Iteration: Styling a Brown Fringe Skirt
A lesson in addition and subtraction from someone who never took Calc
I’ve calculated that it takes me 3-5 changes to settle on a ‘fit that sees the light of day. In the way that the best writing is actually rewriting, or that painters can fill a canvas many times over to build texture and hues, styling an outfit is an iterative process. Through introducing, augmenting, and editing out parts, a cohesive and artful whole emerges.
In all my 31 years of living, I still cannot decide whether or not this act of styling is at odds with “looking effortless.” Personally, an effortless look on me — if ever I’ve achieved such a thing — would be either 1. effortless only in appearance, but actually an outfit repeat (and once the result of many sweaty try-ons and outfit computations), or 2. in fact boring, and totally lacking in personality.
That may sound like a false binary for something as fundamental as getting dressed to leave your house, but those engaged in the creative process of styling will relate to the dedication to the edit. It’s an Art! We’re channeling chaos and order to make Art! It’s bound to take big emotions, multiple attempts, and a half-destroyed wardrobe to achieve satisfaction and balance (which in practice is often a sublime tension).
So, at the risk of being a sartorial Goldilocks and a try hard, I’m willing to put in the effort to work with an ensemble, moderate its proportions and textures and prints and essences until the look is juuust right. Through this Iteration series, we’ll dig into those efforts in detail. Today’s edition centers on a brown fringe maxi skirt I copped from I Am That (based in Portland, OR).
Always note the first look in the creative process, mine seen at left above. Whatever gravitated towards is worth paying attention to as an indication of your impulses. In this case, it’s an obvious transitional outfit for me. I could wear this as-is or throw on a long, brown trench or a black denim Levis trucker. Comparatively, something about the vintage Cop Copine mesh top in Look (2) takes the whole outfit in an excessively trendy direction I feel lost in. It could be the opposing energies that aren't conversing as well as I'd hoped: the mesh, second-skin JPG vibe; the suede cowboy-ish fringe; the mod, architectural bag and sneakers... it's a lot by my eye, possibly because 3/4 of the elements are statement pieces in my wardrobe. It could also be that the shapes of the top and the skirt aren’t varied enough, don’t provide enough contrast.
Look (3) reconciles the busy-ness with a soft, pastoral knit that, in combination with the suede fringe skirt, provides a kind of femme, cowboy essence without going full yeehaw with cowboy boots. Instead, the sneakers and mod bag balance the rural with a dose of urbanity, and the result is a more nuanced look.
I chose this vintage AARKAY shirt for its color scheme, thinking the skirt would pull out its prominent browns and I was happy with the result! (I typically wear this blouse with black trousers or a cobalt blue skirt, pulling its other colors out. This color-match styling method is why some of the heaviest hitters of my wardrobe are multicolored or patterned articles.)
As for Look (2), there's nothing really wrong with a power-clash, though I find myself in Art Teacher territory! This is a space I have occupied comfortably in the past, but lately I've found myself gravitating elsewhere. The goal of adding the sweater vest in Look (2) was to expand the seasonality of Look (1), but instead I might layer a black, white, or cobalt blue sweater in a cropped silhouette to show off the button down.
Very pleased and surprised with this simplicity! What’s behind this The Rowification of my style? Am I maturing? Is this the flood of experience and confidence I was promised in my third decade? Thrilled to note that the look works with or without the belt, but I enjoy the pop of color at the waist to draw the eye. In that case, I’d probably go for long overcoat in black or brown, as the leather jacket might push the outfit over the edge conceptually.
Speaking of, a final note of caution: Too many iterations, and the line can get blurry. It may happen that multiple outfit attempts result in an ensemble that’s glaringly self-conscious. There’s always a risk of overthinking, of being too zoomed in on pixels that you can no longer recognize the big picture. And it’s possible a few of these outfits teeter on that edge, but ultimately if I experience some semblance of satisfaction in this creative process, it’s a wrap and I’m out the door! As always, it’s about feeling like yourself, like you’ve made something your own.