Hello friend! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving (if you celebrate). I sure did. We were not feeling the usual Thanksgiving fare so we did a breakfast extravaganza instead after our bike ride and it was AWESOME! Somehow we ended up with the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever made. Delish! Plus, while we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, I avoided the usual food coma. Much better IMO.
Today I wanted to talk a bit about those finishing touches that I admittedly sometimes skip or skimp on. I already knew the power of a good accessory, but after all my recent try-ons it made me extra aware that putting a little extra thought into one’s outfit can go a loonnnggg way. Here are a few examples:
What a difference a simple belt can make, wowza! Looking back to a previous blog post featuring this dress I now feel the belt would have had even more impact than the hat.
Here, of course, I added a belt, but also swapped out the booties for tall boots. Again, what a difference! While the first look is ok, the belt + tall boots combo is so much more flattering on me.
In the summertime I always miss being able to layer as I do not always want to show so much skin and of course layers add visual interest, but it’s just too dang hot to wear any kind of jacket or sweater so the accessories are pretty much limited to shoes, bag, jewelry, and possibly a belt. But once the temps drop a bit whoo boy do the options open up! I’ve been having a ton of fun mixing and matching my hot weather pieces with warmer layers that keep me from being too cold. I’m still playing with this one tho…I think I can do better.
I also think this kind of dress (actual dress available here) would look nice with a cropped cardigan or little shrug. It’s really tempting to just throw on a simple denim jacket, but I quite like how this very summer dress looks with some knitwear on top. Playing with what I have in new ways has kept from me from even wanting to shop online lately. Say what?! Haha
I’ve worn this dress a ton of times and it also looks fab layered for winter. I rarely belt it though, because “I want to be conformable.” This really is BS though because there are tons of comfy/stretchy belts out there (nice/affordable option here) and again – cinching the waist makes a huge difference in how it looks on me. I hereby resolve to wear more belts going forward! Important stuff, teehee
With this look I am admittedly wearing a different dress in each pic, however, they are very similar. That being said, the lace acts as an accessory in this otherwise pretty simple outfit. Then when you add the belt too…so much better, no?! I feel like it took the look up 2 whole notches. I love this cardigan sooo much that I keep finding excuses to wear it. Sadly it’s sold out in most colors, but the cream is still available here. *I sized down to a medium
And look how different this super old dress (original blog post) looks paired with different accessories. Whereas before it was a NYE look, I feel like I could wear it like this for a trip to the library (do people still go to libraries? lol).
Part of the reason I’ve been “shopping” my closet lately – and NOT the web – is due to the fact that I stumbled across David Kibbe’s Body Type theory (very thorough explanation of it here) and it really made me think about how I dress in a new light. That rabbit hole also led me to learn about Style Essences (more info here) and how an outfit can look just ok on someone or absolutely stunning, depending on how much it matches the vibe of the person wearing it. Basically, the idea is that our clothes should not be the first thing you notice, instead one’s outfit should be so harmonious with the person wearing it that it should blend in and enhance once’s natural beauty vs. looking like a costume.
We all have likely heard about body types based on fruit (apple, pear, etc.) and that perspective can be helpful, but the idea of Kibbe’s system is, again, harmony. In a nutshell, you look to your bone structure to guide your outfit choices. It’s about following your natural lines, which makes so much sense to me. I am somewhat tall (5’8), so I automatically have some yang (sharp lines/angles) to me, but I also have a lot of softness to my shape (even disregarding weight fluctuations) so honoring that means mimicking those same shapes and lines in my clothing.
With all the time I’ve spent reading about fashion and how to look one’s best over the years I cannot believe I’ve never been exposed to this concept before now. It’s a great way to ensure you look great because you look like you. I think the absolute best person to really highlight the difference it can make is Ellie-Jean Royden. Watch her Youtube short here. I think it’ll show you exactly what I mean (note: this video centers on “essence” which is different than yin/yang, but the focus is still on achieving harmony with yourself). Eye-opening stuff! Sometimes I get stuck on a look because it looks so good on someone else, but it just doesn’t look the same on me. This is a great tool to use when shopping so you end up with stuff you want to wear over and over again and not stuff that just languishes in your closet.
I am still not 100% sure what my type is as it is pretty confusing (my best guess is soft dramatic), but I know the basic principles and that’s all I really need. I’m tallish so honoring that by choosing clothes with long vertical lines, pointed toes, and a little structure that’s softened with little feminine/soft/S shaped accents makes me look my best. Add to that the knowledge that my essences (again, a tough one to gauge yourself, but I’m giving it a whirl) are ingenue and ethereal, I know to add little cute/playful and ethereal touches to my ensembles to look my absolute best.
Are you all already aware of this? Am I just late to the party? Do you think I’m way off on my assessment of myself? What are your types? Lemme know!
Much love, Kate