One of my very best friends, Laetitia, finally got her dream job in New York City and I’m so so proud of her! The purpose of this post is to say CONGRATULATIONS, TITIA! — as well as introduce a new blog idea she inspired. Yesterday, she asked me for advice on what she should wear with a camel blazer that she bought for her fancy new job on 5th avenue. I told her I’d whip up a few ideas and send them to her, and then it got me thinking, so many people buy pieces that they love and then have no idea how to wear it! If that sounds familiar, send me a photo of your clothing item and I’ll create a few sample looks for you. Wait a sec, don’t people usually get paid for this?
This super cute blazer from Juicy Couture was a genius investment — it’s timeless yet trendy, gives you an effortless polished look, and can go with almost anything. Laetitia has a petite frame with a tiny waist, her sense of style is very chic (she’s French, of course), and she wants to be able to wear it for both work and casual affairs — so I took these factors in account when creating the ensembles. Click here to buy Laetitia’s blazer for yourself!
Although I had pretty much figured out the looks I wanted to put together, I also browsed the good old internet for some more inspiration. Not only will this collage provide my BFF with some style inspo of her own, but it also reminded me of a great little trick I had completely forgotten about. If you replace the boring buttons on your jacket with pretty gold ones (a couple dollars at any craft store), it gives the jacket a more luxe feel, as well as a surprisingly major sprucing up! Another important tip is to make sure the blazer fits correctly to ensure the most flattering looks possible. This might mean a trip to the tailor, but it’s always worth it.
When composing the looks below, I purposely left out black trousers, dark skinny jeans, basic pencil skirts, and white blouses because I already know that Laetitia is fully able to put together outfits using those items. Aside from these obvious choices, I considered factors such as this season’s trends, what is appropriate for work, unique patterns, and complementary colors. Some colors I love with camel are: plum, navy blue, mint, crimson, hot pink, cobalt, and emerald. It also looks fantastic with gold jewelry, leopard print, and leather — but maybe just don’t wear the second two together on the first day of work. Check out what I came up with below!
Although some of the pieces in these outfits can be mixed & matched, I’m going to talk about them in outfits for the sake of simplicity.
- Snakeskin print dress, cobalt belt, mint earrings, gold watch & ring, and black pumps. With the blazer on, this outfit is totally work-appropriate, but take it off and it’s a perfect going out look!
- Plaid blouse, quilted leather pencil skirt, statement necklace, gold watch, and either pumps or boots. For work, I’d wear the pumps to look more polished with the plaid top, and the boots for a more casual look.
- Floral dress, leopard belt, emerald infinity scarf, gold watch, and either pumps or boots. Again, the boots give this outfit a much more laid back vibe, so it depends on what you’re going for.
- Navy peplum top, printed cardigan, plum trousers, gold watch & ring, and boots. The layered look is not only trendy, but also very practical in the New York weather!
- Miscellaneous items: mint studs, cobalt belt, zipper gloves, gold watch, statement necklace, cat eye sunglasses, gold bow ring, emerald scarf, leopard belt, black pumps, and brown boots. These pieces can pretty much go with all the outfits above, mixed & matched however you like. Also note that black tights can be worn with the dresses and skirt, I just chose not to include them to make room for more exciting pieces.
What do you think of these looks? If you have an item that you have no idea how to style, email me at topknotspolkadots@gmail.com!
Where to find:
- snake print dress cobalt belt mint studs
- plaid blouse leather skirt crystal necklace
- floral dress leopard belt emerald scarf
- peplum top printed cardigan plum skinnies
- black pumps brown boots gold watch zipper gloves cat eye sunnies bow ring
(image source: brooklynblonde.com, pinksole.com, loveitsomuch.com, chictopia.com)
