MY TAKE ON PASTELS AND NEUTRALS

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all well.

If you are a regular reader, you know my love of bold prints and bright saturated hues.  Today, however, I have decided to steer away from my usual path and go in the opposite direction towards pastels and neutrals.

The reason behind the change of heart is quite simple.   This year we are going on holiday to, among other places, Southern Italy and I was reviewing my wardrobe to see if  I could blend in among the locals taking an evening stroll along the promenade in Sorrento.

Scrolling through my own Instagram feed, I’ve noticed that the majority of my outfits express quite an intense look due to my penchant for bright colours and bold prints that somehow may look a tad harsh under the soft September sun of the Amalfi Coast.

So I decided to break the pattern and discover a softer side of me and put together few looks that include soft pastels and neutrals which presented quite a challenge in itself since I knew that my wardrobe is quite limited in this department.  

Avoiding the impulse to run and buy any new clothes before the trip but determined to embrace the challenge, I decided to make do with whatever I could find in my closet and voila!

All the pieces of this outfit have been modeled on my blog before but usually paired with something of a more distinctive colour or print and not necessary all together.

The Pale Dogwood blouse, according to Pantone 2017 Colour Chart, was worn by me here, the Island Paradise block heel shoes from Max & Co - here and as I was throwing the dusty pink jumper (seen here) over my shoulders, I experienced a tinge of regret that I don't own one in pale yellow that would be perfect to make a full circle of a pastel palette.  However, since shopping while on holidays is part of the experience, I could buy it on the spot.  Meanwhile, the pink one will have to do.

As for my accessories, I chose a tan leather belt, my old off-white LV handbag and a scarf that I believe is expected to grace women's head or neck when they are in an open car driving along the  Amalfi Coast.  I settled for a scarf in a matching colour with my shoes.

I think it completed the outfit rather nicely.

As for my white denim jeans, you have seen me wearing them here, here and here just to name but a few.


When I checked myself in the mirror, I was genuinely surprised and pleased with the outcome.  Well, maybe technically not all the colours of my outfit can be described as pastels and neutrals but it was a start.

 Have you ever tried to wear something different to your usual style?

Until then,
Anna
xoxo

Linking up with Andrea from The Blended Blog, Nicole from High Latitude Style, Dawn Lucy from Fashion Should be Fun, Jacqueline from Styling in St Lois, Patty from Not Dead Yet Style and Rena from Fine Whatever Blog

HOW I STYLED A CRUSHED VELVET CAMI

Hello friends,

If you are like me, a fan of Seinfeld, you will recall an episode where George Costanza shared with us his one particular sartorial preference:  "I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable".

Well, luckily for George the time has finally come.  In 2017 draping oneself in this smooth "velvety" fabric, pun intended, is not only socially acceptable but it's practically mandatory.

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THIS GORGEOUS RICH FABRIC WORKS EXTREMELY WELL 

WITH DIFFERENT FABRICS

"

And it is not restricted to evening gowns and smoking jackets.  It is everywhere and is being used for tops, boots, overcoats and even jumpsuits. For fashion lovers like myself who lives in the Southern Hemisphere, we couldn't wait until winter arrived at our doors (June - August) so we too could see through the "velvet fog".

Velvet is very versatile and whether you are after a glam look or hippie chic, there is something for everyone.  If you are not too sure whether this is your game, pick up something small similar to the cami I am wearing and if it feels right, go from there, however as a rule of thumb, stick to one velvet item an outfit.

There is no need to hunt for a garment made out of velvet, any shop from high end to street style is stocking them in abundance.  Gone are the days when velvet garments were the attributes of the rich and were the colours of jewels, i.e. predominantly black, dark green or burgundy.  These days the colours are light and bright which combined with velvet's adaptability makes it possible for everyone to have fun with it.

This gorgeous rich fabric works extremely well with different textures, depending on what look you are after:  leather, silk or rough denim are just a few choices that will work well together.

Dressing up for a casual Sunday lunch with friends, followed by a nice walk along Bondi Beach promenade, I chose to wear my velvet top with white denim jeans (seen here and here) from JBrand  that I rolled up just above my ankles, a black denim jacket from Topshop and a pair of white Converse sneakers for a relaxed sporty look.  I thought that by wearing a vintage silk scarf would offset rather nicely the casualness of the outfit.

Quite often, when I am wearing denim, I like the juxtaposition of rough and smooth (similar combo worn here) rich fabrics so I added a vintage silk scarf to enhance the luxe feel of my velvet top and to offset the casualness of the outfit.  It would also give me some warmth once we were near the ocean

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Top - Sportsgirl

Jacket - Topshop

Jeans - JBrand

Sneakers - Converse

Glasses - Kenzo

Messenger Bag- Furla

Scarf - vintage Christian Dior

Linking up with Shelbee on the Edge, Fine.Whatever blog, A Pocketful of Polka Dots, High Latitude Style, Living in Colour, Style Nudge

WHITE JEANS AND A BLUE SILK BLOUSE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH

Hello my dear readers and fellow bloggers and welcome to my blog.  

If you have been following my blog, you might recall that a few posts back I shared with you my new white denim jeans and promised that I would try to put together a few different looks by wearing them on several occasions to explore their versatility and diversity.  The occasion which I wore them for the first time was to a dinner party (you can read the whole story here).

Today I am wearing them on my way to a business lunch.  You might be wondering why I am wearing jeans to a business lunch but the reason for it is that I work in a creative environment and nobody expects me to show up wearing a so-called "corporate uniform", besides I wore them to a dinner party before and haven't been shot so no harm in wearing them for lunch, I recon.  I may describe this outfit as taking down a notch from the dinner version but still looking pretty smart.

There are a few ways that you can make your denims look smart, it is what you are wearing them with conveys the message.  For this occasion I put on a blue silk blouse that belonged to my late mother-in law but which she never wore.  

It came to me the same way as her extensive collection of beautiful scarves that I told you about previously and I am not the kind of gal who will pass on a pure silk blouse.  

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YOU CAN MAKE YOUR DENIMS LOOK SMART, IT IS WHAT YOU ARE WEARING THEN  WITH CONVEYS THE MESSAGE

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After spending $10 on an alteration, I am now in possession of lovely blouse that I am sure I will wear a lot.

Given that it was a lunch, I refrained from wearing high heeled shoes and instead selected a pair of smart looking block heels shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo worn previously here.

As for accessories, there were a few choices to consider.  First - the handbag.  I didn't want to carry anything that remotely matched the colours of my outfit, on the other hand it is should be of a colour that would harmoniously relate it to the outfit.  Since my shirt has an open neck, I also pondered over few options as to what to wear with it.  

Option one - a neck scarf, option two - a string of pearls or a smart necklace, however I was looking for something that would mirror my creativity so I discarded the former and instead took a skinny scarf that had pink and blue colours in its print and tied it up around my wrist.

After that, choosing a pink coloured handbag was a no-brainer.

I am wearing: white jeans - J Brand; shoes - Salvatore Ferragamo, handbag - Vivienne Westwood, blouse - Jobis, skinny scarf - Hermes.

Linking up with Shellbee on the Edge, Fine Whatever Blog, Beauty by Miss L, Fashion Should be Fun, High Altitude Style