Anatomy of an Outfit
Continued from last week
Last week I talked about how I tried an outfit formula that
uses as one of her go-to’s and I really liked it. It’s basically a white top and pants with black (or dark) accessories, a trench coat over top, and a statement necklace.
The things I like about this outfit are the uniform quality of wearing all one color, the lightness of white for the spring season, the way dark accessories ground the white and make it more urban, and the polish of adding a third piece and jewelry. Having a third piece is often essential where I live because the weather is always changing and that extra layer is a necessity.
But let’s talk more about the third piece. Allison said she likes to wear a trench coat but as I mentioned last week I feel like that’s too formal for my lifestyle so I decided to play around with some “third pieces” and see if I could find something that felt more like me.
I haven’t been doing a lot of posing in my posts recently because I always end up getting a major cringe later and decided to stop torturing myself, but I struck a few poses while playing with this outfit formula the other day.
I have a couple hippie/70’s ponchos from Mira Blackman and I thought maybe I could use those to give my white outfit a casual vibe. Here’s the first one I tried:
I didn’t hate this at all and I could see myself wearing it when I want to tap into my Bohemian roots. However it’s a bit too flowy without enough structure. I tried to find structure by wearing the high neck thick t-shirt, but I’m not sure if there’s enough to balance the poncho. If anyone has good ideas about how to wear a hippie poncho without looking tooo hippie, please let me know.
Then I remembered a blazer I bought last year from Ruti that’s pretty casual so I switched the poncho out for the blazer:
I tried to make it more casual by adding a woven bag but even this felt too formal for my ultra-relaxed days. Like would I really wear this to run errands? No, I’d feel too overdressed and businessy.
So I went back to the poncho idea and tried the other one I have from Mira Blackman and I liked this, but maybe for going out somewhere a little more special:
I was at a loss because I hadn’t solved the problem, but then I realized that I’d put on the high neck white t-shirt to give structure to the poncho outfits, but perhaps for the blazer I needed a top that was more open and relaxed, so I tried this old tunic I have from Eileen Fisher, and bingo! I found an outfit that I liked. The slightly sheer and drapey tunic relaxed the blazer enough to make it casual, and I think putting my hair up gave some space between the wide shoulders of the blazer while with my hair down it all looked a bit cluttered around my neck. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it satisfied my desire to look easy with a little bit of my personality which one of my friends described as Bohemian chic:
I also wanted to mention my necklace because it really added to the outfit. It’s a vintage brass Chloe necklace I got on EBay for under $200. I thought it might look cheap since it’s brass but it doesn’t at all and I love how unique it is and how it hangs.
The sustainable brand Baserange has a new season and I love the way they’re combining silk and cotton with lace. Here are a few of my favorites:
This silk and lace skirt which looks so good with the red:
This lace and cotton top:
And this dress with the lace sleeves is so pretty:
Thoughts on Fashion and Aging:
I saw this photo of one of the Olsen twins (I don’t know which one), and I loved it. Besides the great style - the little details like the sleeves on the coat and the texture of the hat and the red accent, I liked the irony of it, that she looked like an old Italian woman. And I wondered if I wore the same outfit as an already older woman if it would be as interesting, or if I’d just look old. I think a lot about fashion and how to dress as I age, but the thing is I can only experience it through my particular body and lifestyle, as someone who is short and curvy, who has a decidedly unglamorous life. Basically how does a petite aging homebody who loves fashion dress? I don’t know. Maybe I just admire others and rally every now and then to try on something from my capacious wardrobe. Maybe I’ll find a way to drift around the house in elegant caftans, but I doubt it as I’m messy and like to wipe my hands on my pants.
I love the boho looks on you, Sita, even if they didn’t quite hit the way you wanted. 💕 The Olson pic is amusing, like, you have many years before you really look like an older woman, why push it? 😁
I love the blazer with the scoop neck. See me wearing that too! Love the necklace choice too!