Pinspired

Susan B of une femme d'un certain age wears an Everlane silk shirt, French Kande bracelet, Loeffler Randall bag and Madewell slides.

Polished Casual With A Silk Shirt

Here’s another outfit that was inspired by something I spied on Pinterest. After some experimentation, I was able to translate the look to my own wardrobe.

Earrings (similar) | Shirt | Bracelet | Bag | Pants | Shoes

Plus options: Shirt | Pants

My inspiration began with this look below. I loved the desert tones and mix of textures. (The image originated on this website, which sadly does not ship outside of Japan.)

Simple outfit in terra cotta and tan colors with black slides. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Personal Style File: Rethinking “Flattering”

I’ve had the silk shirt for a few months now, and though I love the color (which is more “terra cotta” and less “orange” than it looks above), I was having trouble styling it. It just felt too heavy with jeans and darker pants. But I think it works well with the softer shade of these tan trousers. I love the feel of silk and though we tend to think of it as a “dressy” fabric, it’s actually quite durable. There’s no need to save it just for special occasions.

Under the auspices of “don’t muck it up,” I skipped the scarf. Then went with tan slides rather than black, as it didn’t feel as though there was enough black anywhere else in the outfit to tie them in.

Detail: Susan B wears a French Kande bracelet and carries a Loeffler Randall woven leather tote bag. Info at une femme d'un certain age.

The colors of the stones in this bracelet pick up the colors in the bag handle nicely, I think.

Detail: Susan B wears tan slides from Madewell. Info at une femme d'un certain age.

These slide sandals are SO comfortable! I’m usually a size 7 in sandals, and here the 7 was a perfect fit.

Are there any pieces in your wardrobe that you formerly saved for “best” but now wear with casual outfits?

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54 Comments

  1. Love the interpretation; so much that I’m going to see how I can re-interpret from your version. I prefer your more structured, but still relaxed approach.

  2. Susan why oh why is your hair in your face in every picture? I keep waiting for you to stop doing it! I find it detracts from your polished looks and today I just had to ask why.

    1. Hi Leanne, it’s that time of year where we often have breezy afternoons/evenings. I don’t spray it into place so the wind sometimes ruffles it.

    2. How funny! I was just thinking that I LOVE this photo of your hair blowing! Feels so feminine to me, in a strong way, and what Alyson Walsh calls “faff-free.” Style, after the basics, is so personal:).

        1. I agree with Lisa, the softness of the hair compliments the outfit and I prefer that over overly styled hair which can be aging.

    3. Yikes- I’m sure it wasn’t intended and this comment came off as a bit rude. Susan is showcasing real fashion for real women – wind happens!

  3. Have you tried Uniqlo for looks like the one on which you based your outfit? They rarely have silk, but do have Tercel, which drapes very nicely.

    1. Yes, I’ve often looked at their site. Most of their cuts tend to be to long/straight for me, but I occasionally find something that works.

  4. The cinnamon toast shade of the Japanese shirt is surprisingly versatile. I have an open cardigan in that color. It’s a nice break from black and beige.

  5. I love the wheat shade of your pants! That being said, I ordered them and loved the way they fit, felt and looked. I kept the tags on and wore around the bedroom for an hour. The knees stretched out horribly on me, so I had to return. Still on the hunt for a pair in that shade that does not have this problem.

    1. Oh, that’s a shame. I haven’t experienced that but yes, the fabric is very soft with some “give.”

  6. Really like this combination and am rethinking some of the colors I have been trying out. The bag is just right, the bracelet as well. Also I really like your new hairstyle. I guess I like everything in your choices here. Sandals work it so well. Thanks

  7. Susan, to my mind, your look was better than the outfit you were matching. I didn’t like the black slides & I thought your choice of the lighter colour slide was more in keeping with the outfit colours. Good eye!

  8. Both of these outfits hit the sweet spot as I love every one of those warm neutrals. The Japanese styled outfit is perfection for me but you have ‘translated’ it so well. I live in one of the mid Atlantic states and as the temperatures and humidity rise I can’t imagine wearing a scarf so I appreciate your picture sans scarf. Thanks for a great. start to my week.

  9. Susan, as always, you look pulled together. Your Kande bracelet is perfect with this outfit and I love the bag. I kept looking back at the Japanese outfit and it struck me (just my opinion, no offence meant here) that your outfit might use some definition points, like the blacks in the original photo. Maybe try your outfit with black low heeled slings (or black ballerina flats) and possibly light weight black linen cropped pants. What about a subtle black polka dotted smaller scarf knotted around your neck, or simple black beaded short necklace? Also noticed a combo necklace/scarf by Hermes or Gucci in recent fashion magazines.

    1. I think that the “black definition points” in this color scheme would create too much contrast for Susan considering her coloring. That would work very well for someone with darker hair, though. I love the way the medium contrast looks on her, it’s a very simple but elegant look.

  10. Perfection! Everything goes together in a non-matchy way. Those colors are beautiful on you, the most flattering I’ve ever seen you wear. Those pants would look good with pastels too I think. These colors really set off the your blonde hair.

  11. I could lend you my “hurricane hair”, which is entirely windproof, guaranteed never to need hairspray. I have to warn you, though, that it is that way because it is coarse, wiry and wavy. It has multiple cowlicks (seven at last count; it inspired a band called The Cowlicks, who changed their name to The Cowsills at the last minute), will exaggerate itself in humidity, and has a mind of its own. It has been my nemesis since high school, when it made its way into the yearbook as my greatest enemy. I am looking to rehome it.

    Happy April 1!

  12. You’ve gotten so colorful lately–and you look great! Also, I do like the black shoes on the Japanese original (it goes with the black lining in the handbag); however, I also like your interpretation with the brown sandals. I agree that if you had some black in your outfit (say a black belt, black necklace or some black in a patterned scarf) that then black would work well with your outfit too.

    It’s fun to see some pinspired outfits. Another blog I follow does it by trying to get the same pose in a similar environment with the blogger wearing as close to the outfit as she can get (with her massive, thrifted wardrobe), often with her husband, children or pets in the photo. It’s fun to see and she posts the photos side by side so you can really take a good look. You can check Nicole out at TheSpiritedThrifter.com

  13. LOVE your interpretation!

    I would love to see that shoe in a darker brown, but it looks like it only comes in camel and black. I think a darker brown would achieve what the black shoes in the original were intended to do without creating a Halloween color palate. (Sorry to those who like that combination, but I just can’t do orange & black together for that reason – unless I’m rooting for a sports team with those colors. Gritty, anyone? 😀 )

    1. I have some closed-toe leopard mules, yes. And yes, they could probably work with this outfit as well. Thanks!

  14. Very Tuscan look, I agree these colors are well liked in Italy and flattering on you. Nice to see other colors than black and blue jeans for a change.

  15. LOVE LOVE LOVE this casual elegant look on you. This is among the best of the outfits you have styled, in my opinion. The warm tones make you glow.

    Thank you for styling an outfit that excludes white or black or blue or blue denim and skinny jeans, which are all ubiquitous and completely overdone and suit a relatively small percentage of women.

    This is my favorite fashion formula for summer. I choose a light neutral and pair it with a single medium color theme with some slight color variations in the accessories to add some visual texture. Perfection!

  16. I love this look, and also struggle with getting more wear out of silk blouses I tend to save. I checked on shoe reviews and many say the leather is stiff causing blisters. Have you worn them enough to comment on that. I love this palette.

    1. Hi Jeanne, Thanks! I have not had a problem with the shoes at all. I wore them all day yesterday, including running several errands. For me, they were comfortable right out of the box.

  17. Because my colouring is very different, dark hair with fair skin and green eyes( I guess what used to be termed ‘winter’) I appreciate the suggestions about adding black. When one has high contrast colouring styling outfits using higher contrast colours works better. For instance I would wear black linen or silk blend bottoms and reflect that with a black jet necklace or bracelet. I can wear that shirt colour but need to go more ‘paprika’ then rust. To the comment that mentioned Halloween style, black and deep orange, red and black and of course black and white are the staples of my higher contrast wardrobe. I believe this is why some women often feel their wardrobes seem “bland” or “boring” they are wearing colour combinations that look well on others but perhaps not on them.
    Susan looks sharp here because the contrasts are relatively low complimenting her fair, blonde colouring. Black might work for her in very small doses, but I really like the overall look she has put together.

    1. I absolutely agree with the importance of choosing color combinations that complement your own coloring. I have dark hair, dark eyes, and very fair skin with yellow undertones. The “Halloween” comment was really just a personal hangup of mine. I love black/brown, rust/black, dark paprika/cream. It’s just when it gets close to a true orange that I never feel comfortable pairing it with black. I feel like The Great Pumpkin!

  18. Thanks for continuing to explore the inspirational Japanese outfits you found online, and making them your own. I am enjoying the journey. I just came upon a Banana Republic line called Tokyo Collection that is so right on for this topic. Unfortunately, the sizing is closer to Japanese bodies than American ones. If it was a bit larger I would buy 80% of what I saw there. It’s worth looking though.
    The other place I have found tops with that same kind of vibe is on Everlane, their oversized ones.

  19. Hi Susan
    I wondered what size your shirt was; I’m only 5.1 (I think that is your height too) and it doesn’t look too long on you. I don’t “tuck in” . Im fairly slim 56kg but am a little thick in the middle
    Would love Your opinion and to know if you felt it looked good just handing loose

    1. Hi Lisa, I’m wearing the size 4 here. I don’t like to tuck either, and one of the things I liked about this shirt was that it’s designed to wear un-tucked. (I’m 5’1″ as well.)