This week, I wanted to share with you my likes and dislike of certain fashion stylings whether it’s on a celebrity or for clothing photoshoot. Fashion, of course like any art, is subjective, but there are still certain fashion faux pas to avoid. With a certain sense for aesthetics and a minimum effort, any professional stylist can come up with great creations and ensembles.
LIKE - Jeanne Damas – 2017
Jeanne Damas is my favorite French fashion influencer and creator of the label “Rouje”. I love most of her outfits and particularly this one.
First of all, I love her creativity. This outfit looks simple and easy and yet it’s a very well thought ensemble of basics enhanced with accessories. She plays so well with complementary colors (blue and mustard) which bring a pop of color. We have here the effortless chic Parisian style, a combination of basics (blue jeans, white shirt) enhanced with particular accessories (stripped black sandals, little bag, brown belt). She knows how to combine basics pieces and add this “je ne sais quoi” detail.
Second, I like the individuality of this overall outfit, it’s uniqueness. She is wearing a straight high waist vintage jeans in an era of imposed skinny jeans. The shot is dated 2017, it looked great then and still does now, it’s timeless. She take the risk to go also against some fashion rules by not matching her black striped sandals with the brown belt, which I believe every stylish woman should be able to do. She doesn’t follow trends but cultivate her own personal style. Just like Coco, she doesn’t do fashion, she is fashion!
Finally, I love how she puts her hair up to make the overall finish more chic and sophisticated. For me Jeanne is the epitome of the effortless Parisian chic style!
LIKE - Kate Middleton in Alexander McQueen - Jan 23
Kate Middleton is also one of my favorite fashion public figure. She has very classic style for her royal status but she doesn’t hesitate to bing a bit of modernity. She impressed me many times with what she chose to wear and she still does with this gorgeous monochrome ensemble.
To me, this look screams “I’m expensive”! I love her elegance and sophistication. It’s simple, it’s chic, it’s class, it’s glamorous, it’s feminine, it’s beautiful, it’s outstanding. To achieve this, she chose a total monochromatic outfit, everything in the same beautiful bright red (the suit, the shoes and her clutch). I love the velvet fabric of her shoes and clutch, a precious fabric making her even more royal. She is wearing only a pair of beautiful statement earrings, no necklace or any other jewelry. Less is More indeed!
I also like that she is wearing an ensemble that suits her body frame, making her athletic proportions more balanced. Kate is an inverted triangle body shape (wide shoulders, narrow hips) so the padded shoulders of her blazer give her more structure, the wide legs pant add more volume at the bottom, the overall monochrome color elongate and slim her at the same time. Her wrapped over blazer define perfectly her tiny waist. I love that she is wearing her hair down instead of up so the overall finish doesn’t look too stiff but rather add some simplicity and purity to the overall outfit.
DISLIKE - Katie Holmes, Michael Kors NYFW - Feb 2023
Katie Holmes attended Michael Kors NYFW in February 2023 wearing a simple black turtleneck paired with a sequin zebra wide pant and a black blazer.
I find this outfit as a whole extremely boring, simple and so easy for anyone to put together. There is no creativity whatsoever, it’s just a zebra pant with a black turtleneck, black blazer, black clutch, black shoes. Where is the little detail that add a little “Je ne sais quoi” to the overall outfit?
There is some color blocking in this outfit that shorten her legs. Beside the blazer is way too big making her legs short and her torso longer. To elongate her frame, I would have definitely replaced the black turtleneck with a white top or at least put a V or boat neck instead to show more skin, left the blazer open so we can see more of her long legs. I would have cinched the blazer’s arms to define her waist visually.
I would have personally broke the outfit with some pop electric colors, change the black turtleneck with a white top for instance, added a hot fuchsia structured blazer with a green neon clutch and white shoes.
Or I would have played with different textures, prints, fabrics by adding some denim for instance or matching two zebra prints in different colors, or maybe just added a colorful accessories (either the clutch or the shoes) to bring a little bit of funky touch.
How I would have styled Katie differently
DISLIKE - H&M Red Striped Jumper – May 23
I’m not impressed at all by this outfit or styling if there is any.
First, I don’t see one single effort to “style” this outfit. If I had to work with these exact same items, I would have tucked the jumper in to elongate the legs, cinched the jumper’s arms to show more skin and slim the model’s waist. I would have probably added some layering with a basic white top or white shirt under it. I would have also opened the zipper to show more skin and elongate her neck. Also, the secret to good styling is accessories so I would have definitely added some accessories, added a pair of red stilettos for instance, a brown jeans belt, a cross body bag, some jewellery and definitely removed the cap.
Second, I think all these items in this outfit don’t look good together. The jeans have a light wash and are tight, which make her thighs look thick, they are cropped which shorten her legs, especially combined with those chunky trainers. For a sporty look, I would have added instead a cream jogger pant or a boyfriend jeans with nice white sneakers. Or I would have combined this jumper with either a black leather pant with black chunky boots, or a dark wide legs jeans with nice red pumps or Converses. Or a white pant with beige loafers or white sneakers. Or even better, a red suit. The possibilities are endless!
Comments