The stylist did a great job of putting together this outfit. It’s one way to de-bombshell a pencil skirt and make workwear look more interesting. A soft striped blouse is layered under a roomy grey cowl neck pullover, worn with a leather pencil skirt, high vamped cut-out booties, and finished off with an angular clutch. The effect is modern, relaxed yet chic, interesting, ever so slightly edgy, and comfortable. 

It’s the details of the outfit that make it stand out.

1. It’s a cowl neck and not a crew neck pullover.
2. A soft printed blouse, and not a solid stiff button-down shirt, has been used as the layering piece. The blouse collar is unbuttoned to complement the neckline of the cowl and elongate the neck of the model.
3. The sleeves of the pullover are pulled up and scrunched, while the sleeves of the blouse are left full length, buttoned and un-scrunched.
4. The blouse is untucked to show a little stripe peeking out from under the pullover.
5. Hosiery has been left off the outfit, thereby creating a horizontal line across the ankles with high contrast footwear.  The “stump factor” is offset by the very high heel of the shoe. 

It’s the concept of this outfit that might serve as an inspiration for your own outfits. Of course, you can add black hose, sheer or opaque, to create a longer leg line with a lower heel, and add extra insulation. No need to wear a leather skirt when a basic pencil skirt will do just fine. Tuck in the shirt if that’s better suited to your body type. Wear a fitted pullover silhouette if that feels more like your style. You can also substitute the skirt for trousers or jeans, and wear pumps or knee-high boots instead of booties. Choose any colour palette, and any pattern. Make the look work for you. 

Play around with this formula if you have a sparkly tank top or vest. It needn’t be sequined, beaded or sleeveless, although the sleeveless option is easier to layer over shirts and blouses. You’re after a top with a bit of shine and texture to be the star of the outfit. 

I’ve used neutrals to emphasize the texture-rich integrity of the pieces, but any colour palette will work. I’ve used trousers and jeans as the bottoms, but skirts are another option. 

Here are the components: 

Sparkly Tank: A sequined tank is a no-brainer, but any shimmery tank can work. A lace or beaded tank is a more subtle option. Layer it over tops or under jackets. Layer the tank under a cardigan for an extra casual effect. 

Under Layering Piece: Button-down shirts and soft blouses work best as under layers for the tank. Choose white, denim or another solid colour. Or be a devil and throw in a pattern like gingham, tartan, polka dots or stripes. If mixing patterns with sparkle is “too much going on” for your tastes, keep the palette tonal and monochromatic to offset the hectic-ness of the combination. Leave the tops untucked. 

Layering a sparkly tank over a solid or patterned long sleeved T-shirt is another option as long as the necklines work in harmony. 

Jacket: You don’t need to wear both an under layering piece and a jacket with the sparkly tank. Simply wear the tank alone as a layering piece under a blazer, moto, Chanel-esque jacket, or tuxedo jacket. Any style of jacket at all really. But if you do like to layer, wear the jacket over the combination of under layering piece and sparkly tank. 

Bottoms: Dressy trousers and jeans in flared or tapered styles are easy pairings. I’ve chosen black trousers and blue jeans because they are popular wardrobe items. But grey, white, black, cobalt or burgundy jeans are great alternatives, as are checked or charcoal trousers. For the fashion forward dresser, upscale knitted track pants, silky track pants or leather track pants are a fun juxtaposition with the formal sparkle. 

Pencil skirts and full skirts make equally great bottom options when matched with the layering piece under the sparkly tank. But wearing a pencil skirt with a tuxedo jacket layered over the tank alone is a less playful outfit. Not necessarily a bad thing, just something to think about if you want to keep the outfit relaxed. 

Footwear: Knee-highs with dressy footwear like pumps and high vamped shooties are a good combination.  Dressy booties work particularly well with jeans. Dressy flats are great with tapered jeans and trousers. I vote pointy toe pumps with the upscale track pants to ensure an intentional fashion forward look.  

Accessories: An oversized clutch is my top choice, but a chain handle bag, wristlet or short handle satchel will work well too. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.  

Wear this ensemble to work, or out to lunch, brunch, dinner, or a casual holiday event. Daytime sparkle is as mainstream as ever, so don’t think twice about popping on a shimmery piece at any time of day. Wear it with jeans to tone down its formal effect.

The Guardian’s Hadley Freeman decided to do some research on how to properly apply lipstick and developed a slight obsession with beauty videos in the process. This is what she’s learnt from all those online makeup tutorials.

If you need more pointers on how to make your lipstick stick, then Into The Gloss has you covered. Want a more subtle lipstick look? The Facegoop gals try out several nude and sheer lippies and report their findings in their usual hilarious manner.

Makeup maven Gabrielle Korn goes bare-faced for one week and shares her detox experiences with us over at Refinery29.

Fab Links from Our Members

Caro found this article that explores the link between androgyny and creativity an incredibly interesting read.

CNBC reports that the growing wealth gap is changing retail, and is leading to large price differences for basic clothing items, something Laurinda can confirm after her own experiences with shopping for white tees.

Rebekahphoto came across the Mimi Foundation’s “if only for a second” project, that uses photography and style to infuse a little joy into the lives of cancer patients.

Angie recommends checking out this post on Already Pretty. Sally encourages us to change our body image monologue because re-routing that negativity works wonders for our self-confidence.

Krishnidoux would like to share this fun video that takes us through 100 years of fashion in 100 seconds.

This Dear Prudence video about whether it’s okay to have one’s bra straps showing at the office had MaryK in stitches. 

I am passionate and pedantic about pant lengths because the smallest difference can make or break the flattering line of an outfit. I’m continually amazed at how shortening or lengthening by just a few inches can make the world of difference to proportions. 

When it comes to flared trouser and jeans styles, I like them very long. Long enough to almost sweep the ground as you stride, and no more than a quarter of an inch off the ground when measured from the back of a heeled shoe. By flared trousers I mean any style that is flared at the hem, be it bootcuts, bell bottoms or wide legs. The trousers and jeans in the photos below are the perfect length. Any shorter and they would be too short. 

When I work with clients who ask about the correct length for flared trousers, I reply that “it depends on who answers the question”. I preface my answer by saying that I prefer extra long lengths that cover most of the shoe, if not all of it when hems are extra flared. And that these styles of trousers look best with at least a two inch heel because it creates a flattering break line on the front of the trousers. Wear a lower heel and the break line tends to look sloppy, especially when the fabric is soft and drapey. The stiffness of denim creates a less sloppy break line which makes wearing flared leg jeans with 1.5 inch heels an option. 

But as with all things fashion and style related, my preference for extra long hems is merely one subjective opinion. Some find these pant lengths overly long because you can’t see enough of the shoe. They believe that proportions look better when hems are an inch or inch and a half off the ground. The break line is straight, which to some is more important than a longer hem length. The shorter length also makes wide hem pants easier to walk in and prevents them from becoming damaged as you stride. 

I’m non-negotiable about what looks most flattering to my eye, so I vote yay for floor sweepers. There is something elegant and luxurious about the extra long length that looks so, so good. If you wear the hems a quarter of an inch off the ground with the correct heel height, you will not damage the hems of the trousers because they won’t drag on the ground. My trouser hems are proof of that. Granted, you should not wear flared hems in wet or snowy weather unless you’re commuting by car and under cover from door to door because they’ll get soggy and dirty. 

Over to you. Are the floor sweeping lengths of these flared trousers and jeans too long? Or are the proportions elegant and flattering?