MCLV Style File: Flower Power
Welcome to another Style File post – Our last outfit breakdown was a killer patterned black & white dress that Poppy Delevingne wore to Berlin Fashion Week and this time we’re going to check out a bright, fun outfit that’s a great way to transition to colder weather now that Fall 2012 is upon us.
Throwing a floral blazer over a skirt & top combo is a great idea, it takes this from a basic Summer look to an eye-catching, colder-weather appropriate outfit that can easily be adapted to suit your style and the pieces that you have available in your closet.
The extras for this look are especially great – The long, layered necklaces, chunky bracelets, and oversized gold mens watch are lovely but that handbag is what really stole my heart.
{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Left to Right: Lc Lauren Conrad Floral Blazer – $50 (sale) @ Kohl’s, ASOS Premium Floral Print Blazer – $55 @ Asos.com & Tall Co-ord Floral Blazer – $130 @ TopShop}
The key to this look is the floral blazer, finding one that suits your coloring and shape may take some time, but it’ll be worth it since this is such a great piece for Fall.
{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Left to Right: Rachel Roy Quilted Wrap Skirt – $175 @ Zappos.com, Vince Camuto V-Neck Wrap Dress – $100 @ Shop The Shoe Box & BCBGMAXAZRIA Silk Ruffle Flounce Draped Skirt – $60 @ 6pm}
You could try a sweet blue wrap skirt for this look or you could opt for a cobalt dress and achieve a similar silhouette. It’s the bright colors and eye-catching accessories that make this look work so you don’t need to stress about copying it piece-for-piece.
{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Marmen Cross Necklace – $250 @ Urban Outfitters, House of Harlow Diamond Cross Necklace – $60 @ Designs By Stephene & Multi Row Cross Necklace – $20 @ Asos.com}
Whether you’re a fan of delicate necklaces or chunky, gold jewelry or silver, wearing a single chain or layering multiple pieces – There’s something fun in this style to suit your personal taste!
{Indulgence to Savvy Shopper – Vince Camuto Gold Boyfriend Watch – $175 @ Dillard’s, Gold and White Links Boyfriend Watch – $55 @ Asos.com & Merona Silver Tone Extra Large Boyfriend Watch – $20 @ Target}
A boyfriend watch is a funky alternative to a cuff or bangle, it adds a masculine touch without taking your look straight to made-for-the-boys territory. Gold or silver, embellished or plain, there are tons of options out there.
Curious how I would interpret this look using pieces that I have in my wardrobe? Tuesday’s MCLV Style: Factory Girl post was actually inspired by this look from Lovely Pepa!
{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Floral Blazer – Pim + Larkin from Piperlime, Pleated Black Mini – Zara (one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe, true story), Ankle Booties – Rebecca Minkoff from Shopbop.com, Floral Top – Anthropologie, and Jewelry – All from Sasha Maks Vintage}
As you can see, you can mix this look up, change colors, and adjust the jewelry to create something fresh and unique, a look that is all yours!
You can also check out past MCLV Style File looks below:
MCLV Style File: Olivia Palermo
Welcome back to MCLV’s Style File, today I’ll be breaking the great Spring look from Olivia Palermo below and give you some ideas on where to find the pieces like these ones.
She wore this look at the Men’s Fashion Week shows in Milan in the Fall of 2011. Can you picture a more chic, menswear- inspired look for those shows?
The building blocks of this outfit can be broken down to three basic parts – The chic cropped trousers, the absolutely gorgeous double-breasted sweater coat, and the fierce leopard print heels. Each of these pieces can be adapted as you see fit and paired with a basic white T to finish it off.
{Top: (Left) Vince Camuto ‘Abstract Leaf’ Crop Pants = $100 @ Nordstrom & (Right) Café Capri in harvest tweed – $150 @ J.Crew and Bottom: (Left) Café Capri in wool check – $70 (sale price) @ J.Crew & (Right) Exact Stretch Capri Pant – $55 @ The Limited}
Depending on your personal style you can really change-up the basics of this look, or you can stay true to Miss Olivia’s style choices. With all the floral pants being shown for this Spring you could really spice a pair of cropped pants up if you’re in a daring, fashion-forward mood. As for the fit, you could go for s slim cut, something looser, or a more structured, menswear-inspired style.
{Left: CLOSED Anthracite Double Breasted Knitted Cardigan – $135 @ Stylebop, Center: Loose-fit double-breasted cardigan – $40 (sale price) @ Mango, and Right: FUNKTIONAL Comfort Cardi – $90 (sale price) @ Revolve Clothing}
Depending on the color-scheme that you settled on for your look, the sweater color and style can vary quite a bit. If you go for a bright pant, I would recommend balancing them out with a neutral toned sweater. On the other side hand, if you went with a simple black, white, or neutral colored pant, you could either stick with a monochrome look or go for a contrasting color or patterned sweater.
{Top: (Left) Stella McCartney leopard-print satin wedge pumps – $190 (sale price) @ The Outnet & Sam Edelman Sophie Two-Tone Wedge Sandal – $120 @ Neiman Marcus, Bottom: (Left) Diane Von Furstenberg April pumps – $180 @ Bluefly & (Right) Nine West Flax pump – $75 @ Piperlime}
Obviously floral pants and leopard print heels are a challenge to pull off in combination, so depending on your pant and sweater choices you’ll want to adjust the vibrancy of the pattern in the shoes you wear. Traditionally you’ll want to have a single piece be the stand-out part of a look, rather than having attention bounce from one thing to another and back. So if your pants are going to be bright or eye-catching, try for a more neutral-toned heel.
I promise I wont leave such a long gap between Style File posts going forward, I already have a couple in mind that I know you’ll love. In the meantime, you can look through some of the previous MCLV Style File looks below:
Looks of the Week
I always give a little sigh of relief when all of the Fashion Weeks are over – There’s a lot to keep up with, a lot going on, lots of photos to try to find and websites to link and models to track down… It’s pretty exhausting even from a distance, I can’t imagine actually being there!
So, to celebrate the end of a month of fashion here’s a Looks of the Week post filled with fabulous, relatable styles that we mere mortals can emulate.
Such a great, easy look. A chic black pantsuit is a great alternative to a cocktail dress. Though most of us aren't running around in Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2012 pieces. Unfortunately...
Stacy Keibler rocked a stunning blue Asos dress that showed off just a hint of skin. This is a great cocktail frock because the longer hemline offsets the flash of midriff to keep it on the classy side.
This is a great mens coat. I love the contrasting belt, faux fur collar & double-breasted buttons. Not a huge fan of facial hair or short pants on men though...
I'm still in full coat mode and I love that this is a lighter version, more of a "preparing for Spring" type coat than a winter coat.
Late Afternoon has a knack for pairing pieces you might not guess would look phenomenal together. Yellow jeans, a white lace top and a floral midriff baring top? Perfection! Spring anyone?
In the mood for florals to get a jump on Spring? Check out Modelinia’s Model Style File: Flirty Florals.
Does it get more chic than this? Cropped black skinnies, pointy-toed pumps and a black leather motorcycle jacket. Fabulous.
Wow. I mean. Just wow. It can be hard to pull off the menswear inspired suit on the red carpet, and trying to spice it up with a little sexiness can fail. But Miss Evan Rachel Wood knows how to do it right. Love the shoes paired with the Jason Wu suit.
So chic! Taylor Tomasi-Hill looked phenomenal in polka dots, wide leg pants and a great belt in Milan.
This is hardly a typical mini skirt look - I like sequined collar on the bright red blouse and the fun zipper clutch. They both keep it far from boring.
Source Want to try a great polka dot look? Eat, Breath, Fashion has some inspiration & ideas on finding the perfect look. Or you can check out the MCLV Style File on Olivia Palmero‘s polka dot skirt!
Stay tuned this week for summaries from the Fall 2012 Paris Fashion Week shows, the front row looks and a very special Moi Contre La Vie giveaway.
Moi Contre La Vie 