This fun little outfit might take you to a casual day wedding, a night out, or even a day at the office if your dress code allows for less formal business separates. The unstructured dress is matched with a structured shoe and handbag to dress up the look. Modern, retro and playful. 

• Muse Square Neck Short Sleeve Sheath Dress: It’s an above the knee dress unless you are very petite. It’s supposed to be sack-like so you might need to size up to ensure sufficient roominess. This style of unstructured frock looks best a little shorter, so bare those knees with pride to give the silhouette its structure. Sleeved and Pucci-esque. 
• Zara Leather Clutch: A gorgeous clutch in Tiffany blue is hard to resist. Zara’s clothing quality is inconsistent but their leather bags are generally of a much better quality.
• Tildon Calla Mary Jane Pump: I squealed with joy when one of my clients fitted on these darlings last week. Good grief these pumps are fabulous. Although not super soft, they are pretty comfy for a $49.95 shoe. Dainty with just the right amount of graphic appeal. They run true to size and will accommodate an insole or orthotic. I almost bought them too, but wished that they were more white than black. 

In warm weather it’s lovely to sport a single layer, like a pull-on-and-go frock. Easy, breezy, feminine and alluring. Oh how I wish we had more hot days in Seattle so that I would not need to think of covering up all the time. Please send us some hot weather and sunshine so that I can wear an outfit like this and not feel cold. 

Kimono jackets have a high longevity factor because they seldom look particularly trendy or dated, thereby holding their own as an arty piece with eclectic possibilities. Pull them out year after year and change up their mood with a different support act. It’s this change that will keep it alive and kicking.

We are probably most accustomed to seeing the soft and unstructured kimono jacket worn over dressy bootcut or wide trousers and a shell top with sandals. I vote to think further than that styling solution, and mix things up as a nod to the irregular outfit juxtaposition craze of 2013. Incorporate current trends into the outfit to modernize the piece.

Here are some ideas:

• Wear a kimono jacket over faded jeans with a silky shell top and dressy high vamped heeled sandals or pointy toe pumps.
• Layer it over a tank top, denim cut offs and throw in biker boots.
• Wear a long kimono jacket over a straight mini skirt/dress and allow the kimono jacket to give the outfit its length.
• Wear a short kimono jacket over a straight skirt/dress length of your choice and add trendy shoes.
• Wear it over white jeans or trousers with layering piece, and add feminine, metallic footwear.
• Or wear the arty piece with boyfriend jeans, a tee and gladiator sandals.

I love the way the kimono jacket takes “the sexy” out of body con frocks, short shorts, pencil skirts and skinnies. By wearing it open and flowing, thereby hinting at your shape under the unstructured piece, the effect is just as alluring, but a little mysterious. Kimono jackets also have three-dimensional appeal because the loose lightweight piece flows and flaps as you stride, thereby creating an interesting effect as it drapes in motion. Romantic. 

Kimono jackets are one way to wear unstructured structure, and a super layering piece for hot weather. Knee-length styles are best suited to gals with height, but the shorter versions are suited to us all. Make sure that you bare sufficient forearm skin to give the jacket some structure. Create further structure with lower necklines, shorter hemlines, formfitting underlayers, and tailored footwear. 

I’m recreating arty and slightly bohemian outfits with old kimono jackets for clients at the moment using the above ideas. We’re having overwhelmingly long lengths and sleeves shortened to keep proportions attractive. Although kimono jackets are not my style, I really like the look worn in the pictures below and am thoroughly enjoying the process of creating this vibe with clients. I’m particularly loving the mix of a soft kimono jacket worn over a shell with faded jeans, and finishing off the look with a strict angular clutch and severe pointy toe pumps with dainty ankle straps. Modern, playful and fun.

I love clothing and footwear with a refined, masculine integrity. I frequently wear button-down shirts, both tailored and oversized, which is a boyish look. I adore flat oxfords, tuxedo style tops and toppers, roomy blazers with low stances, baggy trousers and boyfriend jeans. Add to that bomber jackets, waist surrendering silhouettes, trouser suits, wide belts looped through low rise jeans and pants, slipper flats, and roomy crew neck pullovers. And if that isn’t enough, I also wear iconic unisex wardrobe items like the original Dr. Martens lace up boot, Rayban wayfarers, and Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. Heck, I even have a boyish body and haircut.

I definitely have the tomboy style gene, but I also have a threshold beyond which an outfit becomes too masculine. Just the other day I wore baggy True Religion Cameron boyfriend jeans with a roomy white cotton crew neck pullover faux tucked over a white belt. I layered with an unzipped black lace bomber jacket and finished off the look with silver flat oxfords. I looked in the mirror and did not like the combination at all. I was wearing masculine items from head to toe and it did not make me feel fab. I swapped out the shoes for white baby wedge Converse sneakers, and liked the look a little more, but was still not loving it.

To remedy the situation, I swapped out the footwear for low heeled girly black & white pointy toe oxfords. I liked that combination MUCH better. I then tried white pointy toe pumps, an even girlier shoe, and that increased the happiness factor of the outfit even more.

Next, I swapped out the boyfriend jeans for white straight leg jeans, but kept the flat silver oxfords and rest of the outfit the same. I liked that combination just as much. White straight leg jeans are much more feminine than faded blue boyfriend jeans, and that was just what those boyish flat oxfords needed to make them look more girly. 

I might have felt differently about the original head-to-toe masculine outfit if had a very feminine hairstyle, like long cascading locks. But I have boyish hair, and although the cut is very much part of my style, I do have to keep that tomboy style gene under control by incorporating some feminine pieces into my outfit. 

Over to you. Do you enjoy wearing clothing and footwear with a masculine integrity? If so, is there a point when your outfit feels too masculine, and you have to inject a bit of girly back into the look? Or are you a true Tomboy who doesn’t need a feminine component at all.

I was thrilled when Angie recently started a white shirt pinboard. I’ll never tire of this timeless classic, and love to browse the many inspiration boards with tons of gorgeous white shirt eye candy. I’ve also been enjoying Rebecca Bartel’s, Amber Bailey-Nel’s and Kate Wood’s pins.

For those who are still a little hesitant to sport white, Invisible Woman’s take on “Why white clothes are worth the effort” might make you see things in a different light.

Which shoes to wear with a Summery white shirtdress? Garance Doré poses the question to her readers and gets tons of suggestions in the more than 200 comments. Which footwear would you pick?

Fab Links from Our Members

Austin photographer Jaime Moore did a very creative photo shoot for her daughter’s fifth birthday. Debora loves that she chose five inspiring and strong female role models for her daughter to dress up as.

Charmian recently discovered The Trend Ender, a tumblr blog that covers one current trend per post. There aren’t many entries, but the detailed historical background is marvelous.

Although Angie has a hard time liking cropped ankle pants with a wider hem, she loves this trousers outfit over at Bittersweet Colours. The brilliant citron colour, the extremely dainty footwear, and the grace with which Veronica carries herself is what makes the look for her.

During World War II American designer Carolyn Schnurer brought creativity and originality to the US fashion scene. Vildy especially loves that “She opened peoples minds to styles and textiles from across the globe and also provided beautiful casual wear that enhanced the leasure times of women”. Vildy also recommends having a look at this comparison between Bonnie Cashin’s robust sporty style and Carolyn Schnurer’s delicate elements.

Parsley has been fascinated and amused by the ongoing “Switcheroo” photo series by Hana Pesut in which couples are photographed in their own clothes and then switch outfits.