On this week’s mid-week pick-me-up, I told you about a blog I just discovered, M Loves M. Well, today, we’re going to look at one of Mara’s recent outfits, and how to recreate it using all Anthro. Ready?
There are a few main things I love about the look: 1) it feels casual, but still very sophisticated and classic, 2) all of the pieces on their own are very simple, 3) the combination of gold and silver, and 4) the pop of color with her lipstick and heels.
Using all of that as guidance, I created this look:
A simple denim jacket serves this sweet dress well. The added necklace, belt, and bracelet help to add some sophistication, as do the sunglasses. The heels are a different color than our inspiration, but they’re still a bold hue and because of their nod to loafers, maintain a classic feel that is pertinent to the look. The end result is a beautiful casual look, perfect for the weekend!
On that note, I ask: what are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? Relaxing? Errands? Travel?
Today I’m beyond excited to introduce to you an exciting new feature…titled “Get the Look,” this feature is all about recreating your favorite looks from around the web, using all Anthro, of course! While the looks are definitely inspired, they still have their own flair. I’m going to be doing these posts from time to time with my choosing of inspiration, but I’m also opening this up to you, as readers. If you ever come across a look you’d love to recreate, send me an email (theanthropologieconnoisseur@gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to do my best in recreating it. I’m going to invite you to head on over to this page to learn more about this feature, as well as your – the readers’ – involvement in this feature. Go on, read it! I’ll wait for you here, in the meantime.
To kick-start this feature, today’s inspiration is, not surprisingly, from The Sartorialist. Take a look:
There is absolutely no missing the bright ensemble the young lady is wearing. I do, however, have to take a slight side track here and just also comment on the young man’s outfit as well…perfection!
There are several things that really make this look: 1) the bright colors 2) the effortlessness of it – the loose, baggy, pullover knit sweater with the light, airy, draping skirt 3) how polished it is…and in an unconventional way, with the seemingly casualness of it 4) the simple hair and makeup that does not compete at all with the rest of the look 5) the shoes…love the play of the floral print with the striped knit sweater.
I wanted a styling to reflect the young, funky vibe of the look, but polish and effortlessness were mandatory as well. I ended up coming up with several different stylings…some more daring than others, but all with the feel of our inspiration:
While the colors are more muted in this look, it still boasts loads of drama with the long skirt and just plain intriguing nature. With the texture/pattern of the knit layered over the striped top, this look does still take quite a bit of confidence to pull off.
And did you notice the cuff?! Is that not the perfect fit for replicating our inspiration?! I used it in all of the stylings…it’s that great!
This next looks really captures the boldness of the inspiration:
This is the same exact look as before, but by switching out the shirt for a solid color, the look packs just as much wow factor as before, but in a different way, with a bold color instead of the striped shirt which added texture. The way the shirt and shoes almost match might appeal to those worried about rocking a super bold look. And taking the look in this direction is not necessarily a bad thing at all!
Here’s another daring ensemble, but with just four pieces, it seems even more effortless:
Color, color, color! You cannot be afraid of color with this look! I love how it captures the vibrancy of our inspiration! The one downfall – if you can even call it this - of it is just that the top is a floral print…and in our inspiration, I admired how the floral print shoes contrasted with the striped top. This is just something to note, but as we are only being inspired by the inspiration, taking a bit of liberty is just fine!
Yet again, here is a four-piece ensemble that is just so chic!:
For me, this look in particular captures the effortlessness of the perfectly loose knit pullover in the inspiration.
While I do really like the above four looks, I understand that for some of you they just wouldn’t be practical for everyday life. That’s why I’ve created some even more toned-down versions that still capture the original look’s feel:
To maintain proper proportions, tuck this boldly colored top into the yellow skirt. Pairing the same floral shoes from the above looks really helps to finish off the look and, simultaneously, reference our inspiration.
By layering the translucent gauzy top over the bright red top, you get the geometry of the pullover in our inspiration. If the color is still too much for you, consider swapping the red tee for something more subdued…a light green could be pretty.
I most definitely am switching up the color palette a bit here from the rest of the post…but it still works equally as well! The colors may be bright and bold, but the simplicity of the cut of the pieces help keep the look from becoming too much. And that is one of the key aspects of our inspiration!
Instead of pairing a red tank with these yellow trousers which would have followed the color scheme I’ve been using for most of the rest of the post, I decided to use a blue-green color instead. This way, it doesn’t get too McDonald’s-y. And anyway, the green is still a color pulled from the inspiration!
If there’s only one lesson to be learned from our inspiration, it’s that one should not be afraid to take risks with color! In the summertime, I think you can feel even more encouraged to experiment with color…so go for it!
Although I appreciate all of the looks, my favorites would have to be the fourth and seventh looks. What about you? Which look(s) is your favorite?
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this first post of this brand new feature! I hope you’ll consider submitting a look you’d like recreated (to learn more about all of this, you can go here). I should also mention that while the primary focus will be recreating the entire look, I will also replicate individual features of the inspiration as well. Thank you for your help in making this a successful feature!
Alexander McQueen was a fashion great. An icon. An idol. A revolutionary.
And that only made his death that much more tragic.
Two weekends ago, while I was in NYC, I had the pleasure of attending the Alexander McQueen “Savage Beauty” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And, oh, goodness, I cannot recommend it enough! Seriously…there is no way to describe how much of a creative genius this man was.
I think, however, it does take a certain person to fully appreciate his work. To some people, it just comes off as bizarre. However, if you take the time to look at each garment as a piece of art and to read all of the plentiful quotes throughout the exhibit, there’s no way you could not appreciate his creativity. He had a unique way of thinking and looking at the world. Were all his pieces meant to be worn by the average 9-to-5 worker? No. But that wasn’t his goal either…he was creating art, and high - runway - fashion was the way to communicate this art (not ready-to-wear fashion).
This is why I highly encourage a visit to the exhibit. Yes, it can be crowded. However, yes, it is truly spectacular. The workmanship? Oh, don’t even get me started – absolute perfection.
The exhibit shows until August 7th. If you get the chance to go, I’d love to hear what you think. If you already have gone, I’d also love to hear your reaction (even if you disagree with me!).
And one last thought: While Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was in fact fabulous, and it was in fact created by Alexander McQueen’s house, do not expect the exhibit to showcase only pieces similar to this. If you go with the expectation of seeing Kate-esque dresses, you will be disappointed. So clear that misconception away right now, and enjoy the show for what it is!
Note: This is not Anthro related, but very much apparel-related. Hope you’ll read!
In a few months, I’m planning on going on a tropical vacation. Needless to say, I’m already thinking of a bathing suit! I’ve perused Anthro’s swimwear possibilities, and while I love some of them, the prices are high. So, I’m also exploring other possibilities…and today, I looked at Bluefly.
Like on J. Crew’s website, while shopping online you can chat with a personal shopper. I decided to give it a shot today! At this point, I should note that I’ve only bought one item from Bluefly before – a spring-weight trench coat that I simply adore (I wore it constantly for my joint London/France trip this past spring!)!
Here was my criteria that I started out by explaining to my personal shopper: I want something unique – maybe sort of unexpected – but it can’t break the bank (i.e. ideally $50-ish, but knowing that is not much, up to $150 for something spectacular). I told her my size (00-0 or XXS-XS), and then anxiously awaited her response! Before she got to showing me ideas, she gave a list of some body types and asked me to let her know what my body is best defined. I responded that it’s athletic, but with a pretty defined waist….and then it was back to holding my breath in anticipation!
*I have to apologize that I can not seem to get a larger version of some of the pictures! To see them better click on the link above.
I told her it was okay, but I wasn’t in love. I wasn’t a huge fan of the print, nor the “tubes” on the middle of the top and on the bottoms. Secretly, though, to myself I thought that we were off to good start!
This is where the experience started to get a little off track from where I hoped it would be. To myself, I thought: How is this unique?!
I held back my minor shock though, and politely said I thought it looked a bit outdated. I did say, however, that I thought the striped version of the suit was nicer. Then, hoping for some expert advice, asked her what colors she thought might look good on my pale (with red hues) skin tone. She avoided this question by just saying maybe the striped would look better, and then proceeded to show me this:
Once again, I thought to myself that aside from the print, there was nothing exciting, special, or unique about this suit. And honestly, I kind of hated the print. However, as I was throughout this whole conversation, and how I believe people should always treat one another, I politely told her that aside from the print I didn’t think it was very unique (and that I wasn’t a fan of the print). I also went on to say that maybe I should clarify…although it would be great if the pattern was a little unique, I’m more interested in the suit’s overall cut being unique.
And then, I was a bit taken aback. She said in an almost a snippy tone (although it’s the internet, so I can’t say for sure) that most suits in my budget are classic, simple styles. Perhaps that’s true…and that’s something I just have to accept with my budget (I even acknowledged this to her), but considering she’s supposed to be a personal shopper, I was hoping to at least explore the best possibilities available to me. Isn’t that her job? Or were my expectations a bit too high? Perhaps a bit of both.
We exchanged a few more words clarifying once again by what I meant by “unique,” and I thanked her for her patience.
This was more on the right track, and I told her so. However, I also was not a huge fan of the “holes” (although the “holes” were what was unique about the suit). Yet again, I thanked her for her patience, considering how picky I can be.
I was sensing we were getting further away from what I wanted at this point because while this was not ugly, it wasn’t anything special.
….Alas, I was correct. She informed me she didn’t think there was anything else worth showing me, but that I should check back for new arrivals. Thus, my first ever Bluefly chat with a personal shopper was over.
The verdict? Well, of the swimsuits she showed me, this was my favorite:
However, did I love it so much that I jumped on purchasing it? No.
As you can probably tell, in the end, I wasn’t completely thrilled with my experience. However, I think she tried her best for the most part. Did she give it her all? I’m not sure. Will I consider using this service again? Ya, I’d be willing to.
And that concludes my review. If any of you have any questions, let me know! Also, I’d be very interested to hear about any of your own personal experiences you might have had with this service! And finally, I can’t help but wish Anthro had something like this!!!!
