Laura’s Style Gallery
About Laura
Laura is a STEM PhD student at a top university. She grew up in an artsy, eclectic city and those roots remain important to her. Laura is eager for the next stage of her life, and she wants the extra confidence of rock-solid style to support her in her future endeavors.
Laura’s Style Goals
Laura came to me with a clear sense of her own aesthetic tastes, and a wardrobe that was already creative, expressive, and fun. She wanted to get a clearer sense of what colors worked for her, and why, and also to understand the best ways to experiment while staying true to her style roots and feeling confident in her new professional environment.
Laura’s Style needs
Because of Laura’s busy academic life in a not-so-fashion-forward environment, she needs to balance her love for exuberant self-expression with an awareness for place and propriety. However, stifling her own creativity does not help her stand out or feel more comfortable in her own skin. Therefore, she needs a diversity of ideas for incorporating fun and whimsy into her everyday wardrobe.
My Styling suggestions
Laura has never shied away from pattern, color, and layering. I showed her that small-to-medium scale graphic patterns aligned perfectly with her highly-contrasted True Winter palette, bringing out her facial features without overwhelming her petite frame. Some of her existing pieces were too muted in tone, or had small, flowery prints which didn’t express her sense of presence or quirkiness.
Because of her small frame and the soft geometry of her face, Laura succeeds when she interprets sharpness in a compacted and shortened way. This is expressed through pattern, but also through gamine shapes like shift dresses, collared shirts with cuffed sleeves, and cropped jacket and pant silhouettes. Narrow trim, visible pockets, and shiny buttons are all great details for her. Ruffles are generally too soft, but can be incorporated so long as they appear tight and compact—small areas of sharp pleating are even better.
Some layering ideas I gave Laura included dickie collars—which come in a variety of whimsical and vintage-inspired shapes—sleek turtlenecks in shades of her most flattering vivid solids, and jumper-style dresses. The clear cut lines that result from these layering combos further highlight her True Winter palette.
Laura often wore warmer shades of bright red and grass green—which belong more easily to the Bright Winter palette. I showed her some examples of cooler, richer cherry and emerald greens, which flatter her complexion and features better. Along with these familiar tones, Laura was excited to see that bubblegum pinks, a range of violet and lobelia purples, and a zingy lemon yellow all belong to her best color palette.
For study sessions at the library, I suggested Laura use cigarette jeans in indigo wash or black as a casual base for colorful Breton or polka dot tees. She can always accessorize with a cherry red lipstick, full-strength or blotted to a gentle stain. Lucite and acrylic jewelry often comes in a range of eye-popping True Winter hues like cobalt and acid yellow.
Because of her 60s style influences, Laura can use black and white as her neutral building blocks for most outfits, and pile on two or three bright shades at a time for the perfect balance. Jewelry, bags, shoes, and makeup are subtler ways to incorporate bright color into otherwise neutral outfits, and may be suitable for more conservative occasions.
Color Inspiration From Nature
