A new outfit from Susanne Ackstaller of Texterella, whom we introduced to YLF in October 2019.

An elegant and dressy Spring look that packs a punch and a half. Susanne is sporting wide-legged trousers and a long-sleeved blouse with large-scale floral print. The hot pink trousers are a statement piece that is matched by the exuberance of the vivid floral pattern. A subtle ruffle on the neckline and sleeves adds some textural interest. The hot pink is repeated in the top, while the tomato red pops back up in our blogger’s heeled thong sandals. These lengthen the leg line and peek out cheerily from under Susanne’s beautiful drapey pants. Modern statement red specs and red lipstick tie the entire look together. Finally, Susanne’s sublime short blunt bob adds even more pizzazz.

* Photos by Martina Klein Fotografie, Berlin

Spring and Summer collections are in full swing, and prices in the US are frequently discounted. There are lots of tops and bottoms, a good deal of dresses and knitwear, and some toppers too. Earth tones, frills, ruffles, and ditsy floral patterns have hung around longer than I expected. That said, there is plenty of colour, pattern and silhouette variety too. On that note, here are two top picks for the week.

1. Chaus Tops and Dresses

Chaus tops and dresses are worth a look because price points are relatively affordable, the fits pretty good, the colours and patterns varied, and the quality great. The tops are usually trendy classic, and the dresses modern classic. Most of the items are knitted and made of polyester, which might not be for you. It does make items easy to launder and crease-resistant. Some of my clients do well with Chaus items for a mix of these reasons.

I recently bought a boho-lite Chaus Tie Neck Smocked Blouse and love it. I don’t usually go for paisley patterns, yet fell in love with the colours. It’s a woven polyester that feels like silk. It has a soft knitted lining that is delicious against the skin. It’s nicely made, fits and drapes well, comfortable, pretty, and refined. It works well with my shocking pink denim jacket, skirt, sneakers, loafers and bag, orange utility pants, and blue and white jeans. It’s packed for my trip.

2. Montauk Twill Jacket

There are many, many utility and adventure jackets around in a shade of olive, tan and khaki. But few in colours like orange, pink and off-white. This one from Talbots is unique and gorgeous. Beautifully made, lightweight, 100% cotton, unlined, and machine washable. It’s fluidly structured, and a nice length. The pockets lie flat and are unobtrusive. It’s offered in straight, petite, plus and plus petite sizes. Fits are roomy, so size down if you prefer a narrower fit. I got one in orange, and found that the petite version was a better fit, even for my 5′ 6″ height. The sleeves are short on me, but I don’t mind that for a Summer jacket.

These outfits are for Team Polka Dot, which I suspect is a smaller team than Team Stripe. Polka dots come in all sorts. Large, small, two-toned, multi-coloured, neutral, non-neutral, subtle and bold. I love polka dots. Personally, I prefer my own polka dots two-toned, with white as one of the colours. Apart from an avocado scarf and black satchel, the polka dots in my wardrobe are dark blue and white. I like them both big and small. Here are the items:

On to some outfit ideas. Feel free to create your own versions of these in any colour palette.

1. Dotty Dress

Pull on a polka dot dress in a silhouette that tickles your fancy, and finish it off with a pair of shoes that work with the silhouette. Here, the high-low kimono dress with defined waist is combined with a pair of heeled cognac sandals that match the colour of the dots, and bookend the model’s hair. Simple and striking.

2. Dotty Skirt

This skirt is what I call “polka-dot-lite” because the design isn’t a perfectly round and regimented dot, but rather a loose dot in a loose square creating a similar geometric integrity. That might be how you prefer to wear polka dots. An on-trend olive tiered skirt is combined with a fluid linen olive shirt. It’s tucked to showcase the waistline, which creates outfit structure. The look is finished off with matching flat olive sandals and belt. A canary yellow straw bag complements the greens. An elegantly relaxed and casual look.

3. Dotty Blouse

A two-toned polka dot pattern mixes well with plaids in a similar colour palette, which is what you see here. A dressy navy and white dotty blouse is combined with a dressy pair of earthy plaid cropped pants. The navy and white in the plaid of the pants match the navy and white in the blouse. A forest green topper unexpectedly graces the outfit, and matches a pair of green sling-back pumps. Gorgeous for business casual, or whenever you feel like wearing the look.

4. Dotty Texture

If you prefer dots in one colour, try them as a texture. Here a white eyelet dress is made of a polka dot pattern. It’s like a self-colour polka dot. The expanse of white is broken up with a cognac belt, and adds a waistline to the dress. A shiny gold topper and metallic platform sandals add drama to the look, and further break up the expanse of white. A brown bag that matches the belt would work well too. Fashion-forward. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.

Midaxi and maxi dresses and skirts are on-trend and mainstream. If you like those lengths, milk it and enjoy. If you like the silhouette of a dress and skirt, but feel it’s too long, have it hemmed to a shorter length. Maybe you prefer maxi dresses and skirts at a midaxi length, and midaxis at a midi length. Maybe you like dresses and skirts just below the knee instead of calf-grazing. Shorten them to your sweet spot.

Some of my clients like the look of a maxi dress and skirt, but feel it’s too hot to wear, or a little treacherous to walk in. Hemming it to a midaxi or midi length solves the problem. Sometimes maxi hems have patterned borders and tiers, in which case, decide whether you’re okay to lose the border and shorten the tier. And every so often maxi, midaxi and midi dresses and skirts have complicated hemlines — or sweater dress hemlines — that cannot be hemmed easily, if at all. In that case pass on the style, or make peace with the length.

I’ve hemmed a too long dress to a shorter midi length, and am pleased with the result. I also have a loose-weave knitted midaxi dress that grew to maxi length after laundering that I cannot hem. I LOVE the dress, and have made peace with the longer length. A client of mine fell in love with the Ralph Lauren dress on the right. It fit perfectly and looked smashing. She said she wouldn’t wear it because it was too long, and hard to walk in. To which I replied, hem it to midi length! She did, and is very happy with the results.