More than one way to wear a dress

One of the most crucial things we tend to forget about after shopping for awesome new styles, is the creativity to accompany how to show off your new fashion. Today, I want to show that there’s more ways to wear the same piece of clothing. Specifically, I’ll show two ways to wear the same dress. Both for work, and for play. This dress is from LOFT. First up, is a look for work.   If you’re wearing this dress to work, remember to add a belt. I’ve contrasted this look with two different patterns, here. Personally, my belt is old and well-loved; it’s from Banana Republic.  But, here are two awesome and more up-to-date options: the Bria Belt and the calf hair belt. A briefcase is a necessary addition to pull off this professional look. And, finally, to keep that professional look, polished, add a pair of low, walk-around-town nude, pointed pumps to your ensemble. Second up is how to add a casual spin to this dress. First, you should add a pair of casual sneakers. Personally, I can’t stop wearing these Nubuck Street Shoes. Besides the shoe change, you’ll want to lose the belt. Leave your dress loose and flowing to pull off the casual look. What do you think of these options? What are your favourite pieces that can be pulled off both professionally and casually? Tell us on our L Squared Style page on Facebook or Twitter.

Wide leg pants? Yes please. (Part 3)

Today, I’m sharing the last outfit from our recent style advice segment on Breakfast Television (watch it here). It’s awesome. I know that it might seem a bit scary to some of you. Cropped pants. Bright, bold orange. Let’s deconstruct this look. Model #3: Courtney   Clothing & Accessories: Simons Shoes: Simons (Sam Edelman… in case you are wondering) Hair: House of Tin Makeup: Makeup by Bean Why this outfit is awesome: This outfit is perfect for a fun art or design event, cocktail party… something along those lines. You’d certainly stand out in these light, silky, orange cropped pants. Yes, this is a bold pant. But rather than pair this with a black top, black shoes and a black jacket (which I know many of you would do when wearing one brightly coloured garment), we’re elevating this look by adding additional colour and mixing different textures. Try it. A cropped tank, like the one above, is a great way to balance a wide leg pant. We talked about that in our last post. Because the pant is high waisted, you’re not really showing much tummy with this top. You certainly aren’t showing all your bits; if a slightly longer blouse feels better, do that. A pointed, sleek mule stiletto is perfect for an evening look. Our model’s hair is party perfect with soft, light curls and a deep side part. This bold lip is what makes her makeup pop against the outfit. Her accessories are bold – a big, bow stud earring and a thick chain bracelet. This brings some lux to this look without being overdone. I know it might seem scary but once you look at each item and understand how to do this for you, it’s really not. Break it down, just as I did above, and pull together items that you feel best speak to your taste. Hit me up if you have a question. Thanks to my buddy Dale for being our onsite photographer during this shoot.  

Wide leg pants? Yes please. (Part 2)

If you missed our style advice segment on Breakfast Television, we’re sad for you. Not to worry though. You can watch it right here. In our first post about this segment, we shared a breakdown of the outfit we styled and told you why it was so awesome. Today, we want to do the same thing for the second outfit we featured. We know, this one might feel a bit scary for some of you. Keep reading. We’ll show you how to wear this. Model #2: Megan  Clothing & Accessories: LOFT Shoes: Gravity Pope Hair: House of Tin Makeup: Makeup by Bean Why this outfit is awesome: So, a white, wide leg pant for Spring. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about today. This is one of those rare times when a great trend comes along that is actually more classic than just “of the moment”. To pull these off, here are our key style tips: For a cropped wide leg pant, make sure they are actually cropped on you. If you’re on the shorter side, have them hemmed so they look purposefully short. Wear a heel. A stacked heel or a siletto is great. Just put them on.  You will need height to visually create length (e.g. this will make you look longer and leaner). This stacked heel is comfy and stylish – yes, you can wear them all day long. If you’re body frame isn’t tall and lean, listen up. You’re going to want to pair these pants with a structured, cropped and slightly fitted blouse. Wearing something loose, long and baggy on top isn’t going to create a flattering outfit. This cropped lace blouse is a great pairing for our white, linen pant. Wear a nude cami underneath if you want more converage. This nacy trench is amazing and works well if you have some height, like our model here.  Also, leaving it open visually creates a column look which, again, will make you look longer and leaner.  If you’re on the shorter side (like me), I might suggest opting for a cropped jacket to keep these proportions balanced (maybe a cropped moto jacket?). If you have questions about how to wear this, hit me up.