I know it’s been a long time since I have posted – boy oh boy have I been busy!
I have been super caught up in work, trying to find a job as a solicitor, finishing my Masters in Legal Practice, organising travel over the next few months and trying to stay in touch with everyone! I also (finally) rejoined the gym and I’m trying to get my finances in order.
I love wearing modern clothes that have a vintage feel to them. One brand I love to wear that has a vintage feel to it is Review Australia.
I started buying clothes from Review only a short while ago – partly because I couldn't afford it until recently, and also because I didn't realise the clothes were great quality, fit well and are beautiful stylish.
Even though I stopped working at Forever New for 9 months, I still love shopping there. They always have lots of great clothes for all year round, but I especially love the jeans and coats in winter. I still love shopping at Forever New as there are so many great items that are stylish yet affordable.
Coats are a must in winter, but with so many styles, which ones are the best ones to choose? Here’s a list of the best coats to have in tour wardrobe this winter, along with some great outfit inspo pics!
Now that spring is here in Australia, wedding season has begun. You might remember my post from last year where I explained what to wear to a wedding (and what not to wear!)
Click here for original post on what to wear to a wedding
I’ve decided it might be useful to give some ideas on what to wear to weddings based on the location or type of wedding. Obviously every wedding is different, and thus sometimes what you would wear to one wedding, you wouldn’t always wear to another wedding.
The key is to check the dress code on the invitation. If it is formal, be careful about wearing a cocktail dress. If it is cocktail, a long dress is not necessary. Also check the location of the wedding, and think about the time of the year the wedding will be held. You might have a perfect outfit but what about keeping warm in the cooler months?
For some people, thinking about all of these factors is enough to make their head explode. So to take the pain out of deciding, and hopefulyy to give you a decent guide, here’s some of my outfit combinations and ideas based on various wedding locations.
If the wedding is held within the confines of a resort, like in a tropical location, it will most likely be warm. So you want something that is going to keep you cool but is still ‘formal’ enough for the special occasion. You can easily pull off a maxi dress with some loose curls or waves in your hair. Add a cute clutch and shell detail jewellery to dress it up without being over the top.
If you are invited to an alternative style wedding for a boho or hippie couple, you might find that you are going to a more casual wedding, possibly surrounded by nature. This is not a reason to slack off in dressing nicely! A tribal print maxi dress keeps the look casual, but it can easily be dressed up with chunky wooden heels and boho inspired accessories. I particularly love this belt – so classy whilst perfectly going with a boho theme.
If you are asked to wear something vintage inspired, or the event is in an older style venue, then this outfit would be a great choice. The dress comes in at the waist and has a full skirt, similar to the styles of dresses in the 50s. The length makes it great for weddings, and the style means you can use all different types of accessories.
Pearl jewellery is the best choice and if the event calls for it, maybe even a pretty fascinator or hat could top of the look. Closed toe shoes work great with this style, especially if they are Mary-Jane style heels.
Wineries or vineyards are popular places for weddings, and it will often be one of the prettiest weddings you will attend. It’s romantic but classy. This is the time when you want to wear a cocktail inspired dress (of appropriate length), as longer dresses can sometimes become dirty in the grass and dirt of the vineyard. A pretty lace number would be recommended for this kind of wedding, as it will reflect nicely in photos. Easily accessorize a lace cocktail dress with dainty earrings and accessories.
Thicker heeled shoes would be best so you don’t sink into the ground. You may wish to invest in some heel stoppers if you are wearing skinnier heeled shoes – they generally don’t look the best but they will keep your heels from being ruined.
A lot of wedding invitations ask for guests to dress in formal wear, but many people are not as “formal” as they probably should be. But if it says “black tie” then it means guys must be in tuxes and ladies must be in floor length dresses. Chiffon dresses full length dresses are the best option that are readily available in many shops and very much in fashion. Forever New is my favourite place for this style of dress.
A black tie event may also call for gloves to be worn by ladies, which makes your outfit especially formal. Make sure your accessories properly match such as having silver jewellery, shoes and clutch.
When you think of a garden wedding you think of springtime, flowers and sunshine. Most garden weddings will be during the warmer months, and they are normally a little less formal than other weddings. You might even be invited to a backyard garden wedding. This calls for a pretty cocktail dress, and a floral print is perfect for a garden wedding.
Wedges are a great alternative to stilettos, as they keep you comfortable and stop you from sinking your heels in the ground.Keep the accessories in neutral tones if you have a floral dress, as this will keep the look romantic and dainty – perfect for a garden wedding.
Similar to the resort wedding, summer beach weddings are always romantic and pretty, but the casual nature of the location often makes it hard to decide on what to wear. To keep it more formal, a maxi dress would be the best option. Add some large embellished jewellery such as a necklace or earrings.
I would also recommend wearing pretty sandals during the beach ceremony and you can always change into heels for the reception. Or the casual nature of the event may call for you to stay in your pretty sandals. And don’t forget to pack the sunglasses in your clutch!
Many wedding ceremonies are still in churches, and guests should be particularly considerate of being respectful when in a church or a place of worship. Churches usually mean that the dresses should be more conservative and a cover up such as a shawl should be worn inside the church during the ceremony.
In summer this may mean a nice silk shawl, or in winter a faux fur shawl. These are both classy and stylish ways of staying conservative – and remember you can always ditch the shawl at the reception… or use it afterwards when it is cool outside!
What do you think of my outfit ideas? Do you have links to pictures of outfits you have worn to weddings? Share your thoughts and links in the comments!
Bye for now,
Vintage Barbie xoxo
All opinions in this post are my own. Unless otherwise stated, this post has not been sponsored and I have not been paid for this post
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Are these girls forward fashionista’s or have they made a faux pas?
I went to an Intimo Lingerie Party last night. It was lots of fun and great to find out I’ve been wearing a cup size smaller than what I thought I was! Intimo also sell clothing as well, such as convertible and versatile jackets and skirts, and leggings. Apparently these ‘leggings’ are sheer at the bum, so I made the comment that I wouldn’t buy them because I like to wear my leggings as pants. Someone responded that it is not fashionable to wear leggings as pants and if I want to wear pants, then get pants.
Hmmm…
Whilst I am not expert on fashion, I do work in fashion, and must stay up to date with current trends, as well as how to style different looks on different body shapes for different budgets and different tastes. So I feel that I know what is considered ‘fashionable’ and leggings are definitely fashionable as pants (when worn properly) … But there will be a lot of people who will disagree with me on that one!
This got me thinking about the debate about whether leggings can be worn about pants. It seems that there are a lot of people against the idea of leggings as pants. But I think that this may be because many people often get confused between tights, leggings and stockings, and how to wear each of these items.
Stockings are made from nylon and start at your toes and end at your waist. (You can also get the thigh-high stay ups as well). They are generally sheer or close to sheer, and there is often a ‘crotch part’ in the stockings, Because of this, stockings should NEVER be worn as pants. I’m sure this is common knowledge of most… unless you’re Paris Hilton:
There is also some debate about whether stockings should be worn with open toe shoes. I say no. It looks a little tacky. BUT I have actually committed this fashion crime before when I had no other shoes to wear with a dress… I think that this crime is slightly more forgivable. 😉
Tights are slightly thicker than stockings, normally made from nylon or a cotton-lycra blend. They can be footless, cut off at the calf, or have stirrups at the foot. There are often many colours for tights and they can really change the look of an outfit. But they are still slightly see-through, so they should be worn in the same way that stockings would be worn.
This is where people normally go wrong – tights are not, I repeat NOT pants! Usually you can see through them and see your underwear (or lack of…) and it’s definitely not a good look. For example:
Leggings are the thickest of the three, going down to the ankle and giving the appearance of pants. Many leggings come in prints or patterns, and there are also jeggings (jean leggings) and leather-look leggings available. Hence the reason that it is ok to wear them as pants. So key rule to remember here: If they look like pants, they can be worn as pants. BUT there are some tricks to it…
Yes – leggings can be worn as pants! BUT only if done correctly. Here’s the tips and tricks I have learnt over the last few years from my own experience as well as from working in retail fashion..
Make sure they fit right. Don’t wear leggings that are too tight in the hope that they will suck you in. They’re not Spanks. Wearing a size too small will only make lumps and bumps more obvious. The leggings should not be so tight that they are starting to be see-through at the bum. On the other end of the scale, they should not be baggy around the thighs and bum. They should be comfortable enough to move in.
Also make sure your leggings are not too long or too short. If you get this wrong you can mess up your whole outfit.
Wear a loose or oversize top. When looking at people who get the leggings-as-pants look right, you will normally see them wearing a long, loose top that covers the bum. Or if their top is shorter and more fitted, they wear leggings with and oversized cardigan. Knits also look great with leggings, especially long or oversized knits.
When girls wear leggings-as-pants with cropped tops it can look tacky and often doesn’t work. It is possible to pull it off, but difficult to do it stylishly. Same with peplum tops. Because it’s very difficult to style leggings with a crop or peplum, stick to a long, oversized shirt, cardigan or sweater as your top.
Stylish leggings and peplum combination
Team with boots or ballet flats. Leggings work best when worn with boots or flats. They look really good with knee high boots, booties, heeled boots… you name it. Except Ugg Boots. DON”T wear your ugg boots or slippers with leggings outside of the home.
Occassionally you can get away with wearing heels, but a lot of people fail to do this stylishly. If you’re still new to this look, then stick with boots or ballet flats.
Leggings are generally for casual occasions. I love leggings for travel. They are also great for shopping with the girls or for a winter cafe catchup. However, I did once wear leggings out to a club with heels. This is because they were dark and had a felt print on them. They looked like subtly printed pants. I had a long chiffon top on, so the outfit looked very put together. I was only able to wear them out because they were a dressier style. You will see that there are a lot of dressier styles coming in, such as the leather look pants, or even ‘disco pants’ (shiny coloured leggings).
I am not a fan of the disco pants, probably because there are a lot of people who wear the really bright ones with a mismatched crop top and I don’t think this is a good look. But there are a lot of people who are and who pull them off.
See fashion-train.blogspot.com.au
Leggings-as-pants are NOT for the office. Even on casual Fridays. Wearing something that tight is not appropriate for an office environment. And a lot of the people against leggings-as-pants are the older generation (i.e. your boss or manager). So please don’t be that girl that wears leggings-as-pants to your office.
If wearing printed leggings, wear a plain top. It’s just plain and simple – don’t overload your outfit with too many prints. Print clashing can work, but it is often hard to master. If you are going to wear your printed leggings as pants, then keep the rest of the look simple.
Jeggings are the best leggings-as-pants. Jeggings basically look like jeans. A lot of jeggings have pockets and belt hooks, so they look very similar to jeans. So they are more than acceptable to wear as pants. Just make sure they are not cheap ones that sag at the bum or are see through when stretched.
You should still go for loose, oversized tees when wearing jeggings though. Or pair it with a casual blazer. That way you’ll look polished and stylish.
Use caution when wearing leggings as pants. Obviously not everyone will agree with my style tips. When in doubt, don’t wear leggings as pants. Also, leggings with cut outs or rips that are high up the thigh are a sign that the leggings should be dealt with carefully. A dress or at least a very long, oversized shirt is a MUST. Otherwise it can look a little trashy.
The above pic I’m not entirely sure about. The girl has an oversized top on so it should be ok, but I think the see-through parts make me not like this outfit. That’s not to say it isn’t stylish – in fact a lot of people will wear that above outfit and will look great in it. But I think it’s boderline ok before leading into the don’t-wear’-those-leggings-as-pants territory…
Dresses look great over leggings. This is where everyone will agree. If all else fails, wear a short dress with plain leggings underneath. You can’t fail on that.
I hope that helps some people in the dilemma about wearing leggings as pants. At the end of the day, it’s not for everyone. And a lot of people will look at the pictures above and think that the outfits are gross, tacky, not stylish, etc. And they have every right to think that. But for the rest of us leggings-as-pants lovers, the tips above should keep you stylish and fashionable, and you may even have learnt something new 🙂
What do you think: would you or do you wear leggings as pants? What are your tips for being stylish when wearing leggings?
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