June 21, 2013
There were lots of black dresses on the streets of Chicago yesterday, and lots of all-black outfits. But a few really stood out from the crowd by virtual of their carefully chosen metallic accessories. From the young lady in the spikey necklace and woven flats to the executive with her Ferragamo shoes and bag, (and great silver sunglasses), black and silver caught the eye.
necklace – Jennifer Loiselle, tee shirt dress – Yves Saint Laurent, woven flats – Sigerson Morrison, sunglasses – Karen Walker, shirtdress – McQ, handbag – Ferragamo, flats – Ferragamo
The first woman I saw who really got me noticing the all-black outfits with metallics was wearing a simple sleeveless top with shorts, but her accessories really elevated what might have been a very stark outfit. Right behind her was a lovely person in a sleeveless dress with gold flower jewelry – uncluttered, but very charming.
sleeveless blouse – DKNY , gold belt – J. Crew, shorts – Marc Jacobs, sandals – J. Crew, dress- Karen Millen, flower earrings and bracelet – Karen Millen, sandals – Lola Cruz
In the Loop, I saw a couple of young students who were both carrying on the black with metallic theme. The young lady with the silver headband looked very sharp, and the teenager in the simple black dress had carefully coordinated her chain-trimmed sandals with her chain-handled bag.
silver beaded headband – Target), tank – AllSaints , backpack – Eastpak x Nicomede Talavera, jeans – AllSaints, athletic shoes – Keds, dress – Tess Giberson, earrings – YooLa, bag – J. Crew chain-trimmed sandals – AWear
I think my favorite look was a simple black tee shirt with sheer sleeves, black capris, silver-trimmed flats, and a pair of silver cuff bracelets. Talk about something I would wear in a heartbeat! A breezy linen dress got snazzed up quite a bit with black and silver espadrilles,and a silver grocery bag…
tee shirt – Dorothy Perkins, bracelets – Julia Tuton, capris – Dorothy Perkins, ballet flats – Tods, linen dress – L.L.Bean, espadrilles – Prism, tote bag – Aysha Malbershtein
love,
Janice
PS – For more color inspiration, check out the latest Pantone Color Planner and other documents in the Planning Documents section of the website.
I am so glad when I wake up in the morning and there you are. The first thing I check on the IPad, The Vivienne Files and all the daily inspiration.
xoxoKaren
Love it all. Chic and simple for summer.
Oh how I love these looks.
Uncluttered… I think this describes your strong suit in wardrobe selections. You have a great eye for pairing clean simple lines with some key accessories, and it all comes out looking great. I am still drooling over that first dress you showed yesterday. If I should ever be lucky enough to be the mother of the groom, a dress like that will be mine!!!
Going to Boston for five days and I've packed only black and white for the trip. I thought it was a bit drab and, of course, I put in a few scarves. But the weather is supposed to 85-90 and scarves will be warm. Now I'm combing my jewelry looking for some items that will sparkle it up. Also packed my silver ballet flats. Thanks, Janice. Your timely post helped me out.
Janice fab looks for those of us who still have a lot of black in our wardrobes! Great combinations!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
So happy, Janice, to have you roaming for chic sightings! Do you do this sketch book in hand or take snapshots? Either way, I love these looks.
I just memorize them – the general outline of the garments and then the details of the accessories. There are so many people roaming around cities now taking pictures and claiming to be bloggers – I'm not comfortable doing it. (someone wanted to take my picture once, and claimed to be the Sartorialist! I said to him – oh, so you're Michael Patterson? And he said YES. Michael Patterson is NOT the Sartorialist's name… What a creepy way to approach strangers…)
I know exactly what you mean. I just came back from a three-week trip to the Scottish Highlands and there are no–I mean no–people in my photographs. It's true that there are more sheep than human beings there but I'm so uncomfortable taking photographs of strangers (or even imposing on acquaintances, friends, and family to take them) that I seemingly do my own roaming in totally unpeopled landscapes. Someone looking at my pictures actually asked me if I ever saw anyone else while I was there!
In larger cities it's gotten to be quite the "pick-up" routine – pretending to be taking pictures for some fashion blog, and then chatting up women on the strength of it. I guess it's the 21st century version of "you should be a model".
Brilliant! I just bought a black knit sleeveless dress and debated about keeping – the lines are classic but it seemed rather drab – now I know EXACTLY the accessories I need to jazz it up a bit – thanks Janice!!!
i love black and silver. Wore lbd yesterday with black/silver flats.
I love all these…but I agree with you about the look with the sheer sleeved t-shirt and silver cuff bracelets. That could go anywhere!!
Loving the sleeveless black dress with the gold jewelery!
Just discovered this blog and have been devouring the archives. My current wardrobe is in a horrific state due to weight loss (hurrah!) and currently consists of a very well worn LBD, 4 summer dresses that look like they belong to several different people, a gym outfit, an excellent winter jacket, one pair of boots, one pair of flip flops and… no, that's it. Really.
Soooo Any suggestions on putting together a small wardrobe based on black, navy and burgundy suitable for a relaxed NYC social life, bicycle and foot based travel, and a career in equine body work (think wear and tear, dust, horsehair and slobber)?
This post is such a timely reminder that I need to pay less attention to my clothes (I have plenty…) and more attention to my shoes, bags and accessories. LOVE the inspiration, thank you Janice. Such a simple, chic way to lift any outfit.
I feel as if you just blessed my choice of a black cotton sun dress with fine silver stripe and silver sandals that I have determined as my mainstay for this summer! My other main outfit seems to be black capri leggings with a short black jersey dress and the silver sandals/accessories – just right for my life.
Anyone who notes what I write will be thinking, but I thought she was trying to get away from black…?! I was, but it's not working, somehow…. sigh. The silver is great with my greying hair, tho'!