This post was inspired by one of my clients, who recently wore the outfit combination to our shopping session. She combined a dress length tunic with tailored cropped pants, a fitted denim jacket, and cage heels. She’s 5ft 2 and looked absolutely sensational, so you definitely don’t have to be tall to wear the look. 

Here are the components of the outfit: 

Dramatic Tunic

You’re after a tunic that has drama, which means a length that grazes your knees, or goes beyond your knees. In fact, dresses make the perfect tunics for this outfit combination. Hemlines can be asymmetrical, handkerchief or high-low. Sleeved, sleeveless, solid, patterned, knitted or woven – take your pick. Silhouettes can be straight, A-line, cocoon, or fit-and-flare. The dresses and tunics in the collection provide good examples of the vibe.

Nordstrom

Vince Camuto Roll Neck Long Tunic

$89.00

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5

Nordstrom

Vince Camuto 'Block Maze' Panel Tunic

$99.00 $59.40

Sale

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4

Nordstrom

Vince Camuto Roll Neck Long Tunic

$89.00

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4

Nordstrom

Topshop Stripe Split Hem Tunic

$68.00 $32.97

Sale

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4

Nordstrom

Eileen Fisher Silk Crepe Georgette Bateau Neck Tunic (Plus Size)

$338.00 $202.80

Sale

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2

Nordstrom

Mblm By Tess Holliday Slit Short Sleeve Tunic (Plus Size)

$60.00 $35.97

Sale

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2

Nordstrom

Bobeau Side Slit High/Low Long Tunic

$48.00 $16.80

Sale

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4

Nordstrom

BP Marled Cowl Neck Sleeveless Tunic

$58.00 $34.79

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4

White House Black Market

Woven Overlay Dress

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22

Nordstrom

Nordstrom Collection Sandwashed Silk Shirtdress

$298.00 $119.20

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1

Nordstrom

Eileen Fisher Mandarin Collar Layering Shirtdress (Regular & Petite)

$278.00 $111.20

Sale

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3

Nordstrom

London Times Cloud Stripe Chiffon Midi Dress

$84.00

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3

COS

Short sleeve layered dress

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3

Navabi

Isolde Roth Asymmetric tunic

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5

COS

Silk and cotton dress

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3

Navabi

Zizzi Smocked jersey dress

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5

COS

Short sleeve shirt dress

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5

COS

Asymmetric jersey dress

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4

COS

Grosgrain detail shirt dress

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5

Navabi

Yoona V-neck cotton blend jersey tunic

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2

COS

A-line side pleat dress

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5

Cropped Pants

Choose a pair of sleek cropped pants or jeans to layer under the tunic or the dress. A hem that finishes two to four inches above the ankle bone is a flop proof cropped pants or jeans length. The hems of the pants can be skinny, straight or flared. I vote no leggings because jeans and pants create a more architectural integrity which lends itself well to this look. Create a low contrast between the top and the bottom if you want to lengthen the line of the leg. Wear any colour bottom that works with the top and footwear.

Cropped Jacket

A cropped and tailored denim jacket or moto is an easy option. But do try other short jacket silhouettes with the combination. The range of styles in the collection are another way to go. Create a low contrast between the jacket and top if you’re worried about “chopping up your look”, but know that adding heels can offset the chopped effect.

Nordstrom

KUT from the Kloth 'Helena' Denim Jacket (Regular & Petite)

$74.50

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4

Navabi

Zizzi Zip collar leather biker jacket

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2

Navabi

Studio Metallic goatskin jacket

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2

Navabi

Zizzi Distressed denim jacket

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2

Nordstrom

Lucky Brand Denim Jacket (Plus Size)

$109.00

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2

Navabi

Manon Baptiste Faux suede jacket

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5

Navabi

Igor Dobranic Crinkle jacket

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6

Navabi

Elemente Clemente Cropped stand-up collar jacket

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4

Nordstrom

KUT from the Kloth 'Ana' Faux Leather Drape Front Jacket (Regular & Petite)

$98.50 $59.10

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17

Heels or Flats

Choose dressy or casual footwear that works with the length and style of the cropped pants. Heels, both low and high, work well because they lengthen the leg line and offset the horizontal lines that the layers create across the body. But don’t think you can’t wear flats either. I do! I’ve worn a very casual rendition of this outfit formula a few times with flat white sandals. You can see the exact pieces of my outfit in this collection. It’s not a column of colour, but the low contrast between the dress, jeans and jacket elongates the outfit so that I felt just fine finishing things off with flats. 

Custom Find

by Angie

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Bergdorf Goodman

J Brand Jeans Classic Light-Wash Jean Jacket

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27

Nordstrom

Linen Popover Shirtdress (Regular & Petite)

$69.00

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17

Nordstrom

KUT from the Kloth 'Reese' Stretch Ankle Jeans (White)

$89.00

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28

Nordstrom

Alexander Wang 'Dumbo' Leather Clutch

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11

Zappos

Naturalizer Lanna

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19

And finally, a little dressy street style inspiration to get those creative juices flowing. The jacket is longer, but its tailored fit helps offset the length – as does the fact that it’s worn quite open, thereby creating a strong vertical line down the front of the body. The flared crops are at a perfect shorter length, while the asymmetrical hem and diagonal lines of the dress add structure. The extra high heels further elongate the outfit and make it dressy.

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Combining a pastel like light blue or blush pink with black can work really well, especially when you have solid black hair (or black bits in your hair). That’s because the repetition of the black in your outfit creates outfit cohesion, pulling together the look. 

That said, you don’t need to have black hair to successfully wear a pastel with black. Look at how well these ladies wear blush and black:

1. Modern Retro Fabness
2. Crisp Modern Classic
3. Bows, baubles, and messy hair
4. Hard & Soft
5. Trapeze blush with a touch of nude
6. A column of black with blush and a smattering of silver
7. Hard Edge
8. Relaxed Elegance

If combining black with a pastel feels a little jarring, muddy and harsh, simply add a shade of white, blue denim, silver, or light grey to the outfit. The accent colours soften the palette, which can be a very effective styling tool for those of us with blonde, light grey or red hair. 

These street style shots do a great job of illustrating the addition of the accents:

1. Rough Around The Edges Boho Fabness
2. Creamy & Cozy
3. Skirted and booted with a touch of grey 
4. Distressed & Pretty 
5. Mirrors & Ombré 
6. Oversized Tomboy 
7. Simple Polished Chic
8. The Tousled Tux

I love to wear a pastel like blush pink with black, but as a blonde, do prefer to add a shade of white to the outfit. Off-white pearls, topper, footwear and bag do a marvelous job of softening the palette, AND add outfit cohesion, because the off-white is repeated in my hair. 

Over to you. Do you wear pastels with black? If so, do you prefer to add an accent colour like I do.

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This ensemble was inspired by our gorgeous sunny weather, which puts me into a frock mood. You need a fabulous Summer dress, a pair of current sandals, and the finishing touches. I’ve provided an assortment of simple combinations and moods to get you started but they are by no means exhaustive. I deliberately left off the black Summer dress because we covered that last week. 

Here are the components of the outfit: 

Dress: Think casual, smart casual or dressy frocks. Think sheaths, shifts, fit-and-flares, shirt dresses, cocoon styles, handkerchief hems, trapeze silhouettes and drapey styles across all sorts of Summery fabrics. Think solids, patterns, neutrals or colours. Think styles with and without sleeves. 

Current Sandals: There are plenty of styles to choose from these days. Ankle strap silhouettes, caged heels, sandal booties, mules, gladiators, lace-up looks, espadrilles, chunky flatforms, flat bed sandals, slides, naked strappy numbers, and closed-toe ankle strap flats. I’ve also thrown in a pair of slip-on sneakers because they’re extremely easy to pair with a casual dress. 

Topper: If you need a jacket, I vote short and fitted denim. Maxi cardigans look fresh paired with sleeveless dresses. Short jackets look great with dresses, especially when they’re fit-and-flare. Short lightweight motos and cropped tuxedo jackets tend to look fab with dresses too. By all means try an oversized vest with a dress, or a maxi gilet if you dare. 

Accessories: Finish off the look with a bag that works with the vibe of the outfit. Add jewellery, scarf, headgear, watch and eyewear as desired. 

I’ve been layering a pair of flared cropped or skinny jeans under my shirt dresses because it’s chilly in the mornings here in Seattle. By the time the afternoon rolls around, I can strip off the jeans, and wear my frock with flat oxfords, loafers or sandals. 

I’m challenging you ALL to wear dresses and sandals (or closed-toe footwear if that’s more to your taste) throughout August. Summer is here!

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