Knitwear designer Kristabel Plummer was born and bred in London. She likes to collect things with her initial on them and documents her quirky, playful outfits over at I Want You To Know. Kristabel has an amazing collection of unique jewellery, she also loves chunky footwear and can’t say no to fun patterned hosiery. Her style is creative, relaxed and adventurous, demonstrating that she is not afraid to try something different and has fun with fashion every day of the week.
Short shorts + eye-catching patterned hosiery + chunkier footwear is one of Kristabel’s signature looks. It’s youthful and cheeky, and fits her style persona to a T. Sporting patterned tights is an easy way to add texture to an ensemble. They also do a great job of de-bomshelling the short tailored shorts. So does the Peter Pan collar, which can sometimes feel a bit twee, but not in this outfit. The romantic scalloped edge reads ladylike and a little retro. It’s a sweet juxtaposition against the tougher black leather shorts and white chunky-heeled sneakers. These also show that you don’t need to have light-coloured hair to bookend light footwear. The crisp white collar — attached to a mock shirt, not an actual shirt — does the trick here. I adore how our blogger added the vibrant red cable-knit sweater as a nod to the Christmas period. It gives the entire outfit a strong graphic vibe, that is further enhanced by the addition of a black canvas tote bag with a big white letter K. To stay in the holiday spirit, Kristabel picked a gold-coloured ring in the shape of a gift wrap bow as her statement accessory.
Isn’t this telephone-dial print T-shirt terrific! I share Kristabel’s love for clothes and accessories with a typographical theme, and that’s why I’m choosing this outfit as my favourite. The entire look has a ladylike tomboy vibe that I adore. The semi-tucked tee reveals a simple brown belt that plays well with the light beige trench. The fluid fit of the coat contrasts nicely with the slim-fit boyfriend jeans. Scrunching the sleeves and baring forearms adds extra structure. Pink red lipstick and the red Swedish Hasbeens provide a happy pop of colour. Also note how the light-coloured wooden soles and red leather of the clog sandals echo the colours in Kristabel’s tee and trench. Our blogger has an impressive collection of quirky and striking jewellery. Here she’s opted for a sweet tortoise pendant, architectural gold ring and spiky bracelet. Light blue and white nail polish in a chevron pattern — fun nail art is another of Kristabel’s style trademarks — finishes off the look.
Kristabel is a skirt and frock girl at heart, and this multi-coloured knit tube skirt, made with silk, wool, viscose and cotton yarns, is very special. It’s one of her own designs and was part of her graduation collection. She pulled it out of storage to attend London Fashion Week two years ago. This beautiful skirt is the well-deserved star of the show. A black sheer blouse adds ladylike lightness, while Kristabel’s trusted black leather jacket toughens up the look. Chunky black wedge booties with silver grommets ground the outfit. It can be difficult to pull off a midi with ankle socks, but our fashion-forward blogger hits exactly the right mark. Both the socks and the school bag vibe of the Cambridge satchel add a playful feel. I especially love the addition of the ink blue bag here, because pairing this dark blue with black feels sophisticated and fresh.
This leopard print mixed with stripes look perfectly showcases Kristabel’s eclectic style tendencies. I like that the background of the faux fur coat is slightly yellowish, while the sweater is optical white with black. It makes the pattern mixing even more dramatic. I just adore the retro feel of this topper! It took Kristabel a long time to come round to leopard print, but now she couldn’t live without her cosy, plush coat that “goes with everything”. Red is undoubtedly one of Kristabel’s go-to colours, and it looks amazing here with the black and white prints. The flirty skater style skirt hits mid-thigh, and is de-bomshelled by pairing it with opaque white hose and cute animal print socks, that add an extra animal print into the mix. Black zip-up suede wedge booties provide textural interest and bookend our blogger’s dark locks. A red tote with gold hardware is a fun matchy-matchy tie in with the skirt. Kristabel’s choice of jewellery is a great example of her “mixing different styles” skills: one wouldn’t immediately expect a very clean, avant-garde looking ring, a bold spiky bracelet and arts and crafts-inspired multi-coloured necklace to play well together, but Kristabel pulls it off with aplomb.
There’s a bit of a preppy school uniform look going on here, but with cheeky shorts instead of a skirt. Short shorts like these are great on younger gals, and the geometric patterned tights definitely add extra pizzazz. The ton-sur-ton buttoned-up tonal floral print shirt reads strict and feminine at the same time. The light blue looks wonderful with the light grey and burgundy, don’t you think? The longer length one-button blazer has a low stance that is very on trend this Fall, so is the burgundy colour. Wearing the blazer open creates and attractive vertical line down the front of the body. I don’t often think of pairing bright red with burgundy, but I love the addition of the red satchel here. It’s fresh and interesting. Kristabel picked blue-grey nail polish, small earrings and a slim pendant as her low-key accessories. I really like how the delicate necklace contrasts with the black chunky lace-up ankle boots, that add a spot of punky RATE (Rough Around the Edges) to the outfit. A juxtaposition that is an integral part of Kristabel’s creative style.
This is why a dress is such a versatile piece. It makes a statement on its own, and can take you practically anywhere when you add a striking pair of shoes and fab bag. The simplicity of this two-piece outfit is right up my alley. So is the black, ink blue and white colour combo. Strong and minimalist. It was the perfect choice to wear to the Vogue Festival 2013, effortlessly fashion-forward and completely in line with Kristabel’s playful style persona. The knee-length drop-waist sack dress is voluminous and unstructured. The black leather jacket reins in the volume, and hits her at exactly the right spot to make the overall proportions work. The column of colour creates a long lean line. As you’ve probably gathered from the photos, Kristabel is a huge fan of the Cambridge style satchels. She has them in quite a few colours. Here, the white version packs instant punch. Together with the iridescent metallic oxfords it adds an androgynous touch, creating a fun contrast with the girly frock. A bold red lip, oversized sunnies, “confetti” nails and a quirky bright-coloured necklace are all that’s needed to make our blogger “fashion event-ready”.
Be sure to click on all the outfit links to view close-ups of Kristabel’s fab jewellery and nail art. Browse her archives for a good look at the rest of her outfits. And then check out her colourful pinboards for even more inspiration. But first let us know in the comments what you think of Kristabel’s playful and quirky style.
