Dress Up, Dress Down: Leopard and Sparkle

With leopard and sparkle on the agenda you might wonder how I could dress my outfit down. I should put this in perspective. A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a wine tasting at ROAD Apparel. So both my outfit ideas were for a Saturday evening event. I do think they’d both work for day too, with a couple of minor adjustments.

I knew for certain that I’d be wearing my silky cowl-neck top with a sparkly cardigan. The sparkles say fancy but the cut of the sweater says casual. Seattle is known as a casual city but for a Saturday night event, I didn’t want to under dress. This was my compromise.

First, I tried on wide-legged pants and leopard ballet flats.

Cardigan: Old Navy
Top: Express
Pants: People Love Frank via thrifted
Shoes: Payless
Necklace: Mary Kay
Cuff: Lauren Harkness

Just to mix things up, I swapped the pants for a denim pencil skirt and traded the flats for heels.

Skirt: Sofada
Shoes: Two Lips

Which outfit do you prefer? I ended up going with: The skirt!

The shape (pencil) was dressy and the fabric (denim) was casual. I felt like I was ready for any occasion in this outfit. I love this brand too. It’s a line of handmade clothing by Alice Dobson, a Portland designer. I try to support small businesses whenever I can. The gorgeous hammered copper cuff by Lauren Harkness is another example of an independent designer. I bought both items recently at an event called Thread.

I threw on a jacket I’d thrifted at Goodwill and I was set.

Jacket: Tahari via Goodwill
Clutch: Shiraleah

To dress these items down more, I’d change the skirt for dark jeans and keep the heels. These looks are probably fine for day, but a simple white t-shirt would be a good substitute for the silky blouse.

I’mentering this post in the Everybody, Everywear challenge since it meets this month’s requirements: sequins and sparkles.