I stumbled across this outfit and thought, WOW, that’s fabulous and very creative. A little Sporty Luxe, a lot of irregular juxtaposition, some subtle pattern mixing, just enough structure, and some glam for good measure.
Pleated sunray skirts are hard to wear at the best of times. They can make us feel wider than we might like, draw unwanted attention to the midsection, and are a whole lot of skirt. Intuitively, we want to add structure to this silhouette of skirt by combining it with a short body-con top that showcases the waistline and the narrowest part of the body. This outfit throws all the conventional wisdom out the window, and I like that.
The dressy pleated skirt has been combined with a very fluid casual hoodie (and contrast drawstring, of all things!). The welt covers the waist and hips thereby camouflaging midsection extra bits. A blazer is layered over the top for structure and dressiness, which is not an uncommon styling technique. But the trendy long length of the blazer is a daring and fresh combination. Arty, creative and interesting.
The length of the skirt is dead right. Elegantly longer, but sufficiently short to expose some leg, thereby adding structure to the outfit. The tailored, dressy, pointy toe mid-calf booties elongate the outfit and leg line. But look at those cheeky high-contrast toe boxes that chop the foot in half. I think the pointy toe box offsets that effect, and the caramel pop of colour complements the earth-toned top part of the outfit. The grey of the boots complemenst the grey in the pattern of the skirt, helping to pull the look together.
Remixing earth tones and cool tones is another interesting component, as is the subtle pattern mix. The model’s make-up and hoop earrings are the polished cherry on top. I think this outfit is sublime. Jarring and unexpected in many ways, yet it works wonderfully well in our fashion era. What do you think?