Midwest based Brenna Mari (20) from Chic Street Style is our youngest blogger to date. She just spent an entire semester travelling through Europe, giving us the opportunity to see a well-curated travel wardrobe capsule at work. In fact, five of the six outfits in today’s post were put together with items from her European suitcase. Brenna combines Modern Classics with trendy and preppy touches, occasionally throws a little boho into the mix, AND she loves to wear flats. Always a breath of fresh air! Her style approach has changed since she started college:
“Three years ago, I was just about to enter college, which I believe is a pivotal time for anyone’s style. I think that I have moved from focusing on great pieces to concentrating on enviable style as a whole. I now really challenge myself to create innovative, versatile and stylish looks, using pieces in pleasantly unexpected ways. Today, I would describe my style as innovative preppy with a bold and edgy influence. I have a penchant for collars, a boatload of timeless basics and a ridiculous amount of costume jewelry that tells the tale of my fashion sense.”
Brenna’s long tresses play an essential role here, creating a subtle ton-sur-ton effect with the other shades of brown. Plus, the textural interest adds outfit depth. A lightweight semi-tucked sweater and silk patterned trousers are great choices for a fashionably relaxed polished look on a mild Autumn day. The fluid fits are on trend and no fuss, so you can concentrate on exploring a new city or just get on with your day at home. The print on the ankle zip pants has an oriental feel that is repeated in the pointy toe flats with unexpected animal print detail on the heels. A streamlined cognac bag with gold accents and the gold arm candy look wonderfully rich against the browns. A dainty necklace and big sunnies finish off the look.
Doesn’t this scream Summer! Sporting three neon items and super bright lippie in one outfit is not for the faint-hearted, but Brenna rocks the look. The sparkly confetti sequin T-shirt gets extra oomph from the neon yellow blouse. A glass crystal necklace adds even more girly glitter. Opting for a neutral pump in blush — a hue that closely resembles the lightest colour in Brenna’s tee — provides a resting point among the hectic colour. The low contrast pink also elongates the leg line of the cropped skinny jeans. I particularly love the part leather, part metal chain strap on the hot pink crossbody bag. Together with the zippers, Brenna’s signature stud bracelets and studded pumps are the perfect dose of girly toughness.
Our blogger demonstrates that it is possible to wear short shorts, flats and a longer coat in a single outfit. She achieves visual cohesiveness and great proportions by picking mainly neutral coloured items. Brenna went with black, beige, white and cognac, and then had fun pattern mixing different size polka dots with leopard spots. The black background of the untucked polka dot blouse seamlessly blends into the vegan leather shorts. The timeless trench hits her at a flattering length above the knee. At the same time, the hem of the coat and the hem of the shorts are far enough apart as to not compete with each other. Brenna’s shapely tanned legs make the transition even smoother. Gold metal jewellery, a black tote, chic black-faced tortoise shell watch, bright red nail polish and lipstick complement the look.
Brenna lived out of one suitcase for four months. So, of course, she has a few tips for putting together a versatile travel wardrobe that can take you across several countries:
“The main one is never underestimate the power of lipstick and nail polish to add the perfect punch of color to any neutral outfit. This brings me to my next tip: bring neutrals and dress in layers (creative layers that is). Neutrals go with everything, but a lot of the time people underestimate the chic factor of a completely gray or black look with a berry pout, catch my drift here?”
Brenna is wearing a fab version of Angie’s reinvented skinnies & boots formula. Coated black pants add texture, and are tucked into the kind of tall flat boots you can walk in for miles. The neon yellow blouse comes back out to play and really makes this urban rocker outfit for me. The girly bright juxtaposes cleverly with the tougher feel of the outfit. An on trend military green utility jacket is worn open to showcase the happy yellow underneath. The nonchalantly wrapped camo print scarf continues the laid-back utilitarian vibe. A roomy black tote and mixed metal jewellery are Brenna’s accessories of choice.
Black and white is a strong and impactful neutrals combo in my book. The formfitting sweater dress hugs Brenna’s curves, while the tribal pattern adds tons of visual interest. By adding only one extra colour, texture-rich suede booties and faux leather jacket, our blogger has created a sleek stylish look that really appeals to the minimalist in me. A simple black bag bookends the booties. Their snug fit around the ankle create a streamlined effect. Interesting silver jewellery fits in with the clean colour palette without adding visual clutter. A sweet leather bow bracelet is a very “Brenna touch”.
This final outfit really shows off Brenna’s remixing skills. We’ve already seen the bag, shoes and blouse, but our blogger has a knack for coming up with fresh new ways to wear tried-and tested pieces. Here she pairs the fun polka dot blouse with black faux leather skinnies. The colour brown ties everything together, from the chic tote and delicious animal print slipper flats to the boho vibe hat. The gorgeous collarless coat in shocking orange is undoubtedly the star of the show, it contrasts splendidly with the rich browns, and brightens up even the dreariest of days. The eye-catching oversized tassel necklace is the arty finishing touch.
Let us know in the comments what you think about Brenna’s travel style and clever remixing skills. You can also check out her outfit archive on her blog, or follow her on Pinterest.
