Anatomy Of An Outfit
Thanks so much for all your great suggestions on Monday. You ladies are the best. Today, I want to do a postmortem on two outfits I wore over the holidays. I’m going to explain what I observe and why I prefer one look over the other…on me, for me.
What doesn’t work for me in this outfit
As I look back at this outfit it has a distinct “toy soldier” vibe to me. I prefer a more elegant look. I love the gold buttons on this quilted velvet jacket but they needed to be considered as a piece of jewelry. My necklace and earrings are enough detail for me here so the pin is overkill.
I love a great white shirt…but not here because it chops up the outfit. The color has too much contrast and the cuffs make my arms look short.
I love these loafers but not with this outfit. Seeing a part of my foot between the shoe and pants adds enough extra busyness to make this outfit not work for me. The jacket is quilted, the corduroy pants have a raised wale and the shoes have a velvet nap which is too much texture for my style.
What works about this outfit
I’m smaller above my waist than below. Bright red pants enlarge the look of my bottom half and the black jacket makes my top half look smaller. It provides balance.
The next time I wore this jacket and pants I streamlined the look.
I skipped the loafers and wore smooth black boots that tucked under the pant leg so no ankle showed. Next, I swapped the white shirt for a smooth black turtleneck. These are the same hoop earrings but I skipped the necklace and pin. I am much happier with this look because there are fewer details grabbing the eye.
In this side-by-side picture you can see that even though my shoes and boots have the same 1″ heel, I look a bit taller in the image on the right. Yes, I’m having a better hair day on the right too:)
I hope you found this postmortem entertaining.
I’d love to hear your feedback.
Jennifer, I’ve been reading your blog for months and so look forward to it every day. I really enjoyed today’s post. I am 5’3″ and petite sizes work best for me due to being short waisted, but lately I’m finding it challenging to find petite pants that are long enough. A 28-28-1/2 inseam is perfect for me, but so many are shorter. I’ve tried misses sizes thinking I would just shorten them, but the rise is just too long. I would appreciate any insights you and other readers may have. Happy New Year!
I have the same problem with the inseam of petite pants. I am also barely 5’ 3”, but my legs are longer in proportion to the rest of my body. I also get frustrated with the limited selection of petite clothing in general. I need petite tops and sweaters for my narrow shoulders and short arms. Stylish petite clothing for someone in her 60s is hard to come by. And I don’t like tunics, which shorten my legs. Thank goodness for Talbots!
I actually buy Talbot’s regular ankle pants so that they are the right length for my 5’3″ frame.
Try a low or mid-rise pant in the regular department. I often find petite pants too short as well but I do need the high rise and my long torso allows them to work for me. Many brands make mid rise these days.
This is why we follow you! Can’t beat that expert advice. Keep it coming!
Love the comparison with the pictures! This made perfect sense! Thanks!
I agree. The differences are slight, but I much like the second, more pared down outfit! Very helpful post!
This was extremely helpful. Both looked nice but the black upper body was definitely better. Thanks!
I really liked the first look until you led my untrained eye towards your second outfit. The changes you added did make a positive difference. You looked great in that outfit. And I am so glad you kept those wonderful red pants. What a great pop of color.
I totally agree with your reviews of the outfits. The blouse makes the jacket look messy and over done. I am not a blouse wearer. I prefer knits or blouses without a collar. Too much going on at the neckline. The jacket looks totally different in the second outfit. Please do more of this type of comparison. It is very helpful!
I enjoy this type of informative post. The before and after photo is very instructive.
This is a great explanation and so much help. I love how little tweaks you made to the outfit made it more modern and slimming
Have been paying more attention to elongating the look since your recent blogs. Having the top end mid body makes my petite legs look longer, especially with dark boots matching dark Jeans. Thanks for this great blog.
This is fascinating! Thank you for the great explanation of your choices and what worked (or didn’t) and why. It’s very helpful. I have the opposite “problem”. I’m 5’10” and slim-ish … It is almost impossible to find pants long enough and correctly proportioned, shirts and sweaters that fit my shoulders and are long enough for my arms without swimming around my middle. If only all problems in life were so simple. You have a casually elegant style that I really like. Thank you!
Yes, yes! The side by side analysis is so great. The comparison clarifies so much. More, please! You didn’t mention the purse shoulder strap, but it adds an additional nice vertical. And the sunglasses just top off a sleek look. Well done.
Love this post thank you Jennifer for the analysis as I would not have known how to pinpoint the troubles you mentioned but would have felt the first one is “off” somehow. Really liked the way you mentioned the shoes and how they caught focus good vs bad. Being petite I need that extra wow factor!
I really like this post. The second outfit is classy. For me, I’d swap cranberry colored pants.
The second outfit makes you look taller, slimmer and oh, so chic! Thank you for this.
The streamlined look is DEFINITELY the way to go! The first look was too busy and too chopped up. It made you look shorter and blocky.
The visual contrast between the two pictures just confirms how we can take a near costume look and transform it into a gorgeous outfit. Focusing on accessories starts from our hairstyle to our shoe choice. We can put together a look containing various beautiful elements but when it’s all finished, if we have added too many accessories , we lose the ultimate look we were trying to create. I can’t tell you how many times that I added an additional accessory only to quickly remove it!
I loved this blog today. The visual lesson was so useful for me!
Oh, just need to add that you are looking so fit and love the featured outfit!
When I saw the first outfit, I thought that it looked cute. But, when I read your explanation of why it didn’t work as well, it all made sense, and I understood what you meant. Thank you for this post – I enjoyed learning the “anatomy”.
I also found this helpful. Thank you!
Excellent post! Now this is why I read your blog!!
And you’re a sweetie,too!
I liked both of your outfits but your postmortem in such detail made me look again and I saw things through your eyes which made me think again.it was so helpful and you looked so much happier and more comfortable in your second outfit.
Thank you, very helpful post. I saw the first outfit and thought that’s ok but when I saw the second I knew which one was better. Figuring out why was beyond me. Learning is why I come here, Loved the post morgen!
I love when you do this. It helps me analyze my own outfits. What a difference.
I hope you will do more of these. It was so helpful for me. I have beautiful clothes but don’t always put them together well. Thank you for this!
This is so helpful! I couldn’t have told you what was wrong with the first outfit, but you nailed it in the second outfit. Clean, sleek, and lean. And elegant. Thanks for dissecting, hopefully I can use apply this info!
You just proved the old adage “Sometimes less is more.” I like the outfit without the pin.
I agree. Loved these side by side comparisons. The velvet jacket is hard to see the texture or that it is velvet. It looks exactly like a sweater I have that is trimmed in leather down the front and pockets with gold buttons. Now I know why it wouldn’t look good with everything I wore it with.
Been reading your blog for about 18 months and enjoy it. I also enjoyed hearing about your move and how you are surviving being in this pandemic.
Yes, definitely your comments point out several aspects of your outfit and look that I would not have considered. My tendency is to wear less jewelry especially in these times of wearing masks all the time, but I had not considered the white shirt and shoe opinion. Since you are certainly an expert on these concepts, I value your judgment and perspective. I really enjoyed these comparisons…very helpful. Would like to see more.
Thank you for sharing the in-depth analysis and thought process. When you place the two pictures side by side, the second version does look more elegant and pulled together. But without your walk-through, I might not have been able to immediately identify why.
I agree. The outfit on right loos more like you. It’s a classier look.
Yes yes yes. You got it perfect, second time. We can all learn from this, thank you.