Analytic Approach to Style: navy

Showing posts with label navy. Show all posts

Friday, June 10

my style map

style is certainly not a solid concept, it grows with you. but I believe it helps to define your style, so that you know what you're doing and don't go astray and become a fashion victim. with this idea in mind, I put together what I call a style map, accompanied by a couple style notes. want to be featured on analytic approach to style with your own style map? scroll down!

as much as I love shopping and thinking/reading/writing on style and fashion, I hate does-this-go-with-thating and spending long time actually dressing. I must be able to just grab a couple items and wear them without ending up looking ridiculous, so I like easy-to-put-together items that all go with each other, which enables me to mix and match.
I'm a shorts and pants girl, except a couple skirts and dresses that I own but literally never wear. I tent to stick with an "audrey" silhouette: high waist, slim (mostly ankle-lenght- I know it's supposed to be unflattering, but I don't think so) pants or shorts; simple, relaxed tops and flats- both because I feel like it works the best with my slender pear shape and it's a timelessly and universally nice look.
though quite simplistic, my syle is not at all futuristic and tends to have a vintage feeling to it. I always pair basics with cult items from the past for a fresh eclectic finish.
my color palette constitutes of navy, cream, nudes, raspberry, red, khaki and green. as much as I adore color, I'm not the one who can mix & match brights. I usually don't use more than one pop item per outfit. powder pinks and pale nudes complement (and don't overpower like darker/brighter colors do) my skintone the best, so I usually form my outfits around basic nude tops, and then add something more exciting, whether it's a bright tomato red lipstick, my raspberry messenger bag, or a pair of colored jeans- I like occasional usage of leopard print too; such as a bag or shoes.
striped tops are an essential in my wardrobe; I'm renowned as "the girl in stripes". I have a very slender upper body, along with a more normal-sized bottom; so it balances out my body, that might be a possible explanation on why I developed this obsession in the first place.
I have neither the occasion nor the motivation to wear heels; it's almost always simple ballet flats and loafers for me. after I moved to france, I discovered bensimon sneakers, which have been called "french girls' converse", and I'm progressively working on my bensimon collection now.

to be a featured guest blogger on analytic approach to style, put together a style map yourself (I used polyvore for convenience, but feel free to use another website or software. also, you can take a look at whowhatwear for inspiration) and send it along to me with some words, or alternatively, send along a brief description and some other material on your style; like a couple key items (again, polyvore is always a good source), inspirational photos (or your own photos if you want) and personal style icons to analyticapproachtostyle@gmail.com and I will make one for you.

looking forward to hear back from you. yes, you, stylish creature.

Tuesday, December 15

inspiration: navy stripes

oh, navy stripes, there's nothing else I can compare so much to a deep breath of fresh air.

from jakandjil and audrey hepburn complex

Sunday, September 20

ivy league: a guide to preppy fashion

As a style-conscious nerd, Ivy League Schools are naturally are a dream of mine. Did I mention that Northwestern U.S. is my favorite place in the entire world? And believe me, I've been to a lot of places. Ahh, one day, one day! This fall, my favorite makeup line Bobbi Brown came up with Ivy League Collection, which includes rich, dark green/brown eye pencils and shadows and nude, glossy chunky lip pencils, and presents an overall clean but impressive look with elegant, subdued ivy green smoky eyes and glossy lips. It was clearly inspired by the clean-cut, preppy, very WASP Ivy League college student look, and also, I think by the colors and textures of New England area.

Ivy League look is not one of the main trends this fall, but some Ivy League inspired items such as oxford heels & flats, badged collegiate blazers, tartan patterns, Ivy greens are so hot this season! There's a collage for you I made of season's Ivy League-esque items (click to enlarge).

I believe that Gossip Girl is responsible for starting the whole trend, particularly Blair.

Though she didn't get the Yale acceptation she literally built her life on, Blair still has an Ivy League inspired preppy style.

Remember New Haven Can Wait ,the episode Blair, Serena, Dan, Nate and Chuck go to Yale? For insipation, look no further. Even Serena got a little bit out of her boho chic style and went for Ivy chic by putting some stripey Ralph Lauren badge jacket and Equestrian boots.

This super-elite WASPy look has some key items: some would be contrast trims, blazers, oxford shirts, loafers, khakis, badges,oxford shoes, loafers, polo shirts, cropped pants, cardigans, college sweaters, etc. Color scale mainly consists of hunter green, camel, navy blue pale blue & white (especially for shirts), red (for details), marroon, and stripe, tartan and tweed are the main patterns.

Some quintessential brands would be J.Press, Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren.

This style is highly associated with sports such as crew, horseback riding, lacrosse, track, polo, rugby, football, golf, sailing, skiing, squash and tennis. Particularly, equestrian or polo inspired items are a very essential part!

Northeastern America has this very essential American feeling to me, and Ivy League schools are mostly colonial colleges, having their histories almost as long as the nation's. So, to fully understand this style and tradition in general, I recommend you to read a little bit of American history, especially colonial period... It will just give you the feeling. I have this one and there's no better place to begin. In a completely different note, mine is a really old hardcover edition with a rich, dark green cover that used to belong to my grandpa... Oh, just how nice it is!

Here's a collage of some looks for inspiration:

So, how to adapt it to your style? If you weren't born into this lifestyle, it would be, um, a bit ridiculous to embrace a full-on Ivy League preppy look. At best, it's a nice inspiration to play up. And these items are very elegant additions to your own style. If you're confused, here's a couple polyvore looks I did that might help:

I think the slouchy, torn, light wash boyfrien jeans and the contrast trim, badge collegiate blazer balance each other very nicely.

ivy league look updated to f 2009 fashion by popsiclepout featuring Aeropostale

Trendy and girly. Reminds me of a tea party. I like the overall silhouette very much here. I tried to add the preppy touch through accesorizing. The top adds a slight 80's rock touch, which is big this season, but it's not overexposure to rocker style, and still complements the outfit.

trendy preppy by popsiclepout featuring Eugenia Kim hats

This one is the most casual and classic of the bunch. The sweater, the oxford shirt, the tote, the oxford flats, the cropped jeans are all parts of this style, but I tried to play them up a little bit.