I’ve repeated this outfit a few times this Spring because the tartan trousers are a wardrobe favourite. Also, I can run errands wearing high-top sneakers in the morning, but change into pumps when seeing a client in the afternoon while keeping the rest of the outfit the same. And change straight back into sneakers in the evening for a casual dinner out in our neighbourhood, which means walking up a steep hill from our house. This outfit is flexible, comfortable, and ready for action. 

I’ve had the tartan skinnies for a while — I debuted them at Fashion Week last year. I wear them year round because they are surprisingly versatile and a great weight. Another huge thank you to Greg for insisting that I keep them when I had my reservations the first time I popped them on. Now I can’t imagine my wardrobe without bright tartan bottoms. Although I’ve worn them with a denim shirt and coloured tops, I like these pants best with either a black or white top. So that’s how I’m sticking to wearing them from now on. 

I tried ever so hard to make the on trend sassy sweatshirt work for my style because I really like the concept. But it was a no-go. I felt like I was wearing pajamas no matter how I sliced and diced it because I don’t wear T-shirt or fleece fabrications unless I’m getting ready for bed. So although I’ve helped several clients choose their sassy sweatshirts, I had to move on to my substitute for the trend. A casual crew neck, chunky cotton knit pullover with welts did the trick, and I am so much happier sporting this item as “my sweatshirt”. It’s from Banana Republic’s Monogram collection and was only available in brick and mortar stores. I was drawn to it immediately because with the addition of huge shoulder pads it would be just like an item I wore to death in the ’80s. And nostalgic pieces make me happy. 

As with most of my welted pullovers at the moment, I faux tuck the welt to reveal a portion of my belt. In this case I’m wearing a white belt to create a low contrast with the top and match the shoes. I’ve heard the guideline that you shouldn’t wear more than two pieces of the same colour in one outfit. Perhaps that was meant for non-neutrals? Some outfits do look better when a colour is repeated twice or less. But neutrals are different somehow, or at least I choose to think so.

We need to wear toppers in May because, aside from the occasional gorgeously warm day, most Seattle Spring days are quite chilly. I chose a denim jacket because it’s less harsh than the black I often wear with these pants. This particular denim jacket is twelve years old and I’ve had it completely altered to fit in a tailored fashion. It’s not going to date and I am never passing it onto another home. I like the sleeves left long as well as scrunched. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, I matched the outfit with white pointy toe pumps to dress up the look for a casual appointment with clients, and with white high-tops to dress down the look for errands and a casual dinner out. These new white pumps are wardrobe workhorses, and I can’t believe I managed without them because they work with so much of my wardrobe. Who knew white pumps would be so versatile. 

I finished off the outfit with an old sporty hobo, silver watch, wedding ring, and geek-chic specs. I am very unsporty and bat for Team Dressy, so I’ve surprised myself at how much I’m enjoying wearing aspects of the Sporty Trend. As long as I mix these sporty pieces with dressy items and classics in one outfit, I feel right at home.