Uniqlo is coming to Seattle, ASOS is launching a line of bridesmaid dresses, pre-orders for the Apple Watch started today, and other news from the fashion trenches this week.

• Angie was excited to hear that Uniqlo is coming to Seattle. Stores in D.C. and Boston are in the works too.
• Yahoo Style! reports that Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” might be helping second-hand stores to turn a bigger profit.
• ASOS is launching a line of “gently-priced” bridesmaid dresses.
• Chanel is testing the e-commerce waters with a small jewellery collection to be sold on Net-a-Porter.
• “Warpaint”, a new London exhibition, is showcasing the makeup from the Alexander McQueen runway shows.
• Pre-orders for the Apple Watch started today, and after only six and a half hours all of the Sport editions’ launch day supplies had already sold out.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that sunglasses made from flat panes of smoky quartz were worn in the 12th century by Chinese judges. Not to protect themselves from the sun, but to appear expressionless  — and impartial — when hearing cases.

This capsule was inspired by a very casual warm weather look that I recently created with a client who will be off from work and spending Summer with her kids. Many of the items I link to in the post are the exact pieces that we bought (they are also available in the collection at the end). 

A few points upfront: 

• My client likes to wear a combination of trends and classics, enjoys pattern mixing, and requires a certain amount of ladylike pretty in her style.
• The palette is black, white, grey and blue with a touch of coral. There’s quite a bit of white because my client likes to wear white wardrobe items. She has black hair, which picks up the black in the palette. 
• My client does not like to wear woven tops, so all the tops here are knitted. Feel free to add casual woven tops into the mix.
• We did not include skirts because it was easier to create outfits with non-skirt bottoms. 
• Although the capsule is casual, my client prefers to sport a dressy satchel and refined footwear.
• Toppers are not included here, but a modern classic silver trench coat, black moto and denim jacket are sitting in my client’s closet back home, ready for those cooler Seattle Summer days.

There are five bottoms, nine tops, four pairs of shoes, a bag, sunglasses and a scarf. This ratio is not cast in stone, but these quantities did allow us to adequately refresh my client’s look for the season. We made sure that the pieces we bought worked well with some existing wardrobe items: blue and white boyfriend jeans, denim shorts, more knitted tops and tunics (in the same palette across solids and patterns), and silver, white and black pairs of flats. 

The tunics work over the leggings and skinnies. The solid tops and some of the printed tops can be worn with the printed culottes. All the tops work with the shorts, white skinnies and cropped slim straight jeans.The solid footwear can be worn with any of the combinations. The floral Birkenstocks can be worn with fewer combinations.

Here are the components of the capsule: 

Bottoms

My client wanted a tailored change from boyfriend jeans so we chose three sleek fashionable bottoms. She also wanted a pair of shorter denim shorts for hot days. I suggested a soft pair of culottes as a trendy addition to the mix. The five bottoms are different from each other in colour, and for the most part in silhouette. 

1. Black leggings to wear with the tunics.
2. White high-waisted cropped skinnies to wear with all the tops. 
3. Faded green-blue slim straights to wear with all the tops. 
4. Boyfriend shorts to wear with the cropped and regular length tops.
5. Soft printed culottes to wear with the solid tops and printed white tee. A patterned bottom makes for a nice change, and is a trendy choice to boot. 

IMPORTANT: We chose sleek jeans and culottes with high rises so that they can be worn with cropped tops. The cropped jeans can be rolled at the hem with all styles of footwear, or left unrolled and paired with ankle strap footwear. 

Tops

We chose seven casual tops that vary in colour, fabric and silhouette, but they are all knitted. Fits are fluid or oversized. Some tops are modern classic while others are trendy. That way there is ample variety. 

1. Grey V-Neck cocoon tunic: It’s actually a short dress that works well as a tunic. 
2. Ink tiered pullover: Romantic and good on a chilly Spring and Summer day. 
3. Blue linen cross stripe tee: The diagonal stripes add interest to the classic piece. 
4. White Cold Shoulder Slub Tee: The swingy silhouette is fun and the cold shoulders are alluring.
5. White waffle-knit cropped top: Sporty Luxe and trendy. A boxy cut is the way to wear the look with skinnies. 
6. Grey marled double shirttail pullover: A little asymmetry for an arty touch. 
7. White slogan tee: A playful and extra casual addition.  
8. Black cowl neck knit top: A classic. 
9. Blue printed georgette paneled sweater: A more bold and dressy piece than the others. 

Some of the tops can be partially tucked into the jeans, shorts and culottes. The cropped tops aren’t very short, and my client is petite. So with the addition of the high-rise jeans, there is sufficient coverage. 

Footwear

We made sure that the shoes were trendy because they add pizzazz to the outfits. My client prefers to wear pointy toe flats for casual days because they add an elegant and feminine touch to her look. But she also likes to wear fashion sneakers so I suggested a pair of slip-ons. And although my client does not like to wear sandals, she fell in love with the floral Birkenstocks because they are fun, breezy, comfy, and of course, completely on trend. 

1. Coral d’Orsay flats: Coral complements blue, and is a colour my client can wear on her feet (too warm next to her face). It provides a pop of happiness. 
2. Black ankle strap flats: I suggested another pair of black flats because it bookends her hair. The ankle strap style closes the gap on the cropped lengths of the jeans. 
3. Metallic slip-on sneaker: Versatile and good for parks and walks. 
4. Floral Birkenstocks: Fun in a floral, and great on extra hot days. 

Accessories

We added a crisp white satchel because it kicks up the dressy factor and the polish of the outfits. My client has wanted a four season Burberry scarf for some time, so we added one in a light tan silk wool blend. It can be worn with all solid tops, and some of the patterns. A fedora is on the shopping list, but eyewear and watch are sorted. Diamond and pearl stud earrings will be worn with these outfits each day. 

My client has existing casual dresses that work well with the footwear, hat, scarf and bag of this capsule. She also has a grey and yellow crossbody bag to create a more casual look. This will be it for my client for Spring and Summer. No more shopping until the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, where she will shop for Fall and Winter items. She is set, and is enjoying her warm weather refreshers.

With so many forum members absolutely killing it in our Favourite Fashion Era Outfit Challenge on the forum this week, I thought it would be fun to share a few costume design-themed links:

• From That ’70s Show to The Knick, Refinery29 rounds up The Best Period Costumes on TV.
• The Washington Post looks at How Empire charts the rise of hip-hop through fabulous fashion.
• Seven Hollywood costume designers share their L.A. shopping recommendations.
• Mad Men is back for its final seven episodes, and The Guardian investigates how the shift from the 1960s to the early 1970s will be reflected in the costumes.
• More ’70s fashion in this interesting article about how Inherent Vice costume designer Mark Bridges brought Thomas Pynchon and 1970 L.A. to life.
• Ever wondered where all the costumes go after TV shows wrap? Fashionista has the answer.

Fab Links from Our Members

French stylist and journalist Nathalie Croquet recreated fashion and beauty advertisements in an Instagram series called “Spoof“. Janet thought it was very well done.

Vildy liked Imogen’s post on how to wear various styles of white shirts.

Laurinda came across Tasmanian artist Sonia Singh who does “makeunders” of second-hand Bratz dolls for her site Tree Change Dolls.

Cheryle is very taken with The Directrice, a fairly new blog written by a lawyer who likes to add interest and personality in a “staid” work environment.

Suz directs us to this fascinating and moving video from AEON that shows us what happens to our clothes when we pass them along, and what the people who recycle them imagine it is like to wear them.

With our Fashion Era Challenge this week, Tanya thought this article was perfect timing, as it describes a characteristic dress for every decade of the 20th century.

Angie points us to Catherine’s post about nine ways to style vintage without it looking costume-y, and Sally explaining why finding wardrobe items that work with instead of against your body is a worthwhile project.

MuseumGal would like to share this NPR story about athleisure and men embracing the sweatpants look outside of the gym.

When models wear culottes they are often styled with heels, but you can absolutely wear them with flats. Of course, your leg line won’t look quite as long because heels add height. But with a little attention to detail, creating flattering proportions is simple. It’s often a case of wearing culottes a little shorter, showcasing the waistband of the culottes to visually lengthen the leg line from the thighs up, and creating a column of colour. 

Here are some examples of these three techniques. 

Shorter Culottes

In these examples the models are wearing flat oxfords and slides with shorter culottes. Although the first outfit with the black culottes is an edgier combination and an acquired taste, it does work to my eye. The second outfit is a little easier to wear. Both pairs of shoes create a low contrast against the skin tones of the models, thereby lengthening the leg line. The untucked cropped tops showcase more of the culottes, thereby lengthening the leg line from the thighs up. The over-the-knee length of the culottes breaks the outfit into thirds, creating a proportional effect.

Showcasing the Waistband

The next two examples show culottes with flat ankle strap pumps and gladiators. The tops have been tucked into the culottes, which lengthens the leg line from the hips upward. The pointy toe of the flats and low contrast of the footwear colours further offsets the stump factor of slightly longer culottes.

Column of Colour

These two outfits create a column of colour with black culottes, which has a lengthening effect. No need to showcase the waistband of the culottes because it makes no difference here. The outfit on the left adds a pair of self colour black Birkenstocks to a longer pair of culottes. The self colour high-vamped flat is key to pairing with the longer length culottes because it visually connects the hem of the culottes with the footwear, thereby creating a continuous line. The dark hair of the model adds further cohesion to the outfit. 

The outfit on the right creates a column of colour with a shorter pair of culottes. The low contrast, flat white sneakers work quite well because of the lengthening effect of the column of colour and the slightly shorter length of the culottes.

In this final outfit the welted top is covering the waistband, thereby shortening the leg line and lengthening the torso. The opposite of what is happening in the examples before it. I included this outfit because it illustrates that wearing a regular length fitted or welted top over culottes can work when you’re short-waisted and long in the leg. Wear the culottes a little shorter to lengthen the leg from the lower leg up, and add low-contrast flat footwear. If, however, you have a naturally long leg line, feel free to add high-contrast flats instead.

Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section if anything isn’t clear.