#wardrobetips Archives - Northern California Style

Welcome to August’s Signature Style post ! This month we are talking skirts. I think this is a timely post as they are the ultimate transition piece bridging the gap between seasons. We could all use some good skirts in our closets and I’ll show you a few ways to style the ones you might already have- and a few you might want to add to your closet!

I’ve been wanting to add a few longer midi or maxi skirts to my closet for a while, so this post was a great time to do it. The skirts I found I can wear for an upcoming anniversary getaway with the hubs, but also for fall and winter.

First up is a fun gingham tiered skirt. This can be dressy for a party or dinner paired it with a floaty tank, long pearls and and some skinny strapped flats.

This skirt is from TopShop and is no longer available, but I found similar gingham versions here at Bloomingdales, this cute version with pockets. The shell tank is from a past season, but a very close version in white or black here. Isn’t the gingham kind of fun?

The modern sandal was from Everlane years ago, but an nearly identical (maybe even better version) here at TKEES. I’m thinking of getting the tan too. I love that their sandals come in skin colors of all shades, so pretty.

When fall is here I’ll pair it with my camel color J Crew jacket, black sneakers and my Burberry bag.. If I’m out I’ll add my black fedora . I like the idea of keeping the outfit all tan, black and white. The idea is to take a ‘dressier’ type skirt like this and make it work for daytime with sportier accessories. Why not use it, if it’s a cute skirt instead of letting it gather dust in the off seasons?

The second skirt I bought is pleated black classic skirt. A black long black skirt is a hugely versatile piece for your wardrobe. Ive had a black skirt on my radar for a while and I found this Max Studio pleated version at The Nordstrom Rack. It’s a pull-on with a built in slip. Pleated skirts are very popular now and there’s a Tahari version too.

I will wear it on vacation with my favorite Cinq a Sept silky black tank, Tory Burch black sandals and a black bag. To make it more casual add some chunky sandals and a cotton t-shirt or even a sweatshirt.

When the weather turns chilly, I can pair this with a chunky sweater, a moto jacket, sneakers or some combat boots. I just bought the Zadig & Voltaire sweater for fall on pre-sale here at Bloomies. My sneakers are super comfy and on sale here.

My third skirt is a super soft pull floral skirt. I had to buy this because it felt so good on and I knew I would want to wear it a lot. These pull on bias cut types remind me of the skirts I wore so much as a working gal in the 90’s.. Bias skirts flatter most everyone and though look tight, don’t feel like it at all. This one falls around the calf and for that reason is more casual.

I paired it with a white tank and a white linen blazer (similar here), leather flip-flops and a cross-body (here in natural and in black.) This could work for a sightseeing day of travel in a city or a dinner out. I also love floral skirts with khaki and paired it with an older bomber jacket and the same sneakers. This is a great early fall look!

And just for fun, I added a graphic t-shirt. I love the look of a skirt paired with a fun t-shirt and sneakers. Just as easy as jeans and a t, but a lot more stylish and cute. Similar fun pull-on printed skirts here at Bloomies, and this one at Anthropologie, and this at J Crew.

Considering what to add to the closet and use throughout the year, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of a floral or cute print skirt and a classic black one. I really love the midi and longer lengths now and they look modern!

Here’s a few more standouts in the skirt category to consider..

I absolutely love this Madewell pull on daisy skirt made of upcycled polyester. I’d wear it with slides and a white button up and in fall just as they show with sneakers and a sweater..

I also think this pull on drawstring skirt would be easy and flattering for so many. It’s got one shirt side slit and because of the drawstring, it’s easy to adjust the fit. This is a very versatile and cute print! I love how they show it with the modern sandals.

Similar modern sandals as above- here ,here and with a stripe and with a contrasting sole.

For now, and into fall how sweet is this Madewell button-front tiered skirt? The color and pattern are so pretty.

This pull on leopard skirt from the J Crew factory is an easy go-to! Love it with the denim jacket.

Lastly, this wrap skirt from J. Crew is just adorable. I’d wear this with clogs and a sweater in autumn! I may have worn a similar outfit in third grade..

I hope you enjoyed my dive into skirts. I’d love to hear do you love them or not? Which skirts are your favorite? They are such an easy and feel-good piece to wear more often. Don’t forget about them! I’ll addd more skirts to this post when good ones pop up.

Our Signature Style is a collaborative event please visit Cindy Hattersley and Sarah London and see what fab skirt ideas they are sharing.

Thanks for being here!

Kim

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Are you having enough fun with your clothes?? Lot’s of serious stuff in the world going on, but in an effort to lighten things I’ve tried a littler harder to add some fun and funk with my wardrobe. I came across this cool Anthropologie sweatshirt and got so inspired I thought I’d talk about upping your style game and a adding a more pizazz to your everyday look.

Don’t we all get locked into a look at a certain age? You find what works for you, what feels good and stick with it. It’s rare to see women of my age -50s, experiment with fashion much. There are the standouts like my friend Elizabeth, who always inspires me and also Cindy who epitomizes chic. (I love their style series with stylish women too- on both of their blogs now). Yet many of us, especially in California, stick to jeans, sweaters and boots in the winter. I rarely see friends in dresses. The one effort I see across the board is usually some kind plastered nails, which looks dated to me, and a designer bag. Rarely do they experiment with the clothes and accessories. Why not? If you try to create a lab in your closet and use all the pieces of your wardrobe you will actually buy less and look more chic.

As Gilda Radnor once said…

This would be a lot of us, especially during winter no? I myself included have been wearing a very comfy uniform of track pants and a down vest most days which feels good, but I looks sad after wearing it so much. I am dealing with a few things, one being the care of my grandma in hospice. Days have been very dark, winter has been cold. I am ready for some lightness.

My first thought about the sweatshirt above was am I too old for this? Then is it too expensive $98 for what it is- a sweatshirt? For me it was a coup de coeur or love at first sight. I knew I could wear this a million ways so the cost would be pennies per wear. I also couldn’t wait to wear it- a sure sign something is right.

So how to style it many ways? When you get a sweatshirt like this- the norm is to wear it casually, but the way to make it current is actually wear it with dressier clothes. When you wear dressy with dressy you can tend to look staid and casual with casual you can look sloppy.

To look not old, and be more current and stylish -wear high with low. Wear your diamond bracelet (if you’re lucky to have one) with elastic bands on your wrist, wear a skirt with a graphic T-shirt, wear sneakers with dressier pants and dresses, and wear heels with more distressed jeans and sweats. Try to wear faux furs, sequins, clutches, dangly earrings and other evening accoutrement peppered into your daytime look. Wear a cocktail ring during the day, and so on!. This all works if it’s done in a measured way- a little here and there, but do be adventurous. Don’t worry so much if something looks right. You just have to do it and you’ll get braver as you step out of your comfort zone. The best part is you can create your own look and you don’t need to shop a lot. Find something of quality you love and be like a European and wear it a zillion different ways with what you already own.

A few ways to style a standout piece like my sweatshirt below using some of my other favorites. Please forgive the sad camera work done by moi. I just haven’t mastered the timer cam thing. I just needed to show a few ways to style what you have, especially right now when we all revert to wearing Michelin Man looks!

The sweatshirt with my favorite Trina Turk jacket, white jeans, a cashmere sweater wrapped around the hips, tall sneakers (these are Vince grey flannel and I love them) and my grandma’s vintage ear clips in purple stones- something I’d usually only wear at night, with messy hair in a ponytail. Aren’t these the coolest earrings? Seems a shame they sit in a drawer all the time. Why not trot out fancy things in the day?

A preppy look here layered with a white button-up, flared jeans (these are McGuire from L.A.), white sneakers, tortoiseshell looking J. Crew hoop earrings and an old camel coat I’ve had for a decade.

Add a fun faux fur you have over this sporty look and you’ll have another way to wear your evening wrap you bought for the holidays. This purple number is by Sanctuary and I bought it for parties, but how cute and New York looking is this for a cold day? So much more fun than the usual.

Here it is a longer dress coat and I love that look too. The dressy coat and sneakers are exactly the kind of yin-yang I am talking about and these Stan Smith’s have been uber comfy!

This may be my favorite look- with my Trina Turk trench, distressed boyfriend jeans and suede pumps plus YSL pearl drops I have had for 35 years. I only wore these for night. How much more fun wearing them daytime and why not instead of having them languish in the drawer? I love this coat to pieces. I was waiting for it to go on sale and there are still some on their site. It’s tweed covered in a waterproof material. It has a 1960s Courreges vibe to me and I am nuts about the buttons and trim details.

I am forcing myself to wear white jeans all year long as they always look cool and this look has a horsey or equestrian vibe with a square scarf (another treasure from a friend -a LuLu Guinness silk scarf from the 90s) knotted around the neck, a camoflage jacket, tan booties and pearl earrings. I call this look retro sloane ranger ala California. What do you think?

The easiest look and likely one I will wear the most is the mix of the sweatshirt with a navy blazer, my favorite Frame jeans, these ancient wedge leopard pumps and some new hoops with tassels I bought a J.Crew. Easy!

Try hoops with a sweatshirt. I am loving this sparkly pair from J. Crew too. The tassel ones are no longer available online, but you may catch them in the clearance section at J.Crew.

Lastly, anything looks good with a trench over it and I paired it with some jeans I cut myself cuffed, and some white vintage 1970 Trifari earrings from my grandma. My usual thing would be to always wear my little diamond studs for day, but white earrings in winter is unexpected and make the wording on the top pop. Way cooler.

Love to know your thoughts? More posts like this? Are they lame? I am not a good model, but I love fashion posts and it seems better than just photographing the clothes on a flat surface, no? Keep tuned for the closet and bath, cosmetics essentials posts coming.

Anyway, Happy Friday. The days are getting longer friends. In California it is staying light at 6p.m. so it is giving me hope spring is coming soon and more flowers!!

Kim

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