Styling together an outfit is all about mixing together complimentary patterns, textures, fits and colors. I don’t always mix more than one pattern in one getup unless they are similar enough without being overwhelming (maybe one is muted down a bit). However, when the same is all considered in the production of one garment, things can get even more interesting! Patchwork is one of those fun mixed-media ideas in terms of designing a piece, and perhaps brings a bit of nostalgia, either from grandma’s quilts or recycling fabrics to make a perfect pair of bell bottoms in the 1970s. It’s a cool category in the denim industry that is always around, but seems to poke its head out from time to time every few years as a new trend. It can be used to portray just about anything from a bold, rebellious street style to a laid-back, friendly aesthetic. It’s been awesome to see how brands get creative with all the ways to create a unique pair of jeans in such a saturated market, and patchwork is always a bright go-to when stuck in a style rut or when you’re just feeling stylishly playful.
Stylish Activewear with a Sustainable Purpose from adidas by Stella McCartney
When I want to take a break from denim I usually opt for activewear or leggings, of course in my favorite color, black. I adore a brand that can make edgy pieces with stylish detailing without relying on prints too much. Boldness without being too eye-catching, dark with a twist or edge without flair. I’m not sure if that makes a whole lot of sense to most readers, but that’s how my mind’s flowing at the moment while I’m trying to describe my preferred style. It also goes without saying here, if you’ve been reading my blog long enough, that if a brand can encapsulate all this while being sustainable gives them major points in my book. I prefer to spend a little more for those doing their best to clean up our environment a bit and have a purpose other than simply helping us look good. I’m a fairly big fan of adidas, and I’ve known about their collaboration with Stella McCartney for awhile, but somehow I only now recently learned they’ve got something much more going on within their already-awesome stylish activewear collections.
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Comfortable and Stylish Joggers for Working at Home
Crazy times…right? I’m trying to see the silver lining while working at home due to this COVID-19 outbreak, even though I unfortunately have lost a lot of my work. I think we all did need a break and some downtime to re-evaluate our lives and get back in touch with ourselves, however. Many of us are lucky enough to have jobs that allow for working from home, but whether you are or not, I’m sure everyone is enjoying staying in their pajamas for most of the day! Although, I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed that staying in my comfiest of comfy clothes sort of makes it tougher to be productive. I’ve heard many say that even if you aren’t leaving the house, it helps to get dressed, put makeup on, and stick with the general routine you did before all of this went down. I definitely have not been doing that, but I have been seeking ways to get my head into a productive gear while staying comfortable. So, I thought I would do a little search for some comfy yet super stylish sweatpants and joggers that might help all of you stay cozy yet productive while working at home!
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Flirty and Fun Animal Print Pieces for Fall
Image: Shopbop. Miaou Lex Jacket
I’m not usually big on patterns—I like block colors and solids for the most part, with the occasional logos. I know leopard print has been huge for a long time, but it took me awhile for it to rub off on me. I thought it made it look too much like I was fresh off a safari or jungle cruise! I wasn’t fond of the wild side feel, although I know I liked edgy styles. I think I can credit those all-too-cool Current Elliott leopard jeans that were popular years ago for tipping me over the edge. Again though, I wasn’t partial to them at first, but the subtle print with a colored background caught my eye. I had to have them! Animal prints come and go, but they seem to be turning into all the rage for the Fall. I am not one to follow trends either, but I can dig some of the unique looks that are making animal print look fun to style. Leopard, zebra, snakeprint—I’ve definitely got my eyes on a few animal print pieces for Fall and am already thinking of styling ideas!
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21 Side Stripe Skinny Jeans to March You Through the Summer
Jeans: Mavi Tess Super Skinny in Ink Stripe, Top: American Eagle Outfitters Ribbed Mock Neck Bodysuit
It’s always so amazing to me how different each pair of jeans are when the majority of the population still sees a pair of jeans like a typical blue piece of workwear. Premium denim has definitely come a long way since they emerged on the market and blew up in the early 2000s, and of course creativity is one of the major factors that keeps competition real and the best brands on top. Racing stripes are one of those cool designs that I’ve had my eyes on for a long time—I can’t really recall exactly when they became popular but I know it was a few years ago sometime. I’m going to make an educated guess that they came to be around the time activewear as streetwear grabbed hold of the market and gave denim a bit of extra competition! I failed to add a pair of jeans with side stripes for quite awhile, until I got to review the above pair for Mavi. I absolutely love this sporty looking style! It also reminds me of my days in high school marching band…which came to mind when I was coming up with the concept of writing about 21 side stripe skinny jeans to march you through the summer!
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The Popularity of Overalls is Still Going Strong
Image: Anthropologie. Levi’s Skinny Overalls
All of us remember the classic overalls from our childhood years, even if you weren’t someone who owned a pair. I did! At the time I didn’t care at all about fashion, and wore them mostly for the convenience and comfort. I still remember my short pair. As we all know, trends seem to pop up from nostalgic times of the past—just look at all the styles that have re-emerged from the ’80s and early ’90s over the last few years! In 2014, the overall made a huge comeback, and although its popularity wavered since then, it appears it’s still going pretty strong. However, it’s evolved a lot since that re-emergence, now coming in more refined, skinny and fashionable options rather than the typical frumpy outdoorsy workwear look. I’ll admit I do not own a pair, as it’s one of those trends that I’m not sure about personally. That doesn’t matter to me much though, because it’s still awesome to me to watch what gets released every season, and I will say that there are some people who truly can rock them (I’m looking at you, Kate Bosworth and Miranda Kerr)!
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Bold Sustainable Swimwear from Mara Hoffman
Image: Revolve. Cher One Piece in Sage Multi
It’s still pretty hard to find anything in the sustainable and/or ethical realm when shopping for premium apparel. Even though awareness has grown tremendously over the years, it still takes a little research to truly know what you are consuming. I am always writing a lot about independent, lesser-known (and very underrated) designers I find at music festivals or just while browsing the web (like ZhenNymph from my last post), but I try to keep things balanced and show options from the more mainstream market as well. Shopbop and Revolve are two of the most popular (if not THE most popular) shopping destinations online for premium contemporary apparel and accessories. I highlighted five sustainable or ethical brands found on the former last year, but sustainable brands tend to come and go, mostly because it’s still expensive to produce sustainably and unfortunately hard to get consumers on board with conscious spending in today’s fleeting fast-fashion market. One brand that has permeated the household name treshold to hold its longevity along with its other premium name counterparts is Mara Hoffman.
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New Unique Denim Pieces for Summer from BLANKNYC
Image: REVOLVE. Boyfriend Overall
I’ve been a huge fan of BLANKNYC for quite some time now! My experience writing reviews and content for Denimology.com has been such a great way to become more familiar with several brands I only window shopped in the virtual sense before, and this one has stuck with me strongly since then. I’d say they bridge the gap between the premium market and the more affordable side of contemporary fashion—they aren’t cheap, but the prices are awesome considering the edgy creativity and quality that goes into this super fun brand. So in that sense, I find them very affordable! I have a few of their jeans (the Skinny Classique in Good Vibes being my favorite), but it’s their jackets (especially their embroidered ones) that I seriously want to fill my closet with! The Embroidered Vegan Leather Jacket in As You Wish was a hit last year and is one of my favorites, as is a blue tie dyed piece and the Sea of Flowers jacket (shown below), which I recently acquired! There are so many more still on my wish list, even discontinued ones that I’ve had bookmarked on both Poshmark and eBay for years! I have to avoid looking at their site too much or my list grows longer and longer…
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New Colored Jeans to Brighten Up Your Summer Wardrobe
Image: Shopbop
I remember when colored denim first popped up in the premium market, somewhere in the mid to late 2000s. It definitely seemed like a reasonable next step in a trendy sense, but this was still in the relatively early stages of the days of premium denim, when skinny jeans were still working on grasping a hold on the market. The super stretchy fabric technologies used widely today weren’t quite around yet and bootcut styles were still pretty darn popular. At the time, it seemed consumers were more interested in what brand insignia was displayed across their behinds rather than fit, feel or wash, but that’s not to say those weren’t important selling points. From my memory, when celebrities were first seen wearing colored denim, a lot of people weren’t quite ready for it yet. Nowadays, more and more people crave simplicity and well fitting pants regardless of the brand, and seem to be more willing to have fun with color, especially now that a lot of style influences from the ’90s have returned, thanks in part to the booming festival fashion market with the younger crowd.
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Get Into The Groove with the 70s Edit at Revolve
Image: Revolve. Blue Life Gypset Jumpsuit
“’70s chic. It’s a thing.” I’m sure you’ve noticed, vintage styles have come back with a bang over the last few years. It seems the explosion of the popularity of music festivals and “boho style” certainly helped, but I prefer to stick with the idea that these classic styles simply re-emerged due to their versatility and timeless grace. Simplicity is often key in fashion, and less is almost always more. Maybe it’s the yearning for the golden days of yesteryear as we dive into more complex times, or just the realization that many of the fashions back then were definitely worth bringing back. Not only were they rooted in the notion of a free spirit, but they also captured femininity and playfulness. I personally love them, and they feel strangely nostalgic to me even though I wasn’t even around yet. Either way, I absolutely love ’70s style, whether we’re talking fashion or even home decor and architecture.