Earlier Drafts:
I wore these pants here, and if you click the "cardigans" tab, you'll likely turn up oodles of results with this cardigan or an identical one.
Composition:
black cami (Kohl's)
red print tank (Isaac Mizrahi for Target: does anyone else miss his line there as much as I do?)
black and red beaded necklace (NY&Co)
black cardigan (NY&Co)
micro plaid trousers (Express)
black wedges (Lauren by Ralph Lauren)
"Metro Chic" polish (Sephora by OPI)
Usage:
So I've been trying to work on putting together outfits I like with pants since I wrote about my "pants prejudice" in last week's post. I've been surfing some other blogs and looking at pants ensembles, and I've decided there is a standard pants outfit that "works." The basic ingredients are:
1) a great pair of pants (I love all of mine, so that's not the problem)
2) a cute top (I have fewer of these)
3) a cardigan (I obviously have plenty of these)
4) at least one other item of interest (statement necklace, great earrings, belt, cute shoes, etc.)
I really liked this outfit. I don't own a lot of prints, so this is as close to print mixing as I can come, even though I really like that styling choice. (I actually had no idea that I don't buy prints until I started blogging.) I like how the red top brings out the reddish/pinkish stripe in the micro plaid (I think you can make this out if you click to enlarge). This necklace looks great up against the red top and black cardigan, and it also falls nicely with the neckline of the top. And after what feels like a long time of deferring to neutral nail polishes, the cold weather prompted me to return to the fall hues that I fell in love with last year.
It all felt very pulled together and cohesive for me, and I ended up wishing I'd waited two days to wear it. You can probably tell from my "I voted!" sticker that I wore this outfit on Tuesday, but it seems in retrospect like this would have been a perfect outfit to wear for the formal observation my teaching mentor is conducting in my classroom today.
Prompts:
- Can you share a list of "ingredients" for a different type of pants outfit that "works" for you?
- Can you think of anything I could add to this list of ingredients to mix it up?
Posts
5 comments:
Love this look, especially with the red shirt! It's a very classy yet interesting outfit. In my field, pants outfits are very much the norm, and in most of my roles I feel out of place wearing a skirt. The list of criteria you came up with is great & fits with my unwritten criteria for myself. The only other thing that is part of my "rules" for pulling together an interesting & professional pants outfit is: 5) primarily dark/conservative colors with one pop of color (usually either the shirt or cardi or shoes). Sometimes I cheat and bring in a second color, as long as one of them is relatively sober. Scarves can also be great ways to bring in some color and add visual interest over an ordinary shirt.
Such a cute outfit
The red top is aces, and the whole outfit is great.
I do like scarves--they're my go-to choice when I need to add something extra to an outfit, pants, skirt or dress, and/or when I want a bit more warmth, even inside.
Sidebar: I *just* bought "Metro Chic" from Sephora/OPI and took it for a spin today. I love it.
How'd the observation go? (Well, I'm sure!!)
Thanks for the suggestion of scarves! I hardly own any, but they would be an easy and inexpensive way to alter my wardrobe a bit.
The observation went well-- thanks for asking, Boz. One more thing to check off my list of responsibilities for this semester! The end is not quite in sight, but I'm getting there! : )
-Liz
First, I LOVE this look for you. Looks really easy to wear, but also totally stunning.
I know what you mean about an aversion to pants. There's just something less fun about them. When I do pants outfits, I always incorporate one (or more) of the following: sassy heels, pops of color, or a print of some sort. I completely agree with the need for a statement necklace - fantastic accessories are must in this case. Particularly, I really love belts, especially with a buttoned cardigan. It's such a staple in my rotation, but whenever I wear something like that I get tons of compliments. Probably one of my more successful versions were featured here.
Can't wait to see more of your pants outfits!
Jessica
Surely Sonsy
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