How Do You Wear It: Striped Shorts

Since MizzJ has left the rainy Pacific Northwest for sunnier climes in Southeast Asia, for this special edition of HDYWI, I'll be collaborating with guest blogger Trisch of Trisch Express. Trisch recently did some jet-setting of her own and returned from Copenhagen with these sailor-inspired striped shorts, of which she initially claimed, "I have no idea what to wear them with." Yeah, right, from a stylish chica like her?!

I was so torn over how to style these shorts. On one hand, I had a perfect warm weather look picked out; it was the optimistic "Summer isn't over until Labour Day weekend!" outfit which, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas, raged against the dying of the sunlight. Then there was the "It's getting colder and the days are getting shorter" outfit, which acknowledged the crappy weather in Vancouver of late and took into account layering for warmth. I'm going to cover both looks in this post. Also, because I know Trisch is on a budget and starting university this fall, all of my selections have been made with a budget-conscious chica in mind: I've tried not to exceed $100 on any item, and most items are under $50. The prices are in US dollars, though. :(

The "Summer isn't over until Labour Day weekend!" outfit

This outfit was inspired by my love of Tory Burch's resort 2009 collection. She doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking, but she does mix patterns to great effect by pulling everything together with a simple colour palette of neutrals, blues, and oranges. I wanted to try something similar, mixing stripes of different thicknesses together while sticking to a few colours.

Just to refresh your memory...

I picked pieces that were affordable but with fun details that would make them special. The simple cream tank, with its front ruching and racerback, adds some visual interest and coverage. Just imagine those details peeking out of the orange striped tee's scoop neckline and low back. You have even more depth and layering and visual dimension when you add the orange elephant cameo necklace.



The outfit as a whole is great for the end of August when summer evenings are a bit chilly, but any of these pieces can be broken up and incorporated into fall outfits. The tank tops would make great layering pieces under cardigans. The jewelry, flats, and cardigan would spice up a simple black tee and skinny jeans. And oh my goodness, that satchel! It's the epitome of the sleek yet practical and affordable carry-all. If you only have one or two classes on any given day, toss a notebook and some pens into that purse and you can go straight downtown from the university campus without feeling burdened by huge backpack.

Mallory knit top, $6.90
Striped open back top, $11.80
Women's bauble flats, $24.80
Jeweled flower ring, $4.80
Elephant cameo necklace, $4.80
Caitlin 3Q sweater cardigan, $22.80
Herringbone satchel, $68

The "It's getting colder and the days are getting shorter" outfit

This outfit was inspired by a look that Blair Waldorf sported in the first season of Gossip Girl. Miss Queen Bee of the Upper East Side took nautical prep in a young, fresh direction by combining pinstripes and argyle with red tights layered under shorts.

Side note: I can't wait for the new season!

Still, the navy-and-red colour schema is a little too "tried and true" for my tastes. Why not kick it up a notch and do berry and hot pink? This outfit provides warmth on a slightly chillier day by layering a wrap cardigan under the blazer, and it defies predictability with an unconventional colour combination. I threw in the cream tank from the outfit above as an underpinning, and the carry-all satchel because a great bag's a great bag.



Women's tipped blazer, $39.50
Women's wrap front sweater, $34.50
Magenta fashion tights, $5.80
Two tone Oxford skimmer, $38
Love bird earrings, $12.99