Outfit Idea: Audrey & the Vintage Tee

Due to some crummy weather lately, I have been wearing my jeans a lot.  So much that I am starting to get a bit tired of dark denim.  I even pulled out my "vintage" sevens (thankfully they fit, or that would have been another story completely!) to change things up a bit.  Yesterday I woke up and just couldn't do it.  I had to wear something else.

I started digging through my closet, waiting for inspiration to strike... and sure enough, it did!  I yanked out my trusty Minnie pants and suddenly got very excited.  My Minnie's always make me want to channel Audrey Hepburn.  How can you not think of Audrey when wearing black ankle-length skinny pants?  It's just like Jackie O, white jeans and Jack Rogers or peanut butter & jelly... they just go together.

I decided the perfect complement would be my new "rock n roll" tee and a different pair of pearls (a much chunkier pair!).

My Viv's...

And, then I just needed a jacket or sweater of some sort... I pulled out a sweater jacket from J.Crew.  I have had this for years (it worked really well when I was pregnant).  I loved it for this ensemble due to the styling... it gives me the feeling of the ladylike feeling of the late fifites/early sixties - the neckline has a slight funnel shape, it has large buttons and 3/4 length sleeves.

(P.S. Sometimes your head gets cut off when your daughter takes your picture...)

The perfect outfit for a lunch date, a meeting, pickup or the playground!

                                                                                                                  - Allison

Decoding Minnie...

I am sure that most of you out there have heard of J.Crew's Minnie pant, right?  It seems to be one of their best selling items this Fall.  So much so, that they have introduced many different styles and fabrications... The question being... is the Minnie pant right for you?  If so, which one do you choose?  I actually just faced this challenge while trying to put together my outfit for the Tory Burch show, and these are my recommendations....

First, let's break down the options...

1.  The bi-stretch wool, the check, the glen plaid & the Italian wool all fall into the same category.  The fit is skinny.  In other words, they fit like a glove!  They are great pants for a girl with a great figure, the fashion risk taker, or if you want a skinny pant to wear with longer, tunic length tops, etc.

2.  The woolen twill, herringbone & the donegal tweed fall into the second category.  Slim, but not clingy.  These pants are great if you are curvy or are bigger on top... help to balance you out a bit.  These are also great pants if you would prefer to wear shorter, hip length tops or blouses tucked in, etc.

3.  The super 120s cropped trouser is not a minnie pant, but a straighter leg cropped trouser.  This is for the lady who does not feel comfortable in a "skinny" pant, but likes the look of the cropped pant (also another great option for curvy girls).  These pants are to be worn with tops tucked in or hip length belted shirts and sweaters.  Don't pair these with something too long or voluminous!

Besides being really cute, the Minnie is very versatile.  It can be worn just about all year round (they look just as good with tanks as they do with cashmere), and you can wear them to run errands, to work or to dinner (just change your shoes... flats, oxfords, pumps, booties... take your pick)!

Go ahead... assess your body shape and style, then click here to take a look at all of the Minnie's mentioned above!

                          - Allison

*all photos courtesy of jcrew.com