For almost about a year now, I’ve been slightly obsessed with this look from Elizabeth and James. The Olsen twins’ 2015 resort collection offered the perfect amount of sharpness and cleanliness, especially for someone who just spends most of her days crawling under stacks of books, writing papers and drinking coffee (that’s me). This look comes in handy during the fall because it’s a way for all of us to look chic and put together when in reality, it takes about five minutes to slip everything on in the morning.
Not only is this shirt perfect for an autumn school day, but it also tells a compelling story: style takes patience. As broke college students, instead of buying a $600 silk button-down, it’s best to wait six months and get said shirt for a fraction of the price. Patience makes our clothing all the more ethereal, precious and delectable. A stellar outfit takes patience, because style possesses thoughts and revelations most of us cannot impulsively handle, much like our sky-rocketing dry-cleaning bill and those tags on the back of our sweaters that tell us how only 25 percent of it is real cashmere and the rest is just viscose. Style takes patience to nurture, treasure and acquire. This Daithi blouse from Theory embodies all of that. It’s much more than just an arbitrary piece of clothing; it is a solid investment.
Still drawing inspiration from Elizabeth and James, I paired my top with tight dress pants. There is something so versatile about skinny dress pants that make them acceptable for every possible occasion. They can look casual and formal depending on the rest of the outfit. I switched the sandals to booties, because while I can dream about sandal weather, at the end of the day, October in Canada is undeniably chilly.
Accessorizing when most of the emphasis should be put on the grid pattern of the shirt was tricky. Most of the time, that’s when my attention really expands to the most meticulous edges of detail. I noticed the golden rims of my backpack, so I chose a golden necklace that also blended well with the beige crispiness of the blouse and the bold navy grids.
The tireless checks/grid/gingham pattern has been around for a very long time. Yet, every season, we still find it on designer runways. Despite the structured and strictly Cartesian vibe it gives off, none of us should feel reluctant to get creative and play with it. Go ahead and have fun!
Get My Look: 1. A checked blouse. 2. Black dress pants. 3. Golden necklace.
