Ensemble: The Skirted Leggings Look

This ensemble was inspired by our forum members who are having lots of fun wearing Eileen Fisher’s black skirted leggings. They are super comfy, arty, practical and a little different from other casual bottoms. They also remind me of skousers and skants from the ‘90s. 

Riller & Fount Max Leggings with Attached SkirtEileen Fisher Skirted Leggings

The ensemble falls flat if you don’t have a pair of skirted leggings, which are most versatile in black or dark grey. But do be creative by combining a thick pair of black leggings with a black pencil skirt. You’ll find that longer skirts worn over leggings look more flattering when the side seams are tapered at the hem. Shorter length skirts look fine less tapered. 

There are many ways to create outfits with skirted leggings. I’ve started the ball rolling with three casual renditions in an assortment of neutrals. In each case I’ve kept the footwear black to match the leggings to increase the vertical integrity of the outfit. 

Skirted Leggings, Plaid Shirt & Moto

The combination is that simple. Layer an untucked plaid shirt over skirted leggings and finish off the look with a black moto jacket and black footwear like loafers, oxfords, sneakers or boots. Choose a bright or tonal plaid, and a bag of your choice. You might like to add a scarf and headgear. 

Skirted Leggings & a Column of Colour

Create a column of colour by combining a black pullover or tee with black skirted leggings. Layer a chunky drapey cardigan, sweater jacket, or maxi cardigan over the top, keeping the front open so that the layers are visible. I’ve chosen a light neutral to prevent the outfit from looking too dark, but feel free to use a colour. Finish off the outfit with black footwear, like loafers, oxfords, sneakers or boots, and a bag of your choice. 

Skirted Leggings & a Denim Jacket

Combine skirted black or grey leggings with a neutral tee or pullover and top off with a denim jacket. I’ve chosen a grey pullover, but a white, grey or navy tee works equally well. Finish off the outfit with casual black footwear and a bag of your choice. You’ll be able to layer a coat over the entire lot for extra warmth if the jackets and cardigans aren’t too bulky. Add jewellery, headgear, watch and eyewear as desired. 

Skirted leggings are one way to break out from a daily jeans uniform. They are a super option for a stay-at-home or work-from-home setting. They also provide excellent coverage if you’re self-conscious about exposing the top part of your legs.

Skirted Leggings

Cropped and High-Waisted Winter White-Out

Happy New Year! I’m kicking off 2015 with a look that has a high happiness factor because white-out is one of my favourite trends of all time. Some feel powerful wearing black from head to toe, but I feel powerful wearing white from head to toe. Something about soft, pretty and crisp shades of white makes me feel invincible, modern and bold, despite it being an impractical combination and a low contrast against my hair colour and complexion. I think it’s important to assess how we feel in an outfit, instead of only taking fit, proportion and conventional colour theory into account. 

I wore this outfit to a 40th birthday party at a restaurant near the end of 2014. In that case I wore it with a gold clutch, but here you see it with a brand new ink blue graphic wardrobe pet that was a Christmas gift from a dear friend.

Cropped White - Full

Outfits that are made up of both new and old items put an extra spring in my step, and this one is no exception. The cream trousers were a birthday gift from Greg. The chunky Zara pullover is a few seasons old. The coat is five years old, and the booties are from Spring 2014.

Cropped White - Close

Cropped White - Side

Of all the white-out combinations that I’ve shown on YLF, this is the most trendy because it pairs a cropped pullover with high-waisted trousers, which is something I haven’t done since the ‘80s. Unless you want to intentionally expose the midriff, creating more coverage with the bottom is the way to go when wearing a cropped top. I’m also wearing a self-colour camisole under the pullover for warmth and coverage. 

Cropped White - Coat Closed

Cropped White - Bag

Creating the right fit with a cropped top and pair of high-waisted trousers is key to making me feel confident instead of exposed and uncomfortable. I sized up in the Club Monaco trousers to create a loose tailored fit. This caused them to be too loose on the waist, so I had the waistband altered. I can now wear them without a belt and they stay put.

Cropped White - Full

Cropped White - Side

The cropped pullover is fluid and heavily welted with a structured wide welt, which creates a blouson effect. The boxy blouson, slightly roomy fit and extra length of the trousers are a big part of what makes me comfortable in this combination. If either item were tighter or shorter, I’d feel too self-conscious. 

Cropped White - Coat Open

Texture is one way to add depth to an outfit that is a single colour from head to toe. In this case the coat, trousers, shoes and pullover are all different textures, which makes the white less flat. The column of colour creates a long vertical line from head to toe, which makes a difference if you feel that wearing white makes you appear larger than you are. Although the heels on the booties are square, the pointy toe box further elongates the leg line. 

Cropped White - Bag & Shoes

Cropped White - Walking

A small number of black and ink blue accents break up the white-out in an effective way. The black leather piping around the pockets of the trousers picks up the black trim on the cream booties, which in turn picks up the black buttons on the coat, and the dark pattern on the clutch. These accents are especially noticeable from the side and when the outfit is in motion. My green specs and lipstick provide the smallest touch of colour, which helps liven up the expanse of white when my coat is off and I’ve put down my bag. Watch and wedding ring are all I need in the jewellery department.

We at YLF wish you a happy and healthy New Year. 

The Best and Worst of 2014

As the very last post of 2014, here are some superlatives to wrap up the year of style, fashion and retail. My musings are completely subjective, so feel free to agree, disagree, and add to the list. It’s all in good fun.

2014 fashion has been AMAZING. I’ve had the the most fun shopping this year because the trends and colours were right up my alley. As a result I bought more than usual for Spring/Summer, which is not my dominant season. As luck would have it, Seattle had the hottest Summer on record and my new items were put to good use. 

Best Trends: Fluid fits (generally more wearable than oversized fits), white-out, pointy toe footwear, ankle straps, year-round knitwear, sporty luxe, daytime sparkle, boyfriend jeans, and wider trousers. 

Worst Trends: Seasonally confused outfits that are very Wintery on top and a Summer party on the bottom. Like a pair of cropped pants worn with sandals, flats, pumps or peep-toe booties, which is then combined with chunky knitwear, bulky coat, scarf and woolly hat. 

Most Unexpected Fashion Trend: Longer hair. Most women and girls I see on the street in the United States and around the world, have shoulder length or longer hair. Most fashion bloggers and celebrities have longer hair. Short hair is definitely less popular than it used to be. Perhaps we’ll see a change in 2015. 

Most Saturated Items at Retail: Cropped pants, sausage casing skinnies, pencil skirts, and oversized tops. 

Most Undersupplied Items at Retail: Tailored tops, knee-covering skirts and dresses, V-necklines, fashionable two inch dressy heels, tall boots for narrow calves, and full-length trousers. 

Biggest Missed Opportunities at Retail: Two-piece dresses, trumpet skirts, and interesting longer skirts in general. 

Favourite Photographer: Greg, because he creates the most beautiful images with impeccable attention to detail and a lot of heart. His pictures for my outfit posts are a true labour of love. 

Worst Selfie Photographer: Me.

My Very Unexpected Wardrobe Purchases: White backpackbell bottom jeans and big white sneakers. I was quite surprised by how much I ended up loving sporty luxe items like the sneakers and the backpack, and flares are not a typical choice for a non-boho style persona. Yet I love these items. 

Favourite New Petite Outfit Blogger: Boston-based Jean from Extra Petite, who we featured earlier this year. I love her extremely polished modern classic style. Casual or dressy, Jean is a very chic lady. 

Best Blogger Hair: Amber from Forever Amber. Her beautiful long red locks take my breath away. 

Favourite Outfit Blogger: Veronica from Bittersweet Colours. A beautifully pulled together and fashionable lady who continues to ooze daily sass with her new maternity style. 

Best Aspect of Today’s Fashion: There is no one way to be stylish. 

Worst Aspect of Today’s Fashion: Casualization.

Most Depressing Colour of the Year: Solid grey because it really doesn’t make me happy when I wear it, although I love my charcoal Smythe equestrian jacket because of its cognac accents. It was also disappointing to see most retailers in the US end the year with a massive assortment of grey merchandise. Not festive at all. 

Favourite Street Style on Pinterest: I’m fondest of street style looks that include pets, so Linda Rodin and her adorable poodle Winky win hands down this year sporting their complementary outfits:

Sci-fi Retro White-OutSporty Hard EdgeParka Glitz

Retailers With the Best Customer Service: Nordstrom, Zappos and Amazon continue to reign supreme, but I’d like to give J.Crew, Gap and Zara a shout-out. 

I had trouble with my J.Crew password when purchasing an order online, so I phoned customer service who apologized profusely for the inconvenience, and gave me an additional 15% off my purchase. 

I shop at the Gap, Gap Body and Gap Fit quite a bit both for myself and for clients, and I’m most impressed with how consistently helpful and friendly their sales assistants are. They stand out from the crowd, and make a difference. Thank you. 

I’m in the Seattle Zara store very frequently, and am thoroughly impressed with the professionalism and efficiency of the sales staff, especially when handling returns, or when the store is crowded during an end of season sale. Zara’s online service is excellent too. 

Rosie & Jasmine

Best Winter 2014 Runway Outfit: Minus the hat, I want this gorgeous mixture of Equestrian Sporty Luxe White-Out.

Favourite Style Tips: Assess how you FEEL in an outfit. Keep poison eye to a minimum. Be patient with your style. 

Most Stylish Way to Keep Warm in Winter: Stay indoors.

Only Style Rule: Have fun with fashion at ANY age. 

And last, the best little doggies Jasmine and Rosie are sadly no longer with us, but they are in our hearts forever. Words cannot express how much we love and miss them.

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

Read More

Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

Read More

Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

Read More

Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

Read More

Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

Read More

Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

Read More

My Favourite Finds of 2014

The new wardrobe feature in Finds has made it possible for me to record the items that I purchase (and receive as gifts) in one place, which you can see here. I love that I can see my purchases in a glance on a single page. It keeps my shopping process more organized and appeals to my inner control freak. 

These are my favourite seven purchases of 2014 (this excludes gifts). My AG Nikki relaxed skinnies that fit like boyfriend jeans are a brilliant wardrobe essential. The white Rosie satchel is sentimental in many ways. The Milly backpack is a wild card and Greg’s favourite bag of all time. I finally have a beautiful Burberry coat with a high longevity factor, and my love for equestrian Smythe jackets needs no introduction. My Prada booties are as comfortable as it gets and their rich cognac colour adds newness to my outfits. And I found the perfect party frock even though I wasn’t planning on purchasing one. I’m a very lucky fish.