The Two Halves Of Style
Here's the question no fashion magazine ever asks you:
How do you want your clothing to make you feel when you walk into {insert simple everyday or smashingly exciting activity}?
And here's the truth no fashion magazine ever admits:
No "7 Must Have Pieces for Fall" list is ever going to answer that question for you.
You can tear every checklist out of every magazine.
You can know whether you're a winter or summer color palette, an apple or a boy shape, how to take a look from day to night by swapping out your shoes and purse ...
Yet following every rule in the fashion book doesn't mean you'll have a style that feels uniquely and effortlessly you.
When I've dived deep into this question for myself here's my answer:
I WANT TO FEEL GRACEFUL, EMPOWERED, WISE, DELIGHTED AND DEEPENING.
That, is how I feel in the ensemble below.
However, it's not just the heart, it is also the head.
Feeling stylish is about being empowered by the knowledge of what works and why -- an educated style, which is exactly what my mission is here on Dean Street.
Here's 3 more tricks up my stylist sleeve that are happening in this outfit:
1. Black and white is timeless. This vintage dress would look very kitschy if the print were in red and white, or yellow and white, but the colors of this fabric keep a 1950's dress from feeling dated.
2. Pair vintage plus modern. To make sure I don't look like I just walked off the I Love Lucy set, I made sure my shoes, cardigan and hat were all contemporary. Too many vintage pieces look cheeky {unless that's your desired style, then go for it!}.
3. Keep your seasons fluid. This light cotton dress would feel utterly summer, if not paired with a thick cardigan, wool hat and other neutral tones {aka feels more fall than a bright summery hue perhaps}.
There are tons of secrets and tweaks that stylish women know that empower them to wear what they want to wear, when they want to wear it, and pull it off.
That's what I teach inside Style & Styleability, and around Dean Street Society.
So if you're looking for the educated woman's guide to style {and since our Dean Street bettys are a whip smart savvy bunch, I know you are} you've come to the right place.
Shop this Style { Black & White Dress : Vintage | Black Felt Hat : Flea Market : Similar | Black & White Jacket : Forever 21 : Similar | Polka Dot Heels : Next UK | Rings : Moorea Seal + H&M } + California Photography by Michelle Kim
There's a crisp new air in the season with fall, love, and I think you're on the cusp of taking your style to a whole new level.
Can't wait to help you get there ...
P.S. Want more style secrets plus a look at a day in my life?
I am so flattered to be one of the cover stories for Cupcake Magazine's fall issue featuring one of my entrepreneurial idols, Bethenny Frankel, who was photographed by my dear friend and Dean St photographer, Sara Kerens!
