First thing! I shot this one in my store! Woo! I pulled a lot of the tops and all of the bags from the shop, so unlike usual, they aren’t straight out of my closet. But, it’s a little peek into what’s in-stock.
I’m also hosting a trunkshow with LA-based designer Brooke Callahan on Dec 11th, I love her line, and she’s going to bring her new knits, flannel pieces, lots of cozy things, and then also a smattering of the brightly colored poplin she’s best known for. No appointments needed, come anytime 10:30-5 <3 <3 <3
Okay, jeans are great, but this time of year I have to look at my denim drawer out of the corner of my eye because if I go too close to them I will get sucked into a jeans and sweater flavored rut. I have to resist the pull! The easiest way for me to stay out of that black hole is to sub out jeans for a pair of trousers. I love worky pants worn in a not strictly worky way. Also, a good pair will take you everywhere. They do a lot for your outfit and you don’t have to give much effort for the payoff.
So here we go. Also!! I shot this one at the store! The light is great, but DIRECT and I have to shoot earlier in the day, but OH WELL!
OFFICEY
If we’re going office the trick is to make a pleat-front, wide-leg pant look office appropriate, obviously, but still very cool. The pants I’m wearing throughout the whole thing are these from Polo. They’re excellent, and $348. Crisp but drapey, wide, but not overwhelming, they have a gorgeous double pleat and a cuff, and the color is heaven.
1: What could be more corporate than a button down and a pair of wide-leg, pleat front trousers, right? Wellll! It’s all about proportions! If you watch the video, you’ll hear me say proportion about a thousand times, but that’s how to best make these sing. I love this Comme Si shirt, and I wear it in a size or two bigger than what I usually wear, because I like the volume. To get it to sit this way, I kind of crisscross the bottom of the button down to make it look a little nipped in at the waist without feeling…corporate. Then, this is the moral of this whole story: roll up the sleeves to about the same place that the waistband hits to keep the proportions right. The heels are these, I put them in this weekend’s newsletter, and I do think they’re the perfect kitten heel. They’re expensive, but if shoes are your thing, these are fantastic shoes. The bag is Savette, and it’s from the shop!
2: Another idea—a terrific little fitted blazer that buttons up all the way up and acts as a shirt. This is a new one from Kallmeyer. The sleeves open up beautifully to let your forearms out (just watch the video, it looks better than it sounds), but it’s a classic idea of a suit but with a more modern silhouette. The slimness of the jacket is a nice counterpoint to the width of the pant, and because the blazer is a bit longer, it also makes a nice line with the pants. It would be a very different impact with a cropped, fitted blazer. The bag is Esha Soni (I also have these in the shop!) and I love the shape of it and big sculptural clasp, and it is the softest thing in the world.
3: Third, slightly more relaxed but no less office appropriate—try an oversized cashmere (or knitted) tee. This one is from Tibi. It has the formality of a sweater, but looks so much cooler than your everyday fitted sweater. I left the front tucked in and the back out, which I know is meant to be kind of cringe or French Tuck or whatever, but it does a lot, and really works to create a waistline without actually cinching your waist. My trick to get it to lay nicely is I tuck in the front, then raise my arms over my head, lower them, then shake out my hips. It makes it all look a little more natural.
CASUAL RUNNING AROUND
1: Look at that sassy ass face, not the apparently completely see through top! But! The top is good. It’s old Dries (but here’s something else very cute), and a very sweet little camp shirt vibe. I love this with the wide-leg pants, it kind of reminds me of what a nerdy dad would wear on vacation in the early 00’s, except instead of with bermuda shorts, it’s with a gorgeous pair of wide-leg trousers. Imagine this shirt with a pair of jeans—a very different and not as cool vibe, right? The pants make it much better. The bag is also Esha Soni, and the shape of it is heaven. The inside is also a pretty light blue suede. The Birkenstocks are great with the pants, the open toe keeps it all light and open, but they’re also very classic and familiar.
2: This is just as easy as a tee shirt and pants, but looks so much nicer. The shirt is from Brooke Callahan (who’s doing a trunkshow at the store on the 11th of Dec! Tomorrow) and because of the cinch around the waist and the wide-sleeves, is very easy to personalize. I cinched it to end just at the waist of the trousers, and rolled up the sleeves to exactly the same point. This is much better for running around than a tee and jeans.
3: My favorite combination—the trousers with a sweatshirt. This one is Ruadh, and I love the super sculptural, voluminous sleeves. It looks great with them scrunched up and the sportyness of it with the trouser is super nice. You could do this with a heel for work, but I also love it with these little loafer slides. The toe shape is excellent with the wide-leg pants.
AS A CANVAS FOR SOMETHING WEIRDER
1: OK, normally my whole thing is pair weird with weird, meet weird with weirder and it will feel normal, and I do think that is normally true, HOWEVER! Not when you’re veering into something kind of trendy.
