Legacy linen: Making gifted clothing one's own

Remember Gisele, my ultra-minimalist friend who decided to upgrade her entire wardrobe? 

When I remarked that her "before" linen pieces were "perfectly good" (Mom, in my head forever), she gave me three: a sleeveless dotted-linen tunic; a beige 3/4 sleeve top, and a blue-and-white striped shirt dress. Aside from several pendants, she wears no jewellery; scarves serve only as outerwear. 

I spread her clothes on my bed and wondered, Could I make Gisele's gifts mine? A scarf was my first thought, but even a linen one would be hot on our stickiest days.

Left to right: navy dots, flax and pale blue stripe

They sat in my closet till a heat wave brought 35C temperatures, and then I thought, Now or never.  

The dots (Bella Amore)

Gisele told me to wear a navy tee underneath; I felt a layer of interlock would defeat the cooling effect. Arms be damned, I went for it. To get enough colour for me, I loosely knotted a small linen scarf around the neck. 

The scarf broke up the repeating-dots pattern and enlivened the quiet palette. The tunic has a slight flare at the bottom and fits well over summer-weight pale blue cropped jeans.

The top (Vivid Linen)

This classic 3/4 sleeve top fits neatly. What I thought was beige shows, in direct light, a green undertone. Any scarf felt heavy on its high neckline, but it sure needs something to break up that dun-coloured swath. I tried three necklaces:

Left: Brass, amber and stone necklace made from vintage elements by friend Susan Luke-Hill.
Centre: Alexandra Tsoukala "Essilp" ribbon necklace (like wearing air!), a gift from friend Beth; coral ring in both from Argent Tonic. 
Right: Necklace of freshwater pearls with aquamarine and tourmaline beads from Artwork Gallery by Collins and Chandler. Silver rings by Vivienne Jones; silver "Bud" hoops by Shirley Park.

Almost any necklace works with the top; without a necklace or scarf, this flax colour isn't the best, given my "Winter" complexion. 

The striped dress (unbranded)

Though it has the most colour, this shirtdress was the hardest to zhuzh, but it's loose, knee-length cut and oversized chest pockets made me keep trying.

Left, first try: a rope of small South Sea pearls (Kojima Pearl) and a big moonstone ring (jeweller now closed). This looked wan; even the South Seas, casual in this size, did nothing for it. I tried some brighter necklaces and re-learned the lesson that there's harmonious contrast and then there's a loud honk: bright on soft colour felt jangly.

I pulled out a necklace bought nearly thirty years ago from Rosalind Wolchuk, a Winnipeg artist who sold her designs at Toronto's One of a Kind craft show. The various freshwater pearl shapes and sprinkling of tanzanite beads made it a keeper. I added a handmade silver chain (Artwork Gallery by Collins and Chandler). Silver earrings at right, by John Hardy, about thirty years old.

The other adjustment was to re-open the placket to get a deeper neckline. Gisele had her tailor stitch it closed to the top button, but it was too "chokey" on me. What a difference!

I would not have bought any of these pieces; my linen tops are deep pink, dusty turquoise, and black—yet I like them now. They are "neighbourhood clothes", ideal for the market or a coffee date.  

Have you successfully nudged gifted clothing closer to your own style? How did you do it?