Parkas n' Recreation: Fall into Style
- Christian Boyd
- Oct 27, 2017
- 4 min read
Autumn approacheth! It is crazy to think that just last weekend I was in D.C. celebrating Howard University's homecoming, my alma mater (it feels so good to say that), in mid-80 degree weather, and now I'm back in Michigan where Fall's brisk, unforgiving weather came in swinging. However, I didn't sweat it, not only because I'm from Michigan and very accustomed to its disrespectfully abrupt weather fluctuations, but also because at this point, I welcome the cold. To me, cold weather means I get to wear more clothes, and Autumn is my FAVORITE season for fashion! Everything is better in Autumn: the colors of the foliage, the flavors of coffee at Starbucks, and of course, the #looks!
So, in honor of my favorite season, I styled some fun fall looks to highlight the versatility of the season. Modeled by my beautiful sister, Alexis (@alexisjamille), this is Parkas n' Recreation, enjoy!
Channel Orange
If you read my last styling post, Keep Y'a Heart Baby Girl, then you know that I really love monochrome looks. Channel Orange is a little variation of a monochrome-type look. I started with the sweater as the foundation of the outfit; as you can see, it has varying shades of orange and red, so I chose articles and accessories that highlighted the different tones and textures found in the sweater.
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Fall is the bridge between warm and cold weather, allowing us to represent that polarity in our outfits. I have Alexis wearing a dress; however, we manage the gaps with knee-high boots (again, in a rust color, complementary to the overall orange theme) and thick layered tops so that she can be comfortable with the temperature. Alexis completed this look by sporting a blood orange lip (Bloodroot by Rituel de Fille).
What I love most about this outfit is the brilliance of the orange tones worn. I think often when we think of Fall colors, we gravitate towards richness over brightness i.e. a mustard yellow over a citron. However, I definitely don't shy away from boldness in color, no matter what season it is!
(Check out Prabal Gurung's Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection to see his use of bold colors, including citron!)
Details: sweater, Zara; jacket, Uniqlo; dress, Asos; boots, Frye, purse, Coach
Wheely, Wheely Fly
We out here making casual look fly y'all! Okay in all seriousness though, I absolutely love a "casual slay," taking very simple pieces and putting them together in just the right way can produce some really great looks. Here, we have a combination of classic pieces elevated by their design: the turtleneck sweater dress is edgy due to the inverted seams, slouchy neckline, and keyhole above the chest; the mohair jacket is instantly attractive in its oversized fit and deep slate blue tone; the classic style sneakers are enhanced by a richness of color; finally, the baseball cap, simple and bold.
As articulated in the Channel Orange look (above), I really enjoy playing with color tones. This look is a combination of cool tones, for those of you hip to color theory, but what's great about them is they can often work as neutrals, allowing us to pair multiple complementing colors. I'm also very keen to small outfit details and how to bring them out. For example, there is red script on the tongue of the Alexis's sneakers, so her lipstick color (Bloodroot by Rituel de Fille) is a great and easy way to bring out that subtle accent color. Finally, let's talk about the socks! Another ode to cold weather, the exposed wool socks are great way to say, "yeah, I know it's cold outside, and yeah, I know these socks look good with my 'fit!" Ha! But again, to be serious, socks can be a really strong accessory; why not let them show when they add another dimension to your look. (I promise, the perfect match between Wheely, Wheely Fly and the Shinola bike was pure coincidence!)
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Details: dress, Allsaints; coat, Mango; hat, Nike; sneakers, New Balance
a-MUSE-ment Park
Last, but certainly not least, a-MUSE-ment Park. The other day my sister and I were shopping and found this great off-the-shoulder, sweatshirt from H&M, so I was definitely excited to put an outfit together with it. What I love about the top is the alteration in design took a sweatshirt, normally a casual piece, and turned it into something chic, while preserving its effortless feel. I decided to pair the top with these deep green slacks to juxtapose the more relaxed sweatshirt with a more tailored bottom.
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Now I know I can't be the only one that struggles to give up my fly sandals when the cold weather comes...again, here's to the power of socks! I had Alexis pair these striped wool socks with her textured, champagne-colored flatform sandals. If you were to look at just the top half of the outfit, its fairly flat, right? So the bold socks and funky sandals add some nice action to the outfit, while maintaining a color balance in the overall look (i.e. black stripes, black top). To balance the champagne color of the shoes, I had Alexis wear these elaborate "chokers" (they're actually just headbands that I tied around her neck; be experimental in fashion!).
And now for the switch up! The shoes changed, did you notice? Honestly, in creating this outfit, I couldn't decide what shoes I wanted Alexis to wear...so I chose to shoot and talk about both. If there's one fashion item I'm pretty obsessed with right now, it's mules! These velvet, pointy-toed mules are embellished with embroidered bees. Again, the look is balanced from top to bottom: the choker with the shoe adornments, and the black top with the black shoe itself. I love how simple changes can impact the entire tone of a look; in this case, the switch from sandals to mules made the outfit more elegant, a great transition from day to night!
Details: top, H&M; pants, thrifted; sandals, thrifted; mules, Marvis, "chokers," unknown
Congratulations, you made it through Parkas n' Recreation! I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to check out the full gallery of the shoot in the Styling page on my site. Please let me know what you think, hit me up with questions, and/or just send me some love. If you have interest in my services as a stylist/personal shopper, visit my Contact page and see how to reach me. Stay tuned for more from me!