TREND I LOVE: all white for summer

Summer is coming to an end! noooooooo!

Less IS more, 'nuff said. Here are a few of my favourite all white looks for summer.

thechicmuse

The chicmuse show us how it's done. 

 

TREND TO TRY: contrast collar

Okay, last of the collar series. Compared to the last two, it's a bit more dramatic, a bit more playful, and definitely more fashion-forward. You ready?

Contrast is all about laying the right pieces together. To get this look, we start with the very basic sweater-over-shirt look, start with white or blue basic shirt, pair it with black, or mustard/pink for high contrast.  This is good for transition season. You can wear skirt for those chilly summer nights, or switch to pants when it gets a bit cooler.

Once you've mastered the basics, you can play with the proportions. 

Pairing a shirt-dress with loose pull-over, and wear tights underneath. "oh, this? nah I just threw this together" factor.

Or, wearing shirt under a dress. For the longest time I didn't know what to do with black shirts, this is a great example of wearing black shirts without looking boring. 

What's contrast collar without some interesting collars? Here are some ideas, layering basic sweaters over lace or floral patterns, this let you show-case some of the more unique pieces in your closet without looking too over-the-top. 

I love this look! Like I said, orange is probably one of  my favourite colours right now. Notice the collar here, orange flowers on black? Who would have thought those two colours could work soo well together!  Adding on some gold accessories. Perfect. 

Want to wear neon but afraid of colours? Tone it down with a neutral-colour vest/blazer. This is something I definitely will try this fall. 

Olivia Palermo

 Keep your make-up cohesive when wearing neon colours. Pairing blue-based (pink) blush with magenta/jewel purple, and  red-based (orange) blush with orange/turquoise colours. 

Layering is too much work? Then simply choose a jacket or blazer that has contrast collar built in.  

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Fur (fake of course) & Shearling for winter. It's weird, they can soften a military jacket, or toughen up a chiffon shirt. 

January Jones

Miu Miu has been doing interesting collars for two years now, I'm curious to see what they will come up with next! 

So, which one is your favourite? lady bow-tie ? playful peter-pan? or dramatic contrast? 

TREND TO TRY: peter-pan collar

If you think bow-tie collar is a bit too old-school, then peter-pan collar is for you. Good news is that they've been around since FW2010, so there are plenty of choices. Even better news is that Ebay has an over-flowing stock of lace peter-pan collars, so this is a trend you can easily try.

In the last year, peter-pan collar has evolved from the basic shirt collar, into many bejewlled, floral, lace varieties.

Let's start with the very basics.

Alexa Chung @ LV

Alexa's style is perfect for this trend. Keeping the top half very neutral with white and grey, allow for room to play it up with a bit of a fuller & colourful skirt on the bottom. 

Emma Roberts

Also a very simple look, the strategic design really show off the collar.

oh look, peter-pan & bow-tie. 

After you've mastered the basics, you can change up the colours a little bit. 

I like this look because it's very well put together without looking too polished. The buttons form a row to naturally draw the eye upward, and keeping the collars and hat the same colour let the look remain youthful. 

mayo@lookbook

Blue & orange are on the very opposite of the colour wheel, such high contrast! Me love! 

For the glam queen in all of us, bejewel all the things! 

Carey Mulligan

Notice the line coming down from the collar, it elongate the body, and making the look more mature. 

 

I believe this is Miu Miu. 

One more to finish the post, floral is also hot this summer, but not all florals are created equal. The trick is to pick base colours that suit your complexion, that flower size that also suit your size.  (hmm, maybe I should do another post on florals...)

Keeping everything pastel, and using the mauvy/pink sweater to pick up on the bit of pink in the flower. This print looks a bit wall-paper like, but it works with the pin-up style of her makeup. With everything else very soft, you can afford to be a bit more dramatic with your makeup. 

TREND TO TRY: bow-tie collar

I'm going to do a bow-tie VS. peter-pan collar VS. contrast collar. But there are so many pictures, so I'm going to split this post into 3.

First comes bow-tie collar. I love this look because it is collegiate and chic, very appropriate for school and work. It is the easiest of the three, because you can customize it with any kind of fabric, string or tie you find around the house, which give you much more freedom in terms of texture and colour. Here are some looks that are inspirational for me:

You can have a traditional tie look, isn't the little pearl at the end just adorable? Total Queen B 

(ps. I have been looking forever for a shirt in this criss-cross plaid fabric, let me know if you can find one!) 

Or man's bow tie, 

Butterfly bow: 

stylescrapbook

skinny butterfly bow:

Play with colour: 

I love the earthy tone of this outfit, the blazer, the bag and a touch of gold. 

Play with texture: 

ever so stylish Camilla Belle

Play with size: This is a bit dramatic for real life, but I love the softness of chiffon with black, almost metallic black blazer. So cool. 

Or, add a bit of personal touch. Notice it's a lace tie instead of traditional fabric? so creative! 

Great colour combination here again. (and if you follow my blog, you will know I'm a big fan of playing with colour and constrast) 

Miroslava Duma

everyone's favourite Swede: Frida Gustavsson

Notice the trend here: yes, bow-tie and structured blazer/jacket. Keyword: geek chic (do kids still use this word nowadays?)

Finally, a winter look. 

Have you tried this look? 

TREND TO WATCH: zara highlighter pink knit

Everyone including your mother and her third cousin on blogosphere is wearing the zara knit in this bright, highlighter pink colour. I have to say Andy from stylescrapbook has styled it the best.

A few pointers I concluded:

1. do not get a size too big. I know it's all about oversize knit right now, but with such an attractive colour, it's best to get a size that actually fit. This shirt does not work too well with western inspired look, too frumpy.

2. keep it crisp. Wear it with high contrast colours like black&white, to get that polished look.

3. no accessories. This knit speak for itself, if you load it up with all the friendship bracelets, you might look juvenile.

4. sleeve up. I don't like the sleeve on this thing, baggy but not baggy enough. Pulling it up helps.

5. hair & make-up. Keep your hair frizz-free and skin radiant on a day you wear this. With all eyes on you, you want to present your most confident side.

http://carolinesmode.com

http://5inchandup.blogspot.com

stylescrapbook