15 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Ruffled cardigan: Ann Taylor
- Striped top: Old Navy
- Skinny belt: thrifted
- Wide belt: Target
- Cropped pants: Old Navy
- Ruffled pumps: AM, via DSW
End Notes:
Today’s outfit is a reinterpretation of an outfit that I wore (and loved) earlier this month. I once again paired a patterned top with the ruffled cardigan, and so I automatically reached for my newly thrifted skinny black belt that I wore the first time around.
15 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
(A brief digression. I’d like to announce that today’s outfit is a major style breakthrough for me. Yes, world, I have overcome my irrational fear of horizontal stripes. Somewhere along the way, probably due to watching too many episodes of What Not to Wear, I became afraid of horizontal stripes. I was convinced that they could only do my figure harm. But with stripes everywhere again this season, I decided that it was time to break free of my fear and try it out. And surprise. I think I might like them.)
15 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
Anyway, I kept the cardigan unbuttoned and tried on my skinny black belt. (My trick when belting over unfastened layers is to actually button part of the cardigan, belt, and then unbutton and rearrange. I’ve come to appreciate having that vertical strip of top creating the illusion of length.) While the skinny belt worked fine, and gave the outfit a nice bit of polish, it admittedly got a bit lost among the stripes.
15 March 2010, originally uploaded by academichic.
So I pulled out my wider black belt and tried that instead. I appreciated how this wider belt was more visible, drawing attention to my waist and creating some visual rest in the outfit overall. Because my torso is so long, I tend to find that wider belts work best, allowing me to “fake” a higher natural waist and longer leg line.
But since this week is all about pushing the ways in which we use belts — rather than falling back on tried and true approaches — I thought I’d try one more option: belting under the cardigan. The results are pictured up top, and that’s the option I went with today. Although it may not necessarily be the most flattering in traditional terms, I liked how this combination played with softness and structure without being too predictable.
For an absolutely invaluable breakdown of the power of belting, check out Audi’s guest post on Already Pretty on the why’s and how’s of belting.
