Jul 15, 2011
The Cardi Queen’s blogger stylist swap: Adding to Kenzi’s classic style
Today we’re having some fun with Kenzi of the Cardi Queen’s idea for a blogger stylist swap. She matched us up with another blogger and the pair had the task of styling one another.
I wound up in a group with Kenzi herself and Erin of Pretty Polished Perfect, so we’re doing a round robin: I’m styling Kenzi, she’s styling Erin and Erin’s styling me.
The challenge
Kenzi describes her style as “classic with a twist.” She’s afraid of getting stuck in a rut, so she would like to be more bold in her choices, patterns and colors. She wears jeans “entirely too much” and would like to try more skirts. She also wants to incorporate more red into her wardrobe.
And everything has to work within reason–she lives in a “small farm town” and doesn’t want to look completely out of place!
The stylist suggestion
Because Kenzi is fuller in the hips and waist, I chose pieces that will balance her upper and lower body proportions while defining her waist.
An A-line skirt will look great on Kenzi. The wider hem width emphasizes the narrower portion at the waist. I looked for knee-length styles; this will showcase her shapely lower legs. For something a little different, she can also try a longer-length cargo skirt.
For tops, I chose looser, body-skimming knit shirts that feel fun and youthful. The length should hit just at the hips to cut their width visually. The V-neck and scoop necks will also draw attention upward.
I also kept them looser so Kenzi would be able to wear them belted, an easy way to define her waist and to mix up the look of an outfit. Change your belt and change your outfit! Wider belts that aren’t too embellished will draw attention to her waist without making it look wider.
And because she’s the Cardi Queen, I had to include a few cardigans! These, too, can be worn belted. How cute would that black-and-white Rue 21 cardigan look with the red belt on top?
Finally, I picked out a few pairs of shoes that would be conservative enough for her small town but with enough visual interest to stand out from the same old same old.
As you can see, throughout the choices, there are sassy little pops of red. I also tried to keep every item under $50–with the exception of the red Preen skirt because, well, it was so beautiful. :)
I hope Kenzi likes her stylist suggestions and I can’t wait to see her future outfit posts that incorporate some of these ideas!
$31 - bluefly.com
$27 - zumiez.com
$20 - rue21.com
28 - ascensiononline.com
$31 - kohls.com
£30 - theoutnet.com
$49 - calypsostbarth.com
$35 - net-a-porter.com
£9.25 - ascensiononline.com
£25 - oasis-stores.com
$1,300 - farfetch.com
$30 - topshop.com
AU$30 - witchery.com.au
$20 - target.com
$48 - urbanoutfitters.com
$20 - gbyguess.com
$9.80 - forever21.com
$29 - armaniexchange.com
$40 - madewell.com
[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]
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Heidi!! You did great! I love all of those pieces!! The chambray skirt is just wonderful, It can be worn casually or dressed up. When I wear skirts I often feel over-dressed. With a skirt like that, I could wear a simple tee and flats and feel perfectly comfortable out & about.
And your polyvore board is so nicely done! I’m still new to that as well, and I think you just put mine to shame!
So glad you liked it! I had fun :)
As for Polyvore, I’ve definitely found that the more you use it, the better you get. If you look at my first sets, they’re not so great! Plus I discovered they have templates you can use which helps, too.