My style is shifting, and although I don’t have a clear picture of exactly where I want it to go, I know I want a bit of change. First, I’m not enjoying the spike in my hair as much as before, so I’ve been wearing it flat and back with a cowlick sometimes. While I figure out what to do, I’m growing the top a little so that I have more to play with. 

I also feel that my style has been quite tomboy over the last year. Lots of boyfriend jeans with crisp men’s shirts, blazers, motos, baggy knitwear, belts and flat boyish shoes can do that, especially when you don’t wear jewellery, stick to flats, and have super short hair. It’s not that I want to start wearing skirts, dresses and heels more often. Nor do I want to add jewellery to my outfits or wear my hair long. It’s more about amping up the feminine integrity of my outfits with tailoring, visible softness and pretty items. 

This outfit is a step in that direction. I wore it out to casual dinner with friends over the weekend, debuting a new pair of pants and bag that I bought on our recent trip to Hong Kong. The strong horizontal lines across the outfit created by the high-contrast colours, untucked pullover, and flats are not conventionally flattering. A tonal column, heels, and a tucked top would have accentuated the vertical integrity of the outfit. But these days, opting for looks that are just flattering enough is fashionable and quite liberating. 

I pinned a picture of a model wearing a red pullover with a red coat a while ago because I wanted to create a similar tonal effect with my own old red Lady Metro coat from J.Crew. I eventually found a chunky turtleneck sweater in a fluid fit last season. I’ve enjoyed wearing the two pieces together like a modern twinset, especially since this is my year of tomato red.

The satin trousers from Massimo Dutti were an unexpected purchase because they are skinny. I don’t think I would have bought a skinny pair of jeans, but the same silhouette in a soft and pretty satin made the difference. They are feminine because they showcase my curves more than roomy jeans, which is in line with how I am feeling about my style shift. The fact that Greg loved them helped seal the deal. 

The pants do not require a belt to stay up, which meant that I could wear the pullover untucked, plain and simple. Ordinarily I would have felt unfinished and sloppy sans belt, but the vivid colours of the outfit, the structure of the skinnies, and the satin finish of the pants makes the outfit feel dressier and sufficiently pulled together. 

I so wanted to add a light blue bag to my bag capsule this year, but when I saw Furla’s Piper Medium Dome Satchel in a mid-tone turquoise, that was the right blue for me. I especially love it with tomato red, so that’s how I wore it on its first outing. 

I finished off the outfit with flat white workhorse Calvin Klein mod booties because I like the unexpected pop of white, and LOVE the comfort of these shoes. I just duplicated them because fashionable shoes that go the distance are hard to find. (I walked Hong Kong flat in these trusty little darlings without a moment’s complaint.) The skinnies cover the shaft of the bootie, but that’s okay because the hem scrunch helps lengthen the leg line.

The bright colour combination here makes me feel alive, happy and ready for Spring. The skinnies definitely make me feel more feminine. The non-spiky hair, although not as dramatic, feels more ladylike and right for now. The untucked sweater changes things up from wearing a belt with a partially tucked top. I’m feeling good about this small style refresh, and excited to see how things evolve through the year.