Okay, so I decided I needed more red in my life, specifically in my closet. It always felt like such a loud color, you know? Something other people wore, people who were maybe a bit more… out there than me.

Getting Started with Red
First thing I did was just look through my clothes. Predictable. Found exactly one red thing, a really old t-shirt from some event, faded and kinda sad looking. Definitely not ‘fashion red’. It confirmed my suspicion: I actively avoided this color. Why? Dunno. Maybe thought it was too aggressive or something. Or maybe I just associated it with cheap stuff, lots of tacky red things out there.
So, the mission began. I actually went out shopping specifically looking for red items. This felt weird right off the bat. Walking past racks, my eyes just skipped over the red stuff usually. Had to consciously stop and look.
Trying Things On
Tried on a bright red sweater. Looked in the mirror. Felt like a traffic cone. Nope. Put it back immediately. Then I tried a darker red, like wine red? Burgundy? Whatever they call it. Okay, slightly better. Less… alarming. But still felt kinda formal, maybe too serious for what I wanted.
It went on like this for a bit. Picked up red shirts, red scarves, even glanced at some red shoes (but chickened out). It was harder than I thought. Finding a red that felt like me and not like I was wearing a costume was the tricky part.

- Bright reds felt too much.
- Dark reds felt a bit old or too dressy.
- Finding that ‘just right’ red was a pain.
The Breakthrough Item
Then I stumbled upon this kinda muted, almost brick-red jacket. Not screaming bright, not drably dark. It had a nice texture too, not shiny or cheap-looking. I almost didn’t try it on, honestly. Was getting tired of the whole red quest. But I did.
Put it on. Looked in the mirror. Okay… this might actually work. It felt comfortable, it looked decent with the jeans I had on. It wasn’t shouting ‘LOOK AT ME’, but it definitely wasn’t invisible either. Felt like a good balance. I actually bought it.
Wearing It Out
First time wearing it out was nerve-wracking, not gonna lie. Felt like everyone was staring at my red jacket. Probably wasn’t true, just my own head messing with me. But after a while, I kinda forgot about it. It was just a jacket. A comfortable, nicely colored jacket.
Someone actually said “Nice jacket” later that day. Simple compliment, but it kinda sealed the deal. Okay, red wasn’t going to bite me. It was just a color.

Final Thoughts
So yeah, that was my big adventure into wearing red. It wasn’t some massive style revolution for me. I still don’t have a closet full of red stuff. But I’m not scared of it anymore. Found that one jacket, and sometimes I’ll pick up other things in a similar shade. It’s all about finding the specific tone that works for you, I guess. Took some trial and error, mostly error, but got there in the end. It’s just clothes, after all.