The greatest trick in fashion is making an outfit look effortlessly constructed. Layering is a crucial tool for pulling off this trick, selling the idea that your put-together stylish appearance didn't require you to break a sweat. Some items are more accessible to build around than others. For pieces that pose a more significant challenge, remember to keep your proportions, textures, and silhouettes in mind; continue to mix, match, and be creative. This week, Melrose does just that by showcasing six different layered looks for the contemporary woman in various settings.
Cozy Contemporary Corduroy
Cold weather typically requires heavy wool jackets, puffers, windbreakers, and other staple pieces. What people don't talk about enough as a layering option is a corduroy item. Corduroy is a textile (fiber-based material that mixes different fabrics) derived from fustian fabric. Typically, you'll find corduroy in shirts, outerwear like jackets and vests, and pants. Our style puts corduroy in our contemporary fashion as a shirt and outerwear option; we showcased it as a top layer with our ivory "No Comment" Long Sleeve Corduroy Button Down Shirt. Corduroy is a durable material that's warm and stylish, perfect for cooler weather. The outfit to compliment the outer layer shows our cabernet "Full Circle" 23" Long Sleeve Gold Button Sweater, "DJEANS" Light Wash Straight Leg Denim Jeans, and brown "Soda" 2 1/2" Stack Lace-up Heeled Booties.
Take our original creation outside for a bonfire gathering that calls for roasting meats, corn, smores, and more over a fire with some cider as a fun addition to your social activity. Mix up your look with our corduroy top by taking inspiration from Fernanda Vasconselos's look on Pinterest. She has what looks to be a black mock-neck top, brown skinny-fit pleather pants, and black pleather booties with a wide-brimmed hat (the perfect fall accessory). If you do a look like hers, take it on a casual night out with your friends and be the center of envy for being the best dressed.
Perfect Puffy Layering Piece
We recommend wearing a puffer vest if you're looking for a fashion item that can be styled with anything for the colder months. Whether you love your comfy and sleek athleisure, sharp, tailored looks, or something with a color story and jeans, the puffer vest is perfect to stock up on in the colors you love to play with. The Melrose presentation features our ivory "BHJ" Sleeveless Quilted Vest Jacket layered over the "Full Circle" Long Sleeve Mock Neck Color Block Sweater, dark wash "DJEANS" Straight Leg Denim Jeans, and tan "Forever" 3" Wedge Heel Booties.
If you want to pair a puffer vest with a professional look, take inspiration from the sheknows blog's recommendation on wearing one with a suit. They show a maximalist print suit effortlessly accessorized for warmth and style with a white hooded puffer vest. For those in our contemporary audience who are moms, Amy Vafa of The Mom Edit has a cute and comfortable outfit for a cloudy day exploring the beach that layers an orange puffer vest over a loose grey sweatshirt, athletic pants, crew socks, and athletic sneakers.
Front Tie Outerwear
Cold weather doesn't mean you have to hide your perfect figure. Front tie jackets are an ideal way to cinch your waist without discomfort. They give a more natural fit and flare to any outfit; most of our presentations are fit for professional women.
The first slide features our black "No Comment" Fleece Button Down Front Tie Coat layered over the red "Mango" Long Sleeve Printed Signature Button Down Shirt (a cute designer dupe shirt, by the way), black "Chocolate" 1-button Textured Ponte Pant, and the black "Top" 3" Stack Pleather Buckle Booties. This fleece jacket option paired with the color story is perfect for warmth, sleekness, and hiding your surprise bold-colored top. The texture creates depth for the rest of the outfit since the pants are a more thin, consistent fabric, and the booties make a subtle finishing shine.
Next, use our tan "No Comment" Fleece Snap Button Front Tie Coat as a surprising pop of color to your black and white themed outfit. Our iteration shows the white "Papermoon" Long Sleeve Satin Collared Shirt, "Chocolate" 32" Printed Ponte Pants, and black "Forever" 3 1/2" Pleather Heeled Booties. While a professional woman could get away with wearing the base layer of this outfit as a business casual look, she can take this outfit out for a drink after work to wind down from her productive day.
Show your love for fall and match the changing colors of the leaves by creating a brown-based outfit with our "Love Tree" Front Tie Fleece Jacket. Keep a mainly monochromatic look fascinating by mixing different textures. Here we style our "Full Circle" Long Sleeve Multicolored Color Block Sweater with the camel-colored "Top 10" High Waisted Pleater Pants and the brown "Forever" 3" Suede Heeled Boots.
The final outfit is a cozy work look for the business casual woman who prefers to be comfortable an cozy when she's stuck at her desk all day. The best piece to keep as a work staple is our white "Love Tree" Front Tie Sweater Trench Jacket. Keep your work wear relaxed and professional with our coca colored "Cielo" 17" Short Sleeve Basic Top, brown "Nesso Jeans" Front Tie Straight Leg Slacks, and nude "Top" 3" Stiletto Pumps.
