I have avoided chunky knitwear for the last 20 years for three reasons. First, the garments generally felt too casual. Second, I felt far from streamlined in them. To wear a waist surrendering blouse or shirt in a delicate fabrication that drapes back onto the body is quite different to wearing a thick chunky knit that does not drape at all. And third, chunky knits are often itchy. But when I saw the outfit below at Brandon Sun’s Fashion Week presentation earlier this year, I was unexpectedly smitten, and wanted to emulate the outfit right away. It looked relaxed yet dressy, very flattering, and I love the colour combination. I’ve got the trousers, so all I need is the chunky knit pullover. I might throw in a more punk hairdo too. 

Oooh, how one’s thoughts about an item can change. I believe that we reserve the right to change our opinions, likes and dislikes about all things fashion and style. This keeps our fashion feet moving and our style journeys interesting. 

It just so happens that chunky pullovers, not cardigans or sweater coats, are particularly on trend at the moment. They come in a variety of lengths, weights, silhouettes, neckline styles, colours and types of stitch interest. Some pullovers are more chunky than others. Some are boxy, while others are fitted. Some are tunic length, others are regular length or cropped. Some have heavy stitch interest like cables and some are plain. 

There is no getting away from the fact that chunky knitwear adds bulk. Fine gauge knitwear is definitely the way to go if feeling svelte and sleek is a priority. Fine gauge knitwear is also dressier, more versatile, and easier to layer under a coat or jacket. 

That said, if you fancy giving chunky pullovers a whirl because you had a change of heart like I did, here are six tips to help streamline the silhouette: 

1. Go semi-chunky: Avoid styles with large areas of stitch interest and keep things plain. Choose a weight that is not as heavy. This is why I purchased the Vince style below in ink blue before I ventured into an ultra chunky cabled style. Baby steps!
2. Avoid cable stiches: This type of stitch interest in a chunky knit looks EXTRA chunky.
3. Keep the silhouette tailored: Opt for a fitted style instead of an oversized cut. 
4. Don’t go too long: Keep the pullover short to wear over a skirt, cropped or regular length for trousers. Things feel extra chunky at tunic length. 
5. Keep it solid: Stripes, for example, will add on bulk. 
6. Scrunch the sleeves: I’ve found this to work wonders. Showing a little forearm skin keeps things alluring.

Last but not least, scoop necks and boat necklines are good options for those with a larger bust. 

You can wear chunky knit pullovers with a wide range of skirts, trousers, shorts and jeans. They look especially good with leather bottoms, but I will be wearing mine with wide black wool trousers, jeans, tartan skinnies and possibly a flared midi skirt. 

How do you feel about wearing chunky knit pullovers? Still too chunky and unflattering, or are you going to dip your toes?

Our dear friends Phoebe and Marcus recently took us to see R&B singer and musician, Dwele, at Seattle’s Jazz Alley. We had a super evening! And Greg took these photos just outside the venue before the live performance. 

You’ve seen all the items in this outfit before, now remixed for a different look. I really wanted to wear the lace top that my sweet Papa gave to me for my birthday because I love it so much. It was too cold to wear it with just a camisole, so I layered a white button down shirt underneath it for warmth and a high contrasting “patterned” effect. I left the shirt untucked for a relaxed look, but buttoned it right up to the top to add back in the strictness and some masculinity. I left the sleeves long and un-scrunched, just for a change. 

I first intended to wear this top combination with a black pencil skirt because I liked the idea of the dressy pairing. But I wasn’t happy with that outfit when I tried it on. The skirt combination didn’t look bad, but I’m generally off my pencil skirts right now. So I pulled out my black wide leg trousers and things fell into place. I was instantly happy with this outfit combination because I’m more into trouser silhouettes and flared skirts at the moment. I also enjoyed wearing a somewhat voluminous look both on the top and bottom. 

Finishing off the look with black and white heeled oxfords was a good way to pick up the white of the shirt and bookend the lightest bits in my hair. The animal clutch added a modern touch and a pattern mixed effect with the overlayed lace. Retro specs complemented the lace and softened the masculinity of the shirt. I wore no jewelry other than my wedding ring and an oversized gold watch. 

My outfit was classic from head to toe, with romantic retro and androgyny thrown into the mix. Phoebe was gorgeously on trend in her bright green bod con skinnies, peplum top, high heeled wedges and glam earrings. Our boys looked dashing in their jeans, fab shirts and great shoes. Thanks for the wonderful evening Phoebe and Marcus.

Here’s a sleek pull on bootie that’s a subtle nod to the sci-fi trend. I like the graphic integrity of the silver colour blocking, the one inch circular heel, and the close fit on the ankle. I have not fitted on the ASOS Allure ankle bootie in person, but have a hunch that it will be comfortable because of the elastic inserts and what appears to be a suede-esque upper. For almost $80 full price, it could be worth a try. It would certainly shine up your Autumn outfits and add a fun edge to a jeans, shorts or trouser outfit.

There is nothing that inspires my own style and my general thoughts on style more than watching people on the streets of a city. From Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Vancouver, to Barcelona, Cape Town, Singapore, Zurich, London, Tel Aviv and Paris. I am fascinated by how people of all ages and sizes dress to suit their needs on a daily basis. Whether they are rushing off to work, traipsing kids off to school, having coffee at a cafe, biking, meeting friends, shopping, or going out for supper — I love to observe what people wear in all of these everyday situations. And you see it all. Classic, frumpy, trendy, retro, dated and avant-garde. Sporty, traditional, super tight and super baggy looks too. 

My love for urban style watching is the reason I enjoy street style photography. One of my favourite parts of worldwide Fashion Week coverage is looking at the photos of the fashion that is off the runway. It’s the next best thing if you can’t physically be there. Up to a point. 

YLF forum member Cocolion posted a comment about my interview with Stacy London that made me think more about the relationship between street style photography and actual street style. Commenting on NY Magazine’s In the Cut section, she said:

“Sometimes I look at street style pics and think, “free model, free clothes, free stylist” as in, the publication/website gets free material. Even though I love seeing real people. So many of them looked like models in this feature, it made me appreciate the real looking bloggers like Susie Bubble even more”.

The problem is that street style photography is not a very good substitute for what you actually see on the streets. The style you see in the photographs is very filtered by the selection process of the photographers. Generally, the most dramatic, eccentric, edgy, interesting, daring, on-trend, or fashion forward outfits are the ones that are shot. Or photographers will focus on celebrities, influential fashion industry insiders, models, or people who look like models. Case in point, most of the 50 Street Style All-Stars in this slide show are fashion magazine editors, famous fashion stylists, or models wearing expensive designer items.

Of course, street style photographers aren’t doing anything wrong by filtering street style. Their goal isn’t to create a perfectly representative view of street style. Rather, it might be to draw us in with what they think are unique, aspirational, eye-catching or sensational pictures. And this is inspiring too, especially for designers who are looking for creativity, latitude, and potentially trend setting looks. 

So although street style is not representative of what you really see on the street, I will continue to browse street style sites because it’s fun to do so. It’s eye candy. I love looking at what the big wigs in fashion are wearing. I love to see what it was about an outfit that motivated the photographer to take the photo. My Pinterest board is full of street style outfits that have inspired me in some way, be it the specific outfit combination, or the general concept.

But if I want to be truly inspired by authentic street style in all its wonderful variety, I have to travel and physically walk the streets.