How I layer

Saturday, March 12, 2011

I have a love for layering. I started doing this because my office's temperature runs hot and cold like a girl on PMS. That and also playing with accessories is fun. There is no right or wrong, but I thought I would share what tends to go on in my head:

Accessorize
- I almost always wear a cardigan or jacket, unbuttoned. It's the easiest way to layer and wear different colors/textures.

- Belts and sashes are my best friend. Sometimes I even double up. It helps break up the top from the bottom half.

- Simple necklines (crewneck, v-neck, etc) look great with necklaces or scarves. I pretty much feel naked without something around my neck.

- Statement necklaces look great under or over collared shirts.

- When I push up my sleeves or wear short-sleeve tops, bracelets are my go-to.

- I treat necklaces, belts, sashes, and scarves interchangeably. Scarves can work as belts, sashes can work as scarves. I've even used long necklaces as belts.

Keep proportions in mind
- If my top half consists of multiple layers, I like to keep the bottom half simpler (or vice versa).

- If I'm wearing long sleeves on top, I'm more inclined to show off the legs and wear heels. In reverse, a strapless top with pants.

- Vary the lengths. Ie: a longer tee underneath a blazer, a cardigan over a tucked-in shirt, a cropped jacket over a top, shirt sleeves rolled up over a jacket.

Do you agree or disagree with any? What other layering tips do you have to share?

You Might Also Like

19 comments

  1. you are the queen of layering! i'm not very good at it :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great tips, Cee. I love layering too but I don't know how to do it properly. I am going to keep these tips in mind. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are a layering queen. So glad you did this post, because I stick to my same old one or two ways of layering. Saving this for inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love these tips! And I have yet to try the whole statement necklace OVER a shirt - I think it's genius though!

    I really love how you make sashes into necklaces and scarves into belts - is there are rule on the type of scarf/sash? The ones I have just don't seem to work interchangeably for me - or I just haven't figured it out yet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree completely with these tips! I feel like this is what I try to go by, but even with this advice, my layering sometimes gets a little too 'kid playing dress up in mom's closet. I'm working on it, though :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are my layering inspiration!! I don't know you do it but this post is so helpful:D

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a very cohesive post! I like the mini slices of your outfits. ^,^ I really like your advice that if there is a layering piece on top, keep the bottom simple.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great post, Cee! I love the way you layer, but always found myself lacking innovative ideas on this topic. So this post is very helpful for me. I can't help laughing at my nerdy thoughts when I read "I treat necklaces, belts, sashes, and scarves interchangeably." First image that came into my mind was a girl wearing a belt on her neck. Am I hopeless? lol.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Agreed! You are my layering Yoda master =) I'll be leaving for a trip for 4 weeks so sorry if I won't be commenting for a while. Till then, I know you'll keep on layering and brightening up other gals' days. xoxo L

    ReplyDelete
  10. OOOH the secrets of Cee - I love it! Thanks so much for educating dummies like me :)

    BTW, I'm doing a Cee-inspired OOTD on Tuesday! I hope you like it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very helpful information Cee - Thanks so much for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. @Leena - Everyone has their personal style and something they're good at. You Leena, are the queen of blazers. I envy that :)

    @PetiteLittleGirl, @Kristen, @Really Petite, @Lisa, @Callandra - I debated for the longest time about whether I should write a post like this. I wasn't sure if I was just spouting common sense, but I'm glad you found it somewhat helpful :)

    @curls-and-pearls - With silk square scarves, you can fold it in half diagonally and then sort of roll it up to use as a belt. I also like to use sashes that are about 1" wide as belts too. Keep playing around with them and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it :)

    @Tara - I feel like a kid playing dress up too! When I start feeling that way, I realize I'm probably over accessorizing, so I'll start taking items off.

    @Banhannas - Thanks Hanna!

    @Vicky - Haha! The same thought crossed my mind, so I gave some examples. I think it's the engineers in us, we take things literally :)

    @SewPetiteGal - Looking forward to your outfit!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always love how well you layer! Thanks for sharing this with us :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. sigh. my comment got eat up again. :(

    The gist of my previous wordy comment was that I love how you layer and will be bookmarking this page for reference. I really needed this post! :) I suck at layering...

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great tips, Cee! You are the best at layering. I love how you are able to use sashes and scarves in such interesting ways. I really need to take notes! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm still learning how to layer effectively, so this is very helpful. Thanks for sharing Cee! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is such a great post - I sometimes find it difficult to accessorize and this post has given me some great ideas. Thank you!

    enterkelly.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Layering is essential especially if you work in a BPO company. It gives you a choice as well to mix and match your clothes. Aside from that, you are also able to look fab even if you are cold.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear from you. Constructive criticisms welcome!

30 for 30 abercrombie abercrombie & fitch accessories adidas adrienne vittadini agnes b alejandro ingelmo alexandre birman ali ro alternative apparel american eagle amrita singh ann taylor anthropologie apple aqua armani exchange articles of society asos award bag balenciaga banana republic barbour bath and body works bcbg bcbgirls beauty bebe bensoni biltmore for madewell blank nyc blog every day bloggers do it better bois du boulogne bp. brian nagourney burberry by malene birger c. wonder c/meo collective canada goose cara accessories carlos by carlos santana carolina bucci cartonnier caslon casual cb2 celebrities celine chanel chantecaille chelsea28 chicwish china glaze chloe christian louboutin citrus clothing clu too club monaco coach coffee shop cole haan collection collection 18 color brigade columbia crate & barrel crewcuts cuyana cynthia rowley david yurman dc deborah lippmann decor delman disney couture diy dogeared dressy dsquared2 ebay elizabeth and james elleme equipment esprit etsy everlane express featured fendi forever 21 frank & eileen free people gap gara danielle gibson giles & brother giveaway gorjana goyard grace gift gucci h&m halogen halogen x atlantic-pacific halston heritage haul hearth & hand heirloom finds hollister how to hue hunter ikea ilnp in real life inspired by iris & ink isabel marant ivanka trump j.crew jennifer chamandi jenny yuen jewelry jimmy choo john hardy jones new york joules julie vos kate spade kristin coffin l'oreal lanvin lanvin x h&m lesportsac levi's loeffler randall loft longchamp look for less looks like summer lord & taylor lou & grey love 21 lucy m.gemi mac macy's madewell maje make make up for ever manolo blahnik marc jacobs mary katrantzou massimo dutti maybelline mercedes-benz merona michael michael kors misc miu miu mlb modcloth mossimo moulinette soeurs msgm mvmt nadri new balance new balance for j.crew nike nina ricci nine west nordstrom north face nyc nyc new york color nyx old navy olivia burton opi oscar de la renta pfc pierrepont hicks piperlime plastic island pleione polene polo prabal gurung at j.crew proenza schouler ralph lauren ramblings raphaella booz reader mail rebecca minkoff red valentino reed wilson design review revlon river island robert rodriguez ross-simons rsvp saint james saint laurent sales sally hansen sam edelman schutz shashi shinhwa shoes shopbop shopping shopstyle simply vera vera wang sinful colors professional soia & kyo sole society sony sorel sorel for j.crew sperry sponsor spotted moth stella mccartney stephanie b strathberry stuart weitzman style file superdry t3 tadashi shoji tagged talbots target the container store the horse the limited theory tips & tricks too faced topshop tory burch tous colors toys travels ugg uniqlo uniqueen unknown valentino veque for j.crew vera bradley via spiga victoria's secret vince vince camuto vineyard vines walmart ways to wear west elm white house black market wishlist work xhilaration xoxo yearly summary ysl zac posen for target zara zella