This is an outfit I wore a couple of times and liked because of the combination of simple base + bright and patterned layering pieces and accessories. It is also the last time you’ll see pictures of my hair in a bun because it’s short now. 😆

I’ll start with the base, which is some indigo jeans and a grey cropped graphic tee. This tee is one I talked at length about in 90s kid, since it’s normally difficult for me to find graphic tees that I like and that suit my style. I bought these jeans quite recently after having success with the brand Neuw, and although I’m in love with the colour of these jeans, I have to say that the lack of stretch in these jeans makes them somewhat painful to wear. Hahaha. My hatred for jeans strikes again. I’m still hoping like hell that they’ll stretch out a bit more, but for now I think I’m stuck with restricted movement and having a shitty time putting shoes on. 😂

The shoes are a pair of giraffe print boots that I’ve owned since 2018 and have had re-soled, but since I’ve worn them so much, the actual leather of the shoe has softened so much that I don’t think they have the support they once had. My toes feel more squashed in them due to the angle of the small heel. I have resorted to wearing these for shorter distances or when I know I won’t be walking for a long time.

Bright blue Willa Jacket from Sezane 🔹

The newest outerwear addition to my wardrobe is this gorgeous blue shacket (shirt jacket) from Sezane. I recently made a purchase from the French label after eyeing some of their pieces for a while. Sezane makes some really classic pieces, many of which are in a relaxed fit, which is not the style I usually gravitate towards at all. But I kept my eye on them, knowing that they make beautiful, good quality products. I thought about this shacket for a long time because the symmetrical style and giant pockets are not my thing – however, the colour is. I rarely pass up an opportunity to add more bright or royal blue to my wardrobe. I’m glad I bought this because I love wearing it, and the pockets have been really useful as well.

I assessed how this piece might fit into my wardrobe practically before I bought it. I have quite a few sweaters that serve me well in the winter, but I don’t enjoy layering them so have moved more towards jackets. The jackets I own are too warm for warmer weather evenings, or they are too tight fitting and therefore not as versatile, so I didn’t have something that fit that purpose for comfortable outerwear. This shacket works well for those in-between months as well as summer when it’s a bit windy or cool. I also like that it’s casual but a bit dressed up, compared to a blazer which can be both, but is a bit more fussy in terms of structure and keeping its shape.

I’m wearing some pins on my jacket, but didn’t care too much for getting photos of them close up. You can read my blog post about my pin collection which has at least some of them shown close up! I basically hand-selected them from my collection to put them on my jacket, since I don’t love to wear my entire collection all at once. That’s the other thing I thought about when it came to this jacket – I felt that its casual appeal lended to it being a good candidate for something to decorate with pins. The fact that it’s a thick 100% cotton jacket also makes me feel better about essentially poking holes in it, compared to if it was a more delicate fabric. 😅

Accessorising ✨

I’ve already mentioned my disdain for my hair before I cut it, so I tried to make myself feel better and more presentable by trying different hairstyles. I bought this scarf from Sezane as well, believing that a navy polka dot pattern would go well with a lot of the clothes I own. I feel like I can’t go wrong with navy – when I get bored of the colour black, I usually opt for navy. I’m also not the biggest fan of polka dots, but since this is in a small amount and as an accessory, it feels more wearable. I’ve worn it around my neck as well, both folded up similarly to how I’ve done it in my hair, and folding the square into a triangle. I hope to feature more outfits accessorising with scarves!

My nails are, once again, done with nail wraps from Personail. I ended up really loving these Delta nail wrap style since it looked more translucent on my nails than it looked in the pack. They lasted a long time without peeling or chipping. This is usually the case, but sometimes my nails are just a little too long and split easily, or I shape my nails in a way that the nail wrap is more susceptible to wearing down over time.

Outfit retrospective

I wouldn’t say I dislike this outfit, but the jeans were probably not my best purchase and not the most comfortable jeans I have. I’ll have to stick it out until they are way more worn in, or maybe I’ll have to sell them at some point. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Oh well, something to learn from. I have more than enough jeans at the moment and I don’t need to buy any more.

Rethinking the way the shoes fit, I think it’s sadly on its last legs. I will probably give these another few months of wear before letting them go. I hope I can find something similarly stylish because I still love the way these look!

Looking at the outfit more “objectively” and ignoring that I hate my hair in it, I do like the combination of everything I’m wearing, including the accessories. I’m keen to try wearing something based on a similar formula and similar base colours. And with my current, shorter hairstyle! 😊 Guaranteed my next Stylesheet will have me with short hair because my long hair is all cut off now. 😆

Outfit details

• Jacket: Sezane (Willa Jacket in bright blue)
• Top: Abrand Jeans (A 90s crop tee in Black Fade – no longer available)
• Jeans: Neuw (Marilyn Skinny in indigo rose – shop similar wash)
• Shoes: Wittner (old style from 2018 – no longer available)
• Sunglasses: Gentle Monster (Black Peter)
• Necklace: created myself with a herkimer diamond and silver chain
• Scarf: Sezane (Gaston square scarf)
• Rings: Saint Valentine (Picasso ring and Noughty ring)
• Nails: Personail [referral link for 20% off] (Delta)

Footnotes

📸 All photography by Nicholas Cooke. (on my iPhone 12 mini)

We took these photos in a small alleyway that recently opened up for the purpose of being a food truck street on Friday evenings.

I named this outfit Spot the spots as a bit of a clever nudge to the giraffe spots on the shoes and the polka dots in the scarf in my hair. They are more subtle, too, so it’s just a nod to the accessories, as opposed to a more blatant pointing out of the larger or more dominating pieces in this outfit.