BEAUTY MUST-HAVES

ENCORE! Pretty in Pink – Part 5

This top was everything when I saw it on the sale rack at Top Shop for $35. But try as I might, I could not find the right thing to wear it with…until I found this raspberry leather skirt on re-sale.

Photo credit: Joni Kat Anderson Photographics

WHAT I WORE:

WHY I WORE IT:

This top is rather boxy, so while I am obsessed with the cut-out shoulders and the pink-foiled and flexible neoprene fabric, I didn’t realize it wouldn’t hug my body the way I’d expected. In fact, I’d planned to wear it with the tutu I wore in my Tutu Magic post, but they were both too wide when paired together – the last thing a curvy gal like me wants is width.

I ended up pairing this top and skirt together on a whim after exhausting all other options. I’d just bought the skirt at one of my favorite re-sale shops, Crossroads Trading Co. It is a real leather Alice + Olivia skirt – so soft, so gorgeous, so perfectly pleated, for $55. Hopefully, dear reader, you are starting to see a pattern of what I will break my <$50 rule for. This gorgeous skirt was one of those.

  • Since they are both in the pink palette (ish), I gave the pair a try and figured the flared pleats might be a good juxtaposition against the straight, boxy top. To my surprise, they worked!
  • The pink foil has a gold fleck in it, so I’d been secretly looking for some gold, barely there sandals to go with it (and a few other things I own). I finally found some in LA – brand new, never worn Steve Maddens at a re-sale shop for $30!
  • This little gold clutch was my aunt’s. It was perfect for this outfit since it was such a mini piece. Again, small accessories for such a boxy, flared look were key to keep my silhouette slim and small.
  • The gold earrings called on the bag and provided a bookend to the gold shoes.
  • Finally, hair pulled back with a little height to extend the line of my body and create a slimming effect, as well as a matching raspberry lip color added the finishing touches.

HOW TO WEAR IT YOURSELF: