Link Love: Holiday Medley

It’s become our tradition to ring out the year with a collection of style-related stories that didn’t quite fit into the themed Link Love posts we published throughout the year, but are worth sharing anyway. Here they are! 

Fab Links from Our Members

La Pedestrienne really enjoyed Ann Patchett’s op-ed, “My Year of No Shopping.” A necessary antidote to the frenzy of holiday consumption.

Would you buy a cohesive 8-piece wardrobe for $3000? Gradfashionista thinks it’s an interesting idea.

Here we have the age old question again, says L’Abeille: “Why Aren’t Fashion ‘Disruptors’ Serving Plus-Size Customers?”

La Belle Demimondaine directs us to this article about raw selvedge denim, from the raw selvedge denim’s point of view.

JAileen enjoyed “When Do You Start Wearing Eileen Fisher?“, because she loves Eileen Fisher.

Approprio thought “Spark Connection” was a thought-provoking read.

As several forum members seem to have struggled with button-down shirts, The Cat would like to point to Brenda Kinsel’s recent post about casual outfits styled with white shirts.

Given how many conversations we’ve had on the forum about whether it’s necessary to wear heels to be fashionable, UmmLila wanted to share this.

Speaking of heels, recently Alison at Ask a Manager answered the question “Do I really have to wear high heels to a job interview?” Lava says to make sure to read the more than 400 comments too.

Jenni NZ enjoyed this colourful peek inside Louise Hilsz’s — her favourite fashion editor’s — closet.

Ensemble: The Bold and the Beautiful

This is the final ensemble post of 2017 and we’re ending with a celebration. One real outfit, and one imaginary one, and everyone can participate. I wore my real one last week. I felt like wearing bright colours from head to toe. To some they would be clashing, but to my eye they are harmonious. I combined orange pants with a burgundy turtleneck, belt, booties and bag. I was going to wear my navy or cream coat, but topped the lot off with my shocking pink man coat instead. I also added an orange pom-pom to the bag. The collection below shows the exact items from my wardrobe.

The second outfit is the imaginary one I would wear to the YLF ball. I asked my Fairy Godmother for a long-sleeved classic tomato red ballgown so that I could make a statement with colour without feeling cold. I completed the look with a multi-strand pile of vintage Chanel pearls, a cream faux fur shawl, and a gold clutch. My Fairy Godmother added sky high gold pumps to keep me from tripping on my train. I can of course, magically walk in the four inch pumps just for the night.

Over to you. What was your boldest outfit of the year, and what are you wearing to the YLF ball? Remember that your Fairy Godmother can make any ball outfit happen. Feel free to post your bold and beautiful outfits on our forum. ‘Tis the season to be festive!

Ensemble: The Bold & the Beautiful

Easy Outfit Formula: The Knife-Pleated Skirt

The knife or sunray-pleated skirt is a fabulous item, until you have to think about the top to wear it with. Proportions are all over the place, with pleats that can look very pouffy and overly voluminous on the midsection and hips. This bossy skirt needs some discipline. 

The solution: Wear an UNTUCKED welted pullover over the skirt, and watch it submit to your body.

Outfit Formula: Longer knife-pleated skirt + fluid welted pullover + tailored footwear

The pullover must have a welt because therein lies the secret to the structure of the outfit. The welt tempers the volume of the pullover and of the skirt by tapering back to the contour of the body. The effect is much like a dropped waist dress of the ’20s. You have to be okay with surrendering your waistline completely here.

The welt will be positioned differently on the skirt depending on the length of the pullover. A shorter pullover positions the welt higher on the skirt, and vice versa. The neckline of the pullover can be turtleneck, boat neck, V-neck, scoop or crew neck.

The length of the skirt is knee-length or midi. A welted pullover tempers the volume of all knife-pleated skirts, but if that’s not enough, opt for a less voluminous pleated skirt (one that simply has less fabric).

Footwear can range from dressy tall tailored boots and sleek heeled pumps, to ballet flats, mules and sneakers. Here are some bloggers putting the concept through its stylish paces in both subtle and more extreme ways:

Late AfternoonOne Little MommaWardrobe DetectivesThe Fashion Guitar

  • Urban Glitz. You don’t need to wear heels. The dressy crossbody is a nice touch. 
  • Pretty Structure: A basic J.Crew Tippi pullover is paired with a pleated skirt. It’s fairly fitted, although sufficiently fluid. Great flats. 
  • Elegant Polish: The shorter pullover showcases more of the skirt. The classic pumps are gorgeous with the longer length of the skirt, thereby adding its leg lengthening effect. 
  • Playfully Fashion-Forward: The oversized tunic is an acquired taste creating more of a dress effect. The pumps with ties add outfit texture. 

The Halogen Metallic Pleated Skirt is one of the best pleated skirts of the season, and a lot more affordable than a designer version. It’s soft and the pleats lie quite flat against the body. Great length too. It looks fab with the silhouette of pullover I’ve shown in the collection. Tall, streamlined dressy boots look great with this skirt, as do pretty pumps with hosiery.

There was an ‘80s version of this look with shoulder pads that I wore with dressy flat white oxfords. I may have thrown in some white sneakers too. This time round, I want to wear the look with my tall dressy ink blue boots. Who else is feeling the vibe?

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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Team Purple or Team Orange

In 2012 a study of two thousand men and women revealed our favourite colours. Blue was an across-the-board favourite for both men and women. For women, purple followed closely as the next favourite. Green was third, followed by red, pink and yellow. Orange came stone last.

This brings me to the final poll of the year. We’re skipping predictable blue, and making a choice between purple and orange. Any shade of purple and orange counts. From the lightest of lilac and peach to the richest coral, orchid, lavender and Dutch orange, right through to earthy burnt orange and royal eggplant.

My friends, family and clients validate the statistic. There is generally much more love for all shades of purple than there is for any shade of orange. My dear Dad, Greg and I however much prefer orange to purple. None of us have purple in our wardrobes. My Dad has been wearing orange checked shirts and knitwear for as long as I can remember. Greg doesn’t wear orange, but fancies it in our home decor, likes the way it’s featured across the Netherlands because it’s the national colour, and he loves it on me. I wear all shades of orange. Peach, coral, Dutch orange and burnt orange — I love it all. My favourite shade of red is tomato, which is a very orangey-red. We bat for Team Orange. 

Over to you. Do you bat for Team Purple or Team Orange? Tell us why. Absolutely no batting for both teams, although you can enjoy hot fudge sundaes on the bench if you can’t make a choice.

Boden
Holly Textured Dress
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Top Pick
6
COS
Cashmere jumper
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14
COS
Cashmere hat
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2
COS
Cashmere scarf
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11
Zappos
Franco Sarto Caleigh
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5
Boden
Courtney Top
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3
J.Crew
Ruffle-neck silk top
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4
J.Crew
Faux-fur pom-pom
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8
COS
Oversized wool scarf
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2
COS
Boxy denim jacket
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2
Karen Millen
O-ring Clutch
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3

Purchases on My Recent Trip

I travel to the Netherlands four times a year to hang out with my Dad. When I’m there, I throw in a bit of shopping with dear friend Inge, who drives through from Antwerp for the day. We have a ball, catching up on everything and enjoying some Dutch retail therapy. 

On my recent trip in November, I bought some Autumn and Winter wardrobe items. The exact items are represented in the collection below:

  • Orange cashmere pullover
  • Casual flat navy booties
  • Holiday clutch
  • Graphic Mod dress
  • Graphic Mod scarf

Someone on the forum recently asked how I decided on these particular items, so here’s some of the thinking behind the purchases.

  • I don’t have a rigid shopping list, nor do I buy items that I have in abundance. I am careful with my purchases because I want to keep my wardrobe moderately sized and wear the heck out of my clothes.
  • I like to get items on my trips that are hard to get back in Seattle.
  • I had navy boots on my shopping list because I passed on two uncomfortable pairs this year. Since dark blue is my black, I missed my navy boots (and so did my lonely navy bag that needed its footwear buddy). The navy boots had to be flat, tailored, simple, sleek, smart casual, beautifully made, and very comfortable. I found exactly what I wanted.
  • I had a clutch for this year’s holiday outfits on my list because my rose gold party complement needed refreshing. The clutch had to work with a tonal burgundy vibe and fit my large iPhone. I did not want to spend a designer price on the bag. I hadn’t planned on suede, but loved the equestrian saddle bag vibe of the clutch I found in a versatile cherry red.
  • I was NOT allowed to buy neutral knitwear because I’m sorted, but a colour was fine because I wear warm knitwear into Spring and never tire of my happy colours. The orange pullover did not fill a wardrobe hole, but was a fun addition to my new Burgundy capsule and the cropped silhouette was different. The orange also looks great with all my blue.
  • I was NOT allowed to buy a coat unless it was turquoise.
  • I was NOT allowed to buy jeans, blouses or skirts.
  • I was open to another fun, short fashion puffer jacket, but didn’t see one.
  • I’m always looking for flattering dresses with longer sleeves and sufficient length, across the seasons. When I came across the Mod patterned frock, I was intrigued. I didn’t have anything like it, and I liked the graphic pattern. The fit was fluid and not body-con. Nice sleeves and a good length. It would work with my tall ink blue boots, blazer, gilet, and several of my coats. It also had a matching scarf. The concept was unique, so that was that.
  • I was open to fun woolly trousers, but didn’t find a pair.

I have an effective, cohesive wardrobe of items that are in good condition, fit well, fulfill my needs, and make me happy. As a result, I seldom have glaring wardrobe needs. Most of my purchases are about adding that next layer of newness so that I keep my fashion feet moving and don’t get bored with my style.

Navy Booties