I recently stumbled across an outfit online that incorporates a few of the moment’s controversial style elements. The large components of red, which some believe should be saved for the holidays and Christmas only. The flared pants worn at the new shorter full length with flats, which is a significant departure from forever flattering floor-skimming perfect pant lengths. The maxi coat worn over shorter length flares — new proportions that recently evoked a myriad of opinions. The festive, yet relaxed high-contrast flatforms instead of black heels or flats for the dressy look. And a rare view of the maxi coat shown buttoned up, which many thought would not work with shorter full-length flared pants.
I think the outfit works beautifully and vote a big fat YAY, with the coat open or buttoned up. The high contrast of the coat and shoes, and the shadow stripes of the coat are not jarring to my eye. The key is that there is structure, balance and matching in all the important places. The coat is long, but tailored. There is nothing oversized and slouchy about it, which offsets the long length. The pants are shorter, and grounded by robust flat footwear that balances out the longer length of the coat. When the coat comes off, the tucked top adds structure by showcasing a waist, and lengthens the leg line from the hips upward. The black and white soles on the shoes pick up the black & white in the outfit. And finally, what originally drew me to the outfit was the yummy complement of red coat and shoes that do a great job of pulling the look together. The red makes the outfit come alive and pop if you bat for Team Red like I do.
Personally, I am LOVING my red boots and toppers this year, and very much enjoy wearing them together. As much as I enjoy bright red, I was not into wearing bright red boots for the longest time. But this year they felt dead right. I wear my new red boots together with my red aviator and maxi coat several times a week and am not tired of it yet. In fact, I’m energized by it! I wear the aviator more than the coat because it’s more practical.
Over to you. What do you think of these outfit proportions? And would you wear red footwear with a matching red topper?
