Blue Jean

 Blouse from Suzy Shier | High Waisted Jeans by Levi's C/O Shopbop

This is the kind of outfit I will never get tired of. Effortless, classic, can be dressed up or dressed down. It makes me feel put together without feeling overdressed and that’s just what I need some days. Because even if you’ve not got it all together, sometimes it can help to dress the part and pretend. 

I posted a similar look back in November as winter approached – going for a retro inspired look complete with bell bottom jeans, faux fur coat, and cowboy boots. Now, as we’re getting into spring, I’ve tentatively put away the faux fur and boots. Tentatively. Because no matter how much I’d prefer it to be bikini weather from here on out, I’ve a feeling we’ve still got a cold day or two left before spring fully kicks into gear.

For this look, I wore same shirt as in that November post but this time, rather than bell bottoms, I opted for a pair of 721 Levi’s. The wash of the jeans, called Cerulean Valley, is perfect for this time of year. While I love dark wash denim, I think it’s always nice to have a lighter, slightly brighter option during the spring and summer.

Early Spring

LBD

Dress C/O SheIn | Jacket C/O Chicwish | Thrifted Belt | Secret Sheer Tights | Steve Madden Pumps

Little black dresses, like trench coats, blue jeans and other classic pieces of clothing, may change slightly over the years but will never really go out of fashion. There really is one that suits almost everyone’s tastes and personal sense of style. 

Some are a little flashy with embellishments, sequins, or beads. And some are more simple and versatile, like this one from SheIn. I prefer the latter, myself. Because it doesn't stand out too much on its own, it leaves plenty of room for you to style it according to your personal style by what you wear with it. I went with black pumps, sheer black tights, a leather belt in a contrasting colour, and a loose fitting army green jacket. 

I hadn’t had a reason to really dress up recently, so I spent a little more time than usual fussing over how to style this dress. A few years ago, I would’ve gone for all black accessories and red lipstick would’ve been a given. I’m still fond of all black, even if I don’t wear it nearly as often as I used to. Red lipstick, though... I keep putting on red lipstick only to wipe it off and apply something more neutral instead. Old habits die hard. I should really get around to changing the name of this blog.

Bell Bottom Blues

 Hoop Earrings from Forever 21 | Blouse from Suzy Shier | Thrifted Leather Belt | Bell Bottom Jeans by Mother C/O Shopbop | Steve Madden Pumps

In the interest of being totally upfront, I’ll admit that I’ve spent the past half hour trying to figure out what to write to go along with the photos above. You'd think after a few years of writing these posts, you would get a handle on it. You would think.

The most annoying part is probably that I can sit down and write pages and pages about other things -- thoughts, feelings, memories, and so on. And I do. The quality of such writing can be a bit dodgey from time to time, but that's why there's a backspace button. But when it comes to writing these posts, half the time, my mind is like an empty warehouse. And yes, that was a very little reference to Bowie's Five Years, except he had too much to say while I've got tumble weeds rolling around.

I’ve always been more of a visual person when it comes to style, fashion, makeup, and whatnot. I enjoy it. I think I’m okay at doing it. Shit at writing about it, though. How many times can you write variants of ‘I paired up X with X for an X kind of look’ before losing your mind?

Maybe I just need to take a different approach of some kind.

So, what can be written about an outfit like the one in the photos above?

The blouse is an old one from Suzy Shier. I've loved crossover style blouses for ages. I think they look feminine without being too girly, sexy without being too over the top. A kind of perfect in between. The jeans are by Mother Denim and feature a raw hem. I don't usually go for pre-distressed jeans, preferring to do it myself through natural wear and tear, but I feel differently about raw hems. To me, there's a difference between buying a pair of unhemmed jeans and buying a pair of practically shredded 'aren't your legs cold?' jeans. The belt is, like I said, a thrift shop find. The pumps are an older style by Steve Madden. And the hoop earrings are from Forever 21, one of my favourite places for cheap jewellery.

Another thing that could be said is that I need to carefully trim off a few inches from the length of those jeans. While I love how it feels to wear bell bottoms with pumps, it’s just not practical to be walking around on about 4 inches of extra fabric the rest of the time. Still, I’m tempted to wear them out with pumps once more before taking the scissors to them...

Overall, I was going for a 1970s influenced, effortless and casual but still slightly glamorous look. In my mind, there are two distinct kinds of glamourous seventies looks. There's the kind of glamour Jerry Hall and Bianca Jagger epitomised. And then there's glam, the kind of glamour Marc Bolan and David Bowie used to break the rules. This time, I was thinking more along the lines of the former. But that’s not to say I’m not down with sequins and glitter. There’s a time and place for everything.

P.S. Shopbop, one of my favourite online shops that I collaborate with on this blog is holding their first big sale of the year. The spring sale begins today, running until 11:59pm on 5 March. Perfect for group purchases, with big discounts available dependant on your total, or just doing a bit of spring shopping as there currently are thousands of items on sale. Click here for more information.

Velvet

 Dressing Gown by Only Hearts Lingerie C/O Shopbop | Trousers from Urban Behaviour | Steve Madden Pumps

When is a blouse not a blouse? When it’s a skimpy dressing gown masquerading as a blouse. Sometimes something comes along that's too good to be kept in the bedroom. This was one of those times. Gorgeous rose print burnout velvet deserves better than to be worn only to laze around in on a Saturday morning.

For a Kate Moss inspired, chic-but-with-a-bit-of-an-edge kind of look, I paired this dressing gown by Only Hearts Lingerie with high waisted black trousers and classic suede heels. And In keeping with the ‘lingerie as outerwear’ theme, I opted to wear a black lace mini slip underneath. After all, Only Hearts Lingerie’s slogan is 'for the shameless romantic to be worn anytime, anywhere'. Not that I really needed any encouragement.

Now, theoretically (yes, 'theoretically'...), you could wear an outfit like this on a night out, get home late, ditch the trousers and pumps, take off your makeup and wash your face (we're not complete savages), and fall into bed. Get up the next day, get yourself sorted out, throw the dressing gown back on with a t-shirt, flares, and flats and go. Wouldn't you wear a velvet dressing gown to a Saturday morning farmer's market? I would. Then again, I can recall wearing these heels to the grocery store one time a few years ago. That, actually, I probably wouldn't do that today. Probably.