Royal Stewart Tartan Updated

Alexander McQueen

In a season of plaids, Royal Stewart tartan is one of the elements that should not be overlooked. It came into full blossom last winter, and continues to be seen in many offerings this year.

Personally I was not a big fan of tartan prints...until I saw this tartan print dress in the Alexander McQueen exhibition a couple of years ago. The somewhat rustic somewhat preppy thick material adds weight and history to the feminine lace and tully. The dress looks so fresh and young.

That's when I concluded that mixing tartan with other elements may create some really interesting outfit that looks both old and new. Tartan should not be limited to prep school uniforms.

In particular, I like the idea of mixing tartan with leather. This is a combo of tradition and modern, country style and urban chic. This February for instance, Rita Ora stepped out in a DKNY tartan dress with a black leather jacket. I simply loved this look!

That is why I was very excited seeing this wool/leather jacket from Karl Lagerfeld earlier this year. This is my first Royal Stewart tartan print purchase after I finished high school. :)

Wool/leather jacket: Karl Lagerfeld
Pants: Club Monaco Carolina Skinny Waxed Pant (also seen in this outfit)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Booties: VC Signature by Vince Camuto

Black and White Leather Jacket

We are now officially in the leather jacket season here in the big apple. The temperature did not drop much, but the wind has picked up remarkably. You may not want to get wrapped up in too many layers yet. All you need is a nice jacket that shields you from the wind.

Black leather jacket is classic, but color blocking is also fun. Do you like this black and white leather bomber from Karl Lagerfeld?

BTW the second picture is a pure show-off of my quads... As I was walking down the street in UWS on Sunday, a guy caught me and asked:"Are you a dancer? No? Then you must have done some dancing before. You have dancer's legs!" Haha, that's weight lifter's legs, babe! // feeling proud

Leather jacket: Karl Lagerfeld (similar, similar, similar, similar, similar, similar)
Striped tee: JCrew
Leggings: Club Monaco Rochelle Faux-Leather Legging
Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength
Boots: DV by Dolce Vita Malika Boots

White Collar

The more fashion blogs I read, the more convinced I am that fashion does not belong to us white collars. To be fashionable, you have to either dress up as if you were walking down the red carpet or dress down as if you had just stepped out of a homeless shelter. Office is where you find the mediocre: neat hair, light makeup, minimum accessories, and above all, suit, suit, suit! How could this be inspiring? Being professional equates to being lackluster.

All right. I've accepted it long time ago that a proper office outfit is the one that does not outshine your brain. But that doesn't mean that others can't even tell whether you've changed into a new outfit or not. We may not have many options on the silhouette, but still have more or less room playing with colors, patterns and details.

That is why I got this Karl Lagerfeld stretchy blazer. The white stripes on the shoulders and collar add a New England preppy touch to the outfit, and the stretchy material creates a slim polished silhouette. If paired with its matching pants (shown in this outfit), it looks even more sporty and energetic. Here I styled it with a stretchy pencil skirt for a more office appropriate look.

Jacket: Karl Lagerfeld April stretch cotton-blend blazer (review here)

Tee: Abercrombie & Fitch

Skirt: Privee (also seen in this outfit)

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Cobalt Blue & Colors of Fall 2014

Black-and-white is classic, but I always add some color splash to break the rut. This Loeffler Randall works just perfect. Its structured shape mixes well with the streamlined silhouette, and its highly saturated color stands out against the black-and-white background. What do you think?

Wondering what is the color for Fall 2014? Here is a pretty comprehensive report on color trend of this season. Neutral colors are always wardrobe staples, but this season rich saturated untypical colors also play a big role. Let's defy winter depression and "give it some color see see"!

Tee: JCrew

Blazer: Smythe (similar) 

Pants: Karl Lagerfeld April stretch cotton-blend skinny pants (review here)

Purse: Loeffler Randall Rider Bag in cobalt leather

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Shoes: Cole Haan

Shopaholic's Report

Here is a quick review of some pieces I tried or purchased recently.

Net-a-porter is running a big sale, and I received two gigantic boxes last night. Fortunately and unfortunately, not everything fits! Here are some of the items I like: 

1 - KARL LAGERFELD April stretch cotton-blend blazer in IT 38. Nice cut. Slim and long. Not the best material, but worth the price. 

2 - KARL LAGERFELD April stretch cotton-blend skinny pants in IT 38. Again, nice cut. Being matching pants of #1, they go virtually with everything.

3 - HELMUT LANG Slit-back stretch-knit dress in XS. I never say no to a LBD that fits perfectly, and I like the subtle sexiness of the slit-back design. It's a perfect from-office-to-dinner dress. Of course, you need a blazer or cardigan in the office. 

4 - MASON BY MICHELLE MASON Leather-paneled stretch-jersey mini dress in XS. Another LBD. Loose, casual and conservative silhouette with some edge from the leather panel. Perfect for office days. The only concern is maintenance. Because the panel is made of super soft lamb skin, you need to take it to professional leather specialist. Your regular dry cleaner may not be able to handle it. 

5 - PREEN LINE Ives stretch-cotton peplum blazer in XS. If you think peplum is out, think again. Classic silhouette comes and goes. Stocking up a well fitted blazer at bargain price always makes sense. With this color, this fit, these details and this price, this blazer is definitely a keeper for me. This blazer fits snug. Size up if you have wide shoulders or a couple of extra pounds around your waist.  

6 - ZOE KARSSEN Wild Boys jersey top in XS. Relaxed fit. Super soft and comfortable.

I can easily make quite a few outfits just out of these six pieces: 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 2+5, 2+6, 3+5, 4+5... Yes, that covers a full week! I've tried all these combinations, and they all look good. 

Items I don't like: 

7 - MCQ ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Satin-trimmed cady tuxedo-style dress in IT 38. This tuxedo dress is cool, but its cut is off. The front is cut too low and too revealing. Since all the buttons are fixed and decorative, I see no way of fixing it.

8 - VIVIENNE WESTWOOD ANGLOMANIA Rosha printed silk jacket in IT 38. I only have one word to describe it: nightmare. Look at the pictures and see how it fits the model. Sloppy and wrinkled, right? OK, it wrinkles even more on me. 

I'm also hunting for a pair of heeled sandals. This season, I'm looking for simple design and color block. Don't ask me why. I happen to be in this bright springy mood. So I ordered 4 pairs of sandals from net-a-porter. Unfortunately they are all going back.  

9 - ACNE STUDIOS Tillie croc-effect leather sandals in IT 36. This is the best pair of the four. I love its soft leather and neutral color. The 100 mm heels are incredibly comfortable for the height. Unfortunately size 36 is too big for me. 

10 - CHRISTOPHER KANE Elastic-paneled matte-leather slingbacks in IT 35. Love its design and color. But the heels are killing me!

11 - NICHOLAS KIRKWOOD Color-block woven, suede and leather sandals in IT 35. If you're following my blog, you might have noticed that I'm a big fan of Nicholas Kirkwood shoes. This pair is simply chic and beautiful. And the 70 mm heels are perfect for walking. I could run for my train in these. But the distribution of weight is off. The heels are too heavy and the front is too light. As a result, I literally have to lift the heels and it rubs the back of my ankle with every step I take. Yes, I love its color combo, mixed texture and stylish heels, but not to the extent of shedding my precious blood. 

12 - PIERRE HARDY Striped elaphe, leather and suede sandals in FR 35. I have a pair of Pierre Hardy color block sandals and I love them. So I had very high expectation of this pair. Unfortunately this pair doesn't like me! To be honest, I didn't even put them on because ... I was not able to! The zippers were stuck, on both shoes! Bummer...

OK. Now you probably see how picky I am with shoes. I have to say: shoes are just like your man; only you know whether you've found your perfect pair or not. Take your time! :)

Some other pieces I've got recently:

13 - DVF Selene Ruched Silk Jersey Dress In Jungle Diamond in 0. Office appropriate. Perfect fit. Neutral color. Good price.

14 - A DVF wrap dress I can no longer find online. It is of this New Julian Two style and this Ink Leopard Simple Pink color. 

15 - Color Pop Embroidered Tunic dress by Chloe Oliver in XSP from Anthropologie. I bought it a while ago at full price and took it with me to Central Europe. Unfortunately the weather was too cold and I had no chance of wearing it. It's very breezy and comfortable. The beaded panels on the side are fabulous. Now it's on sale! Note: Its lining is tight on the chest. Size up if you are busty. I wear the smallest size in almost all brands, but the XXSP one did not fit me. I could put it on, and it looked OK in the mirror, but I could barely breathe. 

16 - Matilde Dress in size 2, black & white from Anthropologie. Classic fit-and-flare dress in comfortable stretchy fabric and springy polka dot print. Bra friendly. Another piece that traveled with me to Europe and came back unused. :)

17 - JCrew Vintage Denim Jacket in Patina Wash in XS. Denim jacket is back, and I've been hunting for one in light wash that is complementary to my dark DVF denim jacket. This one is the answer: soft fabric, light wash, cropped fit, classic no-fussy style, clean cut. 

18 - JCrew Denim Western Shirt in Pale Indigo in size 0. Lighter than a denim jacket and thicker than a cotton blouse, a denim shirt is always handy on a breezy summer evening walk. 

Now I know I have established the reputation of shopaholic on the blog... Well, hope you all have a happy shopping season! :)