Ask anyone in the fashion industry what it means to be able to dress something up or down and they will easily tell you it's making a piece into a casual outfit or a super dressy outfit. You've heard me say a couple times now that a basic black blazer can always dress something up, or replacing your favorite heels with fun sneakers can dress a look down...but what happens when a piece doesn't necessarily dress a look up or down, but can be used in a feminine versus a masculine way? Today on the blog, I'm introducing a new article series called B.O.T.S (Battle of the Sexes) where I show you how to take a piece of clothing, or an accessory, and style it in a feminine way versus a masculine way. This is an attempt to prove that some pieces are not only super versatile, but also worthwhile...no matter your style.
Today's #BOTS challenge: The Varsity Jacket
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Although the Letterman jacket and Varsity style jackets were huge for fall, you can easily get away with them for spring as well if you can find the right one. What we saw trending big time were the overly stylized jackets with faux athletic "earned" letters on the chest, like the ones you genuinely get in high school when you play a Varsity sport. If you can find a more subtle one like the one below, I would definitely say invest because although they may not be "trending" this time next year, they will always be a fun alternative to your typical fall and spring jackets.
For my feminine look, I wanted to play up a typical spring outfit. I love the idea of a great printed shoe with a solid color outfit but I don't always get the opportunity to do so because a classy printed shoe is hard to find. I picked these babies up last year in my very first "I saw that in a magazine" purchase. These gorgeous floral, ankle strap pumps with green metallic backs make for the perfect compliment to my light wash chambray top, which I paired with my full skirt. Although I could have gone with pretty much any black bottom, the silhouette that the skirt creates resembles that of a blooming flower, a subtle tribute to spring. The reason I even added my statement turquoise necklace was to play up the multicolored aspect of the shoes, although honestly the outfit could do without jewelry if that is more your style. Now, for the jacket. It works with this particular feminine look for two reasons, one being the fact that it's simply two neutrals, black and white. The other being the minor "print" hidden in the sleeve and neck trim. As I have stated multiple times on my blog, a combination that will always work is bold black and white stripes against a soft floral print, and this look is no exception to the rule.
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Although the Letterman jacket and Varsity style jackets were huge for fall, you can easily get away with them for spring as well if you can find the right one. What we saw trending big time were the overly stylized jackets with faux athletic "earned" letters on the chest, like the ones you genuinely get in high school when you play a Varsity sport. If you can find a more subtle one like the one below, I would definitely say invest because although they may not be "trending" this time next year, they will always be a fun alternative to your typical fall and spring jackets.
For my feminine look, I wanted to play up a typical spring outfit. I love the idea of a great printed shoe with a solid color outfit but I don't always get the opportunity to do so because a classy printed shoe is hard to find. I picked these babies up last year in my very first "I saw that in a magazine" purchase. These gorgeous floral, ankle strap pumps with green metallic backs make for the perfect compliment to my light wash chambray top, which I paired with my full skirt. Although I could have gone with pretty much any black bottom, the silhouette that the skirt creates resembles that of a blooming flower, a subtle tribute to spring. The reason I even added my statement turquoise necklace was to play up the multicolored aspect of the shoes, although honestly the outfit could do without jewelry if that is more your style. Now, for the jacket. It works with this particular feminine look for two reasons, one being the fact that it's simply two neutrals, black and white. The other being the minor "print" hidden in the sleeve and neck trim. As I have stated multiple times on my blog, a combination that will always work is bold black and white stripes against a soft floral print, and this look is no exception to the rule.
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| Jacket: Wilson's Leather / Pumps: +ASOS / Skirt: +EXPRESS / Chambray: Thrifted / Necklace: +BaubleBar |
Now for the masculine outfit, we are using the basic outfit equation of a screen tee + skinny bottoms + chucks + a blazer (or in this case, a varsity jacket). Instead of skinny jeans which is what I would usually go for, I wanted to see if something else would work so I swapped in my khakis that I actually used to wear for work. Ironically, they look great in a more casual outfit like the one below. Since broken in converse make some of the most comfortable, and somehow still versatile shoes, I subtly honored a what used to be crisp black and white shoe, with my shirt, that has now turned into an off white sneaker with tons of character, with my egg-shell colored jacket.
So who won this battle, the feminine or the masculine? Let me know in the comment section down below and make sure to #asfoBOTS in your Instagram and Twit pics to be featured in the next Battle of the Sexes article.
Stay Stylish
XoXo
-Viktoria
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| Jacket: Wilson's Leather / Tee: +Forever 21 (old) / Khakis: @TheLimited / Chucks: +Journeys |
So who won this battle, the feminine or the masculine? Let me know in the comment section down below and make sure to #asfoBOTS in your Instagram and Twit pics to be featured in the next Battle of the Sexes article.
Stay Stylish
XoXo
-Viktoria
