Last month we visited friends in hot and dry Arizona, which is where these photographs were taken. This is one of the outfits I wore and it was breezy, yet sufficiently covered for the harsh desert sun. I was very comfortable as long as we weren’t in air conditioning. All the items are new, which is unusual since I prefer to remix new items with older wardrobe pieces.
The white eyelet empire blouse was love at first sight. The silhouette may seem out of character at first, but actually it’s sufficiently crisp, woven and structured. It has the elements of my beloved button-down shirts, making it less of a stretch than you might expect. It reminds me a bit of an Anne Fontaine shirt, which is probably what drew me to the style. I love cotton eyelet, the fitted sleeves, the prettiness of the silhouette, the perfectly neat shirt collar, and the straight lines of the knife pleated peplum that make it look more architectural.
The flat back of the style is genius, because it prevents the silhouette from billowing out too much from the side view. I can wear a nude-for-me bra without it showing through the eyelet, so no camisole required. In fact, I think the outline of a camisole ruins the lines of the blouse. That and the ventilation of the peplum and eyelet fabric means it’s definitely a piece reserved for hot days.
I couldn’t be happier with the higher rise Resolution slim straight skimmer jeans by Gap. They are extremely comfortable, super soft, and not as tight as sausage casing skinnies. Their slim fit adds structure that complements the voluminous eyelet blouse nicely, which is why I debuted the pieces together. I did not roll the hems of the jeans because I prefer them at this length when pairing them with ankle strap footwear.
Ankle pants were made to wear with ankle strap footwear because the combination closes the gap. That’s why I chose my Franco Sarto Holt flats for this outfit. They are “my sandals” because I like closed toe shoes with open heels in Summery weather. The white toe boxes work well with the white shirt. The low-contrast straps, which are low contrast against my skin tone and the jeans, lengthen the leg line.
I would generally have preferred to fully or partially tuck the top to lengthen the leg line from the hips up since I’m wearing flats with ankle pants. But that isn’t possible with this blouse. The low contrast between the top, jeans and footwear is what makes this outfit just flattering enough because the horizontal lines are very subtle. A high-contrast untucked black top would have broken the vertical line and made me feel short in the leg.
I finished off the look with a rusty red suede ombré clutch from Zara. The suede is adequately casual. The shape of the clutch adds a graphic touch, which tempers the Boho effect of the blouse. The inexpensive straw cowgirl hat was purchased on our trip, and I’m THRILLED with it. For years I’ve been looking for a fun straw hat that fits my very small head. I stumbled across this one in a kids size and it’s perfect. It offers fab protection from the sun and does not create hat head. A very well spent $17. A watch, wedding ring and my only pair of prescription sunnies are all the extras I need to complete the outfit.
If you asked me last year whether bohemian tops, high-waisted ankle length jeans and a cowgirl hat would be on my shopping list in 2015, I’d have said that’s highly unlikely. But here I am going Boho Lite for Summer. It feels fresh and panders to my need to wear soft and pretty things. As long as I can incorporate crisp, polished and tailored components into the outfit, it works for my style.
