In your wardrobe, no matter what size, shape or gender you are, there should be the staple black-and-white pieces of clothing that you can just pull together and not worry that you don’t match. Well, my whole wardrobe is virtually made up with black tights, leggings, dresses and trousers, but the introduction of white pieces is very much a new thing. Black to me is a safe thing. It’s slimming, it goes with everything and if it get grubby it doesn’t show up that much. But white is quite the opposite. I’m naturally very clumsy, so wearing white when I’m just performing day-to-day tasks will probably end up with something spilled down it, or it just getting dirty. Also, I, like many other women, prefer owning brightly coloured pieces of underwear. I have a few neutral pieces, but none that I really like and would wear out of choice.
However, it’s always good to step out of your comfort zones with clothes. And for the last few days I’ve been pairing together some pieces that I think looks good.
Black sleeveless belted blazer – New Look
Cosette t-shirt – Queens Theatre giftshop
Black and white flower-print skort – Asda
Tights – Peacocks
Black leather boots – Clarks.
Polka dot faux-silk shirt – Heart and Soul.
Black sleeveless blazer – New Look
Black jersey pencil skirt – New Look
Black tights – Calvin Klein
Black leather Oxfords – New Look
Black and white print dress – Greek holiday purchase
Black cardigan – Primark
Tights – Zac Posen
Black boots – Clarks
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So, as you can see I’ve rework some staple pieces of clothes, like my blazer, boots and tights, and paired them up to entirely separate outfits to make entirely different looks. With these staples you can rarely go wrong. Having something like this New Look blazer, it has the ability of tying the majority of any fashion pieces together, and it’s good in both cold and warm weather. The belted waist also draws attention to my best feature, and also adds an air of professionalism.
The monochrome look is always going to be a fashion classic, and despite a mixing of prints that some of my outfits do, it can rarely go wrong when you have black and white together.
Also, the light denier of the tights is good even in the summer, as well as the winter, and it can make your legs look slimmer. Plus, if you’re a girl, and you haven’t had time to shave your legs, tights is a good alternative to that.
Also, another focus of this post is about layering clothes. Now, I am pretty new to layering. I usually wear layers in the winter, just to keep warm. But in the summer, I barely want to wear anything under my arms or restricting air from getting to my skin. But with the additions of these sleeveless blazers, thin-knit cardigans and kimonos, layering has been a cool alternative to jazz up any outfit. Also, with the thin material of my kimonos and cardigans, you can always tuck them away in a small bag during the day, but it can provide a good little shrug for the cooler evening air. Plus, if you wear the right sort of layer – like the sleeveless blazer or a printed kimono – it is the perfect transition piece for day to night. And for the transitional months of September and October, layering can be that bit of warmth that you may need as the days get longer, and the nights get cooler.
Now, for curvy girls like myself, who may have problem areas but also good areas to emphasis, like my waist or hips, layering can disguise this. A kimono skims the body and covers the upper arms, whilst the belted blazer nips you in at the waist, but if you pair it with a light long-sleeve top, it also makes sure your upper arms are covered as well as artfully disguising your cleavage – if that’s what you want to hide.
For this summer, I’m finding the monochrome look to be one of sophistication, good for work as well as leisure and being able to mix-and-match with virtually everything in your wardrobe. And for layering, the high summer months are drawing to a close, so with the autumn setting in, layering can be a fun way to stay warm, look gorgeous and highlight your best bits.
-Alice x
Alice's World 