belt it

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I like a herringbone pattern, especially in charcoal.  I got another faux fur collar as I wanted some contrast here (and generally find it difficult to resist white things).

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oxblood suede (♥!)

Yes, my coat has perfectly functional buttons, and I do like that boxy boyfriend look achieved by simply buttoning it as well as the casual look of not buttoning it at all, but why not add a belt? You know? Just why not?

I’ve been randomly adding a belt here and there where no belt is needed, and it opens whole new world of possibility. Many of my favorite uses of the belt are entirely cosmetic. I am coming around to investing in a really excellent belt (in any style, but with something a bit special about it), which belt can then carry the day, regardless of what it is in fact belting. I’ve observed that a nice dress with a supbar (cheap, plain, ragged, uninspired, etc.) belt yields a supbar effect, while a subpar dress with a luxe belt yields a luxe effect. I think the conclusion here is obvious.

Did I already talk about this? This feels familiar…but perhaps it was only in my mind. Perhaps I am building on the initial idea to invest in a belt and going on to say that I would then wear that belt in all manner of unconventional contexts. Belting a coat that has no need of a belt (or which already has a belt!), belting a scarf, belting a sweater or anything bulky, having a belt slung at the hips independent of any assigned loops, wearing multiple belts.  Much like the artful placement of a superfluous zipper (or like jewelry, which realm of decor a pointless belt approaches), a purely aesthetic belt can immediately up the style factor, especially one that is well chosen. Indeed, the more out of place it is, the better it will function as a feature of interest. It can also up the femininity factor, the waist being a definitive part of the female silhouette, and the highlighting or exaggeration of the waist a much-considered matter in the fashion and beauty industries (not to mention all of the feminist and body issues bound up in it and the zones above and below it by association, i.e. ratios). The waist is powerful, and so is the belt.

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Alorna herringbone coat (thrifted), faux fur collar (eBay), bon chon gloves, Old Navy sweater, Express leggings (I was skeptical about these at first but I think if I wear them and stare at them a bit more I’m going to like them), Cole Haan pumps, Michael Kors belt (thrifted). On the lips: MAC RiRiWoo. Oh, and here are the textured gold sphere earrings I was waiting for. They are heavy but they will do.

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 RiRiWoo (♥!) Like I said, the color is stunning, ultra saturated and ultra matte. 

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on the street: the hooded cape

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A charcoal heather tweed hooded cape at that great upper-mid thigh length.

I think we also have some fingerless leather gloves going on here, and a recent trip to Benefit*. I approve all around.

*And, by chance, some of the least flattering backdrops Back Bay has to offer. I kind of like the alley/dumpster backdrop, though. There’s a weird contrast there. I’m also kind of liking how only her knee is in focus. 

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OK, so, yes. There is something not quite convenient about capes and cloaks. Less flexibility of movement, sometimes, not so warm as a snug design, can be awkward to carry bags, especially if you like to make use of your shoulders, etc. But it is easy to throw them on over a bulky sweater, or over another jacket for that matter, and I find them well suited to the transitional seasons when it’s cold enough to need some kind of outerwear but not quite time for a hat and gloves. And just look. All of the cons are like so many puffs of smoke when you see one in action. Especially, especially one with a hood. Which I want now very much.