How to dress down classic styles. Seeing the same pieces in your wardrobe season after season can get a bit boring. So I decided to play around and experiment. I wanted to mix things up a bit. To dress down my more formal coats and jackets. Here I have teamed my pink jacket with a pair of trainers and my slim fit dark navy trousers.
My bright pink jacket is from Joseph. It is at least four years old, see how I wore it back in 2015 here. Joseph jackets are pricey, however, they are well tailored and if my experience is anything to go by, mine has been worth the initial cost. I have definitely got value for my money from this pink one.
My navy trousers are by MarksandSpencer (US link) and my trainers from Asics.
Shop the look:
How do you get the most out of your wardrobe?
The photographs were taken by Laura Hines, follow her Instagram, at Richmond.
The outfit is lovely apart from trainers. Don’t see anything attractive about them,
I was just thinking this afternoon I have a suit that I wore to a wedding in that cerise pink, which I no longer wear as it no longer” looks right” on me and was thinking of ways to perhaps wear the jacket with navy trousers and wear a scarf in my colours close to my face, and up you pop with the complete idea, so now I will be trying it out.
LOOKING GOOD!!!!!!
IN YOUR COLOUR!
You look beautiful in those jewel tones with your white hair. Back in the 80’s when we were all having our colors “done” I was a winter too. Now who knows. My skin seems to have taken on an unhealthy dull look. The other day I tried on a khaki green surplus jacket and everyone told me, not just shop girls, other shoppers, that that color looked great on me. I’m so confused as it was NEVER one of my “colors.” Lately I look better in any shade of green. My dark hair has blond hilights and I have brown eyes. All those bright jewel tones just don’t look as good as they used to.
My wardrobe consists of mostly black!
Hi Lisa B
Interesting. I do think the colours that suit us do change as we age. Our skin and hair colour tends to fade. Technically I should be able to wear khaki but it does not look great on me. I now seem to look better in lighter brighter tones. If I wear black I need to wear a brightish colour near my face such as a scarf or jewellery.
Love the whole outfit! I am spurred on to get out my bright pink jacket bought on impulse a couple of years ago. I have never worn it as thought it was perhaps a ‘bit much’ when I got it home. Not now, it is coming out! Do you remember the style name of your trainers, would love to know. The link you gave seems no longer to have anything similar. Many thanks and love your blog.
Hi Annie
My Asics trainers are from last year. The link I gave shows a similar style and pattern but unfortunately they do not seem to so the same colourway any more.
Have to agree about the trainers. The clue is in the name! Fine for running, ditto serious walking, but everyday? With everything? Would there be other possibilities, perhaps pink Brogues? There are lovely ones around now. I cannot wear them as they do not suit my feet or skinny ankles but they’d look great in a spectacular colour for those who can.
The idea of mixing casual and more formal is great – more choices for the money.
Yes trainers with absolutely everything is a NO from me. It makes you look like Yetta (Fran Fine’s grandmother in “The Nanny”) not stylish at all
I love this look. It’s very me and the sort of outfit I have been wearing lately.
Love the whole outfit, including the trainers! They’re so cool and also very practical. I like wearing trainers while buzzing about day-to-day, because it encourages me to walk more, rather than take the car, always a good thing, in my book! Keep blogging, you’re giving me tons of inspiration. In fact last week I bought a bright pink Spring jacket from M and S, car-coat-length, with a zip fastening, don’t think I would have had the confidence to go for it if I hadn’t been reading your blogs, thank you.
I know that wearing trainers with more formal clothes can be controversial. It is normally a love or hate situation. I do have a couple of pairs of brogues (although not pink ones) and do wear them regularly.
Another reason I like to wear trainers as like Debbie it encourages me to walk more. We live about 20 mins walk from the tube station and I normally prefer to walk as opposed to taking the bus.
I love to read all the fashion updates. Recently I did buy a sweatshirt which was advertised. very useful information put a fresh perspective on clothes
I agree about the trainers. I’d go with a casual shoe, but a little less “trainer-y” and a bit more like a shoe. Example: https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/naturalizer-morrison-sneaker-women/4549539?contextualcategoryid=2375500&origin=keywordsearch&keyword=naturalizer
Your pink Joseph jacket is fantastic, Josephine. And I love the trainers.
I love the trainers! I keep a journal of quotes, thoughts, images clipped from magazines, and in it are a few pages of what I call “Really Ugly Feet.” There I have pasted in photos of just the feet of models/movie stars encased in high-heeled pumps, two-strapped high-heeled sandals, etc. in which the feet are supposed to look good, but they look…terrible! Not to mention uncomfortable. My mother was always very stylish and wore pointy-toed high-heeled pumps when she dressed up, but now she suffers from bunions and myriad other foot problems. Conversely, I have always worn flats or very low heels with wide toe areas – no bunions! No foot problems! (I also never wanted to be in high heels in a dangerous situation which might require running, being a woman.) So I love the trainers! They make a woman look confident and competent!