The Yves Saint Laurent fall 2014 ready-to-wear runway show was a collection full of tons of different styles inspired by the ’60s. There were sequins, patterns, fur… and just about everything else you could imagine! But there was one trend that was present in almost every runway look: outerwear. I especially loved this show for the myriad of coats and jackets. Just about every type of outerwear you can think of was featured in this collection — fur coats, leather jackets, peacoats, capes, etc.
I was particularly inspired by look 12, in which a few of the pieces in this look reminded me of some things that I have in my own closet. I love experimenting with new combinations of pieces that I already have, so I tried to reinvent this Yves Saint Laurent look. This outfit featured a brown houndstooth cape over a slightly visible black dress with tights and intense black boots.
Wearing head-to-toe black is the best way to make a statement piece pop, as I tried to do with this outfit, using the houndstooth sport coat as a statement piece. While I don’t own a cape — although I wish I did — my old houndstooth blazer was a pretty good alternative to the YSL piece. To make my blazer look a little more chic and a little less business casual, I wore it hanging off my shoulders rather than the traditional way of putting my arms through the sleeves. But don’t let the models and bloggers fool you, this look isn’t as effortless as it seems! My coat almost fell off my shoulders a dozen times.
For the rest of my look, I threw on a plain black shift dress and added some black tights and wore booties rather than knee-high boots. For me, I prefer how heels lengthen the look of your legs while wearing a shift dress. Since it’s difficult and awkward to carry a purse on your shoulders while sporting an off-the-shoulder coat, I just opted for holding a large wallet in my hands. I wanted to keep the look simple so I didn’t accessorize much otherwise, and I made sure not to stray from the black and brown color scheme.
Get My Look: 1. An oversized blazer. 2. A little black dress. 3. Leather booties.
