(Belated) Copycat Style: November

Wide Trouser + Sweater + Waist Detail

Happy day, reader dear!

What came over me? I woke up this morning (The 16th), looked at the calendar and realized that I had missed this month’s Copycat Style post. (Slap forehead.) It’s time to remedy that oversight!

We have quite a few new people visiting lately, so a quick introduction is in order…

If you are new to Closet Play Image, Welcome! It’s lovely to have you visit. Stay a while. I’m Liz, and my mission is to make the world a more beautiful place, one outfit at a time… To do that, I became an internationally certified Image, Wardrobe & Color Consultant. If that sounds confusing, think of me as a personal trainer for your personal style. I work with clients and share bright ideas for your style wherever and whenever I can. The world can use your unique beauty. Shine! It ripples outward.

If you are back for more, Bless you! You make my heart sing. Really! If you are also a blogger, you know why, and if you aren’t, trust me when I say, I appreciate YOU! You are the reason I am pounding the keyboard.

Each month I do a Copycat Style Challenge, taking looks that have caught my eye and talking through the process of adapting them to work for my wardrobe, my style and my shape. I share the steps I use to break this down so you can do the same. I hope it inspires you to shop your wardrobe to make looks you love!

If it does, share your look on social and tag me @closetplayimage to let me know. I’d love to see what you come up with!

This month’s inspo?

You can find all these on my Pinterest Fall/Winter Style Inspo board. Feel free to follow me over there if you are a happy pinner!

What elements bind these looks?

WHAT? They’re all so different, right? What could they possibly have in common? I see: High waist cropped trousers that aren’t skinny. Soft top. Open neckline. Waist detail. Face focus detailing.

What elements do I prefer from each?

I LOVE the color in the first and last pictures. The colored shoes of the central look make my heart happy! Fall temps call for a cozy sweater like the middle or last picture. I need to make myself a denim belt/sash. Putting a trip to the fabric store on my to-do list for the weekend… I’ll take the scarf from the center image for face focus. (And I’m crushing on the super short crop of the lovely young thing on the right…)

AND I’ll take a cup of coffee please… Like the stylish beauty in the middle. (Make mine decaf. I’m not pretty caffeinated.)

What do I not want?

I’m not a fan of the all neutral center look. (All neutral looks aren’t the best for my Color Contrast.) I’m skipping bracelets this week. I burned my wrist which puts the kibosh on the cuff and the bangles. Mornings are feeling chilly and fall here, so I’ll pass on the jumbo flower brooch. ALTHOUGH, I want to try it again in the spring! (Mine are all brightly colored. Maybe it’s time to look into a darker flower?)

What do I own to work with?

The first attempt did NOT go as I had planned, so I regrouped and tried again the next day. You can, too. Even stylists don’t always get it right on the first try.

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Attempt 1: Grey V Neck Sweater & Burgundy Trouser. I chose the V Neck because it has the open neckline I like in all three looks above. Since the outfit needed color (another wish) I paired the neutral sweater with the only wide-ish colored trousers in my wardrobe. How to finesse the waist detail? That was a roadblock. Scarf to the rescue. Sort of. You’ll see what I mean…

Attempt 2: Grey Short Sleeved Sweater and White Jean. This outfit lacks the color and open neck, but the width of the cropped jean felt more in alignment with that center look. The rise of mine isn’t high enough, but half-tucking the sweater and popping on a belt gives some waist definition.

How did it turn out?

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Clearly I am much happier with the second look!

Some of the deets:

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To create the soft belting of the jeans, I went for a scarf, but it just had too much volume. Maybe another less fluffy scarf would have worked better, but I didn’t have one that made me happy. A pink neckerchief might have been a better choice to tie this all together, but then I’d have been trying to find the right shoes… But then again, double scarf-ing just didn’t work here.

Take two made me much happier. The proportions of the jeans felt better, and although the belting looks more like the young miss on the right, I prefer the look with only one scarf. I’m always a sucker for an outfit with colored shoes!

So How About You?

Had you noticed the missing Copycat Style post? Which of the three inspo looks is your favorite? Any? Do you use Pinterest to collect outfit inspiration? Do you like the wider legged jeans showing up everywhere? Have you splashed out on any? How about the higher waists? (They aren’t my best.) What are you copcatting this season? Do tell! I love to hear from you and I’ve saved some space on the interwebs just for you…

Stylishly yours.,