The Fashion Swing: style

Showing posts with label style. Show all posts

Having a minimal wardrobe means you have to get creative. Because you have a limited collection of clothing, you need to have pieces that work together interchangeably. Everything in your closet should work with each other so you don’t have to constantly think of what combination of clothing your wear next. Repeating outfits must not be seen as a sin and a sign of boredom, but instead a way of cementing your overall signature style. Of course there are a lot of things you can do to spice up your daily ‘uniform’, and one of those is to add jewelry and accessories to your otherwise ‘plain’ outfit.

For example, I wore this simple Uniqlo grey tee and jeans outfit, but to make it a little bit more interesting I added this beautiful bag with beautiful embroidery that my best friend got me from Aceh. I think the contrast between the basicness of the t shirt and the intricacy of the embroidery made such a beautiful sort of juxtaposition. I love the colors on the bag by the way, it’s not too warm but it’s also not too cool, it has yellow embroidery on top of a dark blue background, and somehow that blends really easily with my overall cool-toned outfit. This bag also have a nice size to store your essentials, like your phone, wallet, and of course some makeup to touch up. I had on the L.A Girl Matte Pigment Gloss in the shade ‘Fleur’ that I got from the JakartaxBeauty event mixed with Pixy Lip Cream in ‘Bold Maroon’ and I made sure to pack those babies up with me that day.

For me personally, one of the basic pieces you need to have in your minimalist wardrobe is a pair of classic, black shoes. Now there are a lot of styles to choose from, and my heart has fallen for these beautiful ankle strap sandals that I got from Payless. They are very simple and dainty and beautiful, they had been on my wishlist to complete my minimalist wardrobe for a loooong time. They look good with anything and everything, they are comfortable to walk in (because of the chunky heels) and they can spice up your simple, casual outfit and make it a lot more chic. Another option for you is to don a pair of basic pumps with higher heels. High heels paired with some jeans that are cut right above the ankles will guarantee you longer looking legs, instantly! It’s my favorite trick to add heights, especially if you’re short like me (I’m around 5ft-ish, by the way).

But to be honest, the easiest way to spice up even the dullest, most boring outfit is to add jewelries. I love rings and statement earrings at the moment. The way those fancy pieces combined with plain t shirt somehow has a cool girl type of vibe (that I’m dying to pull off, lol). I put on some gold statement earrings. They looked like looped gold tubes which is kind of different but cool at the same time. I'm not normally a bracelet kind of gal, I used to be, but not anymore these days. But this gold bar adjustable bracelet is so dainty that I can justify wearing. It's supposed to be a palm bracelet, but I put it on my wrist because palm bracelets are just kind of annoying, no? I also layered some rings, a simple gold one with a red stone on top and two gemstone bar rings. And don't forget my trusty Fossil watch and my battered DIYed hair tie.

What’s your go-to outfit and how do you style them to avoid the minimalists’ boredom? Let me know in the comments!

photos by Andhika P.

Looking at my 10 wardrobe essentials, I could instantly think of at least five outfits that I can wear on weekends, and also on Casual Fridays at work. For me personally, days like casual Fridays can be a chance for you to be a little bit more creative when it comes to dressing for work, especially if you work a somewhat strict corporate job that has dress codes. You can easily express your style more, and get yourself ready for a Friday night out after work!

If you're new to the work force and trying to find some inspirations and tips on how to dress casually yet professionally, I hope this post could help!

TIP #1

Make sure to pick neutral color, style, and cut. As always, this is my top tip especially if you have a minimalist wardrobe like me. Neutrals will never go wrong and can help you mix and match your wardrobe pieces a lot more easily. It will also "safe for work", since your outfit will never be too loud (if there's such thing).

I personally love monochromatic outfits, but if you love to experiment with colors you can totally do so! Just make sure that your outfit pieces have more of a classic and clean cut.

TIP #2

Be sure to keep your office's dress code in mind, even when you're dressing on a Friday. Different work places have different dress codes too, so make sure you know what's go and what's no-go in your office. I've learnt that even if it's casual Fridays, there are still rules to follow.

TIP #3

Don't forget to accessorize! This is definitely something that I need to remind myself to do, but it's actually the one that makes minimalist wardrobe looks a lot more interesting and not boring.

Belt your jeans, throw on some statement earrings. I don't think I can get away with wearing hoop earrings at my office, but for you guys working in a more casual job setting might be able to rock them. Oh, and don't forget, a different choice of lip color can also spice up your outfit!

I hope these tips would give you some ideas on what to wear to casual Fridays at work! Remember to always give yourself a chance to express your style, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem! Have a great weekend, loves :)

A while ago I made a post about my 10 wardrobe essentials/staples and created multiple outfit possibilities with only those 10 pieces. When I wrote that post I was in the beginning of my minimalism journey (which is still going on until now). I was also just started working a corporate job (which I’m also still doing now). I was so sure about how I wanted to project my style within the boundaries of my job’s strict dress code. What I wasn’t so sure about was how strict it was actually going to be. I’m not saying you can’t be creative and having fun when it comes to corporate dressing; of course you can! You should be free to add a “you” element into your work wardrobe, no matter how strict the dress code is. But for me, on top of the strict dress code, I also have to wake up at 5 in the morning and go straight to work with only about 10 minutes to get dressed every day. After weeks of trying to plan my outfits every weekend, I got tired and frustrated, mostly because what I actually want to wear isn’t within the dress code (for example I’m not allowed to wear sweater which is just plain ridiculous). That’s when I realized, this 10 wardrobe essentials system is not quite working for me.

Within my first months of working there, I unconsciously made two separate “wardrobes”: my office/weekday wear and my weekend, more casual, more “me” wear. Overtime, I’ve also developed a sort of “uniform”, which makes getting ready in the morning such a breeze! I designated a certain outfit for a certain day, so I don’t have to think about what I’m going to wear in the morning—I’ll just wear that day’s “uniform” (except for Fridays, because now it’s Casual Friday every Friday at my office). I realized that uniform dressing isn’t for everyone. Some people might get bored or uninspired, but I don’t feel that way. I just make sure that each uniform consists of clothing items that I love and know would look good on me. Plus, I would do anything to get 10 extra minutes of sleep in the morning ;)

Office wardrobe aside, my casual/weekend wardrobe still has the same minimalism principal that I’ve established before. I didn’t actually throw my previous wardrobe essentials—I would probably die without them!—but I now realized that having wardrobe essentials will only work if and when I start to think about what I actually wear on a daily basis. So now I create a brand-spankin’-new 10 wardrobe essentials that leans more to my casual, weekend style, but can also cater to my office’s Casual Friday dress code. I unconsciously picked ALL monochrome pieces, but what can I do, they really do go really well together!

So these are my new 10 wardrobe essentials:

1. Black leather jacket (similar)

My all-time favorite way to toughen up any outfit. I literally wear it with a batik shirt once, lol.

2. Grey speckled cardigan (I also featured it here)

This cardigan has a little bit of a structure on the lapels, so it can give a semi-formal look. A cardigan with a smarter twist, if you will.

3. Striped top

I had this in my previous 10 wardrobe essentials too, and that shows how I just LOVE striped tops!

4. White basic shirt/blouse (exact)

My current favorite item in my closet; you can dress it up, dress it down, wear it with jeans, wear it with dress pants, pair it with heels, playing it casual with sneakers, in fact, I made a special post just for this much loved item here.

5. White sleeveless top

This one is just an alternative to the previous item on the list. The material and cut of this piece gives off a dressier vibe to me, but the lack of sleeve actually adds a casual element to it. I’ve literally worn it with everything and it never disappoints.

6. Grey mock neck sweater (from H&M, can't find it online!)

After watching Allana Davison’s turtleneck video I was so desperate to get my hands on some turtleneck sweater. Then I realized…Allana lives in Canada. Which is, like, COLD. And I live in Jakarta, which is NOT cold. So in order to get the same vibe without risking myself melting and sweating my bum off under the sun, I opted for a mock sweater instead. Of course I picked the grey one so it would go with everything else that I already own.

7. Black skinny jeans (probably exact, I don't know, F21 overwhelms me)

Why wouldn’t you have a black skinny jeans in your closet??? (I didn’t have it in my previous 10 wardrobe essentials though so joke’s on me lol)

8. Grey trousers (exact)

This pair of dress pants was in my previous 10 wardrobe essentials, only that one was in black. I decided to go for the grey ones because a) I think it gives off a more casual, more “fresh” look, and b) it still goes with everything in my closet. I personally think these should be in everyone’s wardrobe essentials, at all times!

9. Pointed flats (similar)

My absolute most favorite shoes ever!!! I may have exaggerated that a bit but I seriously love this shoes. The style is very simple but they have little details that adds uniqueness to them—the pointed toe, the slight “V” cut at the top, the d’orsay-like style on the sides. I’ve worn them out and also to work, plus they were very inexpensive so I have no complaint.

10.Basic black pump heels (exact)

I have now just realized how classic and essential a pair of black pump heels really are. I always wondered how those simple and casual outfits on Pinterest could look so ladylike and fabulous, and the answer is that they’re paired with heels! I bought this one pair from H&M for work, they were very affordable and just simple, faff-free shoes that—of course I’ll say this phrase again—go with everything I have in my wardrobe. I especially love wearing them with black skinny jeans, and every time I do I always think “now this is a Pinterest-worthy outfit!”

Those are all my wardrobe essentials! I felt like this post is 10000 pages long, so if you stick to the end, thank you very much, I love each and every one of you. I’m pretty sure my wardrobe essentials might change again, but as I said in my previous post, a minimalist wardrobe or wardrobe essentials can only work if it suits your lifestyle and actual day-to-day activities. My lifestyle changed, so my wardrobe staples changed with me, sort of. If you want to know more about my “work uniform”, let me know in the comments and I’ll write a post dedicated to that in the future. As always, I hope this one inspires you and is helpful in some way or another, and thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned if you want to see how I woud style these pieces in my next post! :)