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!

 

School of Rock

Collared shirt, F21.  Sweater, Banana Republic.  Skirt, Burberry.  Shoes, H&M.  Bag, gifted.

 For the past week my little sister Rachel has been visiting me in LA, and it's been one of the best weeks I've ever had!  We've had so many adventures and cool experiences- including drastic hair cuts, tattoos, and LOTS of shopping- and having Rachel around definitely influences my style.  I know that she'll be completely honest with me (in the nicest way possible) if a new look isn't working, and she'll also encourage me to try more crazy, out-there fashion!  She's much more of a bad-ass rock chick than I am, but I think her style has been rubbing off on me this week.

I wanted to mix a tougher, rocker look with some prepster pieces- and I think it works!  I pulled out an old Burberry skirt I've had for a few years and added some brand-new H&M boots to match the maroon stripes of the skirt.  This combo could easily fall into Catholic-school-girl territory, but a studded leather collar lent some edge.  I layered a simple Banana Republic crew neck on top-- this is a classic preppy maneuver, but black-on-studs-on-black layering is anything but prepster!

Of course, I topped it off with my favorite new kitty bag and an armful of gunmetal and silver bangles.  

I love the feeling of trying out a new look, especially when it goes over so well!  I got tons of comments on my outfit today, mostly focused on my studded collar.  But one guy said, "Girl, I love those boots.  You can't get boots like that at Ross!"- such a unique compliment :)

Thanks to my rockin' sis for helping me try something new!  A post on sister-style to come soon!!

Twenty-Three

Dress, DVF.  Shoes, Zara.  Jewelry, Alexis Bittar.  Headband, Skylark.

I recently celebrated my 23rd birthday, and it just might have been the best birthday I ever had- thanks to the wonderful people in my life and the FABULOUS gifts I was given :)

Example of how lucky I am:  I found this DVF wrap dress at Wasteland a few days ago, and debated getting it.  I loved it, but thought it was too long and too loud and passed it up.  Of course I regretted that decision the second I got home and figured I'd swing by Wasteland later in the week to finally purchase it for myself.  I lamented my poor judgement to my friend Annika (http://annikadotbenitz.blogspot.com/) and she told me that I should definitely go back to get it.  

Well, I went back on my birthday and the dress was gone!  I was pretty bummed out and was kicking myself for not buying it right away.  Later that night, Annika handed me my birthday gift- the DVF dress I'd been talking about non-stop!!  

 Example 2:  My man and I had been exploring the shops on Abbot Kinney a few weeks ago when this amazing kitty carry-all stopped me in my tracks.  I knew it was perfect for me, but I'd been on a bit of a spending spree and had to leave it.  I was excited beyond words when my guy surprised me with it on my birthday-- 23 may be too old to carry around a bag like this but I don't care!!  I feel incredibly blessed to have people in my life who know me so well :)

Of course I had to wear both gifts as soon as possible, and I felt amazing all day.   The wrap dress is, as always, the most flattering article of clothing in the world, and my cat purse added some playfulness to the look.  A spiked headband, Alexis Bittar jewels, and black Mary Jane pumps all gave the outfit a little more pizzazz. 

Is this not the most amazing cuff you've ever seen??  The dragonfly is so quirky and fun- a must-have! It's from my favorite jewelry designer, Alexis Bittar (of course).  

These pieces will always feel a little bit more special to me because of the thoughtfulness and love behind them.  Thank you to everyone who made my birthday a day to remember!!

Animal Instincts

Dress and bag, vintage.  Belt, Ferragamo. Shoes, H&M.  Cat, Benny.

When I was packing for my big move out to California, I had to go through my closet piece by piece to determine what to take and what to leave.  Whittling down my wardrobe like this was a wonderful experience- I rediscovered pieces that I had forgotten about and reinvented my basics with long-lost accessories.  I also realized that a large portion of my clothing is animal-print!

Usually "animal-print" brings to mind leopard spots or zebra stripes, but I mean the phrase quite literally- I have a shirt covered in cartoon cockatoos, an awesome skirt with an owl on it, a kitten covered romper, and the list goes on and on.  One of my favorite animal prints is this vintage butterfly dress.

Most of these animal articles are creations that recall crazy cat ladies, so I decided to pose with one of my kitties, Benny!  He loved the attention and the camera loved him.

The colors in this dress feel so fresh and spring-y, so I matched my nail polish to the butterflies.  The mint green polish that I found is my new favorite, and I'll be rocking it all summer long!

This combo is going to be my go-to look for summer.  The material is light and airy, the colors are crisp, and the belt adds just enough intrigue; I can see this look going anywhere from a walk on the boardwalk to a barbeque or a summer evening soiree.

Benny likes it too!

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