I paired the two together with some new strappy sandals. I believe the ensemble works. What do you think?
Thursday, June 26, 2014
In Black And White
I saw a cute skirt last week and figured it'd find its way into an outfit. Then, yesterday, I stumbled upon a terrific shirt in checkered black and white. The shirt has French cuffs and cufflinks.
I paired the two together with some new strappy sandals. I believe the ensemble works. What do you think?
I paired the two together with some new strappy sandals. I believe the ensemble works. What do you think?
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Oooh the pattern is making my eyes all boggly!!! You look great! Nice look!!! The sandals are really pretty too! X
ReplyDeleteI have the same top but mine is red and white, and I love the shoes, very summery!!!
ReplyDeleteit definitely works, and i like the shirt. you can never go wrong with b/w. in lieu of the scarf which covers up that pretty shirt, a statement/colorful necklace might work?
ReplyDeleteGood idea. I'll try it.
DeleteBlack and white is always elegant yet fun, and those silvery sandals are so cute - especially with the bright pedi!
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering whether you'd consider knotting/tying the front ends of the shirt to break up the curved hemline?
Sure, I'll try anything. Thanks for the idea.
DeleteI love the print of the shirt and metallic sandals are my jam. I love Carrie's suggestion to knot the shirt because I think it's a little long for a skirt when worn as is. Or, tucking it and adding a great belt might be nice too.
ReplyDeleteThe skirt is perfect though; great shape on you!
Love the skirt, Love the sandals, Hate the top..*giggles* aww Ally, its tops like these which make me dizzy...i am spinning already. I love the way the material of the skirt hangs very nicely, and the sandals have delicate curves. Very Nice... :-)
ReplyDeleteSo classy!
ReplyDeleteOf course this works, very classic! Love the sandals they had the perfect touch of vintage!
ReplyDeletexo
styleontheside.com
I like it. You might try tucking the blouse and added a thick black belt at the waist. It'll give you more of an hourglass shape.
ReplyDeleteThe bright toes are great with the silver!
I'd add a bright bag to the whole look. Peach or yellow.
bisous
Suzanne
I was torn between tucking the blouse in or not; I'll try it that way next time.
DeleteVery fun shirt! I agree with others about tucking it in. I used to resist tucking items in because I was self conscious about my curves, but I have since learned to embrace them and it often leads to a very nice polished look!
ReplyDeleteVery cute! The black & white is a classic. I agree with the other comments about tucking in the shirt...I think it would make a huge difference in the look.
ReplyDelete-Sharon
The Tiny Heart
And your blog is being read all over! :D Sorry, couldn't resist!
ReplyDeleteWhat a classy, terrific outfit. It's very 21st century business lady to me and the strappy sandals help take it from boardroom to cocktail hour in a flash.
Have a fabulous first weekend of summer!
♥ Jessica
You know I dig black and white so much right now, and any shirt with French cuffs is awesome. Menswear touches in womens clothes are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteClassy in black and white. I agree about tucking the shirt in and I love those sandals!!!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Though I have a preference for tucking shirts into skirts to lessen the amount of flowly fabric around my waist/hips. Either way, you look fab :)
ReplyDeleteI like it! And the scarf is a fun colour accent!
ReplyDeleteLisa.
That shirt is a great find, it fits you well.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be dressing on the elegant side lately-
Yup. I think I'm maturing as a woman. (I know that sounds odd...)
DeleteYou look lovely! I"m enjoying your exploration of more subtle attire and I think it makes you look even more feminine because it looks more real. Does that make sense? I love your skirt, and if you looked in my closet you would laugh because I think I have three black skirts just like it, in what has become a collection of seven black skirts.
ReplyDeleteRe the tuck/untuck issue. It can be tricky and sometimes it is more about experimenting than any particular rules. Some people believe a woman m must always highlight her waist (or create a waist) and others don't. I think the problem with the blouse is just that it is slightly too long to look right untucked. The challenge is, getting the right top to coordinate with the bottom, finding the right colour, texture, style and length can be a bloody pain. I find the length of my top is the one I am least likely to get perfect because the other issues come first-getting the colour and style to go with the skirt. It makes a case for dressing in all black and then the only concern is style and proprotion-lol.
You could try tucking the blouse in and adding a belt to define your waist, though you would find in a day of moving about that the belt will not always cooperate well. Ideally you'd want it to cover the waist band of the skirt but without belt loops holding it in place it will move about and expose the waistband at times. Some people don't mind this or don't mind constantly having to fix it. It drives me crazy.
You could also try leaving the blouse untucked, belting it and pulling it up a bit above the belt to give it a blouson look-drawn tight at the waist and puffing out or draping over the belt a little. this would also have the effect of shortening the length of it and making it better proportioned with the skirt.
My personal opinion about a belted waist is that for some of us with little waist definition but who are not super thin like models, highlighting the waist is not always flattering. A very thin girl with a straight body shape can put a belt around her waist and while it doesn't make her waist look smaller in proportion to her hips she still obviously has a narrow waist because she has narrow everything. If one is wider, and I consider myself to be this way too, a belt around the waist can simply draw the eye to a thick waist and highlight the lack of curves. Blousing the top out over a belt helps to create the look of curves by making a blousier top look larger than the waist. The risk is that the overall look you get is big-big waist, bigger top.
It takes experimenting with each outfit to find the right look and opinions on this will differ so in the end, just please yourself. Another option, for future reference, is to pair that blouse with a very short and tight skirt, so that you have a long and lose proportion over short and tight. There is not need to belt in that case as you have the interest of opposing proportions and you will be showing off your fabulous legs instead of a waist. Your legs are definitely your best asset.
Sorry for writing so much. :-) I hope it helps.
xoxo
Great feedback. Thanks, bud. You give me lots to chew on. I like your observation in the first paragraph -- you're exactly right.
DeleteI"m thinking, not sure what you think of this but, you have such lovely eyes. Have you considered trying an eyelash curler and some mascara? You probably already know that there are bazillions of makeup tutorials on youtube. You could easily find some on using eyelash curlers and mascara. For subtle mascara I would recommend Maybelline Greatlash-comes in a nice pink tube. And don't bother with the waterproof one. You won't need it unless you intend to watch lots of sad movies. I would suggest you use the brownish-black colour.
DeleteThanks, buddy. This is my beauty weak-spot. When I was young, I had gorgeous long eyelashes. But they disappeared with age. Now, I need lashes to create a feminine look but have difficulty achieving them. I've tried a curler and mascara but my eyelids overhang and conceal my short lashes. (My eyelids are Asian-like in their shape.) Falsies help but are tough to put on. Thanks for the suggestions; I'll try them.
DeleteThose darn eyelashes do tend to thin and disappear as we age. I did not mean to pick on your poor eyelashes but you do have such gorgeous eyes I thought they would be so pretty a little more highlighted. Maybe a taupe pencil liner would help. You can pull back the eyelid skin a bit and apply it. There are tons of makeup tutorials on youtube including ones for aging eyes-lol. I would love to hang out with you and do your makeup. that would be fun. I like putting on makeup, I just dont' like wearing it. I'd happily put it on someone else.
Deletexo
I'd love to be your makeup guinea pig! I really need someone more talented to apply my makeup. I feel like I'm stuck and not getting better. I need a guiding hand.
DeleteIt's a lovely outfit, simple and un-contrived but still interesting. I like the silver sandals, not the expected choice but they work beautifully.
ReplyDeleteYour toes are soooo much nicer than mine. :P :)
ReplyDeleteI personally LOVE this. Black and white print, collared shirts, metallic shoes? Perfection in my book.
ReplyDeleteAlso I am so jealous of your pedicure. I can't do makeup (allergies), but I got my toes/nail painted for the 4th and smudged all of them awfully!!
Hi!! It's been a while since I've commented, but I've still been stopping by! When I came across this post, I had just been thinking, "If I were styling him, I'd try to go with the flow of his height. I'd open up at the neck and bring his skirts a little lower....more "effortlessly feminine". Does that make sense? (I'm always styling myself or SOMEONE in my head!! Ha!) And then I happen upon this post and BAM! You nailed it! You look so natural in this! I know you like to ride your motorcycle, and I was just trying to imagine how you'd look as a classy biker babe. I guess knowing that you're an attorney in real life, I'm just carrying over your male persona to your female. (Which is making me wonder what my style would be if I were to dress male) I just imagine classy and elegant with an artistic or whimsical detail. Anyway, I'm rambling now.....it's taken me far too long to say, "You look FABULOUS!!" Hugs! Serene
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interesting ideas, Serene. I'm too close to myself to see myself clearly, whereas others like you point out stuff that makes perfect sense. For example, I spend so much time as a male biker, I never imagine being a biker babe. And yet that would make me immensely happy. I need to explore that more. I appreciate your feedback and suggestions.
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