Summer Styling
by habituallychic
06 . 07 . 11
Since I didn’t write a packing post for my last trip, I thought it might be fun to post some of my summer outfits. One of my male friends was making fun of me for laying out all my clothes for trips and joked about doing it himself. My first thought was that a male packing post is a great idea and second was that the joke is on him because they are some of my most popular posts. Laying my clothes out helps me pack better for each trip. So many of us get into a rut and end up wearing the same outfits with the same accessories over and over again. Thinking about my outfits helps me mix things up and hopefully inspires my readers to do the same.
My favorite outfit for spring and early summer was the one above. I’ve worn it to a few events so I’m probably not allowed to wear it again. Well, maybe one more time. I was very proud of myself for creating an outfit with more color. The Talbots skirt (sold out) looks yellow but is actually chartreuse in real life. The J.Crew Wave Tank (on sale now) actually has a flouncy bottom that you can’t see when it’s tucked into the skirt. The black blazer and gold bracelet are also from J.Crew. The blue ring is Marcia Moran. I made the necklace by tying together five strands of African beads together from the flea market that I bought for $20. The color matches my favorite summer nail polish Lollipop from Essie. The shoes are Manolo Blahnik that I bought on sale at Barneys last summer and the vintage straw Chanel bag is from Rice and Beans Vintage.
I usually wear a lot of dresses which are great to throw on and go but you can’t really restyle them to make other outfits. I’ve been trying to buy more skirts and this chartreuse Talbots skirt is a good first skirt. I like it with this old J.Crew button down. I’ve never actually worn it with the striped Pretty Ballerina flats but I might in the Hamptons. The white Goyard tote is a great lightweight summer bag. Same necklace and nail polish and bracelet as above. I’m “borrowing” the vintage Breitling watch from my father. Thanks dad!
I know this looks the same but this blue shirt is a new Perfect Linen Shirt from J.Crew. The white jeans are also a summer staple but I might have to buy a colored pair of pants so I can channel Tilda Swinton’s character in I Am Love. That’s part of the reason I threw pearls on with the shirt. Same accessories as above.
I thought I could pair the same linen shirt with the chartreuse skirt for an after work event with this Ikat clutch from Chico’s. The colors work perfectly with the skirt and my favorite old Christian Louboutin peep toe slingbacks.
Talbots was kind enough to send me this beautiful floral skirt and I love that it can also be styled many different ways. For running around the city for work, I paired it with the old J.Crew blue shirt, vintage pearl necklace, Lanvin bracelets, Asha by ADM smoky topaz ring, vintage Breitling watch, Tom Ford sunglasses, nude Christian Louboutin flats and an old Louis Vuitton bag. I want to have stripes painted on this bag but Louis Vuitton will only paint them on new bags.
I also like the same Talbots skirt with my ivory Blythe Blouse from J.Crew. The necklace is from Calypso for Target, Lanvin bracelets, vintage watch, topaz ring, old Christian Louboutin wedges, and same Louis Vuitton bag. The finishing touch is Potato Fields nail polish by Essie.
For hotter days, I can pair the Talbots skirt with my short sleeved Silk Sophie Blouse (on sale now) from J.Crew. I also recently splurged on this nude woven sandals from Prada. They are super comfortable and go with everything. The clutch is from Club Monaco and the accessories are the same as above.
As you can tell, I shop at lot at J.Crew and my new favorite dress is this Summer Hours Linen Dress. It appears to be sold out online in the blue shade but is still available in muslin and beachwood. I love it so much that I might buy it in the other colors too. It’s perfect for steamy days in the city with my new Prada sandals and Club Monaco clutch.
My other favorite summer dress is this black wrap dress I bought last summer from Club Monaco. It works perfectly for day with flat sandals and for evening with heels. It came with a self belt but I always replace them with my own. It might be too matchy matchy with this one which is why it’s sometimes good to lay things out. I could switch it out for my Marni belt and take off the vintage necklace for a simpler look.
I always love a casual untucked shirt and white jeans for running around the city and this black silk blouse from Chico’s is perfect. I’m hoping my black Roger Vivier sandals will last one more summer since they are so comfortable. They also dress up any outfit better than flip flops. The red necklace and nail polish add a pop of color as does my blue Hermes H-our watch. If I really wanted to bring things full circle, I would pair the striped Wave Tank from J.Crew with the black blazer and white jeans.
Now that it’s getting hot and steamy in New York, I’ll need more lighter pieces but lucky for me all the stores are holding their annual summer sales. Happy Shopping and Styling!
33 Comments
Love these ideas. I need you to come pack for me if I ever get a vacation.
Mo /stufffast.blogspot.com
Gorgeous! And such a great idea.xx
Melanie
http://www.LuxuryMonograms.com
caute!!!
Great summer looks & great idea for a post thanks for sharing!
I love when you do this. I was looking for the Vivier sandals and happy to see them!
great post! always fun to see how you assemble outfits.
🙂 Love all of your bags!
I can see why this is a popular posting topic. Enjoyed it very much.
As stylish as ever -love the different combinations and the high and low (so real!). I never saw your turquoise Louboutins before -omg those are fantastic!!
Hi Heather
I’m doing the same thing at the moment with all my summer clothes- It’s fun, and nice to see some old “friends” that got put away last year. I agree with you- going through this exercise really gets you out of the ‘same old, same old’ rut. Photographing everything helps even more, especially when you are packing!
Agree, this is the best way to reshuffle your mixing and matching your closet. Whether it’s for a holiday or just at home. (Yes, these are always good posts!)
Love your looks. I lay out my outfits all the time too, was just doing that this morning for a weekend trip to Austin!
Great, inspiring looks!
I ALWAYS love it when you do this, you’ve got amazing style. I love each one of your looks.
It’s a good thing you like J Crew, I went there several times when in was in New York last year and I think I just wasn’t able to find anything I didn’t like – either for men or women.
I will think about the idea of doing the same in my blog, if you don’t mind =).
Greets!
http://bloobreyplace.blogspot.com
I think this is particularly inspiring because in hot weather it takes a little bit more effort for me to create layering that doesn’t just involve a dress and tons of jewelry. It’s good to remember silk blouses! I am heading to chicos now to find that black one. This was really inspiring. thank you.
it IS all about the accessories isn’t it.
Love the outfits! I lay my outfit out for the next work day every night, otherwise, the morning is miserable!
Great! Love the nail polish thrown in there and your chunky accessories.
Oh I SO needed this post today. Am feeling rotten and uninspired by all of my clothing. Having put on twnety pounds since last Summer certainly does not help! Now I have a few ideas of what direction I could go.
Let’s hear it for good shoes!
Can you and I arrange for a meeting in my closet like NOW? lol…..great post. Bookmarking it..love all the ideas. This is so my style, elegant classy and refined but with a twist. You did a beautiful job putting these together and you are going to be my daily inspiraiton for when I go and get dressed in a bit (after I take my son to school in my pjs that is) Enjoy your day, thank you for this post!
These are my favorite posts! Please do more personal stuff!
Love seeing your looks! Who knew Talbots had such lovely things – both the skirts are fantastic!
xo Allison
Spicer + Bank
http://www.spicerandbank.blogspot.com
What do you mean about painting stripes on the LV?
Love the ballerina flats – I must have a thing for stripes!
Gorgeous outfits. I did a post recently on styling my clothes and realized that I really do wear a lot of Talbots, they reinvented themselves!
Here is the post I am referring to:
http://ordermatters.com/blog/?p=593
Oksana from http://www.ordermatters.com/blog
All those outfits are fabulous! Very stylish indeed.
I’m with The Enchanted Home… come to my closet too, I’ll have tea & cake waiting. That would be iced tea…it’s hot!
Wow! Love that talbots skirt…I haven’t darkened that doorway for awhile. Thank you for the break down of the outfits…I’ll look at my closet options {and accessories} a little differently today!
So glad you posted this. While I love all your posts, I think your packing/outfit ones are really fun. It’s always easier to see other people’s mix of clothing pieces to re-evaluate how you wear your own pieces.
Though all your posts are wonderful, I especially love when you blog about your wardrobe. You have such terrific taste and style and I get so many ideas of ways to put things together. I’ve even started laying out my outfits on the bed when I’m packing for a trip. Please, keep them coming!
I love all these looks, and I need this kind of help! Great post!
Love this post (I have also “borrowed” this idea when prepping to pack for a trip). Now if you’ll excuse me, I feel the need to go shopping!!
Love this post! Please share where you picked up the Prada nude sandals. Love them.
Thanks for all the fun comments!
Anonymous – I found the Prada sandals at Barneys in New York. I got the last pair in my size and haven’t seen them anywhere else. I did see a higher heel version in black at Bergdorfs but they didn’t carry them at the Prada store. Good luck!
Habitually chic indeed. So wonderful to another share my point of view that classic pieces always work with a fresh purchase. Black shirt, white pants my statement look for summer…only second to navy.
Have a glorious weekend.
Great and ispiring post!
-linda,ny