Tag: Oxford

Monochrome Chic: Printed shorts & Polka Dot Skirt

Post author By Helen Hou
Post date June 3, 2013

Photos: Olivia Palermo & Zoe Saldana; Courtesy of fashionbombdaily.com.

As the mainstay this season, black and white are everywhere. Since the monochrome palette can be a little bit heavy and boring, I featured two looks (above), hope they can give you some idea for staying fresh, cool and stylish.

Olivia Palermo kept her black and white combo season appropriate with whimsical elephant print shorts and a light weight, breezy blouse. The shorts are fresh from Milly for Banana Republic collection that just hit stores last week. As a master of vintage-inspired, Hamptons-ready patterns, Milly designed 60 pieces that are ideal for the coming vacation season and beyond. I have been eyeing the Medallion print top, color block maxi dress and the gorgeous coral bib necklace.

Right-on-trend Oxford can instantly give any outfit, either a lace dress, a tee-and-cropped-pants combo or the classic blazer and button down shirt look on Olivia Palermo above, some street cred. A pair of embellished cat-eye sunglasses add a luxurious touch to her look. This outfit is great for women of all ages and can be transformed for many occasions simply by changing the shoes.

Jacket: Express
Blouse: J.Crew
Shorts: Banana Republic (similar here & here)
Bag: Givenchy ‘Antigona’ (featured here; similar here)
Shoes: Tildon (great style here)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker (similar here & here)
Polish: Deborah Lippmann ‘supermodel’

Zoe Saldana also opted for a fun print–polka dot, which brought a flirty and youthful vibe to the sober palette. Her bright red pumps and lips make the look iconic. The piece on her is actually a dress from Emanuel Ungaro‘s Fall 2013 collection. We can easily recreate it by using this polka dot mini skirt and flowy color block top. The key is balance: use oversized top to balance the sexy, exposed legs. The high contrast shapes and classic color scheme make this look an understated statement choice for those special summer events!

Blouse: Vince Camuto (similar here & here)
Skirt: Joseph ($14 here)
Shoes: Tibi (on sale; great buy here)
Earrings: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Lip color: YSL ‘#17 Red Muse’

Tags ankle strap heel, black and white, black blazer, colorblock, Givenchy bag, Oxford, polka dot, printed shorts, red carpet style, street style, White Shirt

CLOTHING

Modernize Your Stripes

Post author By Helen Hou
Post date May 15, 2013

Photos: Diane Kruger & Olivia Palermo; Courtesy of instyle.com, starstyle.com.

Since Coco Chanel introduced Breton stripes to the fashion world, this print has become part of fashion history. This year, thanks to top designers like Marc Jacobs, this classic pattern takes major role again. Trends don’t simply repeat themselves, so let’s take a hint from today’s featured ladies above, learn how to give classic stripes a modern and unexpected twist in three simple ways:

Mix it with another on-trend print, either botanical patterns like this Balmain printed pants on Anja Rubik, or dynamic leopard print like those on Diane Kruger & Olivia Palermo above. The key to mixing prints is making sure they are in the same color family and with similar proportions. They should complement each other rather than compete.

Brighten up the monochrome look with a pop of color: For black/white striped clothing, try bright red, sunny yellow or cobalt blue; For blue/white stripes, since blue is a primary color, the other two primary colors yellow and red will complement it very well.

Last but not least, finish the look with modern or unexpected accessories. The menswear inspired Oxford, like that on Olivia Palermo, is a great example. If that’s not your thing, an oversized metal watch, leopard sunglasses or of-the-moment pumps will keep your ensemble up-to-date without looking overdone.

Dress: Dorothy Perkins (great style here; the designer version on Kruger is by Preen)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (reminiscent of Chanel 2.55, with a fraction of the cost!)
Shoes: Söfft (also here; $40 here)
Watch: Michael Kors (gold version here)
Belt: Cole Haan

Top: Oasis (great buy here & here)
Skirt: Tibi
Bag: Dooney & Bourke (featured here)
Shoes: Munro (also available here; $60 here)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker (similar here)
Bracelet: Reiss

Tags black and white, Diane Kruger, Karen Walker, leopard skirt, Michael Kors, mixing prints, Olivia Palermo, Oxford, Rebecca Minkoff, red bag, red belt, Reiss, strappy sandal, striped dress, striped top, stripes and leopard, Tibi

CLOTHING

Floral Blazer: One Piece, Different Styles

Post author By Helen Hou
Post date May 14, 2013

Photos: Olivia Palermo & Jessica Alba; Courtesy of pacificcoastnews.com, justjared.com.

Soft, delicate floral prints are great for warm weather. To make them modern, fresh and unexpected, choose pieces with classic, sleek and structured silhouettes: instead of a floral cardigan, try a floral blazer or jacket; instead of a floral sundress, try a sheath or a pair of floral shorts…

For spring/summer outerwear, half silk, half linen is my favorite combination. This Tibi Daisies jacket fits the bill with impeccable details: from the irresistible and easy-to-pull-off print to the tailored silhouette, versatile length and structured shoulders. No wonder two tasty ladies–Olivia Palermo and Jessica Alba–both chose it. And as always they each put their own spin on it:

Olivia Palermo blended several hot trends harmoniously together: graphic print, black and white color combo and menswear shoes. Sounds busy, but she wisely kept them in a relatively simple palette. By changing the skort into cropped pants, this look will be great for women at any age and also appropriate for many occasions.

Jessica Alba’s pairing is what we all can pull off: Team this statement piece with basics (simple V-neck tee and dark washed skinny jeans). The strappy sandals are this season’s must-have!

I love how they both chose another bright color (as the solid colored bags seen on them) to go with the blue/white printed blazer. As primary colors and contrast colors, red and blue are always a great combination. Purple is a secondary color made up of equal parts red and blue, so naturally, it goes great with both colors.

Jacket: Tibi (on sale here; $34 here)
Skirt: New Look (great buy here, similar here)
Bag: Dooney & Bourke
Shoes: Munro (also available here; $60 here)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker (similar here)
Bracelet: Reiss

Jacket: Tibi (on sale here; $34 here)
Top: James Perse ($6 here)
Jeans: Rag & Bone/JEAN
Shoes: Steve Madden (my favorite! Plus so many options)
Bag: Coach (also available here)
Necklace: Gorjana

Tags black and white, Givenchy, Jessica Alba, Olivia Palermo, Oxford, printed blazer, purple bag, red bag, skinny jeans, spring/summer, strappy sandal, Tibi, white tee, wrap skirt