This outfit is definitely not “jeans and a nice top”, but the recent conversation around the simple pairing that was the epitome of chic during my late teens has absolutely tickled me. Mostly because it’s had me reflecting on my own style evolution, and the memories associated with some of my more “out there” looks.
While my taste has changed a lot since then, there’s one thing that hasn’t. My desire to maximise the utility of every single item in my closet. Using styling to change the mood so that it works for multiple different scenarios. This dress is a good example of one of those items you might be inclined to save for best. Paired with some glitzy heels and even sparklier eyeshadow. But I love the idea of dressing it down. Throwing on an oversized sweater and some sneakers (or lug sole boots) for the weekend. Or in my case here, with a low heeled sandal and minimal aesthetic for a daytime soiree. Perhaps a big oversized blazer over the shoulder in case it gets chilly.
– Leonardo Da Vinci What’s one style “rule” that influences almost every outfit you wear? For me, it’s the ‘rule of three’. An outfit will feel “done” when it’s made up of three main components. You’ll have heard of this concept many times, referred to as the rule of thirds, or the golden ratio. Prevalent in all visual aspects of our lives, and commonly used in photography, the arts, and architecture.
It’s one of the reasons why summer dressing feels less than satisfying. There’s this sense that something is missing. Because when it’s 35 deg C and muggy, all you’ll be inclined to wear is a tank top and shorts. Maybe a simple cotton or linen dress. Basically, it can feel like a bit of a challenge to put together an outfit in that moment that makes you feel good (and also keeps you cool).
So here’s my summer uniform I keep returning to. The one I reach for – in any colour combination – when I want to feel chic and confident, but also don’t want to ruminate over what I’m wearing. A simple fitted tank, tucked into a wide leg/fluid drape trouser, with a wide strap flat sandal.
There’s visual balance here in the way that I’m showing off my arms, but keeping my legs concealed. The yin and yang of a tight tank top with loose pants. A waist defined by a belt (one with texture, tick!). And complete with a sandal that has some weight to it. Dainty sandals are nice, but don’t seem to complement this look quite so well. For those who wonder how to avoid dragging your pants on the ground, you can see here how I’ve tucked the back hem into my sandal. Some bangles on my wrist add to the sense that I’ve but at least some thought into my styling.
While I can’t help but feel that this outfit might be better served with that aforementioned “third piece”, there’s something to be said for the simplicity of pairing the tank solely with the trousers.
If it’s especially hot, I’ll usually swap out the trousers for a skirt. I find that you still get nice air flow with the longer length (a side split amplifies this!) ultimately feeling stifling than a pant, but more “styled” than shorts or a mini skirt.
Temps have been hitting the high 20s and mid-30s since this time last month, so the warm weather wardrobe is out in full force. And there are a few non-negotiables for my spring/summer style staples that I’ve noticed I’ve leaned on heavily over the years. Knowing this data – whether your personal preferences align with mine or not – is really useful especially if you’re trying to maximise the wear count of what you own. AKA end up with less items that aren’t worn on frequent rotation. For me, the focus is heavily on ease of use. Practicality reigns supreme, as evidenced by my non-negotiables…
#1 | Natural fibres reign supreme
If it’s not breathable, chances are I won’t want to wear it. This is non-negotiable number 1, and usually my top priority when seeking out new styles for my spring/summer wardrobe. Growing up in Wellington, this wasn’t high on my checklist. It wasn’t unusual for me to sport my winter coat mid-summer; a side effect of living in a city with blustering gales that can turn icy on a southerly wind. But when you know the average temperature is going to hover around the 30 deg C mark, something that feels cool against the skin is a must. I tend to favour lighter fabrications too, for an airy feel. Cotton, linen, ramie, silk knits and tencel are usually my top picks. This linen suit (with cotton lining) being a great example.
#2 | Shoes must be comfortable
Life’s too short to wear uncomfortable shoes. And there’s nothing worse than getting a painful blister on a hot day. Feet swell, and any pinching or rubbing feels almost unbearable. Just not worth it. This one can be a little more difficult to judge on first impressions. As really, you have to wear the shoes to get a sense of any pain points they might have (though there’ll always be some where you just know). I’ve added a fair few pairs of sandals to my wardrobe recently in search of styles that fulfil a specific mood, and it’s been frustrating to realise that despite good first impressions both on quality and comfort, they’ve been lacking in the latter when worn for more than an hour.
#3 | Can it be easily laundered?
I bought a dress a few months’ ago, not quite realising just how delicate the fabrication was. A viscose-blend, naturally I assumed that I could handwash it at the very least. Not a chance. An unlucky spill at a restaurant saw me dropping it off at the drycleaner the same day, and fortunately, they could remove the stain. But I’ve not been so lucky in the past. And it reminded me how little patience I have for high maintenance clothing. It’s also one of the reasons why I tend to favour all black outfits. Two kids under the age of four means most of my neutrals are in the firing line from breakfast ’til bedtime. And as much as I want to just “wear the clothes”, the preservationist in me wants her favourite pieces to stay looking pristine.
Now, more than ever before, I feel like we’re asking more from our wardrobes. For our closet to become less segmented, and more fluid. Which starts with work to weekend, and where our days cross into the evening. There’s a real joy in understanding how items will cross over into the different parts of your life, and it’s the key to smart shopping. It also allows you to become better acquainted with an item, which in turn opens up the possibilities for styling as you play around with your wardrobe. But back to the real point of today’s post; day to night dressing. Here are three tips to help you pull it off with ease.
ITEMS THAT LOOK ELEVATED BUT FEEL RELAXED
Tip one? Keep a lookout for clothing that might seem a little more dressed up. Perhaps it’s the cut that feels refined, but it’s in a fabrication that we’d usually be lounging in. What you’ll find is that deeper, “classic” neutrals are the easiest way to pull this off as they instantly read dressier. Black in particular tends to have more of a formal energy. This dress from Quince is a great example. It’s literally a ribbed modal piece. Stretchy and like wearing nothing at all, the cut is what makes it special. It’s slinky, with spaghetti thin straps, hugging the curves with a bit of a fishtail effect towards the hem. That sort of fishtail skirt is a style generally reserved for more formal events.
OPT FOR ACCESSORIES THAT DO DOUBLE DUTY
By this I mean, a bag that can be dressed up or dressed down. Shoes which are actually comfortable to walk in, but in a refined shape or with some height. While the example above shows a bag swap, you can easily imagine how the cosy, dressed down version would look with the black quilted bag. It would just be another rich texture added into the mix, rather than an accessorised, statement moment. Finding the right shoes is really the tricky part; I find something with just enough height (low to medium profile) with a chunky heel works best. Reason being that despite their more dressed up appearance, they won’t give you grief all day. Also think about the shape of the shoe too. If you want to go for something dorky or off-beat, you’ll need to amp things up elsewhere. Which could be as simple as packing some loud accessories in your bag, swiping on a fun coloured lip, or popping your hair up in a sleek bun.
CAREFULLY CONSIDER YOUR LAYERS
Styling is everything. You can see here the easy switch to take this outfit from day to night is the slouchy sweater. For day, it adds a much needed visual layer of chill. The oversized proportions counterbalance the Jessica Rabbit-esque silhouette of the dress, keeping the overly sculpted shape concealed. A blazer – fitted or relaxed – would add a tailored element to the styling. A leather jacket, an edgy feeling. And how do those components work with (or against) the accessories you’ve chosen? It can seem a little bit like fashion maths, but sometimes it’s a matter of just finding the right pieces in your closet that are conceptually fluid enough to communicate this subtext of daywear vs evening wear.
There’s been a lot of discourse recently around seasonal colour analysis aka the best colours for you. Confidence in what we’re wearing comes from a few sources; it can be in part attributed to beauty components, like how we’ve styled our hair, or how our makeup turned out. Or, a result of discovering your perfect pairing of items in your closet to emphasise your best features. And it can be driven by wearing colours that make our complexion look bright and our eyes shine. But there’s also a difference between the colours that were made for you, and the colours you feel best in. So instead of focusing on best colours, today we’re going to talk through one very simple way to add colour to your wardrobe.
When we think about colour, there are three components: hue, saturation, and value. Hue relates to the colour itself – where it sits on the spectrum. Saturation or “chroma”, relates to how intense or brilliant the colour is. Finally, we have value, which refers to how light or dark the colour is.
So my simple way to add in colour to your wardrobe? Start with items that are desaturated. Especially if you are either rebuilding, or curating your closet, it can feel a little intimidating to go for loud, punchy options if your wardrobe is packed with neutrals. That sudden intensity of colour can feel jarring and unapproachable.
Clearly not a guide for finding your best colour, but it is a gentle approach to branch out from a basic colour palette. The main thing to understand is the undertone. If your complexion has more of a pink undertone, you’re going to look better in cooler colours. If your complexion has more of a yellow undertone, warmer shades will suit you better. Where it gets tricky is if you have olive skin, meaning that there’s a green undertone with less redness to your complexion – this can pull warm or cool so colours that sit closer to the centre of the spectrum (ie. slightly warm or slightly cool) are likely to look best on you. It goes without saying that there is so much more nuance to this, and my general feeling is that we should wear the colours that we feel best in rather than ultimately be guided by the colours we’re told we look best in. But that all comes down to experimentation, and a lot of trial and error over time.
You can see this in action in the outfit above. Grounded against neutral base colours, I’ve added in a desaturated agave green sweater. This has a slightly grey quality to it, which is enhanced in this outfit because as it’s been paired with muted grey hues. Worn with a soft cream, that green streak tends to have a bit more prominence. What is great about desaturated colours is that they help you to shift away from a stark contrast of black vs white, while acting as an easy neutral against more deeply saturated shades.
Have you been thinking about adding some colour to your closet?
Reflecting on photos I’ve saved of women that I consider to be truly stylish (by my own definition), there’s a striking through line that all of them seem to follow. Nuanced details that go beyond the individual items that they’re wearing. It’s not “what” they’ve put on, but how they’ve decided to wear it. Which leans into a concept I’ve shared previously on Instagram; that you can wear the exact combination of items as someone else, but the cut, fabrication, colour all play a role in how it looks on. So too does the styling. In fact, it’s probably the most important part. And this one thing that all stylish women seem to do? Make the outfit their own.
Sometimes this can be as simple as throwing on a signature lip or jewellery combination. But more often, it’s the little off-beat touches that make it. So let’s chat through two very simple styling flourishes you can easily implement that’ll add some je nais sai quoi to your outfits.
#1 | the off-kilter belt
Was it intentional, or has their belt just slid around? Hard to say at first glance. To me, this is a cool way to add some asymmetry into your outfit, which also doubles as a talking point. If you’re wearing a blazer or jacket, the belt becomes a very subtle detail, unless slouching your hand in your pocket. But if you’re wearing a pared back outfit such as a simple knit with trousers or a skirt, it’s more of a focal point.
A couple of other options which will add that same feeling to your outfits? Style a look with two belts; skinnier styles, both worn through the belt loops. You can adjust where the buckles sit to get that off-kilter vibe. Or consider how you do this with other accessories. Mismatched asymmetrical earrings is a favourite of mine, but I also love the idea of mismatched footwear in contrasting colours (the same shoe style though, of course!).
#2 | the pinched blazer
Oversized blazers have been trending for a few years now, and the outcome quite often can feel the same. Turning the traditional method of styling it on its head, let’s think about how we can add a personal touch to mix things up. A brooch, slid through the button and secured at the side is a great way to do this. Not only can you play around with how this will make your blazer fall (as in, how asymmetric you want the hem of the jacket to be), but also how “pinched” it appears. This is a great way to bring in some focus to your waist, while also visually reducing the amount of fabric.
Another way to get a similar effect would be to belt your blazer at the waist. This works better with blazers that are made from a fabric with a soft drape, rather than a style with structure.
Over the years, I’ve spoken at length about why I love the transitional seasons. Cross-pollinating your summer and winter wardrobes for the perfect blend. I tend to find it’s a good opportunity to get a true sense of which style favourites are more than just a seasonal crush. As in, which ones can be worn year round with a little layering or styling.
Not a new concept – and perhaps one I’ve mentioned in the past – but I was reflecting on how I tend to gravitate towards or favour colour during the summer. But eschew them in the winter. And I don’t think it could be better reflected in these two photo montages. My summer mood seems to punctuate crisp, fresh hues with bursts of colour. Blue, yellow, pink and green. The occasional pop of red brought in through my accessories.
Perhaps it’s a case of mood, and how warm weather makes you feel. Happy, bright, and light. Whereas in the winter, it’s moody, cold, and still. There’s a longing to be wrapped up in a cosy blanket, a feeling I often try to replicate in my outfit choices of the day (coatigans FTW). Colours tend to have a low saturation point, or devoid of any pigment at all. This monochrome grey look is case in point. Texture instead reigns supreme, and is at the heart of all my outfit-making decisions.
It has had me thinking about my seasonal wishlist. Or more specifically, the inspiration that will be a jumping off point for the months to come. There’s some pretty strong imagery that I’d like to reference, pairing bold colours like bright pink with a grounded khaki, or a punchy orange with a deep navy blue. I’m not sure how “loud” my interpretation of this will be, but am planning to start by shopping my wardrobe as a starting point. Mood board incoming….
There’s a backlog of outfits I’ve worn recently, that I’ll probably lump together in a singular post. But for today, I wanted to break down this cosy autumnal outfit I wore in late February for a day of work, and to meet up with my friend Rose for coffee. Sydney was unseasonably cold; usually I’d expect my sweaters to be on hiatus until at least April, but the weather called for it, and I was more than happy to oblige. This one is a cotton cocoon sweater from Jenni Kayne, which has a super fluffy texture. Quite reminiscent of the fit and cut of this alpaca sweater I purchased two years ago.
Rose is a loyal Tibi fan, so I had it in my mind to wear something from the brand, the majority of which has been in storage. Because the temperature fluctuates quite a bit, I knew it had to be a skirt, and this muted blue pleated number ticked all the boxes. It has common classic elements, but the style is pushed. First of all, it’s a wrap skirt, with an off-beat pleated panel at the front. Visual texture, which we love. Then it has the belt which is worked into the style, that cinches in at the waist or low hip, with a bit of a cut out effect. I love that this allows you to create a peekaboo element that is incredibly subtle. On the colour spectrum, it’s muted and faded. A soft blue which is remarkably easy to style with other colours, but I chose to make it the focal point here.
Despite the overt femininity of the skirt, I decided to lean into this for the shoes. A low heeled loafer with a squared off toe. Something of a replacement for a pair of tasseled Stuart Weitzman loafers I purchased eight years ago and wore to death.
To keep things feeling a little more casual, my Lemaire croissant bag. This adds in a muted shine, and is pretty carefree as far as handbags go.
Been thinking a little bit about how I like to wear colour and create contrast and cohesion in my outfits. And one thing that struck me is around the way I’ll typically wear an outerwear piece. Something I seem to crave and desire – right now, that is – is a consistency in the tones, saturation and depth of colour between my top and outerwear. So, in the first example, wearing a cardigan that is richer in depth, cool-toned, and grey-leaning. Reflecting these same qualities in my choice of outerwear. Which seems to have translated to the bag as well, which is in a darker hue. To me this just “felt right” to finish things off. My eye seems to be fixated on this notion of harmony, and that seems to ring true here.
The same can be said of the second outfit, this time leaning more on my lighter neutrals. While the coat is slightly lighter than the knit, it still has the same impact. Again, tied in with that choice of bag. What makes it feel more interesting is that little added touch of the pink check. The scarf has a fuzzy almost wispy quality which creates contrast in a subtle way, as it feels lighter compared to the more compact weave of both the knit and the coat.
