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What to Wear: Summer Ladies’ Brunch

I showed an outfit in my last Daily Mom Style post that I wore to a ladies’ brunch at a friend’s house, and while I tried it a couple of different ways, I still wasn’t thrilled with the final result. I decided to work on it and see if I could come up with a combination that I like better.

Here is the outfit as I wore it. I like to show two angles sometimes because I feel that it gives a better perspective of how the outfit might look in person. You can see this outfit looks much more flattering from the side than it does front-on (most do, I suppose.)

outfit-1

The basic components were this orange embellished tunic from Old Navy and my white straight-leg jeans. It didn’t really occur to me to try it with other pants. I suppose dark jeans might work as well but I wanted a fresh, light look so I went for the white.

The beading on the top is brown and yellow with a hint of white stitching. Here’s a close-up.

closeup

The day of the event, I tried the outfit with my brown sandals and my yellow ballet flats  (I would have changed the copper bracelet to a yellow one, had I worn the yellow shoes.)

comparison

I ended up wearing the brown sandals, but in retrospect, I think the yellow looked better against the white jeans.

I think the real problem with the outfit lies with the proportion. Neither shoe looked great because I needed some extra height on the bottom to balance out the length of the top. So I went back to my closet and pulled out a few pairs of wedge sandals.

shoe options

First attempt: (Please envision it with a yellow bracelet — I have one but forgot to put it on! And also, the copper earrings from the pictures above. I loved those with this outfit.)

How to Wear: Orange and Yellow

I love these yellow shoes, but they are verrry high. I think the yellow shoes against the white jeans with the orange contrast on top is very fresh, but the shoes seem like overkill for a morning brunch.

Second attempt:

fashion over 40

While the color combination is not as striking, the tobacco colored wedge sandals work with the color palette and are neutral enough to extend the length of the light pants (not literally, you understand… it’s an illusion of more length on the bottom that I needed) but not so high and uncomfortable that I feel that are inappropriate for a casual daytime event.

So I think this is what I should have worn — with the copper earrings that I had on above. And if I’d had a yellow handbag, that would have finished the look. Imagine it this way:

final outfit

The problem with the proportion of the outfit could have also been solved by a skinnier pant to offset the volume in the top. In that case, the flats I wore originally may have worked, but I don’t have any white jeans that are skinnier than these.

Fashion is complicated, yes????

At the end of the day, I don’t think this top is particularly flattering, but it’s nice for a change.

What do you think?

Join The Conversation

21 Responses

  1. Adding height really worked. I love the top. But, I think you’re right, you look better in some of your more tailored type tops. Thus one is a little wide thru the waist area. Color is great on you though.

  2. I loved this top on you – I think it looked great, especially with the higher heels. I have this top in blue, and I need the added height as well.

  3. I love this top on you, it looks comfortable and stylish. It is nice to have something different for a change too and when you are going to brunch you want to feel comfortable. This color looks really good on you and the pop of yellow is great.

  4. I absolutely love the yellow wedge with the outfit. The color combination is fantastic. I think if you had a top that was the same color but more fitted, you would have a great summer date night outfit there. Going with the brown wedges definitely worked for a daytime event.

  5. I love the top on you too! And as soon as I saw the first pic with the flat sandals I said to myself, she needs a heel with that outfit. I liked the brown wedges better than the yellow with that outfit, but I do looooove those yellow wedges!

    1. Thanks for the input! Yes, heels for sure. I think in general those pants look better with heels. Not sure why, maybe the length is a tad too long for flats? And I feel they need to be narrower.

  6. I am glad you went with the brown wedge it was neutral and paired well with the top. I enjoyed reading your thought process.

  7. You are very good at figuring out what looks good! I agree with your assessment. It does take a lot of thought to put together a good outfit. Beauty takes effort!

  8. I love the fresh color combo of the orange and yellow together. May I suggest cuffing those pants with the wedges? I think it will balance out the proportion a bit better and add a bit of “architectural interest”. Just a simple turn up once might be worth a try! I wear a ton of wedges on a daily basis as they are my favorite for standing and teaching in, but sometimes I find that the length of pants I am wearing hits at the wrong spot for the wedges. Flipping the cuff up always helps!

    1. I can try it but when I’ve tried rolling those cuffs, I never like it. For one, they have a bit of a side vent. But I don’t think I tried rolling once. I will def give it a shot!

  9. I agree with DudeMom, I like the height much better but I think the top itself is too boxey for you and would be better if you had it taken in to be a more tailored look.

    The yellow was cool, although I wouldn’t have pared the yellow shoes and another yellow thing like a bracelet, too matchy match 😉 I think a yellow bag against the orange would have been too much.

    1. Yep, I agree with the boxy. I kinda doubt I’ll end up wearing the top much. I didn’t spend enough on it to want to bother taking it in. I think it could be shortened a bit too, if I wanted to mess with it.

  10. Love the color of the top! Maybe add a pair of skinny white jeans (I don’t own any, either) to your wardrobe. The yellow wedges are cute, cute cute. I’m more of a flats girl myself. 🙂

  11. I think the top looks great on you, but think a wider leg pant with either sandal would look better. Don’t give up on that top! 🙂
    Glad to know I’m not the only one that frets over these things!

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