Style Analysis No. 2
We are restarting the styleboard analysis train! I did take the submission form down because I want to see myself actually working through them at a rate of at least one per week before opening the form again. Thanks for being patient as I get these out, especially this month which has been particularly busy for me even with the ongoing shutdowns.
Without further ado, here is the board as put up by caller no. 2:
General impression + description
My personal impression of this board’s style is “femme fatale off-duty.” It’s quite similar to the stereotypical "model off-duty" style*, except it’s more aggressively monochromatic and the fur, sensual photos, and witchy motifs in the flavor photos give the board a feline feel. A character wearing this style probably isn't out to make the world a better place, but also isn’t out to cause a scene (again: cats). This, like many boards, I think is at least partially dependent on photography style and scenery (blown out monochromatic backgrounds) since the actual outfits are very minimalist. Still, there are plenty of concrete details that we can tease out to build up a wardrobe and hone its specific vision of minimalist aesthetic.
*Casual and unfussy but with an air of ‘finishing’ through manicures, salon sleek hair, and a general air of ‘I have a very involved skincare routine and my day job involves looking good’
Caller no. 2’s answer to “what do you like about this style?” (going to be referring to the people who submitted as caller no. X unless they submitted after I added the "what should I call you in the post" question to the form – but feel free to link directly to your Pinterest, Instagram, etc in the comments if this was you!)
“The dark, muted colours and the ease of the outfits. It seems kind of free and sensual, and dark both in colour and mood. I also like the simplicity of the outfits, there aren't too many items. To me it seems calm, unfussy, and self-assured.”
Definitely agree with all of that! Also, it’s always cool to see a board that has a really clear sense of what it’s about (I had no feeling here that the board needed to be split into subsections for different styles).
Board breakdown
Reoccurring details
Colors and materials
- Black, white, denim (no grays! Strictly black and white, and mostly black at that.)
- Gold jewelry
- Fur (coats, accessories)
- It’s hard to see particular fabrics because it’s mostly black and the photography is pretty intensely edited, but looks like mostly jerseys and crepes? Everything is spotless and perfectly wrinkle-free.
Motifs
These show up as flavor photos and a bit in jewellery, but I’m not actually seeing these in any outfit pins. If you want more of this literally (vs just having them for mood here), could add it through fine jewelry (e.g. sculpted or stamped rings, I think there’s at least one of those pinned already) or through tasteful black and white graphic tees and tote bags.
- Bones
- Cats, snakes, crows, witchy animals
- Flavor texts: primal, dark
Specific pieces and elements
- Spaghetti straps
- Deep v-necks
- Might-fall-off / might-sideboob tanks
- Artsy cutouts
- T-shirts and t-shirt dresses (varying cuts, but not cropped)
- Button down shirts (more casual / fashion cuts than standard bizcaz cuts)
- Skinny jeans
- Drapey pants
- Drapey materials
- Unfussy shoes (plain black ankle boots, slides, sneakers)
- Minimalist jewelry, slightly alt/indie/trendy styles (e.g. sofia zakia, mejuri, catbird) rather than anything 100% classic
- Boxy minimalist overcoats
Styling
- “I like girls who are natural” makeup (well blended eye makeup in browns, no bright/dark lip color or blush)
- Manicured nails (black/white/natural)
- Long layered straight hair, if up then messy bun. For more variety, I can see anything in the @gentlehairdos instagram fitting in here. I’d say the uniting factor is the hair looks like it just happened by itself. It probably didn't have much done to it that day, but the person managing the hair does go to a salon periodically to get it shaped and/or get highlights touched up.
Vibes
- Minimalist – no prints, not much texture, visual interest comes from interesting cutouts and draping and the pops of fur and jewelry
- Sensual (a relaxed sort of sexy)
- Tops and dresses tend to be revealing but loose or modestly cut if fitted
- Oversized stuff giving a ‘hmmm could fall off any moment’ vibe (Theiss Titillation Theory on tvtropes)
- Cutouts OR spaghetti straps. Not super strappy skinny ties everywhere style.
- The amount of underwear and swimsuit pins is not proportional to irl outfit opportunities. Good reminder for the strappy stuff + cutouts + plunge elements but if I were having difficulty implementing this board’s aesthetic I might make a separate board strictly for mood photos and one where I’d try to keep realistic outfits. Looking back, I would guess that a full half of the board doesn’t actually have images containing full everyday sort of outfits.
- Casual but luxe – not a streetwear vibe, more of a too-cool-for-fashion-week vibe.
- Easy – nothing that looks restrictive (no tight + stiff fabric), the shoes are pretty sensible. Hair that’s seen a stylist but that doesn’t require strictly keeping weekly appointments.
Of note
A big part of this board is the thinspo/thigh-gap-and-abs look of the models. I would love to see a board of this with a larger variety of models, although as someone who makes lots of pinterest boards I understand it can be difficult to find images, especially when you've got an extremely specific vision for both clothing style + photography.
You can definitely get the casual luxe draping on any person with the right cuts though. I don’t know what OP looks like – they might look like the models, in which case pinning photos of people with similar body types is great for a style they’re trying to implement. But if anyone who’s midsize or plus size likes this look, I would definitely focus on curating some examples with a variety of body types. Even if you can’t find any that look exactly like you, just getting your brain used to the idea that anyone can pull off slinky camisoles can be helpful if you tend to jump to negative thoughts when wearing that type of thing yourself.
Build-a-wardrobe
Caller no. 2 has worked through The Curated Closet and sounds like they've got this down. But for fun, here's what I'd recommend to someone who wanted to actually transition their wardrobe into this look (assuming they have a lifestyle where they don't need to wear strict bizcaz or dress modestly or wear particular technical items most days).
After noticing the majority of the original board was actually flavor photos, I copied the pins that 1) had non-lingerie/swimsuit clothing items and 2) were not mostly about stylized photography. Just grouping similar items on that board showed a pretty clear starter/capsule already!
Starter Items
Tops
- Black t-shirts (these are the wardrobe MVP, get more of these vs the more revealing stuff assuming that you don’t work somewhere that encourages those). Go for crewneck + boxy with a longer cut.
- Boxy t-shirt dress with stylized sleeves, or at least one with a
- Black deep-v-neck camisole
- Fitted turtleneck or mock neck
Bottoms
- Skinny jeans (black mostly, washed blue okay)
- Wide leg trousers (could go for one woven fabric and one drapey)
- Relaxed fit mid/low rise short shorts
Outerwear and Layering
- Boxy coat (probably single breasted with minimal / hidden hardware)
- I think there was one sweater pictured, but I wasn't sure if that was included more for the photo's overall aesthetic or the garment. Either way, realistically 1-2 minimalist sweaters.
- Not pictured, but probably a boyfriend blazer. Cardigans feel too soft for this persona, but life sometimes calls for layering.
Shoes
- Black slides
- Black ankle boots (with heel is nice, but not necessary)
- Low profile sneakers.
Accessories
- Capsule jewellery. Gold minimalist (1-3 rings, stud earrings, statement earrings, medallion necklace, maybe one statement interesting thing for Events)
- Eyeshadow stick (Ulta link, non-affiliate)
- Non-crunchy mascara or lash extensions if you're up for the maintenance
- Eyebrow grooming kit (would depend on your hair type, but something to fill them in and some kind of finishing gel probably)
- Nail polish (black, white)
- Reusable lint roller
- Perfect your messy bun
Things to look out for, but that you can probably afford to be picky about and wait on:
- Fur overcoat – vintage or faux
- Cutout top/dress – To keep up with the luxe feel, I don’t think this is the type of item that makes sense to get from Forever 21.
Brands
I'm not quite at encyclopedic knowledge of the latest in the fashion ecosystem, but some brands that I thought fit with the board:
Meijuri for minimalist but slightly trendy pieces
Filippa K if you need some clean cut pieces for more office friendly occasions
Catbird jewelry for more of the subtle witchy jewelry
Aritzia for more casual basics
Not as many inline images as I'd like, but hopefully that was still a good read. Looking forward to getting out more of these out! Are there any elements in this style that speak to you? If anyone has brands, blogs, or style boards that fit this vibe, share them below in the comments!