melaniesuzanne | Shallow fashion details (Reply)

I've been stepping up my wardrobe and reading a lot of fashion blogs for ideas on accessorizing like a grown-up while still having fun. There are a few trends that I just can't do, though.

Mixed metals - Okay, I sort of do this since I will wear non-silver jewelry with my white gold wedding and engagement rings. But wearing necklaces or bangles of different metals? It makes me twitchy. I do have a "silver" watch with a "gold" strip that is such a comfy watch I wear it all the time and I've been able to put up a mental blind spot about that piece.
Boots with bare legs - Can't can't can't can't can't. I almost did it yesterday (full disclosure: I had knee socks on under the boots) when I thought my dress was longer than the top of the boots. I balked at my visible bare knees and wound up wearing patterned tights with non-matching shoes (which is a trend I am sloooowly starting to embrace.
A different purse for every outfit - I don't want to spend the time moving everything from purse to purse to purse. What a colossal waste of time.

Some trends I have embraced:

Layering - The best part of the cold months is the ability to layer. A couple of blouses; shirt and cardigan; blouse, cardigan, blazer. Scarves. Oh, the scarves. And cardigans.
Animal print - Almost a neutral for me at this point. I have heels, flats, scarves, and blouses. I won't go the animal print pant route, though. That way lies Kardashian and Real Housewife.
Pumps with bare legs - At some point, nude hosiery fell out of vogue and women started wearing pumps without stockings during the warm months. I happily fell into that trend since I'm so warm-natured. Granted, this probably wouldn't fly in a conservative office but considering that most of the folks in my cube farm wear capris/shorts/sandals during the summer, I obviously do not work in a conservative environment.
Patterned tights - It started with barely visible patterns on dark tights and has moved to chevrons and lace-patterns and fishnets (although the fishnets are worn with boots so I don't feel like a showgirl). See above about office environment.
Big honkin' watches - With my larger frame, larger jewelry is more flattering/visible and I have begun collecting larger and men's style watches. Fun and funky.

I did say this was shallow.