I like it when retailers stock crisp black and white merchandise just before the launch of new Spring collections. It makes for a refreshing change after months of texture-rich and woolly Winter clothing, footwear and accessories. 

• Vince Camuto Colorblock Mixed Stripe Knit Dress: Sleeved, flattering and office appropriate. Also available in a cobalt stripe. 
• Vince Camuto Lightbox Scarf: Three toned geometric minimalism, with a soft touch. 
• Vince Camuto Chevron Quilted Arm Warmers: Here is one way to stay warm indoors at the office while adding edge to an outfit. Read the rave reviews. 
• VC Signature Talon Boot: Dressier Beatle booties that are pretty comfy. The buckles are gold and not silver, so consider yourself warned. Black patent looks fresh this season. 
• Loeffler Randall Rider Mini Leather Crossbody Bag: Compact, structured and modern. Impeccable quality and quite the statement. 
• T Tahari Oriana Jacket: Gorgeously clean and crisp despite the knitted fabrication. Placement of the colour blocking on the side panels of the midriff accentuate the tailored effect. Soft, cozy and tailored. Wear it open or zipped up. 
• Lafayette 148 New York Ariella Skirt: One of the best pencil skirts around. Great longer length, and interesting panelling and piping detail. It’s made of a brilliant non-crease textured fabrication. No creases after sitting at the office all day. Looks better in person than on the photo. 
• Guinevere Edin Cuff: A square bangle in a black and white checkerboard is playful and strong. 
• Michael Kors Asymmetrical Two-Tone Moto Jacket: Maximal and very eye-catching. You really have to love black and white combinations to wear this jacket. It’s very, very bold. 
• French Connection Chelsea Crossbody: This sporty fun bag is great for casual wear. The wide strap is comfortable, and it holds a good amount of stuff without looking overly bulky. It’s also available in black, or white in stores. 
• KG Kurt Geiger Luther Loafer: I haven’t seen these in person but they look fabulous. Refined Androgyny at its best. 
• Vince Boatneck Tee: I have many happy clients in this tee because it’s an excellent layering AND standalone piece. It’s the kind of top you reach for when you’re stuck on what to wear on top. It’s versatile, thick, non-clingy, non-crease, and launders well. Some of my clients bought multiples in the same colour because they reach for it over and over again. 
• Vince Camuto Dabs Ruched Boatneck Top: This version is less expensive and runs much tighter. Another great layering piece with ample forgiving rushing on the sides. 
• Kenneth Cole Marciel Blouse: V-necks are resurfacing. I like this blouse worn half tucked into a pencil skirt or trousers. Soft, pretty and modern for career wear. 

I’m a sucker for black and white pieces, and outfit combinations. Do you like them too?

Midwest based Brenna Mari (20) from Chic Street Style is our youngest blogger to date. She just spent an entire semester travelling through Europe, giving us the opportunity to see a well-curated travel wardrobe capsule at work. In fact, five of the six outfits in today’s post were put together with items from her European suitcase. Brenna combines Modern Classics with trendy and preppy touches, occasionally throws a little boho into the mix, AND she loves to wear flats. Always a breath of fresh air! Her style approach has changed since she started college: 

“Three years ago, I was just about to enter college, which I believe is a pivotal time for anyone’s style. I think that I have moved from focusing on great pieces to concentrating on enviable style as a whole. I now really challenge myself to create innovative, versatile and stylish looks, using pieces in pleasantly unexpected ways. Today, I would describe my style as innovative preppy with a bold and edgy influence. I have a penchant for collars, a boatload of timeless basics and a ridiculous amount of costume jewelry that tells the tale of my fashion sense.”

Brenna’s long tresses play an essential role here, creating a subtle ton-sur-ton effect with the other shades of brown. Plus, the textural interest adds outfit depth. A lightweight semi-tucked sweater and silk patterned trousers are great choices for a fashionably relaxed polished look on a mild Autumn day. The fluid fits are on trend and no fuss, so you can concentrate on exploring a new city or just get on with your day at home. The print on the ankle zip pants has an oriental feel that is repeated in the pointy toe flats with unexpected animal print detail on the heels. A streamlined cognac bag with gold accents and the gold arm candy look wonderfully rich against the browns. A dainty necklace and big sunnies finish off the look.

Doesn’t this scream Summer! Sporting three neon items and super bright lippie in one outfit is not for the faint-hearted, but Brenna rocks the look. The sparkly confetti sequin T-shirt gets extra oomph from the neon yellow blouse. A glass crystal necklace adds even more girly glitter. Opting for a neutral pump in blush — a hue that closely resembles the lightest colour in Brenna’s tee — provides a resting point among the hectic colour. The low contrast pink also elongates the leg line of the cropped skinny jeans. I particularly love the part leather, part metal chain strap on the hot pink crossbody bag. Together with the zippers, Brenna’s signature stud bracelets and studded pumps are the perfect dose of girly toughness.

Our blogger demonstrates that it is possible to wear short shorts, flats and a longer coat in a single outfit. She achieves visual cohesiveness and great proportions by picking mainly neutral coloured items. Brenna went with black, beige, white and cognac, and then had fun pattern mixing different size polka dots with leopard spots. The black background of the untucked polka dot blouse seamlessly blends into the vegan leather shorts. The timeless trench hits her at a flattering length above the knee. At the same time, the hem of the coat and the hem of the shorts are far enough apart as to not compete with each other. Brenna’s shapely tanned legs make the transition even smoother. Gold metal jewellery, a black tote, chic black-faced tortoise shell watch, bright red nail polish and lipstick complement the look.

Brenna lived out of one suitcase for four months. So, of course, she has a few tips for putting together a versatile travel wardrobe that can take you across several countries:

“The main one is never underestimate the power of lipstick and nail polish to add the perfect punch of color to any neutral outfit. This brings me to my next tip: bring neutrals and dress in layers (creative layers that is). Neutrals go with everything, but a lot of the time people underestimate the chic factor of a completely gray or black look with a berry pout, catch my drift here?”

Brenna is wearing a fab version of Angie’s reinvented skinnies & boots formula. Coated black pants add texture, and are tucked into the kind of tall flat boots you can walk in for miles. The neon yellow blouse comes back out to play and really makes this urban rocker outfit for me. The girly bright juxtaposes cleverly with the tougher feel of the outfit. An on trend military green utility jacket is worn open to showcase the happy yellow underneath. The nonchalantly wrapped camo print scarf continues the laid-back utilitarian vibe. A roomy black tote and mixed metal jewellery are Brenna’s accessories of choice.

Black and white is a strong and impactful neutrals combo in my book. The formfitting sweater dress hugs Brenna’s curves, while the tribal pattern adds tons of visual interest. By adding only one extra colour, texture-rich suede booties and faux leather jacket, our blogger has created a sleek stylish look that really appeals to the minimalist in me. A simple black bag bookends the booties. Their snug fit around the ankle create a streamlined effect. Interesting silver jewellery fits in with the clean colour palette without adding visual clutter. A sweet leather bow bracelet is a very “Brenna touch”.

This final outfit really shows off Brenna’s remixing skills. We’ve already seen the bag, shoes and blouse, but our blogger has a knack for coming up with fresh new ways to wear tried-and tested pieces. Here she pairs the fun polka dot blouse with black faux leather skinnies. The colour brown ties everything together, from the chic tote and delicious animal print slipper flats to the boho vibe hat. The gorgeous collarless coat in shocking orange is undoubtedly the star of the show, it contrasts splendidly with the rich browns, and brightens up even the dreariest of days. The eye-catching oversized tassel necklace is the arty finishing touch.

Let us know in the comments what you think about Brenna’s travel style and clever remixing skills. You can also check out her outfit archive on her blog, or follow her on Pinterest.

Wardrobe basics require our attention at least once a year. By basics, I mean underpants, bras, camisoles, shapewear, socks, hosiery, sleepwear, and loungewear. Basics, which we often wear daily, sometimes end up at the bottom of our shopping list because they aren’t all that visible to others. And when budgets are tight, we’d rather skimp on basics so that we can spend money on the fun stuff. 

Edit and review your sock drawer. Make sure you’re wearing the right bra size, especially if your body type and weight have changed since the last time you were professionally fitted for a bra. Replace worn socks, and make sure they fit the way you want them to. Stock up on camisoles, fun hosiery, knee-highs, and thermals. Make sure you’re happy with your sleepwear, loungewear, and robe.

I have a simple shopping strategy for replenishing basics. I renew sleepwear and loungewear straight after Thanksgiving when those types of items are on sale. I replenish tired bras, knickers and camisoles around my birthday in July, and thermal underwear every two to three years. I replenish socks, knee-highs, and hosiery frequently throughout the year because I’m hard on those items, especially socks. 

When did you last replenish your basics, and how often do these wardrobe items make it onto your shopping list?

We recently had a lively forum discussion about the definition of edgy style. The different perspectives on the subject are well worth a read, but here it is in a nutshell: There is no one way to be edgy. 

I don’t believe that lots of black, leather, rugged boots, distressed fabrics, studs, zippers, tattoos, and creating a general “rough around the edges” look is the only way to look edgy. These outfit elements describe one type of edge — a “hard edge”. It’s probably the most popular way to create an edgy style because these items have been trending for years and are easily accessible. Ironically, hard edge has become a lot more mainstream than it used to be. 

To me edge is all about combining clothing, footwear and accessories in unconventional and unexpected ways. And in many cases, creating outfits with proportions that are not conventionally flattering.

Edge isn’t about a specific style persona. Whether your style is bohemian, modern classic, rock ’n’ roll, androgynous, arty eclectic, trendy fashionista, preppy classic, avant-garde, or sporty natural, you can create edge with unusual outfit juxtapositions. More specifically, edge is not incompatible with polish, pastels, lots of white and soft flowing fabrications. Here Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett’s style are good examples.

Edge can be about irregular or unusual pieces that have an edgy effect all on their own. But you can also create an edgy look by combining conventional pieces in unconventional ways, especially when the colours are interesting. This is part of a larger point that I like to shout from the rooftops: it’s HOW you wear an item that makes the difference, and not necessarily the style of the piece itself. 

Edginess is a continuum. You can add a little or a lot of edge to your style depending on which makes you feel best, or is most appropriate for your work environment and lifestyle. It is very common for people to dress with more edge in non-work settings, but sometimes the opposite is also true, particularly for people who work in very creative environments.

Edginess is also relative and subjective. What feels edgy to you might seem very conventional to others. Conversely, an outfit combination that you find tame and expected might be perceived as edgy in your environment. And you can change the edginess in your outfits over time as your own perceptions and goals evolve. 

Footwear, hairstyles and eyewear are powerful vehicles for edge. You can add a significant amount of edge to a fairly classic and conventional outfit just by sporting a more daring and dramatic hairstyle, and/or pair of specs. There is also something about the grounding integrity of footwear that ups the edge factor of an outfit when the style is particularly unique, or remixed in an interesting way. 

Finally, edginess is by no means a prerequisite for, or guarantee of, great style. Some of the greatest examples of personal style are to be found in beautiful, conventionally flattering looks. What is important is how you feel about your outfits. If irregular outfit juxtapositions seem too jarring, unflattering, or inappropriate for your professional or social environmental norm, then they might not be stylish for you. But if you’re comfortable challenging convention, then edginess can be stylish. If you are a little uncomfortable about an edgy combination, but excited by doing something different, then it might be just the tonic your personal style needs.

This is the beauty of style in 2014. There is no one way to be edgy, and no one way to be stylish. Express yourself, be daring if that’s what floats your boat, and above all, have fun with fashion.