A Little Bit Alexa

Zara shorts, Ksubi diamond laser cut t-shirt, J. Crew blazer, vintage watch, Madewell woven bracelet, Kate Spade bag

Back in the Bay Area after a week at home and I'm confounded by the temperature change. Los Angeles and the Bay Area's idea of summer are two very different things. For one, in LA, I would never dream of layering tights under my cut off shorts. But here we are, layering away our summer's finest. Alexa Chung, queen of leggy shorts (evidence here, here, here), I'm looking to you and instances like this for inspiration.

It's Never Too Early For Fall, Particularly 3.1 Phillip Lim's Sheer Pants Runway Kind Of Fall

Zara studio sheer silk pants, Kate Spade bow pumps, Zara parka, Theory knit, Theory dress

What choice do I have when the beautiful sunny weather goes away and suddenly the mornings, afternoons, and evenings are filled with the unmistakable (sad) chill of winter? None, that's what. So I mix it up a couple days and start test driving out a couple Fall 2012 looks I was obsessed with when they walked at New York Fashion Week. This one is all 3.1 Phillip Lim. This floored me:

The idea of a tiny mini skirt in a matte leather looking all the bit classy was mind-blowing. You dress it way down with a pair of sheer pants and over-dress the top with a loose knit. It's a great way to wear a classic pump in a completely new way.

The Cropped and the Fabulous

Since we're on the subject, here are some inspirational examples of a crop top. Layering it over a dress is super smart, like Kelly Framel did. Hanneli Mustaparta seems to be unstoppable, baring it all the way up to her navel. Let's remind ourselves she's a model, though. Jenna Lyons of J. Crew has a very interesting and utilitarian take on the concept of a crop by wearing a cropped-front Derek Lam coat, with a extra long coat tail. It looks brilliant the way she layered it on top of a crisp white shirt, tucked casually into distressed slouchy jeans. Her style is unparalleled and is one of my personal favorites. The top picture? I'm not sure who she is, but she is the inspiration for my own journey into the self-conscious cropped sweater territory. 

I know it's a lot of images of high profile bloggers wearing an exclusive and limited edition Opening Ceremony kitty cropped sweater, but believe me, it can work for sweaters without cats.

In Which I Give A Cropped Sweater A Try

Scary. The word and very premise of an adult woman wearing anything cropped is frightening. It makes me recall images of super tall models on runways with super tiny waists and the inescapable feeling that crop tops are not for normal human beings. Like me. A mere 5'3".

Never the less, I gave myself a challenge and decided to figure out a way to style it because there is a part of me that likes the idea of baring a little bit of skin in an otherwise conservative outfit. Especially after seeing it work so well in street style photos.



The key, I found, is keeping the crop to a minimum. Unless you're Hanneli Mustaparta. Then, girl, go for it.  A sliver of skin goes a long way here and I learned to appreciate the importance of layering the cropped sweater with something more forgiving and comfortable. Like this Burberry peacoat! Will I try it again? Maybe. The beach is ideal for this since baring skin is the name of the game there. If you're ever feeling brave I say go for it, normal woman.

J Brand Jeans, Burberry Prorsum peacoat, Kate Spade quilted chain bag, Anthropologie cropped sweater