fresh eyes: part 1 of a ? part series

When I started this blog, I had the hope, of course, that people would read it. It would be disingenuous to pretend I had any desire to write into a void. But I never dreamed that one bonus outcome would be that I’d get to raid my stylish friends’ closets and put together outfits for them to model–much less that these stylish friends would ask me to do this. So I was very surprised (and pleased!) to encounter the following question from the author Kelly Luce on my Facebook wall:

Not only was I flattered to receive this plea for help, as Kelly is one very well-dressed woman, I was dying to get my hands on those boots. They’re amazing. See?

The color! The fringe! The suede! The fact that Kelly had a pair of boots she didn’t wear astounded me, because she is the Boot Queen. She even wore boots at her wedding. This was an honor, people.

But before I show you what I chose for Kelly, I want to let her tell you in her own words about her personal style philosophy. She was kind enough to answer a few questions for me (with charm and smarts to spare, naturally). Here they are:

Thirty is the New Thirty: How would you describe your personal style?

Kelly Luce: Comfy artsy. My ideal is to combine chill and elegant, to be…chillegant.

 

TITNT: What attracts you to a piece?

KL: Fabric that I can’t help but touch, a deep jewel tone, anything with a boat neck.

 

TITNT: Where do you like to shop?

KL: Modcloth, though their quality varies a lot. I love thrift stores, and I go through spurts of buying brands I like but can’t afford new (Free People, Lucky, Odille, Romeo & Juliet Couture) secondhand on ebay. 

 

TITNT: What do you look for in a quality clothing buy?  

KL: Can I wash it without ruining it? Will I actually wear it? 

 

TITNT: What about them green boots called to you? More generally, you’re a boot girl. What is it about boots that feels right to you?

KL: Skirts look better on me than pants, and are more comfy, and I’ve always loved the balance that a tough boot brings to a feminine flowy skirt. I think I learned this from Blossom. The green boots called to me because of their vivid color and chunky, not-too-high heel. 

 

TITNT: When you’re putting together an outfit, what’s most important to you?

KL: Balance. Of color, of hard vs. soft elements, of accessories. 

 

TITNT: What’s one trend or aesthetic you love but aren’t sure how to approach?

KL: Pattern mixing. I think this comes from years of “clash day” at school, where you wore stripes and plaid and everyone thought it was hilarious. Also, I love hats, but they rarely look right with my face shape.

 

TITNT: What’s something you’ll never, ever wear?

KL: Booty shorts. And gym shoes outside the gym. 

 

TITNT: What was your worst fashion moment?

KL: I found this hideous homemade skirt at a thrift store in high school. It was made of felt and was covered in neon paisley flowers. You could have a seizure looking at it. I wore it with an oversized men’s red velvet blazer. People were too shocked to even make fun of me. 

 

TITNT: What was your best?

KL: Either my wedding–an Etsy designer made my green dress out of vintage lace, which I paired with bare feet, and later, cream cowboy boots–or my book launch: I wore a sleeveless, fitted, navy dress with an asymmetrical button-up front of bright blue buttons, and cream/turquoise peacock heels.

 

Kelly’s closet bears all of these philosophies out–it’s bursting with color, full skirts, and boatneck shirts. It’s a closet that you immediately want to step into and say, “Oohhhh,” while you run your fingers through the hangers. (Which I did.) One of the fun things about getting to dress someone from their own clothes is that I get to play with styles and textures that I love but don’t wear myself. Even though I’m partial to darks, neutrals, and metallics in my own wardrobe, I was magnetized by all the romantic, slightly bohemian silhouettes Kelly had and couldn’t wait to try them on her.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

Possibilities.

The first look I put together incorporated Kelly’s newest summer staple, a cool, classic pair of white shorts. I knew the green would pop against them, and that the navy button-up would ground the ensemble. Plus, navy and green always make a great pair, if you ask me. 

Next we went for something a little girlier–the crop top was fun, and the green in the boots picked up the green in the print. The skirt is lightweight, made of a cool, easy fabric, and works as a neutral. Kelly also let me raid her jewelry box, where I found these great yellow earrings–they provided a great pop of coordinating color while breaking up the matchiness of the green on top and bottom.

Finally, I put Kelly in a pair of jeans. These aren’t really weather-appropriate, since it is way too hot for pants in Texas right now, but my real interest was trying something a little out of Kelly’s wheelhouse; as she said above, she’s much more likely to wear a dress or skirt than pants. I thought these boots might look great with a slouchy boyfriend cut (I told you I’m obsessed with the boyfriend cut), so we improvised with this pair of straight-leg Joe’s jeans by rolling up a loose cuff. The real inspiration here was the top, though–I was totally enamored of it and was surprised by how well its more muted color palette played with the vividness of the boots. I’m not sure I managed to make a cuffed jeans convert out of Kelly, but there’s no denying she looked awesome.

Once again, I’d like to thank Kelly for her adventurous spirit and sharing herself and her wardrobe with me. I had a blast. And if you haven’t picked up a copy of her book, a collection of short stories entitled Three Scenarios In Which Hana Sasaki Grows a Tail, do yourself a favor and click the link. Read it while you savor these last few weeks of summer.