Today’s post features one of my very best friends Grace. Grace is my personal stylist – I always turn to her when I have a fancy event coming up or any kind of fashion crisis. We went to the beach one Friday night and took some photos in the beautiful evening light. Grace has provided some fashion tips as well – enjoy!
Stripe it up!
There’s something about striped clothing that makes me a little happier. It’s like a little endorphin jolt in my outfit (I guess that would make stripes the fashion equivalent of having a chocolatey dessert after dinner?). Stripes are a great staple to have in your wardrobe. Here are some tips on wearing stripes:
1. Ignore any advice/tips that tell you wide stripes make you wider and not to wear them. It’s similar to the advice that black always makes you look thinner. No. No, it does not. I imagine some of you are now hyperventilating. It’s okay, just take a few minutes and put your head between your knees, breathe deeply, and move on to tip # 2.
2. Now that you’re back (and hopefully breathing normally), the second tip is from my favorite television fashion guru Tim Gunn. It’s all in the fit of the clothes.
Wide stripes, or any stripes (and yes, black) can look great no matter what your body type is, depending on the fit. I would suggest staying away from any cut of clothing that is too boxy though. You’ll evoke old-timey chain gang prison-wear. And that’s just not okay.
3. If you’re on the shorter scale and are afraid of looking shorter with horizontal stripes, try wearing chevrons. It draws the eye up and down, rather than just side to side.
4. Splendid is one of my very favorite t-shirt lines (they do sweaters, and cardigans too) and they use lots of stripes. They are a bit on the pricey side, but they are great quality, and are super soft and comfy. The line is available at Nordstroms, but if you are signed up for any sample sale sites, they will have Splendid on sale every now and again.
Print Jungle
Print on Print is a tricky trend. It can go sideways really quickly, so here are some tips that I’ve learned when putting prints together:
1. One of my best friends, an actual stylist, suggested that there should be some kind of commonality with the prints. This has singlehandedly been the most helpful tip I’ve picked up. For me, the easiest way to accomplish that is to pick prints with the same or similar color schemes. Here, I’ve chosen a neutral black and white stripe and a printed skirt in black and yellow.
2. I also tend to put together a geometric print (in this case stripes), with a more organic print (floral).
3. Use your instincts! If you’re feeling pretty cute, then you probably are! If you feel the prints aren’t jiving together, they probably aren’t. And if your instincts are bad, then I would say that you should probably skip this trend and wear your printed pieces separately. Real talk. =)
I am wearing:
Top: by Stem (line available at Nordstrom)
Skirt: La Scala (bought at Peridot Boutique)
Leggings: American Apparel
Boots: Corso Como bought on Ruelala
Earrings: by Sarahfina Beads (www.etsy.com/shop/sarahfinabeads)
Nail Color: Fash Pack, Butter London (available at Nordstrom)
Thanks so much to Grace for guest-writing this post! If you have any questions for her, just leave them in the comments below.
