Valerie Husemann (21) is a fashion-loving student who lives in a small town near Frankfurt in Germany. She shares her thoughts on fashion and lifestyle on her blog, Simple et Chic. Her style is a mix of girly casual and polished dressy looks with a boho touch here and there. She likes trendy pieces, loves pastels and bib necklaces, and regulary sports sneakers and flats. Her stunning long locks are an integral part of her style, as is her impeccable makeup that adds the final polishing touch.
Valerie loves pastels, and my word, they love her right back! Our blogger is a fan of wearing light colours to brighten grey days, which is why you can see her sporting white and pastels all through Fall and Winter. Here she is wearing an oversized baby blue sweatshirt under an equally voluminous coat. The fluffy material of the round-shouldered topper adds textural interest. The volume up top, emphasized even more by the big collar, large buttons and fun extra large pockets, is balanced by slim-fit, cropped white jeans. Showing the ankle creates further structure, while the metallic slip-on sneakers add subtle outfit depth. Valerie did mention that she felt a bit chilly with the sneakers. She’d have preferred grey ankle boots, but is looking for the perfect pair. Dark red nail polish is a great contrasting colour accent with the pale blue, as are our blogger’s stunning light brown tresses.
A head-to-toe neutral outfit that is light and breezy for a warm Spring day. Valerie has created a visually interesting tonal look by mixing white with cream and tan. The silky tiered blouse adds soft geometric lines. Wearing the longer length cardigan open creates a long lean line. The textured fabrication makes the tan come to life, while the dropped waist with ruffled bottom adds more soft lines to the look. The bright white jeans provide crisp yet subtle colour contrast. The pretty sandals further amp up the polished casual vibe of this look. Pairing the cropped jeans with ankle strap sandals in a colour close to our blogger’s skintone eliminates cutting horizontal lines. The buckle on the sandals, geometric shaped cuff and ring, and delicate necklace are gold-toned, which works beautifully with all the neutrals.
Valerie had me with the forest green top. What a gorgeous colour. She is wearing the slightly cropped blouse over a black mini skirt that almost looks green in a certain light. The bell sleeves give the top a ’70s vibe, but the architectural pleats and the way it is styled make it thoroughly modern. The peplum hem flares out over the straight skirt in a flattering way. Valerie’s pointy toe ankle boots fit snugly around the ankle, which creates a streamlined effect. The tassels are a fun design detail. The sparkly black bib necklace worn over the high-neck blouse, and a black clutch finish off this polished soft-edged look. And, as always, Valerie’s beautiful long locks amp up her style quotient even further.
Pale pink with light grey is one of Valerie’s favourite colour combos. Here, she uses delicate pink and cosy woolly textures to soften the strictness of a dressy faux-wrap skirt. Our blogger has semi-tucked a chunky turtleneck to emphasize the angles of the asymmetrical skirt. The medium gauge knit prevents the sweater from looking too bulky. I love how the collar collapses back onto itself, thereby creating more outfit softness. A plaid scarf, reminiscent of the iconic Burberry check, is draped loosely over her shoulders. It helps to the draw the eye up and down. The big necklace adds pretty bling and echoes the triangular shape of the skirt hemline. Classic blush pumps are the ladylike finishing touch.
For this trendy look, Valerie has cleverly combined two primary colours. The bright tomato red and dark blue play off each other providing sufficient outfit interest, so the silhouette can be kept simple and easy. The volume of the roomy sweatshirt and oversized topper is counterbalanced by skinny jeans tucked into texture-rich suede ankle boots. The camel coat enhances the intensity of the vibrant red and blue. Our blogger creates structure by rolling the sleeves, and her long hair plays well with the collarless style. The taupe tote doesn’t match but works with the other earth tones in this look. Finally, the light playing with the faceted pink with red statement necklace creates airy outfit depth.
Valerie’s mischievous glance in this photo makes me laugh. It fits the playfully polished vibe of this culottes look perfectly, don’t you think. With its simple but strong black and white graphic integrity, it’s also my favourite outfit. The volume on volume worn with flats is fashion forward and not conventionally flattering, but Valerie pulls it off with panache. The chunky knit pullover drapes beautifully over the trousers. Its high-low hemline together with the pleating at the top of the culottes adds structure to the wide bottoms. Showing sufficient ankle skin and pairing them with refined patent slipper flats reinforce that effect. The tassels and gold buckle on the shoes add preppy charm. Valerie’s healthy long locks are the only accessory required to finish off the look.
Let us know what you think of Valerie’s love of pastels and girly polished style, and then hop on over to her blog to check out the rest of her outfits, or browse her pinboards for more visual inspiration.
