For the second part of my menswear ideas for women series, I experimented with a men’s tie and vintage tie clips. I kept all the other pieces very feminine – pink shirt, flowy skirt/dress, sparkly earrings, hair down, bright lipstick – to offset how masculine a fully-buttoned and tied shirt looks to me. We had to bring the photo shoot inside this time – it’s in the negatives in Chicago!
WHAT I WORE:
- Pink Striped Button Down Shirt: J.Crew Haberdashery
- Black Fit and Flare Dress: Muse
- Black Assymetrical Skirt: Grazia, purchased on MyHabit
- Color-Blocked Knee-High Boots: Schutz, purchased at the Gilt Warehouse sale
- Black Cotton Thin Tie: American Apparel
- Vintage Tie Clips and Earrings: my own
WHY I WORE IT:
I was sure I’d pair the tie with my most tailored women’s button-down shirt, but I had trouble settling on the rest of the look to go with them. There are tiny black pinstripes on the top, so something black made the most sense – especially considering the tie was black, too.
- First I started with it tucked into the flowy black skirt (second set of photos), and while I really like this look, I couldn’t shake the feeling of it looking very close to a waitress at a steakhouse (no offense to steakhouse waitresses! I just didn’t think it was appropriate for work). I also didn’t like that the shirt appeared a little bulky around my waist in photographs.
- I then got the idea to cover it all up w a dress and have the tie stick out from underneath – I thought it would be a playful and unexpected way to wear it – and this is the outfit I ended up going with for the day (first set of photos).
- Normally I’d wear a wider belt with this skirt and dress, but I chose the thin belt since the tie came down to my waist. I wanted the attention to stay on the tie and have the belt blend in rather than have them compete for attention when your eye fell on my mid-line.
- I chose the silver tie clips to match the silver buckle of the belt and because I think the tie clip adds a nice touch – it gave a nod to how you’re really supposed to wear a tie and showed the fellas I know what I’m doing when I wear their garb.
- I chose these boots because it was cold and because I love burgundy and light pink together – they both originate with red – so they make sense as a pair in my eyes. The dark lipstick was also intended to contrast the light pink and to call upon the burgundy of the boots.
- The vintage earrings were an easy choice to go with the tie clips and to add a little feminine sparkle to the look.
Stay tuned! I’ve got one more menswear idea for women before I wrap up this series on Belle Meets World!
XOXO,
Belle
P.S. In case you were wondering what my house looks like, well, there it is! I can’t bring myself to take down my Christmas decorations – then it will officially be January. Although I guess the snow on the ground and sub-zero temps would also indicate the time of year….alas!
