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.
Great post! Interesting that when we look in the mirror, an outfit may look fine, but when we see it in a photo, we see what doesn’t work.
Happy New Year to all.
Love the side -by-side and the post mortem. I could see the first was a little off, but donāt always intuit why. Thanks.
Love this post & how it explains what does & does not work for you. Hope it will help me to be more discerning when I look in the mirror. Thank you & Happy Holidays to you..
Great way to work an outfit and look at what works. Being short waisted I too do not like a lot of material up top it feels too confining.
Thank you for the inspirations.
Great anatomy lesson, Jennifer! I echo other’s sentiments…please make this a regular feature. Very enlightening.
First of all āHappy 2021 (Please God ) to you and your beautiful family.
Loved your picture on the right.
It made you look taller but, gorgeous, you beautiful lady.
Did not put my two cents in about Mondayās post.
Love the gray and yellow combo, but I would have to wear it with black or charcoal so I would not look š like I was being laid out in a funeral home.
Love the then & now looks. I’m glad you said “tin soldier” because we’re supposed to be nice in this forum, so I found myself laughing with you and not at you š
\When I wear bold pieces (your jacket with jewelry buttons and strong statement red pants), I tone it down everywhere else, in color and details.
Ditching the collar and cuffs, even on a plain shirt, then going monochrome with a black turtleneck is a huge improvement. Deleting the skin at your feet and continuing the black with sleek leather boots further tones it down.
I find bold colors like red and fushcia (I don’t wear) and cobalt blue and chartreuse (I do wear) work best when everything else is simple and sleek, like a background.
Happy New Year!!!!
That is so illuminating! Thank you!
I also love this post.
It made me realise why sometimes my outfits just feel uncomfortable and other times im happy with my clothes. I’d like to see more post like this one. Wishing you a happy and healthy New year.
Yes! I totally agree with your assessment and appreciate your explaining why.
They are all little details but they do matter. You look younger and more carefree in the dialed back version too.
Love this post!
Please make this idea a regular part of your great blog.
I have bought coloured pants in the past & end up not wearing them.
You helped sort out why I look in the mirror & wonder why this is just not right.
Happy New Yearš„
What a great dissection of the two outfits. I agree with your assesment and would not have figured it out on my own. It would love it if you did this on a regular basis. Happy Holidays!
Great post! The analysis outlines the points to look for in analyzing a look. The “toy soldier” comment was an ah-hah for me – sometimes an outfit that should works feels like a costume and not me. It is important to think about why.
In evaluating my wardrobe, I noted I have several button-front shirts and blouses I felt I did not wear much. I purchased a white V-neck vest that is longer and a bit oversized. It goes with all the blouses so I am now wearing these several times a week with slacks for work and jeans or leggings for casual looks. I promptly purchased the same vest in black. It feels like me – more so than tucked in and worn with a cardigan or blazer.
This is a real fashion workshop and I learned so much. I agree with Lisa, below, about preferring this type of approach instead of Would You Wear It. It reminds me of a blog you did about the, hope Iām correct, percentage of accessories to wear or not.
If you didnāt want to wear black booties, you could wear the velvet shoes with black opaque stockings or knee highs.
Thanks for this super enjoyable post, Jennifer!
Love this post ! Very enlightening. More,more,more.
Jennifer, I am late to making a comment, so I won’t repeat all that has been said except to say yes to this type of post! I enjoyed reading your remarks and viewing the two looks you presented. As for me, I could never wear red pants (you look great in them!). My hips are too big, and I prefer not to call attention to them. Perhaps I would reverse the colors with the reds on top and the blacks on the bottom. Thanks again and happy new year!
I agree with your assessment & prefer the 2nd outfit. I also believe “less is more”. Thank you for this post, & I look forward to more of the same. Happy New Year!
Love this post and hope you will make it a permanent feature.
I am in total agreement with your choice. The outfit on the left is OK, but the right knocks it out of the park!
Happy New Year!
Great post but wait…what? weāre not supposed to show contrasting cuffs out of cardigans and jackets ? I missed that memo but have to agree look is more flattering.
Great post! Very helpful, in that sometimes we look in the mirror and donāt like what we see, but donāt know exactly why.
This has been a very helpful post!
Hi, Jen! I completely disagree! For a festive, at home or neighborhood Holiday occasion the “Toy Soldier” look would be perfect! The second look is for a cold day when you’re out and about – much more casual. And I don’t think the boots are such a hip fashion look as they are practical. You could punch up the Toy Soldier look with a hip pair of black kitten heels and lose some of the jewelry. BOTH looks are nice!
Great info on this post. I personally would love more of the same. As I am petite also I find I need to dress minimally with little contrast, which I am learning as I go along. Thank you.
Helped me see mistakes that i make sometimes. You always inspire meš„°
This was helpful. I’m a visual person so seeing it side by side was enlightening. I have wide shoulders and wide hips. I use to have a smaller waist but aging is catching up!
Happy New Year!
Jessica
Great post! Loved how the subtle changes make such a significant difference to the outfit.
Thank you Jennifer!
Great analysis. I’d like to see more in depth analysis like this. Happy New Year!
What an outstanding post. Thank you for taking the time to explain the differences in how each outfit worked or did not work. I hope you would do this again.
Just started following your posts and enjoying them tremendously. This was a great post and an excellent teaching tool. An important lesson to learn is less is usually better. Learning to pare down is my goal. Thanks again for the tips! Happy new year to you!
I liked this the best of all blogs so far!!!!! Please do this type more often. I was fascinated by the changes that you made and how it made the outfit on the right so much more appealing…
OMG! What a difference. Love the side by side pictures. Please keep doing these postmortems so that we can all learn from them.