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the crop top

 Red is black.

                            – Rei Kawakubo

In a way, a long-sleeved crop top makes no sense….

Perhaps that is what I like so much about it?

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And what could be a more fitting companion than the high-waisted pencil skirt? I like the surprise of the midriff in the otherwise conservative silhouette, and the way the shape of the bared section shifts as the body moves.

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Is it me or do I look kind of…scary here? Maneaterish? Evidently this is how I look sometimes.

Express high waist midi pencil skirt*, crop top from Asos, Cole Haan pumps, dupatta/scarf (giftshop), Breil Milano watch (thrifted), Mulberry Roxanne handbag (thrifted).

*Exactly the kind of pencil skirt I’ve been looking for: friendly amount of stretch, above-the-navel, below-the-knee, hugging but not without structure, not clinging. I got it in gray, too.

This is my favored bag of the moment. It has that functional, built-to-last professorial look I often like paired with a traditional aesthetic that also feels luxurious. A bit of a fashion quest tracking it down, many patient months of unwavering preoccupation, searching and waiting, waiting and searching.

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the sweatshirt dress

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As I enjoy a sweater dress, so I enjoy a sweatshirt dress. This combination of a bundled up top and unprotected legs is exactly the kind of contrast I love. The bulkier on top, the better, which means this look will just keep getting better the more coats and scarves I have to pile on top. Eventually I’ll need to incorporate tights, but bare legs are superior because: correct! More contrast.

In my world, contrast = good.

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This is another lovely pearl necklace on loan from Lilia’s Treasures Etsy shop, a long strand of golden pink ripple pearls. There are swirling wrinkle-like corrugations all over the surface of the pearls, which are themselves beautifully metallic and reflective. Ripples, like keshis, are yet another option for the modern pearl consumer.

I love longer strands:

You can double them up.

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You can knot them or, if the strand isn’t long/small enough, gather them with a broach or ribbon

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And they look great loose, too, though you may have some Thoroughly Modern Millie moments.

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I’m not always interested in showing much leg – it can be in questionable taste or outright trashy – but with a look like this, the more leg, the more contrast, so all of my favorite shots were those revealing maximum thigh. The legwarmers change the skin:clothing ratio, and somehow that expanse of thigh doesn’t seem as risqué as it otherwise might to me. Somehow, I don’t think twice about it. But then, I do have this trashy streak.

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Sloppy Joe dress from Hush, H&M leg warmers, necklace from Lilia’s Treasures, Spektre sunglasses, Steve Madden shoes, Breil Milano watch.

I really like pink and gray together. And cream and anything together.

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This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own. Featured pearls are on loan from Lilia’s Treasures.