I often find that I’m attracted to extreme opposites when it comes to my wardrobe. I love really girly pieces but at the same time have a very special place in my heart for items with a toughness to them. Somehow these two opposites have found a way to coexist in my closet in harmony. Over the years, marrying these two extremes has helped in molding my own personal style. I love looking at all the latest trends but I always have to find a way to make my outfits, “me” and while this will sometimes float questionmarks over the heads of my friends, I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂 Keep reading to check out more photos of this outfit and some shopping ideas I’ve put together that were inspired by this look <3
So there’s a lot going on here. My vintage tapestry coat is from The Nebula Shop. A local vintage seller and my dear friend, Allison, finds some of the most unique and fun pieces. I’ve been making homes for many of her amazing finds in my closet and this coat… it was calling my name when I saw it listed!
Figuring out what to pair it with was the next challenge. Originally I thought… well, its a bit longer than I had expected it to be… maybe I’ll cut it into a boxy jacket, bring up the pockets and use the extra fabric to have the back flare out giving it a fuller silhouette… but then I really looked at it and didn’t have the heart to take my scissors to it. So instead I decided to ‘make it work’ somehow.
The coat stayed in my closet for about a month and a half. Unworn and not getting the love that I had wanted to show it. Till one afternoon, while sifting through stuff to wear to brunch I saw my leather Betsey Johnson purse peeking out from my purse shelf in my closet and thought… ok let’s give this a go.
The purse and these Marc Jacobs purple and gold ankle booties seemed like a good match. All of these pieces were purchased on completely separate trips, years apart so I guess I looked at it all as one of those ‘meant to be’ sort of things. Regardless, I was on a mission to wear this coat haha.
Coat, check! Purse, check! Shoes, check! Now… what do I wear with all of this stuff without completely looking like a bag-lady I thought… well when in doubt go for basics and solids, right?! So the next step in this journey through my closet was putting on this white bodycon dress I picked up from H&M a few weeks ago. While I absolutely love the look of a well fitting bodycon, after putting it on, I didn’t feel any magical Narnia feelings so I continued to dig further in my closet and found this solid white Uniqlo top. I think it provided just enough more coverage to make it feel just right. I’m all about breaking rules here but I still like to practice the emphasize one body part kinda deal and today. In this case, the legs won.
So the next step in this journey through my closet was putting on this white bodycon dress I picked up from H&M a few weeks ago. While I absolutely love the look of a well fitting bodycon, after putting it on, I didn’t feel any magical Narnia feelings so I continued to dig further in my closet.
Lastly, I had to add one last detail to break it from being way too ‘sweet’. Cinching the waist of this boxy coat and folding the top out to create the illusion of it having lapels brought it all together and the toughness of the harness made it all feel more like me. I know its different but like I said, I wouldn’t have it any other way <3
Here’s a full list of what I’m wearing from head to toe:
- Vintage Tapestry Coat – The Nebula Shop (Instagram)
- White Longsleeved Tee – Uniqlo
- White Bodycon Basic Dress – H&M
- Leather Harness Belt – BCBG
- Purple Leather Bow Bag – Betsey Johnson
- Purple and Gold Suede Ribbon Booties – Marc Jacobs
- Oversized Dual Tone Watch – Michael Kors
Below I’ve put together a collection of shopping ideas that were inspired by the styling of this look. How do you like to take vintage pieces into modern day wear?
xoxo
Very cute look 🙂