We’re excited to check back in with San Francisco-based art director Kim Mitchell Stokes (48) from J’Adore Couture, who was first featured on YLF in April 2016. Kim is a high heel gal at heart who uses statement footwear and bags to add extra interest to her outfits. Our blogger’s style is trendy deluxe and polished. She loves interesting silhouettes, great patterns, and unique design details.

“Overall my style is the same. I’m all about a masculine/feminine mix. I think what’s changed is I’ve become a bit bolder in my use of color and print. The acid wash purple sweatshirt, khakis, striped sandals, and red bag are a good example of that. I’ve also loved playing with suiting or monochromatic dressing, like the blue on blue striped look and cream windowpane suit”

Now this is making a statement with neutrals. Kim is sporting a cream with black pantsuit, but the eye-catching windowpane pattern makes for a bold statement. Our blogger is wearing the blazer as a top, and she sized up in the jacket because she wanted a slightly boxier silhouette. The double-breasted blazer still has some waist definition which creates structure. So does scrunching the sleeves. The ankle-length trousers have a relaxed fit and taper at the ankle for additional structure. Interesting shoes are Kim’s trademark, so leave it to her to amp up the oomph with a pair of black and red suede cut-out pumps. She finishes off the look with a gold choker necklace, oversized tassel earrings and a simple black clutch.

A fashion-forward look with subtle pattern-mixing thanks to the combination of the pinstripe skirt and striped shirt. The volume of the dramatic blouson sleeves is tempered by half tucking the shirt and pairing it with a streamlined pencil skirt. The half tuck casualizes the look, lengthens the leg line from the hips upwards and creates an on-trend asymmetric effect. Kim cleverly choose cheerful rainbow ankle-strap sandals that echo the fuchsia tuxedo stripe on the skirt. A structured black satchel, dangly earrings, and soft lipstick complete the outfit.

Kim dresses up a pair of light wash skinny jeans with sparkly footwear and mid-thigh trench coat that doubles as a blazer. The hot and cold mix of cool-toned light blue and earth-toned plaid is on-trend and soothing to the eye. The jacket has fluffy faux fur cuffs in a blush that works well with the browns, and adds a touch of glamour. Our high heel-loving blogger then adds subtle bling with a pair of pointy-toe stilettos in unique gunmetal lamé. A grey shoulder bag, large silver hoops, and soft pink lipstick are the harmonious finishing touches.

A fun casual look with sneakers. Cacio e pepe is one of Kim’s favourite dishes, so she was delighted to find this graphic tee. She’s tucked it into a kicky above-the-knee skirt with gorgeous floral print. It has an angled waterfall frill that drapes from waist to hem, which adds flirty movement to the look. The pink of the lettering on the tee is repeated in the skirt, while the white sneakers bookend the T-shirt. The longer length of the Modern Classic ink blue blazer is on-trend, and adds dressy polish. So does the black structured mini bag with slim circular silver handles.

Kim bought this as a full-length jumpsuit but thought it looked better cropped above the ankle, so she had her tailor take off a few inches from the bottom. This shorter length is also great to showcase her dainty black ankle-strap sandals. With its oversized white polka dots against the black background, the jumpsuit itself is the perfect combination of playful sophistication. The belted style accentuates our blogger’s defined waist. The V-neckline is flattering and subtly alluring. Kim’s mini bag makes a second appearance, and she finishes things off with chandelier earrings, dramatic sunnies, and pink lippy.

Another fab example of hot and cold, and what a delicious colour combo! Kim has paired a lilac sweatshirt with vintage toffee chinos. Tucking the roomy sweatshirt into the high-waisted pants reins in the volume. Turning up the trouser cuffs adds further structure and lets Kim’s colourful sandals shine in all their cheerful glory. Don’t they seem to go with everything she wears too? Here they pick up the pink and toffee of the rest of the outfit. Fun! And the red strip echoes our blogger’s charming box bag that introduces an unexpected third colour into the mix. As always, Kim’s shiny short ‘do, fun earrings, and soft lipstick add extra polish.

Let us know what you think of Kim’s polished, trendy style, and be sure to visit her blog to browse the rest of her wonderful outfits.

Make a statement with glorious solids. This week’s outfit formula is about wearing light neutrals from head to toe, or almost head to toe. It’s the flip side to last week’s Dark Neutral Monochrome outfit formula. Sub the dark neutrals with light neutrals and Bob’s your uncle. On to some looks, and I’ll take the first two outfits please. 

1. Vanilla Milkshake

Combine luxurious Winter white items from neck to foot for what I think is an absolutely stunning look. Not too practical, so be careful. This is not an everyday outfit! Here, a shimmery midi skirt is paired with a tucked pullover. Tall slouchy dressy boots and a short fuzzy coat are the finishing touches. The short length of the coat, the diagonal hem of the skirt, and the slim fit of the pullover create structure. The column of cream elongates the outfit, and so do the heels. The whites are almost the same, but not exactly, which does work. What works particularly well is that the fabrics of the items are equally luxurious.

2. Creamy Panna Cotta

This Sporty Luxe combination is my favourite, and I’ve worn a similar outfit with cream boots. Combine a cream top with cream pants and a cream topper. Finish off the look with white sneakers or cream boots, and a cream bag. The pants needn’t be cropped. Again, the creams and oatmeals do not need to be an exact match. The fabrics of the clothing are equally luxe, which help pull together this look.

3. Cappuccino and Hazelnut Wafer

Here, most of the outfit is cream and oatmeal, but things deepen a little with the addition of taupe, and darken a lot with hazelnut. A hazelnut bag that complements the boots and belt could be nice. The high contrast of the brown items remixed with the creams might be more your cup of tea, rather than keeping the entire outfit light. The darker browns do add warmth and depth. The tall boots keep you insulated in cropped pants, and the aviator style shearling topper is a trendy flashback to the ‘90s. The pleated high-waist pants are fably ‘80s.

4. Toffee, Caramel and Chocolate Delight

Last, this neutral combination is light compared to dark neutrals, but dark relative to the three predominantly white outfits above. I threw it in for those who prefer their earthy light neutrals as dark as toffee, caramel and milk chocolate. These colours are tonal despite their differences, and work really well. The olive footwear is an unexpected touch. Any shade of brown or cream boot could work too. They’ve shown a dressy version, but a casual version is just as fab. Make this a dress or skirt look if that’s more your thing. Add jewellery, watch, eyewear and headgear as desired.

Popsugar rounds up 25 of Banana Republic’s best jewellery pieces for all your holiday parties.

From an an iridescent disco-ball eyelid to golden inner corner highlights, here are 28 ideas to go to town with your holiday make-up this year.

Still looking for a holiday outfit or an interesting accessory to jazz things up? Have a look at Atlantic Pacific’s festive line for Nordstrom.

Fab Links from Our Members

Suz thought this was an amusing and provoking discussion of our current passion for higher waisted jeans.

Chris 987 wanted to share this article on how to choose workout gear by a personal trainer who is a friend of hers.

Rent the Runway is expanding its partnership with department store Nordstrom. kkards has mixed feelings about this: “I kind of understand using Nordstrom as a drop-off spot, but co-designing and inner mixing of Nordstom’s inventory, I don’t really see what Nordstrom gets from this.”

Vildy thoroughly enjoyed novelist Zadie Smith’s experience of what’s typical of New York style versus London style. 

Slim cat found this intriguing: a dress for the future that doesn’t exist.

Shevia found this article a bit annoying, but she supposes it marks some sort of progress.

Fashintern found this article about costuming reenactors in ways that highlight the individuality of slaves a couple of centuries ago interesting.

Joy enjoyed this discussion of the quandary of short or long hair for older women. 

This blog post about why Instagram is hiding skin conditions appalled and incensed nuancedream: “On the other hand, brava to Lex for speaking up and ultimately forcing Instagram to change their guidelines! No one’s appearance should ever be described by the adjectives ‘undesirable’ or ‘idealized’.”

Keeping knitwear pristine, the desired shape, and pill-free is extremely challenging. In fact, pilling gets my award for most frustrating quality challenge these days because there is zero guarantee that knitwear won’t pill. The best I can do when I’m recommending knitwear is road-test the item and hope for the best when it comes to long-term longevity. 

I wear a lot of knitwear and ideally I want the items to last in a pristine state for at least three years. After that, it should look good enough to pass on to Dress for Success. So last year I came up with a knitwear purchasing strategy with four parts.

1. No more pricey designer knitwear.
2. No more cheap cashmere.
3. Purchase 100% cotton knitwear from a range of brands because the likelihood of it pilling is far lower.
4. Purchase wool and wool-rich knitwear from a shortlist of brands who haven’t let me down in the past.

So far my strategy is working because I’m far less frustrated with quality issues, and can continue to enjoy my knitwear.

Banana Republic was not on my shortlist of knitwear retailers because in the past, their knitwear has pilled and stretched out terribly. This recently changed with the Washable Merino Wool Sweater that comes in ten colours, regular and petite, and sizes XXS to XXL. I was drawn to the citron right away. I tried it on and loved the gently fluid yet structured fit, lightweight gauge, polished appearance, and interesting stitch interest. Prepared to give Banana Republic knitwear another chance, the citron pullover followed me home.

Banana Republic

Washable Merino Ribbed Sweater

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Banana Republic

Washable Merino Ribbed Sweater

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Banana Republic

Washable Merino Ribbed Sweater

View Info

Top Pick

13

Banana Republic

Washable Merino Ribbed Sweater

View Info

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15

Banana Republic

Washable Merino Ribbed Sweater

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Top Pick

21

I put the citron sweater through its paces. I wore it three times, with no pilling or stretching out. I laundered it in the machine in a gauze bag with cold water on the delicates cycle. I dried it on a clothes rack, and was fully prepared to press it back into shape. But it didn’t need a press since the shape had not been altered. I wore it again, and it looked as great! So I went back for the blue, repeating the same road-testing process. Wore it a few times, and no pilling. Laundered it and got the same stellar results. Excellent.

At this stage I was confident about the quality of the item, so I went back for the red, pink and white because the essential filled quite a pressing wardrobe hole. I needed an assortment of simple, tailored, fine gauge, high-necked, professional, NOT cashmere, and better-than-basic pullovers that I can tuck or semi-tuck into my large capsule of high-rise pants and jeans, and wear under blazers and jackets. This was the perfect item and available in exactly my colours. So I bought five with a 60% discount. I can also wear them well into Spring because Spring in Seattle can feel like Winter.

I will continue to be extremely careful with knitwear that is not on my shortlist of tried-and-tested brands because I’ve been frustrated and disappointed with pilling knitwear a little too often. It does though feel really good to share something positive about chain-store knitwear for a change, and I’m thrilled I gave the item a chance. A win for me, and for Banana Republic. It gives me hope that things are moving back to the quality levels we were used to many years ago.