Skirts with ruffles, flounces, pleats, and flares tend to exude a pretty, playful, elegant, precious and soft integrity as opposed to a hard-edged, strict and no-nonsense vibe. That’s fabulous if you like to wear soft and pretty outfits (which I personally do). If it you don’t, you can easily toughen up the pretty skirt by adding a black support act and toughening up the shoes.

Here are four examples.

1. Nod to the ‘90s

Combine an oversized pullover with a flared midi skirt and finish of the look with tailored black heeled boots. They can be short or tall with any style of heel. But keeping them tailored is key because it adds structure to the look. A pullover with a welt adds a little structure too.

2. Combat Bombshell

This straight skirt with ruching and gathers is more bombshell than the rest because it hugs the figure and showcases the contour of the body from waist to calf. The addition of the roomy cropped pullover and flat combat boots relax the bombshell vibe and add some tough. The black items add the harder edge. Feel free to add black hosiery to the outfit.

3. Classic Fabness

This is my favourite of the three because it’s the prettiest and most tailored version to my eye. Combine a fitted black turtleneck or crew neck with a fit-and-flare midi skirt. Tuck or semi-tuck the top to showcase the waist. Add black tailored mid-calf or tall heeled boots. The heels can be low or flat as long as they’re very tailored. Patent black boots add a bit more severity too. Note that there needn’t be black in the pattern of the skirt because a black top and boots creates a complement that pulls the look together despite the colours in the pattern.

4.Eclectic Plaid

This mix is unique and juxtaposed. A ruffled top with a sporty zipper is combined with a ruffled A-line plaid skirt. The glitzy flat black boots add the tough and hard edge, as does the black and silver hardware in the outfit. On the other hand, the sparkly socks throw back in some playful softness. Black opaques and black shooties could work too.

With the polar vortex hitting the US East Coast and temps just below zero (Celsius) here in Belgium, I’ve rounded up some links that will help with cold-weather dressing.

• Refinery29 found us 18 extra-long puffer coats.
• If you prefer a shorter style puffer, than have a look at these.
• They also have suggestions for non-puffer Winter coats that still keep you warm.
• The Guardian wrote about the rise of the blanket scarf.
• Have a peek at this round-up if you’re looking for an oversized scarf to keep you warm and snug.
• 23 beanies to keep your head warm. And there’s also these 18 “fisherman” beanies.
• 18 on-trend faux fur coats to bundle up in.

Fab Links from Our Members

With the recent forum discussion about abuse in factories, nemosmom thought this article about sustainability and Fair Trade efforts by Madewell and the J.Crew Group was interesting.. 

Angie stumbled across some style advice from Oscar Wilde.

Kate Spade’s niece, Rachel Brosnahan, is modelling the new Frances Valentine Spring collection. Jane thought it feels so poignant that her niece is connected with the brand.

The Streetwear Generation Turns to Tennis: “Yoga, basketball, now tennis. More sports/fashion crossover,” says Runcarla.

T’exstyle wanted to share this video of an inspiring 83-year old woman who happens to look fantastic in addition to having a great voice. 

After today’s blog post, Runcarla refers us to this article about Princess Eugenie who wanted her wedding dress to show her back surgery scar. She adds: “This hits close to home for me. DS#2 was born with an underdeveloped and blind eye and a strawberry birthmark on the right side of his face. To me, he was a most beautiful round and sturdy golden morsel. Unfortunately the world did not see him the same way, and we were the recipients of many hurtful comments. At 8 months, he was fit with his first prosthetic eye by a very kind and gifted occularist who DS still sees 25 years later. The strawberry mark faded with time. Like Princess Eugenie says: ‘I think you can change the way beauty is.'”

Last week’s post on the reality of aging seemed to strike a chord, with many thoughtful, empowering, candid and inspiring thoughts in the the comments. Sal (a veteran Fabber) got right to the heart of the matter, writing, “Like many of us I have conflicting emotions about aging – what do I fight, what do I accept, what do I enjoy.”

Some fight the physical effects of aging with all they’ve got, while others are more accepting. Either way, looking older is inevitable, and how we choose to manage the process is a personal choice. In the spirit of Sal’s words I’d like to share a story from this last week.

I have seven white moles on my face, many of which I’ve had for decades. They are a similar light colour to my pale skin, if a little lighter. Some of them are small and hard to spot, while others are more pronounced. I went to my regular dermatologist earlier this year because three of the white moles had increased in size. They had also gotten whiter and more prominent over time. My dermie assured me that these moles were benign and also that they would be easy to remove. This type of mole removal was a standard procedure with generally good results.

Removing the white moles from my face with minimal scarring meant having a cosmetic laser procedure. He referred me to another dermatologist who has the laser and is skilled at this. I made an appointment with the goal of exploring whether the aesthetic benefits were worth the cost and risks associated with removing them.

My appointment with the new dermatologist was very interesting. The offices were glitzy, and in a fancy building, which is very different to the down-to-earth hospital environment where I’ve been seeing my regular dermie for the last fourteen years. That alone took me by surprise. 

The new dermatologist told me that the risks of removing my white moles with a laser were minimal. There was potential for some scarring, and maybe an infection, but these seldom happened. He also said that the scars post laser procedure might be a little whiter than the surrounding skin because I have three colours in my skin tone: Brown spots from sun damage (aka, subtle freckles), red spots from some broken bold vessels, and my regular pale skin. He said that I could fix my uneven skin tone with another type of laser procedure, which he explained to me in great detail. He marveled at this additional treatment’s results, but it would cost thousands of dollars.

I really wasn’t interested in an expensive procedure to even out my skin tone, so after listening politely I thanked him for the info and we went back to focussing on the moles. I decided that I would have the three most prominent ones removed, and leave the rest for now. The laser procedure was fast, and the discomfort quite manageable. I was out of the appointment in forty minutes.

I have a band-aid on my nose and lower cheek but that hasn’t stopped me from seeing clients, friends, walking Sam, and running errands because life goes on.

To use Sal’s phrase, I decided to fight three of the moles, accept the rest of them, and enjoy the character of my uneven skin tone. I like my slightly freckled nose and my easily flushed cheeks, because that’s who I am.

Full-time blogger Jess Jannenga (50) lives in North Carolina and documents her outfits over at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Jess does her own thing, mixing on-trend pieces with touches of boho, Modern Classic and the occasional retro vibe. She loves colour, wears earth tones like it’s nobody’s business and likes to have fun with patterned footwear. Arty statement necklaces and earrings are an integral part of her style, as is her stunning long red hair.

“My style has evolved in part due to my condition, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disease. When I began my blog, nearly 5 years ago, I had to wear flats or more supportive shoes, and now, that my condition is more managed, I can wear beautiful block heels and more attractive shoes. I didn’t wear denim much then either but have found pairs that are soft and stylish. I like to think of my style as classic and feminine, with a love for color.”

Earth tones and Autumn colours look wonderful with Jess’ gorgeous red hair and complexion, and she sports them regularly. Here she’s put together a polished casual look with lots of textural interest. She’s tucked a silk leopard print shirt into mid-rise black straight leg jeans. She’s added a pair of leopard print booties in a different shade of brown, which makes for some fun pattern mixing. Throwing on a sassy suede moto jacket in a third shade of brown creates further outfit depth. The croc-embossed leather satchel is the fourth brown element that adds even more texture to the look. A dark red pendant necklace and long gold statement earrings complement the colour palette beautifully.

Jess wore this wonderful floral print dress to celebrate her 50th birthday. The vivid red flowers against the light pink background look amazing with her luscious red locks. The elegant midi length looks great on our 5’9” blogger. A self belt emphasizes the waistline, while the ruffled cap sleeves create feminine flair. Jess has paired the festive frock with dainty ankle strap sandals in a low-contrast blush colour that elongates the leg line. A bone chain-strap bag with quilted detailing, chunky rose gold watch, glam oversized tassel earrings and tortoise-rimmed sunnies are the accessories of choice. And isn’t the turquoise nail polish a cheerful touch?

Our blogger’s cheerful lemon top made me think of Angie’s Italian lemon-patterned mules. Jess is wearing her lemon blouse with crisp white skinny jeans that echo the top’s white background. The elasticated style creates a faux peplum effect that accentuates Jess’ waist. Her neutral platform espadrille sandals have glittery gold embellishments that add subtle shine. In combination with the charming circular straw bag they amplify the boho-lite Summery vibe of this outfit. As always, Jess’ jewellery game is on point. Here the statement ball earrings pick up the colours of her top, while the eye-catching emerald necklace complements the green leaves:

“I have bought my vintage brooches and earrings on Etsy, I have found great pieces through Poshmark, and have been fortunate to work with many jewelry brands through blogging, adding to my collection.”

This is a fab example of Angie’s Shorts and Pretty Tops outfit formula. Jess has styled a pair of casual denim shorts with a not-so-basic white knitted top. The drape of the corset-style tank top gives it a bit of a Grecian vibe. Our blogger has a great eye for detail, and paired the top with lace-up eyelet espadrilles that echo the corset ties. A bib necklace in pastels adds sparkle and colour to the neutral outfit. Jess’ long pendant earrings consist of white fabric flowers that look like fluffy cotton clouds from afar. A crinkle-effect envelope clutch also adds textural interest. Rusty-red lipstick and Jess’ trusted tortoise sunnies finish off the look.

Jess built this look around a brown-toned plaid dress with on-trend Western vibe. The drop-waist dress with zipper neckline is a statement in itself that doesn’t need extra bells and whistles. Jess went for punchy pattern mixing with the cream and beige snakeskin booties that add a touch of rock ’n’ roll to the look. The pointy-toe style lengthens the leg line as do the nude fishnet hose. Jess kept the jewellery fairly simple with gold with amber teardrop earrings peeking out from under her hair and a dainty leaf necklace. The dark eggplant bag adds some unexpected colour that works great with the colours of her dress.

This shade of warm, earthy and rich mustard was made for our red-haired blogger. My word, it took my breath away! Jess has tucked a flutter-sleeved floral print blouse into grey skinny jeans. Because the top has a grey background it creates an elongating column of colour. Adding a mustard open-knit cardigan in a mid-thigh length also creates vertical integrity. Light cognac booties don’t match but work well with the mustard. Our clever blogger then took a silky mustard-coloured belt from a dress in her closet and styled it as a scarf. Pinning the gold grape brooch to the scarf adds a retro touch. Jess’ teardrop earrings came out to play again as well. Rusty-red lippie and Jess’ trademark marvelous locks finish off the look to perfection.

I can’t wait to hear which look you love best. Let us know in the comments, and then hop on over to Jess’ blog to browse the rest of her beautiful outfits.