Rochelle Johnson lives in Little Rock (AR) and documents her outfits over at Beauticurve. She is an adventurous dresser who likes to try out trends and make them her own. Her style is elegant, polished and very fashionable. Rochelle loves colour and a bright lip, has a lot of fun with pattern mixing, and enjoys wearing interesting jackets and coats.

Isn’t Rochelle twinning with her son the cutest! For this casual look our blogger is sporting camo print pants with a buffalo plaid shirt and cardigan. The bold pattern mixing is extra fun because of the unexpected bright red and khaki colour combo. The different sized checks in the cosy cardi and shirt create plenty of outfit depth. Keeping both in the same colourway makes for a more cohesive look. Pairing the roomy cardigan with skinny pants adds structure. Rochelle’s black suede booties and hat tie in with the rest of the colour palette. Bright orange-red lipstick and an oversized silver chain bracelet add some glam.

If you want to dress up for a fancy party, but aren’t in the mood for a dress, skirt or suit, then a jumpsuit is a fab alternative. Finding one in a colour other than black can be hard though, that’s why I was delighted to see this amazing little number in blue velvet. The subtle sheen of the velvet makes it look extra glam. Rochelle paired the wide-legged, culotte-style, jumpsuit with a metallic silver clutch and delicate strappy pointy-toe pumps that lengthen the leg line. The silver works brilliantly with the beautiful blue, and the shine factor makes it extra festive. A sassy faux leather moto jacket provides warmth and adds cheeky pizzazz.

An elegant, polished casual look that combines crisp white and blue jeans with Autumn colours. Rochelle dresses up skinny jeans with an untucked button-down shirt and a menswear-inspired glen plaid gilet. The subtle flounced sleeves add a touch of feminine flair. The knee-length gilet creates a streamlined and chic statement with the lapels in a contrast colour. The brown is picked up in our blogger’s chain-strap bag with fun oversized tassel. And the Fall colour palette is continued with dressy pumpkin loafers. Bold silver bracelets and a neutral pinkish-nude lipstick finish off the look.

Rochelle is a fan of colour but sports neutrals with equal pizzazz. She also has a knack for finding fun and interesting coats and jackets, like this cream wool trench cape coat. She’s wearing it over a column of black – consisting of a sleek black turtleneck and thick fabric leggings – to let the statement coat do all the talking. The self-belt accentuates our blogger’s waist, while the ruffled finish creates a romantic, ladylike vibe. Animal print pointy-toe pumps and a Louis Vuitton logo-patterned bag in the brown family add subtle pattern while keeping the overall look neutral. Tortoise-rimmed cat’s eye sunnies and a classic bright red lip are the glamorous finishing touches.

Rochelle creates a cheerful Summer outfit with a Modern Retro gingham dress. The fit-and-flare style defines our blogger’s waist while the knee-length is versatile and elegant. The large-scale gingham pattern is eye-catching, the black and white combo classic. Throwing on a light-wash denim jacket dresses down the look if you want it to be a bit more casual. Opting for suede block-heeled mules in fire-engine red is unexpected and super fun. Rochelle’s lipstick echoes the footwear to tie everything together. Her quilted bag adds textural interest, and the straw hat makes everything feel extra Summer-y.

A casual and polished Modern Classic outfit with a nautical touch. Rochelle rocks white bottoms! Here she is sporting crisp white skinny jeans with an untucked red, white and blue striped tee. She then added two toppers for a fun, sporty layered look. The first layer is a light grey hoodie that dresses down the look. The second topper is a navy knit long-line blazer that adds a dressy touch while still being comfortable for a Mum-on-the-Go. White sneakers add extra crispness. A navy tote with cognac handles complements the outfit perfectly. Rochelle’s trusted silver bracelets, blue metallic nail polish and go-to bright red lipstick are the polished finishing touches.

Let us know what you think of Rochelle’s on-trend style in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of her fab outfits on Beauticurve.

I love blue jeans. They are practical, versatile, warm, comfortable, flattering, trendy or classic, and easy to launder. But I also love variation, and wearing blue jeans all the time can get monotonous. Here are six great alternatives. 

1. Non-Blue Jeans

For jeans with a less traditional look, opt for black, white or grey jeans. Or colours like burgundy, red, cobalt or olive. Black and white jeans, when crisp, unripped and paired with a dressy support act, can pass for business casual. In fact, they look a whole lot dressier than khakis.

2. Dressy & Casual Trousers

Dressier trousers can be a good substitute for jeans if you dress them down with chunky knits, tees, fashionable sweatshirts, and sneakers. Casual trousers are harder to find, but not impossible. There are khakis, cargos, cords, linen pants, knitted palazzos, Ponte knit skinnies or bootcuts, velveteen pants, micro-checks, and all sorts of patterned cotton-rich and scuba knit options. They’re available in an assortment of lengths and silhouettes, especially in the Summertime.

3. Dresses

Dresses are generally hard to find and fit. But with time, patience, tenacity, a bit of luck, and when the current trends align with your sartorial preferences, you will build a frock capsule. To make sure that dresses don’t become wardrobe orphans, you need the right support act, namely footwear, hosiery and toppers for colder weather.

4. Skirts & Tops

Skirts are usually easier to find and fit than a dress, but they tend to be orphaned unless you know which tops to wear with them. You need to have the right footwear, hosiery and toppers to wear with them in order to create complete outfits that are weather appropriate and make you feel fabulous.

5. Leggings & Joggers

Athleisure is another way to go if you enjoy ultra casual, sporty and athletic looks. The vibe is especially popular in the US, and culturally acceptable in relaxed settings. Outfits with leggings and joggers continue to be extremely popular ways to dress, and the Modern Retro trackpant is making a fashionable style statement. You can do the equestrian thing by tucking non-denim leggings or jeggings into tall riding boots. Or wear leggings under skirts and dresses for an arty vibe.

6. Shorts

Shorts are hot weather friendly, and come in all sorts of fabrics, patterns, silhouettes, lengths and levels of dressiness. Choose a length that you’re comfortable with, and dress them up or down.

As a proud Gen X-er, jeans are my thing. But I have reduced the role of traditional blue jeans in my wardrobe over the last few years. I continue to love white jeans, because they look crisp, graphic, modern and dressy. I like skirts, have a nice assortment, and welcome the addition of a swishy midi skirt for Summer.

I do prefer dresses over skirts because then I don’t have the hassle of finding a top. It’s finally been raining dresses for me, and I’ve added seven to my wardrobe in one year. I found wonderful cold-weather dresses that I can wear with tall tailored boots or booties, insulating hosiery, warm coats, scarves and gloves in Winter. I also like to wear dresses over cropped straights. I’ve always loved wearing dressy and casual trousers across a range of colours, patterns and silhouettes, and have quite a few of those. 

It is cold, rainy, grey, icy, or snowy in most of the northern hemisphere, with many more months of the same weather to follow. Spring is not on the horizon, and shopping for warm weather wardrobe items seems far, far away. It seems ridiculous to be thinking about Spring and Summer when all you want to do is wrap up and stay dry. But it isn’t. Retail is better at aligning its merchandise with the weather, but you still need to purchase some items far in advance. 

1. Hunt for Swimwear in February

It’s best to begin the swimwear hunt in February, with collections peaking in March and April. By the time you decide you need a new bathing costume in July and August, the assortment is picked over and the sizes are gone, especially when you like to wear swimwear tops in bra sizes.

One of my style goals for 2018 is to put together a Modern Retro swimwear capsule for our coastal holiday in Italy at the end of June. I want to have the pick of the crop, enjoy the process, and not have to settle. So I started looking at swimwear options in the first week of January, and have already bought a fabulous cover-up by Seafolly. Now I can take my time with the cozzie and be picky, patient and practical.

2. Start Looking for White Jeans Now

If they’re on your shopping list, start looking for white jeans now. Fresh merchandise comes through from January to April. After that, stock levels deplete rapidly, especially when you need petite, tall or plus sizes in silhouettes that aren’t high-rise body-con skinnies. I’m in the market for one more pair of white jeans, and I’ve started looking already.

3. Get Spring and Summer Jackets and Raincoats By April

Retail buyers tend to put jackets and raincoats in their assortments at the start of the new retail season, which means January to April. Start looking for a warm weather raincoat now, and make sure your lightweight Spring and Summer jackets are sorted by April. Most of us are wearing Winter coats till then, but the Spring and Summer versions will be scarce by the time you want them at the end of April or May.

4. Get Covered Warm Weather Clothing Soon

Spring and Summer collections are hitting retailers earlier and earlier. They used to surface mid to end Feb, but with the unstoppable movement to online shopping, transitional Spring collections are available from as early as the first week of January.

Spring and Summer collections become skimpier, lighter, breezier and more casual the further along we are in the season. If you prefer a warm weather look that is dressier, more covered, sleeved, longer, and made of substantial fabrics, shop early in the season. The retail industry thinks we’re on vacation by the time May, June and July roll around and supply us with shorts, tees, sleeveless casual tops, skimpy dresses, and little else.

5. Look for Dresses Throughout the Year

Suitable dresses are hard to find, especially when you set out to look for them for a specific event. Usually, you’ll find the right dress when you’re NOT looking for it. I learned this the hard way. I now have a new dress shopping strategy: I am ALWAYS on the hunt for dresses. In-season, off-season, full price, on sale, across all sorts of retailers, and when I travel. You never know when you’re going to bump into a fabulous dress.  I can relax into the process of adding dresses to my wardrobe, I don’t settle, and I have the perfect dress on hand when I need it.

A fortnight ago, I bumped into TWO fabulous and reasonably priced Topshop dresses that are perfect for Summer. I bought them right away, in the beginning of January with ice on the ground. They’re hibernating until it’s warm enough to wear them, which will be at least four months. That’s fine by me. No more vacation dress stress.

A green initiative from J.Crew, a new creative director for Céline, more size-inclusive clothing at Target, and other news from the fashion trenches this month.

• Target is adding another, size-inclusive, clothing collection to its roster: Universal Thread sizes will run from 00 to 26W.
• J.Crew is teaming up with Blue Jeans Go Green — an organization that recycles old denim into housing insulation for communities in need — to collect customers’ gently used jeans in stores and offer them a discount in return.
• Here’s a first look at J.W. Anderson’s Spring 2018 collection for Uniqlo.
• Uniqlo is also partnering with Finnish design company Marimekko for a special collection that will hit stores on March, 29th.
• Hedi Slimane has been named the new creative director of Céline.
• The H&M Group is launching a new affordable luxury brand: Nyden.
• L’Oreal has created a thumbnail-sized UV sensor to help you monitor your sun exposure.
• Madewell and J.Crew have expanded their jeans collections to include up to a size 35.

Fun Fashion Fact

American fashion designer Tina Leser was part of a generation of pioneering sportswear designers and became known for her international style. In her collections she, for example, used Hawaiian palaka fabric and Guatemalan handwoven cloth. During the 1950s she designed cropped and harem pants before any other designers. And it is said she was also the first designer to make dresses from cashmere.