Fashion dilemma – melding styles?

Hi,
As the years go by I've noticed my wardrobe has two distinct styles –
one is a minimalist Banana Republic type/preppy look, lots of black,
blazers, clean lines –– and the other is more of a hippie–romantic look
with flowered skirts, scarves, long necklaces, etc. I usually wear the
Banana look in the winter and hippie look in the summer. I was
wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could combine these two
elements to make a look, instead of wearing all the pieces separately
and feeling like I have two different wardrobes. Is it impossible to
do? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi,
As the years go by I've noticed my wardrobe has two distinct styles –
one is a minimalist Banana Republic type/preppy look, lots of black,
blazers, clean lines –– and the other is more of a hippie–romantic look
with flowered skirts, scarves, long necklaces, etc. I usually wear the
Banana look in the winter and hippie look in the summer. I was
wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could combine these two
elements to make a look, instead of wearing all the pieces separately
and feeling like I have two different wardrobes. Is it impossible to
do? Any advice would be appreciated.

<<< I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could combine these
two elements to make a look, instead of wearing all the pieces
separately and feeling like I have two different wardrobes. >>>
This is definitely not impossible to do! First off, you state that you
wear BR clothes during your more minimalist stage in the winter– why
not spice it up a bit with items from your "hippie" wardrobe...try a
black blazer with a printed scarf around your neck or dress up a basic
tee or top with a long stranded necklace. I have my days where I feel
like going more basic and easily–dressed as I call it, but I still
spice it up with a bright piece of jewelry, fun shoes, or a
bag/scarf/accessory of some sort. Often times, the small accessories
are the perfect items for adding just the right amount of punch to your
outfit.
Look into your winter "minimalist" wardrobe and see what you can mix
with your "hippie/romantic" pieces. You can use the pieces from the
latter as accent pieces to brighten up the more basic items *or* you
can use your more basic items to tone down, say, a romantic
floral–printed skirt.
If you have any more specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask–
I love doing this kind of thing :)
I hope I was of some help to you!
––Laura

<<< I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could combine these
two elements to make a look, instead of wearing all the pieces
separately and feeling like I have two different wardrobes. >>>
This is definitely not impossible to do! First off, you state that you
wear BR clothes during your more minimalist stage in the winter– why
not spice it up a bit with items from your "hippie" wardrobe...try a
black blazer with a printed scarf around your neck or dress up a basic
tee or top with a long stranded necklace. I have my days where I feel
like going more basic and easily–dressed as I call it, but I still
spice it up with a bright piece of jewelry, fun shoes, or a
bag/scarf/accessory of some sort. Often times, the small accessories
are the perfect items for adding just the right amount of punch to your
outfit.
Look into your winter "minimalist" wardrobe and see what you can mix
with your "hippie/romantic" pieces. You can use the pieces from the
latter as accent pieces to brighten up the more basic items *or* you
can use your more basic items to tone down, say, a romantic
floral–printed skirt.
If you have any more specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask–
I love doing this kind of thing :)
I hope I was of some help to you!
––Laura

<<< I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could combine these
two elements to make a look, instead of wearing all the pieces
separately and feeling like I have two different wardrobes. >>>
This is definitely not impossible to do! First off, you state that you
wear BR clothes during your more minimalist stage in the winter– why
not spice it up a bit with items from your "hippie" wardrobe...try a
black blazer with a printed scarf around your neck or dress up a basic
tee or top with a long stranded necklace. I have my days where I feel
like going more basic and easily–dressed as I call it, but I still
spice it up with a bright piece of jewelry, fun shoes, or a
bag/scarf/accessory of some sort. Often times, the small accessories
are the perfect items for adding just the right amount of punch to your
outfit.
Look into your winter "minimalist" wardrobe and see what you can mix
with your "hippie/romantic" pieces. You can use the pieces from the
latter as accent pieces to brighten up the more basic items *or* you
can use your more basic items to tone down, say, a romantic
floral–printed skirt.
If you have any more specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask–
I love doing this kind of thing :)
I hope I was of some help to you!
––Laura

<<< I was wondering if anyone had any ideas how I could combine these
two elements to make a look, instead of wearing all the pieces
separately and feeling like I have two different wardrobes. >>>
This is definitely not impossible to do! First off, you state that you
wear BR clothes during your more minimalist stage in the winter– why
not spice it up a bit with items from your "hippie" wardrobe...try a
black blazer with a printed scarf around your neck or dress up a basic
tee or top with a long stranded necklace. I have my days where I feel
like going more basic and easily–dressed as I call it, but I still
spice it up with a bright piece of jewelry, fun shoes, or a
bag/scarf/accessory of some sort. Often times, the small accessories
are the perfect items for adding just the right amount of punch to your
outfit.
Look into your winter "minimalist" wardrobe and see what you can mix
with your "hippie/romantic" pieces. You can use the pieces from the
latter as accent pieces to brighten up the more basic items *or* you
can use your more basic items to tone down, say, a romantic
floral–printed skirt.
If you have any more specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask–
I love doing this kind of thing :)
I hope I was of some help to you!
––Laura

On 5/14/05 9:02 AM, in article
1116079324.343169.250...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "iloveloulou" wrote:
A very easy way to ease into mixing the styles is pairing basic pants with a
flirty top. It's the same principle (IMO) as wearing jeans with a dressy
top, and it's regularly featured in a bunch of fashion mags. Look at a
recent copy of Lucky if you need some ideas –– they tend to have a lot of
photo layouts combining quirky with basic. Granted, some of it is downright
odd, but I must admit that I've gotten one or two inspirations from them.
ami

On 5/14/05 9:02 AM, in article
1116079324.343169.250...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "iloveloulou" wrote:
A very easy way to ease into mixing the styles is pairing basic pants with a
flirty top. It's the same principle (IMO) as wearing jeans with a dressy
top, and it's regularly featured in a bunch of fashion mags. Look at a
recent copy of Lucky if you need some ideas –– they tend to have a lot of
photo layouts combining quirky with basic. Granted, some of it is downright
odd, but I must admit that I've gotten one or two inspirations from them.
ami

On 5/14/05 9:02 AM, in article
1116079324.343169.250...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "iloveloulou" wrote:
A very easy way to ease into mixing the styles is pairing basic pants with a
flirty top. It's the same principle (IMO) as wearing jeans with a dressy
top, and it's regularly featured in a bunch of fashion mags. Look at a
recent copy of Lucky if you need some ideas –– they tend to have a lot of
photo layouts combining quirky with basic. Granted, some of it is downright
odd, but I must admit that I've gotten one or two inspirations from them.
ami

On 5/14/05 9:02 AM, in article
1116079324.343169.250...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com, "iloveloulou" wrote:
A very easy way to ease into mixing the styles is pairing basic pants with a
flirty top. It's the same principle (IMO) as wearing jeans with a dressy
top, and it's regularly featured in a bunch of fashion mags. Look at a
recent copy of Lucky if you need some ideas –– they tend to have a lot of
photo layouts combining quirky with basic. Granted, some of it is downright
odd, but I must admit that I've gotten one or two inspirations from them.
ami

iloveloulou wrote:
Mmmm....a "hippie banana"?
John
––
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address
Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. ––Beethoven

iloveloulou wrote:
Mmmm....a "hippie banana"?
John
––
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address
Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. ––Beethoven

iloveloulou wrote:
Mmmm....a "hippie banana"?
John
––
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address
Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. ––Beethoven

iloveloulou wrote:
Mmmm....a "hippie banana"?
John
––
To reply, remove "die.spammers" from address
Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. ––Beethoven

Thank you, Laura and Ami! I suppose if you have to mix any two styles,
one of them being minimalist will help matters. I guess I am just
afraid I will end up with a whole wardrobe of the blazer–over–floral
skirt/Coldwater Creek look. (Not that I have anything against Coldwater
Creek... ) Also, i was kind of hoping to just stick to one "style" to
simplify things, but I can't seem to give either thing up. I will
check out Lucky, I admit I haven't read that magazine in a while... I
did used to like the feature they did where four people wore the same
item of clothing in for different ways.

Thank you, Laura and Ami! I suppose if you have to mix any two styles,
one of them being minimalist will help matters. I guess I am just
afraid I will end up with a whole wardrobe of the blazer–over–floral
skirt/Coldwater Creek look. (Not that I have anything against Coldwater
Creek... ) Also, i was kind of hoping to just stick to one "style" to
simplify things, but I can't seem to give either thing up. I will
check out Lucky, I admit I haven't read that magazine in a while... I
did used to like the feature they did where four people wore the same
item of clothing in for different ways.

Thank you, Laura and Ami! I suppose if you have to mix any two styles,
one of them being minimalist will help matters. I guess I am just
afraid I will end up with a whole wardrobe of the blazer–over–floral
skirt/Coldwater Creek look. (Not that I have anything against Coldwater
Creek... ) Also, i was kind of hoping to just stick to one "style" to
simplify things, but I can't seem to give either thing up. I will
check out Lucky, I admit I haven't read that magazine in a while... I
did used to like the feature they did where four people wore the same
item of clothing in for different ways.

Thank you, Laura and Ami! I suppose if you have to mix any two styles,
one of them being minimalist will help matters. I guess I am just
afraid I will end up with a whole wardrobe of the blazer–over–floral
skirt/Coldwater Creek look. (Not that I have anything against Coldwater
Creek... ) Also, i was kind of hoping to just stick to one "style" to
simplify things, but I can't seem to give either thing up. I will
check out Lucky, I admit I haven't read that magazine in a while... I
did used to like the feature they did where four people wore the same
item of clothing in for different ways.

iloveloulou wrote:
look
the
Your timing is perfect. Check out the BR site right now, and you'll see
that they are featuring looks that combine minimalist with
hippie–romantic. For example, click on the black and white link and
you'll see lots of ideas, such as pairing a standard black skirt with a
black and white floral print halter top. Long flowing skirts are also
coming back into style. Remember those tie–dyed crinkle skirts? I'm
seeing those again for the summer.
My advice is to think about just adding a touch of hippie to the
minimalist outfit. I.e., a hippie–romantic halter top under a
minimalist suit. Or add a long necklace to a minimalist outfit. Or the
long flowing skirt with a more structured top. Play around with it and
have fun. It's refreshing that everything these days isn't so
matchy–matchy, color is back, and the rules are few and far between
(provided you pay attention to scale, balance, and texture
compatibility).
jen

iloveloulou wrote:
look
the
Your timing is perfect. Check out the BR site right now, and you'll see
that they are featuring looks that combine minimalist with
hippie–romantic. For example, click on the black and white link and
you'll see lots of ideas, such as pairing a standard black skirt with a
black and white floral print halter top. Long flowing skirts are also
coming back into style. Remember those tie–dyed crinkle skirts? I'm
seeing those again for the summer.
My advice is to think about just adding a touch of hippie to the
minimalist outfit. I.e., a hippie–romantic halter top under a
minimalist suit. Or add a long necklace to a minimalist outfit. Or the
long flowing skirt with a more structured top. Play around with it and
have fun. It's refreshing that everything these days isn't so
matchy–matchy, color is back, and the rules are few and far between
(provided you pay attention to scale, balance, and texture
compatibility).
jen

iloveloulou wrote:
look
the
Your timing is perfect. Check out the BR site right now, and you'll see
that they are featuring looks that combine minimalist with
hippie–romantic. For example, click on the black and white link and
you'll see lots of ideas, such as pairing a standard black skirt with a
black and white floral print halter top. Long flowing skirts are also
coming back into style. Remember those tie–dyed crinkle skirts? I'm
seeing those again for the summer.
My advice is to think about just adding a touch of hippie to the
minimalist outfit. I.e., a hippie–romantic halter top under a
minimalist suit. Or add a long necklace to a minimalist outfit. Or the
long flowing skirt with a more structured top. Play around with it and
have fun. It's refreshing that everything these days isn't so
matchy–matchy, color is back, and the rules are few and far between
(provided you pay attention to scale, balance, and texture
compatibility).
jen

iloveloulou wrote:
look
the
Your timing is perfect. Check out the BR site right now, and you'll see
that they are featuring looks that combine minimalist with
hippie–romantic. For example, click on the black and white link and
you'll see lots of ideas, such as pairing a standard black skirt with a
black and white floral print halter top. Long flowing skirts are also
coming back into style. Remember those tie–dyed crinkle skirts? I'm
seeing those again for the summer.
My advice is to think about just adding a touch of hippie to the
minimalist outfit. I.e., a hippie–romantic halter top under a
minimalist suit. Or add a long necklace to a minimalist outfit. Or the
long flowing skirt with a more structured top. Play around with it and
have fun. It's refreshing that everything these days isn't so
matchy–matchy, color is back, and the rules are few and far between
(provided you pay attention to scale, balance, and texture
compatibility).
jen