Anatomy Of An Outfit
Thanks so much for all your great suggestions on Monday. You ladies are the best. Today, I want to do a postmortem on two outfits I wore over the holidays. I’m going to explain what I observe and why I prefer one look over the other…on me, for me.
What doesn’t work for me in this outfit
As I look back at this outfit it has a distinct “toy soldier” vibe to me. I prefer a more elegant look. I love the gold buttons on this quilted velvet jacket but they needed to be considered as a piece of jewelry. My necklace and earrings are enough detail for me here so the pin is overkill.
I love a great white shirt…but not here because it chops up the outfit. The color has too much contrast and the cuffs make my arms look short.
I love these loafers but not with this outfit. Seeing a part of my foot between the shoe and pants adds enough extra busyness to make this outfit not work for me. The jacket is quilted, the corduroy pants have a raised wale and the shoes have a velvet nap which is too much texture for my style.
What works about this outfit
I’m smaller above my waist than below. Bright red pants enlarge the look of my bottom half and the black jacket makes my top half look smaller. It provides balance.
The next time I wore this jacket and pants I streamlined the look.
I skipped the loafers and wore smooth black boots that tucked under the pant leg so no ankle showed. Next, I swapped the white shirt for a smooth black turtleneck. These are the same hoop earrings but I skipped the necklace and pin. I am much happier with this look because there are fewer details grabbing the eye.
In this side-by-side picture you can see that even though my shoes and boots have the same 1″ heel, I look a bit taller in the image on the right. Yes, I’m having a better hair day on the right too:)
I hope you found this postmortem entertaining.
I’d love to hear your feedback.
Yes, Jennifer, the second look is much better. I have red Chico’s pants hanging in my closet and couldn’t decide what to wear with them. Thanks for the suggestions. I love your blog and comments from other ladies, but it’s my first time to comment.
I’m glad you’ve joined the conversation! Welcome
I love the less is more look in the second picture too. I have noticed that the style icons such as Carolyn Bessette, Melania Trump, Audrey Hepburn, etc., don’t rely on jewelry, scarfs and such but prefer the minimalist look. This is what you have shown in the second look.
This was fun and informative. Love the second look. I know I make mistakes like this too (first outfit) so I thoroughly appreciated the breakdown.
I’m so glad it was helpful, Karyn
Great! Thanks for the supertips
Love, love love the anatomy of an outfit!!!
This is the best post ever! You could do this week after week, and compare a “sort of ‘OK’ look” with a side by side comparision of a ‘Wow’ look that you simply tweaked. This is what I need: Visuals, and your provided them in this post. Would love to see you do the same with ‘pants leg lengths’, and perhaps one on “skirt’ lengths and the kind of tops/blouses/blazers that are best suited to a particular type of skirt. Then, add the shoes to the look, also…. Visually seeing the difference, side by side, is a terrific teaching tool. Thank you very much for this terrific post
Great ideas! Thanks, Suzanne!
I love the second outfit too! Have you considered playing around with shoe color too? My eyes are drawn to the black shoe contrasting with the red pants. Great post!
As with many commenters, I love this article. I am same body type and would wear second outfit for all the reasons you said. The white at neck brings too much “up” for me. By doing these articles, you show us that fashion is a lot of tweaking, even when you know what you are doing…and I don’t…well am learning. Happy New year!
Happy New Year
I have been reading your blog for several years. This is my favorite post you’ve ever done. I love the side by side and the “why” of both pictures. Please consider putting together outfits that don’t work on purpose. While I enjoy the “would you wear it” posts, this is far more helpful. Great job.
I agree!
Great post and so informative! More like this would be very helpful. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
This post was excellent! Your detailed analysis was very helpful.
Thanks for being open, honest and real on this blog.
On a completely different subject, I bought the SMEG tea kettle you featured a while back and just love it. I bought it in the cream colour.
This was so helpful! I hope this becomes a regular feature. Side by side always helps! Thanks! Happy new year!
Well, in case you need one more vote, may I add mine to say that this side-by-side lesson is terrific. And while I do enjoy the Would You Wear It? segments, this is far more helpful. Far more. All the best to you and yours for 2021. It has to be better
This was really helpful—thank you! Seeing the pictures with your explanations made me “get” it. I agree with everyone else & would love more posts like this.
Great post and hope it becomes a regular feature on the blog. Looking at both pictures side by side I agree that picture 2 is the most appealing but it’s “the why” that would stump me. Love how you explained what wasn’t working and why. On another note, I must thank you for your post featuring the Nordgreen watches. My husband gifted me with the Native watch for Christmas and I love it!
You should keep him!