Ensemble: Denim Skirt Refresher

This ensemble was inspired by a very positive reaction to the denim skirts fringe trend. There are countless ways to style a denim pencil skirt, but I’m kickstarting your creative process by suggesting three easy outfit combinations. They all combine trendy and classic pieces, refreshing the look of the skirt. I’ve used mostly neutrals with a hint of colour, but feel free to choose a palette that is more to your taste. 

Choose a denim pencil skirt in any wash and colour. I’ve used a basic faded denim pencil in the outfit on the left, a new look quilted denim pencil skirt from J.Crew in the centre, and a black waxed denim pencil skirt on the right. 

Here are the components for each ensemble.

Denim Skirt with Sweatshirt & Bomber Jacket

Combine a denim pencil skirt with an upscale sweatshirt and top it off with a bomber jacket. Keep the jacket unzipped to create a vertical line down the front of the body. Finish off the look with booties and a satchel. If bomber jackets aren’t your thing, wear a moto or cropped boxy jacket. I kept the palette black and white for graphic effect. Throw in a pair of patterned booties for extra interest. 

Denim Skirt with Welted Pullover or Blouse

Combine a denim skirt with a fully or partially tucked blouse or button-down shirt. Add a belt if the skirt has belt loops. Or pair the skirt with an interesting welted pullover like a style with a woven collar. Finish off the outfit with tall black boots, booties, peep-toe booties loafers or pumps, and a bag of your choice. By all means throw in patterned footwear if that’s more your cup of tea. Pop a trench coat or moto over the lot for extra insulation. 

Denim Skirt with High-Low Pullover & Trench Coat

Pair a denim skirt with a roomy and fashionable untucked high-low pullover. The higher hemline in front provides structure, which offsets the oversized fit of the pullover. Finish off the outfit with tall boots, booties, peep-toe booties, loafers or pumps. Add a trench coat as a topper, and jewellery, eyewear and watch as desired. 

Sport bare legs with booties and tall boots while the weather is mild. As things cool down, add hosiery to the ensemble. I look forward to seeing your refreshed denim skirt outfits in the forum. 

Denim Skirt Ensemble

Link Love: Fine Jewellery Today

The Business of Fashion investigates whether the branding revolution that transformed fashion may soon be coming to fine jewellery.

Kelly of Alterations Needed wrote an informative post with fun facts about gold jewellery.

In this older article, jewellery designer Melissa Joy Manning has some good tips on how to wear multiple earrings.

Fab Links from Our Members

Laurinda reports that Imogen Lamport posted a clever technique in her helpful video How to Style a Waterfall Cardigan.

Deb thought this was a good article on how beauty companies try to manipulate women and the general audience. She agrees with the author: “who cares!”

The Wall Street Journal announces the return of the dainty watch. Joy hopes that this is not the case, as she loves her big chunky watches. In other trend news: she also found this New York Times article reporting that gingham will be popular for Spring.

Annagybe and Jezebel wonder if fast fashion is over?

Gigi loves these “street style” pictures taken in 1906 by photographer Edward Linley Sambourne: “It’s amazing to see pictures of women going about their daily lives in garb that is so different from our own. They look all dressed up, but this was just normal everyday wear. I also thought it was amazing to see how tiny their waists are from their corseting.”

Here’s a great article from Slate about why you should dress up for travel. It’s written from a man’s perspective but MsMary says this sentence could have been written by Angie:”When we dress well for travel, we are not only making ourselves look good; we’re also signaling that we are invested in making this shared experience pleasant for everyone around us.”

Aquamarine enjoyed this story about personal shopping services via email.

Bridgette Raes shared a video with 12 universal truths about women and fashion. Marlene says they seem so obvious, but she never really thought about it this way until Bridgette said it.

Free People is doing a Selfie edition of their catalogue featuring “a large variety of models, bloggers, musicians, and artists, and their social media accounts.” Pretty smart social media marketing, according to Angie_T.

Vicki would like to share this article about the Style Thief app, that uses image recognition software to help you track down clothes you admired seeing on someone else.

On Tuesday Apple presented the Apple Watch. Greg thinks Apple has made big moves to go further into fashion and style with this new product. Here is a piece in the NYT assessing it from a fashion point of view. I’m curious to hear if you are interested in sporting wearable tech like this new watch.

Angie has been pinning directional outfits from the 2015 Spring Collections at Fashion Week, and so far her favourite shows have been: Altuzarra, Rebecca Taylor, Opening Ceremony, Derek Lam, Alice + Olivia, Theory, and Michael Kors. Angie adds that she wants this outfit, but promises not to eat soup in it! Last but not least, she’d like you to check out this Yorkie that stole the show at Paris Couture Week.

Four Shortcuts to a More Current Style

Often I work with clients who are happy with their wardrobe overall, but want to make their outfits more current. In this situation I have found that there are four places to make your style modern and fashionable that have the most visual impact. In fact, the first two, hairstyle and eyewear, are things that I also suggest tackling first when you are doing a major wardrobe refresh.

Hairstyle

Reassess your hairstyle annually and make sure you’re happy with it. Cutting it shorter is one option, and growing it into a different style is another. So is going lighter, darker or to a different colour. Perhaps you should enhance the curl of your hair, or softly straighten the waves to create the style you’re looking for. Choose a fashionable look that you can style and manage daily. Have it reshaped and touched up regularly. 

Eyewear

This applies to those who wear specs daily, and I can’t stress this point enough. Wear a stylish pair of frames because it’s your number one accessory. Reassess the shape and colour of your frames every two to three years. Some styles of frame look current for five years, especially when they’re Retro. Prescription eyewear is expensive, but online stores like Warby Parker can provide a great look at a fraction of the price. 

Footwear

Footwear has the ability to update and elevate an entire outfit. And one pair of shoes can be worn in many different outfits, so a single new pair can have a big wardrobe impact. You don’t need to wear uncomfortable shoes for the sake of fashion. Now more than ever before, comfortable shoes are making a fashion statement and there are plenty of options to choose from. Find the footwear trends that work for your feet and incorporate them into your style. 

Handbag

Handbags are another item that can impact many outfits. They are less important than the previous three elements because we don’t always carry a handbag. Still, when we do wear a bag it makes a big visual impact. You don’t need to swap out your bag frequently if that’s not your thing. Feel free to carry one bag for the season, but make sure that it’s fashionable if you want your style to be current.

Hairstyle, eyewear, footwear and handbags can go a long way to update a well maintained wardrobe. The other side of the coin is that if none of these elements are current, even the most fashionable clothing can look a little dated. Rather go modern on the elements above and classic on the clothing than the other way around. 

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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Weekly Roundup: Transitional Pieces

Many of these pieces can be dressed up for the office or dressed down for casual settings. Of particular interest is how good H&M looks at the moment. I was impressed with the quality of their new lined jackets for Fall, and of course, the prices are very affordable. Look through all the colour options.

The next three months of retail will showcase the bulk of Fall and Winter stock for 2014. I’m really excited to see how the rest of the season will unfold.

H&M
Short Jacket
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Top Pick
6
H&M
Tailored Jacket
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Top Pick
5
Boden
British Tweed Blazer
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Top Pick
5
H&M
Draped Wrap-style Blouse
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Top Pick
12

Bustlines and Breast Pockets

Some of my clients, friends and family members with a fuller bust stay away from tops, dresses and jackets with breast pockets. They feel that breast pockets make their bust look larger and draw attention to their bustline, which they don’t want to do. The effect is more pronounced if the fabric is bulky and there are flaps on the pockets. Or if the pockets are ruched and gathered in some way to create volume over the bust. Some styles of breast pocket create a focal point in the outfit, like bias cut plaid breast pockets on a plaid shirt that draw the eye straight to the bustline. Or high-contrast colour blocked breast pockets that do the same thing. 

There are, however, two breast pocket designs that my clients are perfectly happy to wear even when they are concerned about emphasizing their bustline.

Invisible Pocket Placement

The breast pockets on these plaid shirts have been matched up to perfection with the front of the shirt. That way there is zero extra bulk on the bust, and the pockets are almost invisible.

Foxcroft Check Print Cotton ShirtTreasure Bond Classic Fit Plaid Shirt 

High Pocket Placement

The second option is to choose styles where the breast pockets are positioned a littler higher on the chest. That way they don’t create the bulk across the fullest part of the bust, if at all. Choosing this style of pocket placement on a plaid shirt with bias cut pockets can create a visual focal point on the bust, so choose a solid top with self colour pockets if you’re uncomfortable with that visual.

Burberry Brit Woven Check ShirtFree People Catch Up With Me Top

For other types of breast pocket, it does help if the top or dress is fairly fluid, and the fabric of the pockets are soft rather than stiff. Then the pockets will drape over the bust in a more subtle way. Of course, if you are not at all worried about emphasizing your bust, then by all means wear pockets of any description.

Over to you. Do you wear clothing items with breast pockets? If so, do you look for specific design details?