Well Suited

Blazer, vintage.  Shorts, F21.  Shirt, Gap.  Shoes, Zara.  Clutch, MCM.

 

My friend Natalie Smith is the queen of shorts.  She can sport short shorts and make them super sexy or tomboyishly charming, business casual or perfect for playtime.  Here she is wearing the hell out of her fave pair while bringing the house down at a show:

 

 

Whenever I style Natalie, shorts are always one of the first things that come to mind.  It's a style I love but rarely wear myself so, inspired by Natalie, I wanted to come up with a fun way to wear my own shorts.  Enter the short suit!

 

The short suit is definitely not a new concept- it's been popping up on the red carpet for a while now.  In addition to Natalie, my inspirations for this look included Michelle Williams and Ginnifer Goodwin.  How cute are they??

 

 

 

Even though I don't have a pixie cut like all these beautiful ladies, I thought I might be able to pull off this look.  So I pulled out some of my funky shorts (leather, cat print) and got to work!

 

 

 I work in a pretty relaxed environment, so I wanted to test drive this trend in an office-appropriate way.  These adorable cat print shorts were the perfect statement piece, so I let them shine by pairing them with all neutrals.

 

 To temper the craziness of cartoon-kitty printed shorts, I picked one color from the shorts- cream- and matched it to a conservative button down shirt.  Since short-shorts aren't traditionally office-friendly, I wanted to make sure my top half was completely covered up and not drawing any attention!  I layered a light brown shrunken blazer on top for more coverage.

 

My nuetral heels not only fit into the color scheme of my outfit, they also enlongated my legs.  Nude heels paired with short shorts are guaranteed to make your legs look miles long! 

 

 

 

I didn't want my neutral look to border on boring, so I added some pizzazz with an oversized clutch.  This vintage MCM version is perfect with the rest of my outfit:  the neutral color is easy, the funky print is fun, and the oversized shape mimicks a briefcase- the best compliment to my faux-suit!

 

After this successful attempt, I caught suit fever and took this version for a spin:

 

Shorts and shirt, F21.  Blazer, J Crew.  Shoes, Rachel Roy.  Clutch, Betsey Johnson.

 

I matched my leather shorts to a tight wool blazer and a graphic buttondown.  I love pushing up the sleeves of a blazer to let the shirtsleeves show, especially if there is a cool print or fun design to show off.  This teensy little touch packs a lot of punch!

 

This cute clutch addes some personality to the black-and-white look, and some heart-studded purple shoes finished it off.

 

 

I'm not sure if this is a look I'll be rocking all the time, but it was fun to give it a try and expand my fashion horizons!  It's important to experiment to keep your wardrobe evolving and expanding:  when you see a look you love, instead of thinking "I could never pull that off", try thinking "How can I make this work for me?"

 
Fashion Tips from "Well Suited":

1.  Look to friends, magazines, the red carpet, etc for ideas- but then make them your own.  I know Natalie would never wear shorts the way I did, just like I can't rock hers the way she can.  Every look needs to be tailored to who you are, what body you have, and what you're comfortable with- so get inspired, but be true to your sartorial self!

2.  If you're looking to try out a short suit, keep it from looking stuffy and business-y by mixing textures.  Here I mixed silk and leather shorts with wool blazers that didn't quite match.  Even denim is OK- I'm dying to try out denim cutoffs with an oversized boyfriend blazer.  Anything goes!

3.  Nude pumps are a great way to finish off a short shorts outfit.  They'll make your legs look like they go on forever-- who wouldn't want that?

 

If you guys decide to try a short suit out for yourselves, send me pics- I'd love to see how you're taking inspiration and making it your own!