Outfit Formula: Summer Earth Tones

Gone are the days that wearing an earth-toned palette was reserved for Autumn. Wear earth tones year round, in any season, and in any wardrobe item. Earth tones have been widely available for a few seasons, and it’s especially fun to see them come through for Summer. If you enjoy wearing earth tones, milk the season before they disappear.

Here are four Summer earth-toned outfits that caught my eye, and might inspire you to put a similar look together.

1. Earthy Dress, Accents and Denim

Combine an earthy Summer frock with a boho felt hat and cognac footwear. Top it off with a denim jacket when things get breezy by the water or in air conditioning. The blue of the denim adds a cool-toned touch to the warmth of the mustard, brown and cognac, which creates a yummy balance to my eye. Brown tortoiseshell jewellery could work well here too.

Maeve Gillian Tiered Maxi Dress

2. Earthy Top

This is as easy as it gets. Combine an earth-toned top with a pair of denim shorts or blue jeans, and finish things off with a pair of black or white shoes. The mix of warm earth tone with graphic denim and black & white is a nice juxtaposition.

Eloquii Split Front Tunic Top

3. Crisp Earth Tones

This is my favourite of the four because the palette combines white and turquoise with the earth tones, thereby adding a fresh and crisp component. Wear an earth-toned top with white bottoms and blue shoes and see what happens. Here, the palette is gorgeously matchy-matchy with the model’s hair. Nice statement earrings too.

Spark Tunic and Scarf

4. Earthy Flow

And last, combine bottoms in an earthy pattern with an earth-toned top that picks up a colour in the pattern. Here, the white shoes are unexpected, and I like the effect. The black bag effectively picks up the black in the model’s hair. Fab breezy and flowing silhouettes for hot weather. Make sure you don’t trip over the hems of those pants.

Zara Asymmetric Halter Top

I LOVE warm-toned colours, but don’t gravitate towards earth tones because I prefer Spring colours to Autumn colours. That said, I do wear them. Usually in the form of cognac footwear and a belt. I enjoy wearing white jeans with cognac boots and oxfords, or cinnamon pants with white footwear. In the Autumn and Winter I wear olive, brown leopard print, and burgundy but mix it up with sour brights, French blue, light blue, navy, or white so that it looks less earthy and more crisp. I don’t wear mustard because it’s not my yellow, but am open to adding cinnamon and will remix it with red, orange, fuschia, navy, light blue, denim, and shades of white.

Over to you. Do you wear earth tones, and do you wear them in the Summer?

Team Athletic or Team Fashion Sneaker

Sneakers are the shoe of our fashion era. They can be worn with anything these days, and I mean ANYTHING. Gear, athleisure, casual wear, smart casual, business casual, suits, ballgowns, and everything else. My favourite red carpet moment of the year was Serena Williams at the Met Gala in a stunningly dramatic citron and pink ruffled gown with neon Nike Airs to match. How splendidly 2019.

An athletic sneaker is a sneaker that is meant to be worn for sporting activities like running, gym, and the like. They are what I call “gear” sneakers designed for athletic performance. You can absolutely wear an athletic sneaker fashionably these days, and not just for working out. The Dad Sneaker Trend, or Mega Chunky Sneaker Trend as I prefer to call it, is all about wearing athletic or athletic-looking sneakers off the sports field and with non-athletic attire.

A fashion sneaker is a non-athletic sneaker. It’s meant to be worn as everyday attire and is not for performance sports. It’s usually less chunky, more streamlined and refined, not as padded and platformed, and can look more like an oxford at times.

You bat for Team Athletic Sneaker if you prefer wearing athletic sneakers to fashion sneakers, and vice versa. I firmly bat for Team Fashion Sneaker because I walk A LOT, and almost everywhere. I wear them daily at different times of the day throughout the year. I don’t have a pair of athletic sneakers because I don’t run or go to gym. I don’t need shoes for yoga, and walk to the yoga studio in fashion sneakers. I do have a pair of trail shoes, which I’m not sure are classified as sneakers. Even my new mega chunky sneakers are fashion and not athletic.

Here is my current sneaker capsule:

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Athletic or Team Fashion Sneaker. Tell us why and no batting for both teams. But feel free to sit this one out on the bench if you can’t choose. I’m serving gourmet vegan hot dogs with homemade spicy red pepper and onion relish, the usual fixings, and sauerkraut. I’ll throw in the best South African Cadbury chocolate at the end too.

Weekly Roundup: Fabulous Fabrics

Here’s a small roundup of top picks, some of which will take you into Fall. I was particularly fond of the fabrics in this roundup because they looked and felt good, especially for the price. 

  • Bias Cut A-Line Skirt: The best bias cut skirt I've seen this year. Nice to the touch crepe fabric. The drape and fit are GREAT. Really good on a curvy body type because the bias cut is more circular than tubular. No bumps. They did not skimp on the cut! As good on a straighter body type because it moulds to the contour of the body. Runs big if you need a narrow fit. Available in other patterns and colours.
  • J.Crew Puff-sleeve button-down in Ratti scarf paisley: A fun jewel-toned 100% cotton blouse in a '70s pattern. Cute puff sleeve.
  • J.Crew Silk button-up shirt in tiger floral: The stock photo does not do the pattern or fabric justice. It's a lovely lilac silk with a mustard tiger pattern. A Modern Classic that can look fab with jeans or wide crops if you like that type of thing.
  • J.Crew Band-collar popover tunic in bold stripe: The stock photo does a bad job of showcasing this popover shirt that does not need to be semi-tucked. It's oversized up top, but slims on the hem to taper the volume. The gently rounded hem is a nice detail, as is the high-low hem and fun band collar. Runs a size big and comes in white, navy and a blue stripe. Great worn untucked over wide crops. Best on a straighter figure.
  • J.Jill Luxe Supima Ballet-Sleeve Tunic: The supima knit is luxe and feels gorgeous on the skin. The fluid silhouette is easy-breezy, but not too loosey-goosey. Comes in white and black, and size down.
  • J.Jill Mixed-Plaid Tiered Dress: Summer plaids are as fun as Winter plaids, and this ventilating dress is wonderful. It's cut quite open up top, yet you can wear a regular bra. Fab V-neck for those who enjoy the silhouette. It's fluid yet sufficiently structured and extremely comfy. Lovely fabric and runs big.
  • J.Jill Long & Light Sweater Vest: A gauzy long vest is a topper option for hot Summer weather, especially when you enjoy dressing in layers. Decorative and extremely lightweight. This one runs big.
  • Manhattan Bermuda Shorts: Dressy long shorts that can work for the office. These are best on a straighter figure.
  • Lee Vintage Modern Western Midi Dress: Who remembers Lee from decades ago. Fab to see the brand make a comeback. If you like the Western vibe, denim shirts, and sack dresses - try this frock. It's ideal with sneakers, really comfy, and the buttons do not gape because the fit is fluid. Lovely midi length, and you can move in the dress. The warm olive has a subtle pinstripe. You could add a waist belt for a '70s vibe. Comes in a sand-blasted blue denim too.
  • Loft Wide Leg Riviera Pants: These come in a whole slew of colours and they're really nice. They'll fit a curvier and straighter body type, but not a very curvy figure. Nice heft, drape and silhouette. Run a size big.
  • White House Black Market Washed Denim Jacket: An intricate and well made mauve jacket. Soft, tailored and comfy. A cooler shade of mauve than in the stock photo.
  • Sam Edelman Sam EdelmanAndy: These trendy slide-espadrille hybrids are comfy, and buttery soft. They're not wide across the toe box but there is volume in the instep and arch. Available in many colours.

Go to the collection page if you would like to see the images alongside my descriptions.

Also, here’s a collection of fashionable Naturalizer footwear that I haven’t seen or tried in person yet so I can’t comment accurately on their fits. But I wear a lot of Naturalizer footwear because of their extreme cushioning comfort and I’m confident that these styles are worth trying if they tickle your fancy. Many of them come in wide widths, and some are available in narrow widths.

Nordstrom
'Danya' Sandal
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Geraldine Loafer
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Cora Bootie
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Kalissa Pump
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2
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Gaia Loafer
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3
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Geraldine Loafer
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6
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Adiline Loafer
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5
Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Five Ways to Add Interest to an Outfit

Styling strategies for adding interest to an outfit are as personal as our sartorial choices. I have found though, working with clients and styling my own outfits, that there are five very common approaches that are very successful. 

1. Colour, Pattern, Texture & Shine

Adding colour, pattern, texture and shine to an outfit is bound to make it pop. Add all four attributes to one outfit, or use a few at a time. You can be bold by wearing a bright outfit that pattern mixes with patent shoes and faux fur, or stick to neutrals with lots of texture. Shine and texture needn’t be as overt as wearing shiny clothing, metallic footwear, and faux fur. For example, I wear eye make-up, light lipstick, clear nail-polish, and chunky white pearls because it adds shine and texture to my outfits.

Colour needn’t mean wearing brights from head to toe. It can mean wearing a tonal grey and white outfit with a pale blue bag instead of a black one. You can leave the colour and pattern to the accessory component of your style, and add texture by wearing your hair curly instead of straight.

2. Irregular Juxtaposition

This means combining items that you wouldn’t necessarily wear together because the combination might be thought of as jarring or traditionally unstylish. Codswallop to all of it, because irregular juxtaposition is one way of making an outfit look interesting.

These days one can wear fashion sneakers and athletic sneakers with just about anything. Utility jackets look fab with pretty lace dresses, and boho tops are fun with combat pants and shorts. Sport cowboy boots with ballgowns, and denim jackets with cocktail dresses. Oversized toppers look fab with flared skirts, and moto jackets are lovely with frilly prairie frocks. Shorts can be worn with sweatshirts and boots, wearing multiple brights in one outfit is yummy, and so is combining zebra, giraffe and leopard patterns. Of course, you can wear black with navy or chocolate brown, and by all means mix warm and cool tones in one outfit. Wearing volume over volume can be fun and awfully comfortable, and socks in sandals can look super cute. Why not!?

3. Highlighting Your Best-To-You Features

We each have a set of attributes that we like to highlight in outfits because it can create the right pop. Some like to define their waist, while others like to showcase their legs, arms or décolletage. Some sport low back necklines because they like their backs. Long necks love the coverage of a scarf or high neckline, and lovely hands like the addition of statement rings. You might like wearing sandals more frequently because you like your feet. Those with big eyes might like to wear eye make-up because it makes their eyes look even bigger and brighter. Whatever your best-to-you features are, accentuating them is a great way to add interest to an outfit.

4. Bookending

Bookending means that you’ve styled an outfit so that the top and bottom of it match in colour. Doing this makes an outfit look interesting and cohesive. For example, white, cream, bone, and gold footwear looks great with shades of light blonde hair. Shades of tan, taupe, mushroom and pewter footwear are great with dark blonde hair. Burgundy and blue footwear are great with hair that’s streaked with burgundy or blue. And shades of grey and silver are gorgeous with grey and salt & pepper hair.

Eyewear that matches your shoes or bottoms is another way of bookending, as is wearing a necklace, scarf, or big pair of earrings with a matching pair of shoes. I wear white footwear to bookend my platinum blonde hair and to bookend my white pearl necklaces.

5. Statement Hair & Eyewear

Having statement hair and combining it with bold eyewear will add interest to an outfit before addressing the outfit. Statement hair can mean anything from having a mane of cascading locks to a shaved head that showcases no hair at all. It can mean rainbow hair, a bold cut, an asymmetrical silhouette, punk looks, stick straight long hair in immaculate condition, intricate braiding, intricate streaking, wild and woolly textures, spiked and disconnected styles, or adding an eye-catching hair accessory. Adding specs or sunnies that are bright, bold, big, eccentric or quirky adds another layer of interest.

I often feel that the modern classic and modern retro wardrobe items that I enjoy wearing are neutralized with my statement platinum short blonde hair and bold eyewear. I wouldn’t feel as sartorially balanced if I sported a classic hairstyle and subtle specs.

Over to you. I’m sure you use one or more of these styling strategies daily. Let’s hear all about it.

Tummy Control with Diagonal Hemlines

For years I’ve been saying that diagonal lines are magical because they have the ability to visually straighten OR create curves. Depending on your needs, diagonal lines can balance out proportions. They are typically created by diagonal stripes or asymmetrical hemlines, and some garments incorporate both. The interesting and flattering effect of diagonal lines on the body is not to be underestimated. They are an extremely handy and effective outfit styling tool.

Recently, fashion and style expert Brenda Kinsel mentioned just that when she described her outfit on Instagram:

I love a top that cuts across the tummy creating a diagonal line. A line straight across the tummy area makes me look wider. This is my version of tummy control!

Brenda Kinsel

An untucked fluid top with an asymmetrical hemline creates the diagonal line that can visually offset the curve of the midsection, which is precisely what the lovely Brenda is showing in her fab outfit. The gathers and puffing at the waist of a pleated skirt can make you feel wider than you want, which makes the coverage of the untucked top a super solution. Add the diagonal line and you’re in business. The combination allows you to look and feel more streamlined, without shapewear or tucking a top. And you don’t need to worry about midsection bloat after a yummy meal. Thank you, Brenda, for showing us how it’s done.

One of the reasons I like to partially tuck my tops is because of the subtle diagonal line it creates across the midsection, which to my eye looks interesting and streamlining, as well as leg lengthening in flat footwear.