Colour Blocked Poncho for Fall

A new outfit from Kimberly Smith of Penny Pincher Fashion, whom we introduced to YLF in October 2013.

Kimberly is wearing skinny jeans and a lightweight turtleneck under an eye-catching colour blocked poncho. The cream top adds some lightness around the face, while the poncho’s asymmetrical hemline creates movement and structure. The poncho has sleeves which makes it a practical option for Mums-on-the-Go, and helps keep things in place. The cool-toned hues of the jeans and topper work beautifully with the warm cognac of the footwear and saddle bag. Her pointy toe booties, fun cuff bracelets and Kimberly’s impeccable makeup add polish to this cosy casual Fall look.

Kimberly - 1

Kimberly - 2

Two Revised Style Goals

Setting style goals gives us a helpful frame of reference when we review our closet, shop for new items, create outfits, and evolve our style. Putting some thought into the way we maintain and evolve our look over the course of the year makes our style journey more enjoyable and effective. For some it’s more of an organic and intuitive process, whereas for others it’s about keeping and revisiting detailed documentation. Either way, it’s a worthwhile process. 

Of course, style goals are not set in stone. They evolve over time. Here are two of mine that changed recently.

Simple to Retro

  • Original Goal: To wear Simple outfits that are Modern, Crisp, Soft and Dressy
  • Revised Goal: To wear outfits that are Modern, Crisp, Soft, Dressy and Retro 

I have been enjoying the maximalism trend, so the goal of creating simple outfits is less and less relevant. I will happily wear a pattern-mixed and high-contrast outfit with my bright green specs, a bright white multi-strand chunky pearl necklace, and a flashy studded belt. Earlier this year the combination would have felt off to me, but now it feels dead right.

I’m replacing “simple” with “retro” because I’m drawn to style sensibilities that imitate fashions from the ’60’s, ‘70s and ‘80s. My current outfits often have a retro flavour just because they include chunky pearl necklaces.

Dresses Year Round

  • Original Goal: To wear skirts and dresses more frequently in Spring and Summer
  • Revised Goal: To wear skirts and dresses more frequently year-round

I thoroughly enjoyed wearing more skirts and dresses in the Spring and Summer. So much so, that I want to continue my goal into Winter. So I recently bought a wonderful pair of ink blue pull-on suede boots that I can wear with dresses in cold weather. The boots are by a German brand  Peter Kaiser. They are smart casual, tailored, unfussy, low-heeled, well made, fit my narrow calves and fussy feet like a dream, and very comfortable. Their snip toe is on trend, and the colour quite magical.

These boots were a very unexpected find in London. It’s been fun to give my booties and cropped pants a bit of a break as I sport a sweater dress with tailored tall boots, hosiery, pearls, scarf and coat instead.

Weekly Roundup: Cute Items

Here’s an assortment of items that have been winners on my clients. Many of them have worked well on petites in petite sizes. I bought a few of them on my recent trip to visit family in London. 

There are plenty of colours available, so be sure to browse the different options. 

Visit the collection page to see the items alongside my descriptions.

COS
High-neck slit top
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Top Pick
6
COS
Petal drape blouse
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Top Pick
12
COS
Ribbon knit top
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Top Pick
4
Hobbs
Janie Stripe Sweater
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Top Pick
15
COS
Long high-neck jumper
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Top Pick
5
Macy's
Printed A-Line Dress
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Top Pick
3
Macy's
Gingham Dress
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Top Pick
6

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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Ensemble: Melon and Blue Jeans

This ensemble was inspired by a pullover I added to my wardrobe last month. It’s J.Crew’s long sleeved cashmere tee in melon. Not quite orange and not quite peach, but somewhere in between. I find the colour absolutely delicious, and want to eat it up. 

I like wearing melon with blue jeans, ink blue, tomato red, cognac, cream, leopard print and my Burberry scarf. Here are two easy ways to combine melon with blue jeans with some items in my wardrobe. The exact pieces are represented in the collection below, and I’ve worn the outfits already.

Here are the components of the esnemble: 

Melon Top: Choose a pullover, tee, knitted top, or blouse in melon. I’ve chosen a solid but by all means choose a melon-dominant pattern. If you don’t have melon, orange will work just fine. 

Jeans: Choose blue jeans in a wash and silhouette that tickles your fancy. My preference is for cropped flares and straights. I’ve chosen a very dark and a very light wash. 

Footwear: Choose cream or cognac footwear that works with the outfit. High-shaft booties are my own preference.

Topper: Choose a navy, ink blue or tomato red jacket or coat in a silhouette that works with the rest of the outfit. 

Accessories: Add a belt in a colour that matches the footwear if you’re semi-tucking the top. A patterned or solid scarf is optional, but a nice way to pack some punch. I wear my Burberry and tomato red scarves with the melon top and coats. Finish things off with a leopard, cognac or cream bag. Add jewellery, eyewear and watch as desired.

Ensemble: Melon & Blue Jeans

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Link Love: Fall 2016 Handbag Trends

From drawstring pouches to wide-strap crossbodies, here are five handbag trends to sport this Fall.

Popsugar lets us know that metal ring bags are the new trend to watch.

Vogue rounds up five eye-catching Fall bags that are fair-trade certified.

For the fans of book art, this Etsy guide lists a series of bags featuring fun book covers.

Have you heard of Vasic bags? This New York-based accessories brand is making classic bags with a twist.

Fab Links from Our Members

Isabel wanted to share this blog post about fashion as communication: “I have always been fascinated by clothes (and art) as communication. Mostly because I have never really understood it. I don’t think to ‘communicate’ through dress. And I always felt that if I did, were others ‘listening’ or just trying to communicate themselves? This article showed me that I do communicate. Subtly and without words. And I ‘listen’ more than I thought I did.”

Zoiechic found this article about millennial brides rewriting the style rules to suit themselves interesting.

Many of us are deeply concerned about frequent breaches of law, ethics, and human rights in the global garment industry and wonder about our role in that. Suz reports that the chamber opera Sweat now explores this question — in music. 

She adds that there are signs that the industry is improving. Take Tonléa zero waste company that focuses on preserving the environment while guarding workers’ rights.

Rachylou thought this article about understanding laundry-tag symbols might come in handy.

Minimalist is enjoying looking through Frugalista’s one bag packing lists, and also took notes of what the blogger never packs.

She also thought Lady Light Travel’s plus-size packing tips were excellent.

Angie thoroughly enjoyed Sally’s post on how she feels about being a style blogger and turning 40 next year. She adds: “As a style blogger who turns 47 next year, I can relate to all of it. I especially relate to NOT having time for uncomfortable shoes. Sally has never looked better to my eye, and happy feet for the win!”