not so basic black & white

Thursday, February 23, 2017 1 style Permalink 5

i don’t know about you, but sometimes i get in a little bit of a fashion rut. especially this time of year when all i want to do is bust out my summer clothes and let these pale gams see the light of day. but since mother nature recently made us southern california residents well-aware of the fact that spring is not quite yet on its way, i’m stuck reinventing ways to wear some of my cold-weather pieces.

i’ve harped on this before, but whenever i get stumped as to what to wear, i tend to go one of three ways -monochrome (usually all black errrything), denim on denim (which is technically also monochrome), or black and white. in this case, i chose the latter, opting for pieces with a variety of detail to keep the outfit visually interesting.

madewell sweatshirt (similar) || madewell jeans || madewell bandana ||

madewell tote (similar) || j.crew factory flats (similar) || h&m hat (similar)

by now you’ve probably become sick of me wearing these cropped jeans, but they are truly some of the most comfortable pants i own. if anything it also confirms that i really do wear the heck out of my clothes. since i tend to pair them with a shoe with some height (wedge, pump & low-heeled boot), i wanted to see how they’d look with a simple flat. as summer slowly comes into view, it was a good test run for all of the sandals (and sleeveless tops) i’ll inevitably pairing these pants with.

given how wide the leg of the pants are, i usually tuck in whatever blouse i’m wearing to create an hourglass silhouette. in this case, i was still able to create a similar look by opting for a sweatshirt with a tie-waist detail. i’ve found that the trick with wearing slightly oversized shapes is to make sure you still do something to define the smallest part of you (in most cases, your waistline). whether that’s doing the “front tuck” with your top, cinching a belt around a billowy blouse, or even knotting the hem of your t-shirt so it hits you above the hip, one little step can go a long way in creating flattering lines.

the last piece of this black and white puzzle was adding mindful and unique accessories to give the ensemble a bit of dimension. this wide-brimmed hat was an impulse buy from h&m some three years ago and it continues to be the perfect statement piece to any outfit. it also acted like my own personal umbrella as it began to sprinkle a few hours before these photos were taken. who says fashion can be functional, too? finally, with its black and white polka dotted pattern, this bandana proved to be the perfect accent piece yet again. i’m constantly finding inspiration from my fellow fashion bloggers’ instagram feeds and after seeing a few of them sporting neck scarves this week, i was inspired to restyle mine.