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Why Did You Wear That: Distressed Done Up

By |April 24th, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

whydid kirsten smithWhen one thinks of shredded jeans, I  assume that most file destroyed denim under completely casual.  To be honest, I treat some of my destroyed denim like my own version of sweatpants.  A particular pair that reign as queen bee of my cluttered closet and are often the first thing I pull out for morning dog walking duty also happen to be the very same pair I pull out to wear with a tiny top and high heels for an evening out.  So, you see, distressed denim truly can go from day to night.  I’ve never worked at a job where I had to wear a “suit” (that’s the beauty of the fashion industry, kids), but when I worked in a sad grey cube at Henri Bendel, we were supposed to follow a few simple guidelines like, I don’t know: don’t look like an asshole or wear flip flops.  One of the clauses when distressed denim became one of our biggest sellers in store was that we could wear it… so long as it was one of our vendors… and most certainly not with flip flops- not even Havaianas.  So, full circle: destroyed denim can be both very downtown as well as totally dressed up.

whydid kirsten smith

whydid kirsten smith

kirsten smith whydid

kirsten destroyed denim whydid

whydid kirsten smithblazer: Dian von Furstenberg, blouse: Philosophy, jeans: DIY (learn how here), bag: Rafe, shoes: Carlos by Carlos Santana, sunglasses: Ray-Ban, bracelets: alex and ani, necklace: Maya Brenner

xx,

WhyDid

photos by Brian Schutza

Why Did You Wear That: Strawberry Fields

By |January 21st, 2014|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

kirsten smithWhile the east coast froze during December and January, I was soaking up the sun on the west coast.  Most people automatically assume LA, but I was up north near the Salinas Valley also called “the salad bowl of the world”  which produces pretty much all of the greens consumed in the United States.  So, by all means, eat your vegetables.  This particular field is a strawberry field and wouldn’t you know it was all too fitting as the sun went down.  The sunsets are nothing short of magnificent in the valley and each night I was wowed by yet another color combination in the sky and bouncing off the hills.  On this particular late afternoon as we tried to capture “magic hour,” the sun cast a rose gold hue which only deepened as time passed and in turn, I now know what I’d look like as a redhead.

This was the outfit that I wore to ring in the New Year  (yes, I got Dick onboard the New Year’s Eve outfit train).  And while it was completely within reason on December 31st, I understand that some of you may not categorize sequin crop tops in the same manner I do- which is every day wear.  So, now you’re looking at this jazzy little number wondering when the hell you’re ever going to wear it again and should you just send it to your niece for her next dance recital?  The answer is no.  You see, Dick is a very logical man, therefore I had to rationalize with him as to how both the skirt and top were totally wearable in more than one way.  While this is how I would style a sparkly top for an evening out, in the next two posts, I’ll show you how to incorporate both a sparkly crop top and pencil skirt into your regularly scheduled wardrobe.  But for now, let’s just bask in the rose gold glow.

kirsten smith

kirsten smith why did

kirsten smith california

kirsten smithskirt: Express, top: Express, boots: All Saints (similar here), sunglasses: Ray Ban, bag: Balenciaga, necklace: Maya Brenner, dog: Smitty

xx,

WhyDid