Boyfriend jeans, straight legs, cigarette pants, and slouchy trousers have ruled my style for what feels like forever. All the while, my bootcuts have been waiting ever so patiently. Well, now they’re getting some action. I woke up recently and desperately wanted to wear wider hems. I needed a change, and feel grateful that I can shop my closet to refresh my trouser style. 

I’m in the minority in loving a good suit. The simplicity and strictness of the style, the angular lines, dressy factor, structure, androgynous integrity, and decidedly less-than-whimsical attributes of a trouser suit appeal to me. I don’t feel frumpy, conservative, uncomfortable or unapproachable in a beautifully made modern classic suit at all. I feel powerful and modern. That’s why I choose to wear a suit even when it isn’t a requirement. 

I’ve had this charcoal pinstripe, all-season wool suit by Theory for years, and fall more in love with it every time I wear it. Its fluidity, luster of the fabrication, movement of the trousers, and overall high quality make it a joy to wear. Pop on a top, scrunch the sleeves, add the finishing touches and you’re good to go. 

At the moment I’m into pairing my strict suit with soft pieces that drape, like this short sleeved citron mesh pullover that I bought at Club Monaco at the beginning of the year. The welt allows me to faux tuck the top over a belt which adds a relaxed vibe to the suit. Although I used to pair classic shirts and silky blouses with my suit, wearing roomy knitwear or a graphic T-shirt feels fresh and more fashionable. 

Grey is not my colour because it looks blah against my complexion. But as soon as I wear it with “my flattering colours”, I’ve injected life into the grey. That’s why it’s important to see colours in relation to each other and not as isolated variables.

I often choose citron and white to liven up grey. White is a bright that works well for my style, and here a white belt and low heeled pointy toe pumps (also seen here) add a trendy touch to the outfit. 

The new blue clutch was a birthday gift from a friend and it became a workhorse this season. The paper bag closure is fun and the colour launches me into orbit. The mid-tone, almost pastel hue feels on trend matched with grey, citron and white. The clutch shape injects newness into a classic suit ensemble. I finished off the outfit with retro specs, silver watch and wedding ring.

The beauty of a suit is that you can remix the trousers and jacket with other separates. I’ve created less formal outfits by swapping out the grey blazer with a citron blazer (also seen here) and a mixed media denim jacket (also seen here). The yellow blazer is tonal against the citron pullover, a little preppy, and less strict than the suit jacket. The denim jacket adds a slightly tough edge, a playful element, and dresses down the formal bottoms. And so begins another wardrobe capsule.  

I wore the denim jacket rendition out to casual supper with friends last night, while I’d wear the other two renditions while working with clients, at fashion week, or to a dressier restaurant or event. I wear my bootcut hems as long as they can go, skimming the surface of the ground. I love that elegant length and will not wear bootcuts any shorter. So I need dry weather for this outfit to avoid soggy hems. A sunny September has been forecast and if the weather plays along, these bootcuts will be seeing a lot of action.

I love pointy toe footwear but I’m very particular about the shape and length of the point. If it’s too pointy, the visual effect looks overly severe. If it’s too long, your foot looks disproportionally long. And if a point is too short and round, it loses its elegance. I’m also not fond of pointy toe shoes that are chunky and/or platformed. Of course, I’m merely describing my own aesthetic preference, and there is no right or wrong pointy toe shape. 

The Nine West Junia bootie is a simple dressy ankle boot with a three inch heel and sleek ankle fit. Its pointy toe shape isn’t too long, stubby or severe. I found it quite comfortable, but the heel is above my comfortable height. It runs small so size up at least half or a full size. Apart from black, taupe and animal print, it’s also available in chocolate brown, which is an elusive shoe colour these days. I would not recommend this bootie for wider feet. 

Wear it with bootcut trousers, tapered trousers and jeans, cropped pants, boyfriend jeans, baggy shorts, skirts and dresses. Although tall boots are making a fashionable comeback, it seems the bootie trend is unstoppable.

I pinned this casual bootcut jeans outfit because it’s a comfortable, easy and pulled together casual look for clients who love to wear bootcut jeans and cardigans. It’s also a fab outfit formula for Mums on the go who are bored with skinnies and straight leg jeans worn with knit tops and jackets. 

Create interesting layers by pairing bootcut jeans with a tee, soft shirt or blouse, and layer an oversized cardigan over the top. Belt it at the waist and finish things off with low or high heeled ankle boots. Add jewellery if desired. Keep the colours neutral, or throw in some colour. Skip the shirt or tee if three layers are a little much. Wear a wider belt if skinny belts are not your cup of tea. 

Baby bootcut jeans are more fashionable than traditional bootcuts (which are more flared at the hem), but neither silhouette is dated. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if bootcut jeans make a huge comeback. I haven’t worn my one and only pair of bootcut jeans in years, but I love wearing dressy bootcut trousers. I’ve been wearing them more frequently over the last few weeks while the weather is dry just because the silhouette feels fresh when paired with fluid or oversized faux tucked pullovers. I guess I needed to change things up after wearing straight legs, slouchy trousers, and boyfriend jeans all year. 

Who feels like wearing bootcut jeans and trousers?

We have redesigned the YLF newsletter to do a better job of recapping the closing month’s highlights. For one thing, we’ve made it a lot more visual. So now it acts as a sort of visual summary of the outfits, ensembles and capsules that we wrote about during the month. There are also brief summaries of the trend information and advice themes that Angie posted about.

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