What’s in my Wardrobe – Florals (part one)

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I’m not a floral kind of gal unless, of course, it’s winter. Being a hardy perennial more so than a darling bud, I feel aligned to the mercurial temperament of the darker months. That’s why this nocturnal 70s dress gives me all the feels. Purchased from a Canadian frockbroker on Etsy.co.uk, it’s the rare day that I’m not seen wearing it. It goes without saying that I’ve been trying to find new ways to pull the old switcheroo, if only to offset those ‘really, again?’ stares. Fun fact: it was real feel -3 degrees on the day of this shoot which made it the perfect opportunity for…you guessed it…layering! Remember my basic layering 101 in the culottes blog post? Well, consider this the intermediate course where I bend the rules – just a tad.

Here’s a quick layering rules refresher:

  • Stick to a colour scheme
  • Play with proportions

Good news. They still apply. This time, however, we’re going to add more colours to the scheme. Oh, and we’re going to clash the hell out of the prints while we’re at it. More on that later. First, let’s break this bad boy down:

  • Use one garment as the baseline for your colour scheme. In this case, it’s my black dress with a green, yellow, rust and red print.
  • Create a long clean line by mirroring the base colour – black – from hat to shoes. This keeps things consistent and also gives the illusion of length because, at 6 feet and a bit, I really need the switch and bait. Moving on…
  • This is where things get interesting. Up the ante on the visual interest with some epic print clashing. The key to pulling it off? Make sure the prints mirror each other in terms of colour; otherwise, you’re looking at a unicorn’s hen party, my friend. Rumour has it they get a bit messy.
  • Finally, play around with accessories that fit the colour brief and in the name of Mary Robinson put on a polo neck, child, lest you catch your death.

You see? Easy peasy. As for proportions, pull up those sleeves, highlight some hem and show that Polar Vortex who’s boss!

Hair: Aviary Lane Photo: Hazel Coonagh

Hat, George’s Street Arcade, Coat, H&M; Polo neck knit, COS; Dress, Day 17 Vintage @ Etsy.co.uk; Shoes, Vince Camuto; Bag, Parfois; Ring, Pilgrim; Watch,
Michael Kors