy grounding and something brighter. October carried it in quietly. But for me, it landed with a strange kind of tension. Not loud, not unwanted, just unfamiliar. It was the one color I had absolutely no idea how to live with.
Because I’ve never, not once, chosen orange.
I didn’t own a single thing in this color. Not a scarf. Not a sock. Not a scrap of fabric. Just one old photo from my early twenties where I wore a bold, high-chroma orange dress that completely overpowered me. It was too much. Too loud. Too bright for my natural coloring.
So going into October, I had no idea what orange would bring. I wasn’t excited. I wasn’t resistant either. Just… open. Cautiously open.
A little orange, just for the experiment
Because I had nothing orange in my wardrobe, I bought a few small pieces. Nothing too extravagant – I wasn’t sure I’d ever wear them again, but enough to experiment throughout the month.
I decided to keep my coat (a soft, muted beige-grey) neutral. It’s October, after all, and colder. But underneath the coat – orange. Tops, accessories, details. I kept my bag and shoes neutral, too, but let orange sit close to my skin.
I don’t dislike orange – I just don’t choose it
Here’s the thing: I don’t hate orange. I actually like it in certain places – as an accent in a room, or when someone else wears it with confidence. It’s a beautiful, powerful, energetic color. Full of joy. Full of life.
But I’ve just never seen it as me.
Given the choice between an orange sweater and a pink one, I’ll always go pink. Orange is simply not the color I reach for. Not because I have something against i, but because it’s not where I naturally live.
And yet… I’m open. I’m curious.
I don’t know what orange will bring me, but I’m listening.
The final chapter of the year
This is the last month of my color project – and that alone feels emotional. A whole year of living with colors. A different shade every month. A different version of myself. I’ve made it through nearly twelve months, and I’m proud. I committed to something creative, intuitive, and often uncomfortable – and I stayed with it.
Orange feels like a strange and fitting finale. A color that still feels unfamiliar, a little too loud for me, and yet maybe that’s exactly the kind of energy I need to close the circle. Not with a color I love, but with one I don’t quite understand.
Something bold. Unexpected. A little bit wild.
Something that asks: what if you tried something that isn’t you… and just saw what happened?
But maybe orange doesn’t need to be worn forever to leave an impression.
Maybe it’s the kind of color that shows up at the end of a long journey – not to settle in, but to spark one last fire before winter.
To remind me that life isn’t always about being comfortable. Sometimes it’s about being surprised.
