#stylingyourself Archives - Northern California Style

I am going to try for a weekly fashion post as you all seem to like them. Today I thought I’d kick it off with someone who has been killing it right now in the style department, Katie Holmes. The girl recently split from her longtime boyfriend Jamie Foxx and she’s been upping her game big time. They say looking good is the best revenge, etc. Just check out this outfit above! I love the plaid, the t-shirt, long coat and messy updo. If you look at photos of her from a year ago, it’s like she’s a different person. Her skin and hair look luminous and she just looks chic and confident. Maybe she hired a stylist, but she’s always had an eye for fashion. Let’s check out some looks we can get pointers from..

I love this cinnamon blazer for fall and the off white flare jeans with the mules are a nice fall transition… The cute bun and glasses give it that throwaway chic look. Everlane just came out with a cinnamon coat in a similar color and Madewell has a modern car coat and this double breasted version. Try adding a coat or blazer with a color this fall to your rotation. This is a super daytime outfit.

I find New Yorkers the most relatable when it comes to everyday style to emulate. It may be that they get photographed frequently doing everyday things, not just for events.

Katie has a great way of mixing current fashion into her very achievable look. Again case in point here -cool boots, cute small bag – the rest is basic, but see how those two things elevate the whole picture?

Recently, she blew up the internet wearing a sweater set with a matching cashmere bra.

Sweater she’s wearing here from Khaite. I think I need those mules, especially here in California. These are Acne slide which are impossible to find now, but I see similar ones on sale now Nordys and also at Trina Turk in suede and these, a Frye version, which may be the closest to hers and are 40% off. I just ordered the Nordstrom mules to replace my sandals as it’s getting cooler her in Northern Cal!

Katie throws a little twist into basics with cool bags, unique shoes and chic sunglasses which make her stand out. She also has a new sexiness with her longer hair which looks great on her tall frame. As it’s already pretty chilly in New York, there’s a lot of good looks here to get fall inspiration from and a few items that could update what you already own such as..

She adds a cashmere poncho/sweater to a pleated skirt. A pleated skirt is a fun and easy piece to pick up and add a sweater to. A close version here at Zara.

Leather leggings or faux ones can be a luxe look for evenings out this fall and winter. This brand is supposed to be the closest to leather looking and I love these by Emerson Fry.

As I mentioned in the last blog, a pair of high waisted jeans, like they have perfected at Madewell, is worth investing in. I especially love this vintage pair and I own these and these are similar to Katie’s. They look great with a tucked blouse or swingy cropped top or sweater. Once you try a pair, you’ll see they hold the tummy in and make your butt look good too. They give you a nice defined waist. You just have to get used to wearing structured pants in the tummy. It does make you conscious of what you are eating, I’ll say that.

Long coats, dusters, and plaid. Houndstooth is having a moment. Here she uses a basic T, and evening heels to change it up. Plaid oversized coats are so cute and remind me one I had in the 80s. A fun version here, here at Nordstrom and a cute Topshop look.

Basic straight leg jean, sweatshirt and a cool bag to give it some flair. Some cute oxfords like this here

Add a double-breasted jacket to your fall look over a basic t-shirt. Extra points for camel color which always has a rich girl look. Pop on a pair of pumps with your basic denim jeans when you go out. Pretty simple, but looks like you’ve got style.

Think about adding a trench to your wardrobe. I have three and wish I had more. Nothing looks so Audrey Hepburn and you can throw it over anything. The little bag and leopard loafers with the hair back are perfect, but converse would be just as cute. Katie’s trench is Burberry’s classic Kensington Trench and this is a more moderate Sam Edelman version.

Another simple look, longer distressed jeans, sweatshirt and these are Zara pumps. The white pumps are a rock n’ roll addition and I love the little shoulder bag which is a Phillip Lim Alix bag. A little high, little low here.

Weekend in New York look. Try any long jeans in your closet paired with heeled boots, and a slightly sexy oversized sweater, again the glasses, the bun-perfection!

LOVE this look for the ballet. Prada suit with ostrich feathers. It’s fun and feminine. For a holiday party, consider a suit and jacket with nothing under it, add strappy heels and some feather embellishment, you’re done. So French and very hot.

A pretty short evening dress look with the dotted stockings. I wore these in the 90’s. This looks elegant and a bit more demure than the bare leg for a holiday party, still super sexy and cool. I think these are the same tights.

I love her modern mix of necklaces here. She wears a lot of dainty jewelry. Try a mix of fragile looking pieces and dangly earrings. Her makeup is basic eyeliner, bareish face, bronzer and a neutral lip. Simple chic.

If you don’t have necklaces like this you can find layered necklaces here, and tiny ones here and here and many choices at Madewell. These Kendra Scott earrings and these are similar drops.

You can get more Katie inspiration from her fun Instagram..

Hope you liked this fashion post! Let me know your thoughts and any other candidates I should feature. Kerry Russell is another one to emulate that I’d like to share.

Kim

Images Pinterest

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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