When Alicia Even moved from Texas to Alaska she started her blog, The Wild Muse, to stay sartorially inspired while learning to dress for a much colder climate. Our blogger is a casual trendy fashionista with both a rough around the edges and polished side to her style. Alicia also loves a bold lip, and she is a jeans gal through and through. That’s why we decided to turn her feature into a 100% denim issue.
“I’m a Texas native, and a few years ago I moved to Alaska. In Texas it’s hot 9 months out of the year, and in Alaska it’s cold 9 months out of the year. I moved from one extreme to another, so everything changed. I went from wearing shorts and sandals to having to wear multiple layers to keep warm. It was all very new to me, and to be perfectly honest I felt a bit lost. As cliché as it sounds, I’ve always had a passion for fashion, and there was very little of it here. Needless to say I was very discouraged at first. That’s when I started thinking about starting a blog. I needed a creative outlet. I wanted to feel inspired again, and blogging was the answer for me. This was my first winter blogging, and even though it was very challenging at times, I felt like it’s just what I needed to keep me motivated. It can be hard to look stylish while dressing for cold weather, but I wanted to show my readers that it’s not impossible. You don’t need to sacrifice fashion simply because the temperature drops. With a bit more thought and effort it is possible to look stylish and be warm during the winter months.”
I adore this sporty casual look for its modern tomboy intregrity. My favourite look! The sweater with the extra large chevron print is undoubtedly the focal point of the outfit. A utility jacket is a great casual alternative for the ubiquitous denim jacket, I really like how the olive adds some urban toughness to the relaxed feel of the sneakers and skinnies. The crisp white of the button-down is repeated in the low-top sneakers, which lightens up the outfit. Notice how they have a thin black and red stripe that echo the colours in the sweater? The leopard spot foldover clutch adds an unexpected dressy touch, while Alicia’s dark berry lip works perfectly with the strong, saturated colour palette.
There’s nothing like sporting pastels to bring a splash of Spring to a cold Winter’s day. The pale pinks with the denim feel refreshing, while the fluffy texture of the coat and sweater create outfit depth. I love how the cosiness and soft colours on top contrast against the tougher looking skinnies and cage pumps (their blush colour also soften things up). The oversized fit of the round-shouldered cocoon coat is fashion forward without being overwhelming. This is achieved by adding structure back into the outfit. Here the skinny jeans and contour-skimming V-neck sweater that exposes some skin do the trick, as does the tailored footwear. The bright red quilted Chanel-esque crossbody provides a great accent colour, so does Alicia’s bright red lipstick.
I’m filing this under advanced pattern mixing. Not because different patterns are involved, after all there’s three plaids in this outfit. But because all three are large scale, and equally “dominant” — as opposed to one dominant and one supporting pattern. Add in the statement patchwork jeans, and you have an eye-catching maximal look. Alicia has picked her colours well, and this helps tie everything together. The blues in the jeans match the colours in the shirt. Its tailored fit and shorter length provide structure and balance out the roomy fit of the long boyfriend cardigan and big scarf. The scarf is exactly the right size to add “controlled” bulk; the red really pops against all the blues. The black of the cardigan is repeated in the smart leather tote and ankle strap pumps that both bookend Alicia’s dark hair. The straps come up right to the rolled hems of the jeans, which elongates the leg line.
At first I thought Alicia was wearing denim shorts over leather leggings, then I realized these are mixed-media jeans. How delightfully rock ‘n’ roll. This eye-catching look is also the perfect example of Angie’s cropped sweater over a longer shirt formula. Alicia kept things streamlined by opting for a tailored regular length shirt and a somewhat more fluid fitting but not oversized sweater. The outfit has two cutting horizontal lines: the high contrast of the untucked white shirt and grey pullover, and the spot where the blue denim transitions to the black leather. I think it works great on our blogger. There’s also the above-the-knee wool coat bringing it all together. The grey bouclé repeats the colour up top, works nicely with the blue, black and white, and echoes the greys in the snakeskin print pumps. Alicia’s consistently put-together hair and makeup also play an important role. No matter what, they always add a polished element to everything she wears.
Alicia loves her destroyed denim. Here she girlies up the look by going with white jeans paired with delicate pastels. The nubby textured peach and white cardigan is such a fun casual topper. The colour works great with the deliberately blurry soft focus print on the graphic tee. The untucked T-shirt is fluid and forms a column of colour with the jeans. This creates a long lean line together with the longer length on the cardi and the high-heeled shoes. The two-toned pumps with see-through detailing add a fun matchy-matchy element to the look, as they pick up both the colours in the modern clutch and the blingy statement necklace. Our blogger is also sporting another one of her beloved M.A.C. lipsticks, neon pink this time, giving the pastels extra pep.
Alicia is a skinnies gal at heart, so these flares are a somewhat different look for her. I really like the softer, more minimal and elegant vibe. She sure is working the subtle volume on volume here. The bold striped top has a wide boat neck and oversized kimono sleeves. They are elbow length though, and the top hits her above the hip bone, which helps create structure. The dark wash jeans (perfect length!) are fitted through the hip and thigh and add further structure to the outfit. So do the refined pointy toe pumps, bare forearms and alluring splash of skin up top. The beautiful blue satchel, simple wire bangle bracelets and metallic oversized watch keep the look minimal and polished. The huge umbrella as a prop immediately put me in a good mood.
What do you think of our blogger’s casual trendy fashionista looks? Let us know in the comments, and then hop on over to The Wild Muse or Alicia’s pinboards for further outfit inspiration.
