Sooooooo … I wasn’t a fan of this outfit. This is going to be a little bit difficult to explain. I think it actually looks very nice in the photos, and I think it worked in real life as well. The colours are flattering, the silhouette is beautiful (we all know how I feel about this Zara skirt), and it all looks nicely put-together. So why this face:
It just wasn’t comfortable. Having two layers tucked in made the outfit feel (if not look) bulky and fussy. And then there was the cardigan aspect. I used to love cardigans, but I’ve been gravitating towards blazers lately as they feel more professional, and I’m wondering if that also influenced my feelings about the outfit. It all felt a little … too girly. I’ve been doing the retro red-lips-and-big-waves thing lately (I blame Taylor and Lana, by the way), and while I think it can work at the office, it requires dialing down the girliness factor of everything else – i.e. the clothes.
In other news, I’m still obsessed with Rimmel Color Rush lip crayons, and have bought a bazillion new ones. Including my new favourite red; it’s much easier to apply than my old go-to (the Stila Stay All Day lip gloss/lacquer/whatever) and it has pretty decent staying power. If you haven’t’ already tried these crayons, what are you waiting for? Go now! Thank me later.
The skirt is gorgeous! I agree with you about the cardigan and think the outfit would look great with your greenish-yellow floral blouse from the other day. I think it’d give you the professional balance you’re looking for. If you still want to wear a cardigan, choose one that’s more fitted and layer it over a black tank tucked into the skirt and put a belt over the whole thing. It’ll keep the retro vibe. The lipstick also looks great on you. Cheers.
Thanks! I’m sure this skirt will get remixed in all kinds of ways (I have worn it with the green floral blouse from yesterday’s post, and it was lovely) – it’s a keeper, LOL! Other than hair/make-up, my style is not really retro, which is why I think this outfit didn’t work for me.
I agree on the cardigan and the double tuck seems to fussy for me. I think the low/flat shoes make it feel a little to young for the office. I really like a blazer with this skirt.
Yeah, I think I prefer this dress with (a) heels, and (b) either a blazer or just a blouse. Adding a cardigan emphasizes the girlishness and retro-vibe of the skirt, for sure.
I’m sure you considered this, but what about untucking the cardigan! That may even dial the girlie factor down a tad…
Happy Thursday!
Rhonda
Hahaha, I was totally going to do that, but decided to stick with the original plan. This particular cardigan is loose/not very fitted, so I don’t think it would have looked right (untucked) with this skirt. With that said, I didn’t hate-hate the outfit – it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
I wonder if the looseness of the cardigan contributed to the bunchy feeling? I feel uncomfortable in those kinds of outfits too, and I find I can only really tuck a cardigan if it’s a small, fitted one.
I’m sure that didn’t help. It’s a very thin cardigan, but it is loose, so it probably adds more bulk than I realized. Plus the shirt material is a bit stiff. Bad combo 🙁
I bought the Redder the Better last week! Looks great on you and made me feel very retro. I had a hard time getting it off though – not a bad thing!
Yes, it does have quite a bit of staying power – surprising for a crayon. It may not last through an entire day, but pretty close. Sorry, hope that’s ok 😉
I’m glad that someone shares my love of these Color Rush crayons, though 😉
Aww, I think this looks great – the cardigan brings out your eyes perfectly. But I can understand the fussy/bulky feel (I feel the same way whenever I tuck my sweater into my skirt) and how it seems a little too young for you. Maybe try not tucking in the cardigan?
Sometimes I like trying new things (like tucking in extra layers) … and sometimes those things don’t work out. Hahahaha! Live and learn, right? The downside of blogging is feeling like there’s an expectation to come up with “different” and “interesting” new ways to wear the same old things, you know? But the truth is that, sometimes, those different ways are just not practical, or comfortable, or “you”. That’s basically how I feel about this outfit. I’m all about being creative with clothes … but also about acknowledging when something just doesn’t work for you. Which is not to say that the idea itself is necessarily bad; for example, I think this could very well work for someone with a different aesthetic and/or lifestyle.
I actually really like that you share outfits that you feel didn’t really work for you, and I enjoy reading your analysis of what was bothering you about it. I think about those types of things when an outfit or piece isn’t working for me.
Yeah, I think it’s always interesting and worthwhile to take a minute to think about why something didn’t work – or why I didn’t enjoy wearing it. It helps refine my personal style AND my future shopping decisions.
Hopefully, these kinds of posts are helpful to you too – if nothing else, for the knowledge that we all have not-so-great outfit days 😉
I really like this outfit, but all of it together -silhouette, ruffles, lips and hair have you teetering on the edge of too costume-y for the workplace. Or at least mine. Maybe it’s the full skirts themselves that I find hard to wear professionally.
I think you’re right – it’s a little too costumey. The full skirt on its own would be ok (I’ve worn it a few times to the office, and it looked great – it my opinion, LOL!) but it’s the overall combination that’s a bit too much. It wasn’t intentional … this particular cardigan and blouse were part of my “capsule” this month, and the idea of throwing them together with the skirt seemed like it would work (in principle). I don’t think the outfit was terrible, as I said, and it was work appropriate (if not an ideal work style), so no big loss and I think I always learn something from the “fails” too, you know?
While you look great, I think a cardigan has to be really fitted to feel good when tucked in! Any excess fabric will make you feel bulky. The colours are great and love the bag more with this outfit too.
Yes, that could very well be it. I may re-visit the idea in a different outfit, we’ll see. Possibly in a different setting.
This bag is my favourite everything right now, so I’m using it pretty much every day. Sorry, I know that’s probably boring for you guys – I’ll try to switch things up 😉
With you on the Colour Rush love…you’ve converted me! It is my go-to colour pop for a quick I-only-have-a-few-minutes-before-the-baby-freaks-out weekday face.
Yesssss! *high five*
It is a cute outfit – but I hear you about the cardis. If I have a meeting or something important at work, I wear a blazer. Cardis are good for days when I don’t need to dress up as much.
I really like the Neutrogena lip crayons, but the drawback to them is that you can only get them from the United States. I always stock up when I’m there – but I don’t get to the States that often. And they don’t have a nice red. I have the Revlon red, but I may have to check the Rimmels out when I run out of the other ones!
Do try them – I personally like them much better than the Revlon ones I’ve tried (I find those too chalky/hard, and I dislike the smell).
Funny- I opened the pace and thought – you can always rely on Adina for a nice outfit. Then noticed the tucked-in cardigan and thought I’d not feel comfortable in it. But iI really like this look.
I have a full flared midi skirt too – except the fabric is stiff and sheeny-y (this one in fact: http://g.nordstromimage.com/imagegallery/store/product/Large/1/_9593821.jpg). For work I tone it down with a crisp button down shirt tucked in.. in white or pale blue. It tones down both the girliness and the shine of the skirt. See if you can try something similar!