This outfit is an example of two principles I’ve talked about previously on this blog. First, I’ve employed the idea of “fashion bookends” by capping this look in the same color at both ends. This is a favorite trick of mine that makes even the simplest of outfits look instantly put together. Second, these shoes are an example of a “wardrobe upgrade“, as I’ve been slowly swapping out the 4 inch heels in my wardrobe for much more comfortable for me 3 inchers.
Also, if anyone has been looking for a moderately priced, good quality leather wrap bracelet that fits thin wrists, take a look at this “perfed” bracelet from Frye. It’s perforated all the way around, so you can buckle it onto whichever hole you’d like for a perfect fit. At its original length, it went around my wrist 5 times, but that felt too bulky on me. Instead, I bucked it onto my wrist after wrapping 3 times, and then snipped the extra length. One hallmark of quality leather is the dye goes all the way through (versus just painted on the top, so that scratches appear white under the dark colored top layer). This bracelet is dyed all the way through, so snipping leaves no ugly mis-colored ends. True to Frye leather, it’s also super soft and feels great. I also appreciate the low profile buckle, a welcome find in a sea of big, clunky, and heavily logo’d bracelet latches.
— Details —
Fedora Rag & Bone thanks to Shopbop
Tee LOFT (in stripe)
Jeans Banana Republic (Fit Review)
Shoes Manolo Blahnik
Handbag Elizabeth & James partially thanks to Shopbop (mine is the “mini”) (in leopard)
Belt Linea Pelle
Watch Larsson & Jennings
Bracelet Frye (also here & here)
Necklaces Vintage & Downtown LA
Rings Catbird, Vrai & Oro & vintage
— Altered —
nothing ;)
Thanks for the tip and other post on fashion bookends. I had never thought of putting together an outfit using this principle.
I’ve also been looking for an understated leather bracelet and the one you’ve featured by Frye is perfect. I bought their Jillian Oxford for summer and they feel like slippers, love them. Thanks for the great post!
Thanks Tammy! Glad you liked it! If you pick up the Frye bracelet, I hope you like it as much as I do! I’ve been looking for one I like for years and this one finally fit the bill. ;)
love the idea of “fashion bookends”! it can really help to narrow down the task of “what do I wear” by just focusing on 2 items and expanding from there. Thanks for this tip!
Thanks Susan! Glad you liked it! =)
Always a bookender in some form or another myself…..it gives an outfit balance and your example today is a good one and shows one way brunettes can successfully wear light coloured shoes even though we generally look better in darker shoes. It is fun to mix it up and this is a really nice look as always Kelly!
Thanks Deb! Yup, I love my black shoes…they just look so much better to me since they balance with my dark brown hair. But now that I’ve found this hat to balance them out, I foresee these white shoes getting a lot more wear. ;)
It’s such an excellent idea to match the same color at both ends to achieve a coherent overall outfit look! Thanks for the inspiration!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.com
Thanks Prudence! =)
I support your “bookend” advice! when I starting reading fashion blogs, i was tempted to buy everything other bloggers look good in. One girl wore these amazing yellow pumps with every outfit imaginable and looked so good in them! so i bought yellow pumps thinking it’ll be just as versatile, but for some reason they did not look good with my outfits. then i realize… its my hair. the bright yellow shoes did not work with my complexion and dark hair. Whereas the blogger who rocked the yellow pumps had blonde hair (so yellow-yellow bookends, haha) no wonder the shoes look great on her no matter what outfit/color theme she was wearing! now i think about how my hair color affects my outfits as well, haha!