Personal Style Advice: Don’t be afraid to experiment and don’t give up if it doesn’t work out! Sometimes outfits are better visualized in my head than actualized in reality, but that doesn’t stop me from playing around and pairing odd things together anyway.
Style IconS
My style icons are definitely the many real life ladies of instagram that show up on my feed on a daily basis. In terms of well known names Iris Apfel, Emili Sindlev and Carrie Bradshaw top the list. Iris is the mistress of layering jewelry. Emili is my go-to for street style inspiration and I love how Carrie’s style combines quirky and sexy together in one look.
Why I picked this top to style
For this style prompt I chose an embroidered waistcoat. I thrifted it about ten years ago from a hole-in-the-wall type little clothing store in my old neighborhood. I have no way of knowing with certainty that it’s vintage because all the tags have been removed, but when I saw it in the shop it just screamed 90’s to me. (I’ve recently been re-watching episodes of “The Nanny” and Fran Fine’s affection for colorful vests solidify the theory that the 90’s had a thing for this type of garment). This vest isn’t modern, cool or on trend. But the kitschy embroidery speaks to the eclectic/granny chic aesthetic that I very much love.
Look One
Look One: Running Errands on a HOT Day
It was a weekend and it was very HOT that day, so I wore my waistcoat as a blouse with nothing else underneath. I decided to take the ethnic vibe of the vest and run with it so I paired it with an equally folksy 100% linen floral print skirt. I was running errands on the bicycle so comfortable shoes were a must: enter my red rubber Dr. Scholls – a lightweight, modern riff on the original wooden sandal. I added the red paper hat with flower detail to tie in all the florals together. Fun/sad fact: the hat flew off my head while pedaling and got crushed under the tire of a car. Luckily when I got home, I was able to steam it back into shape and it survived. Unfortunately, I think that you can see the creases in the photos. 😂
Look Two
Look Two: Boho Princess Office Vibes
I layered the vest over a simple white off the shoulder puff sleeve dress. The end result was a boho princess vibe. It was a Thursday and I wore it to work. I wanted to bring out the color of the embroidery so I paired a bright turquoise Brahmin handbag with the look. Crochet sandals and a straw bucket hat were the finishing touches.
Look Three
Look Three: Casual Friday – Calm Before the Storm
It was a work from home Friday and I wanted a super casual look. My office tolerates my love of bright colors and crazy patterns, but in a professional setting there are still many things that are off limits, like the tri-color frayed denim culottes that I decided to wear. I layered the vest over a white T-shirt and kept it open this time. Since I had already done a blue and white look the day before, I decided to introduce some color. That was the reasoning behind the green handbag, green sandals and pink sunglasses. I managed to snap some quick photos in my building hallway and run some errands before the sky opened up and it started to pour.
Find more of amazing styles by Elle on:
Instagram: @funky_fearless_fashionista
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