To be inspired by someone means that you’ve been excited and/or encouraged to see yourself in a different light. Inspiration can awaken a person to new possibilities by helping them to see beyond their personal experiences and self-perceived limitations. Over the years, there have been a great number of fashion icons whose styles have created cultural conversation and have had trend-worthy appeal.
If you googled “fashion trends”, you would get about 1,380,000,000 results (at least I did) that include lists of various sizes as well as numerous articles on what is hot now or will be so in the upcoming season. Print and digital magazines show us what celebrities are wearing to red-carpet events, to lunch with friends, or to run errands during the day. For some, more than others, their style choices garner a lot of attention.
As indicated by the title of this post, the selected theme for this edition of the Magnificent 8 Collaboration is Inspired By. Thanks to a digital subscription, I read a lot of magazines over the course of a month and I often bookmark style articles that inspire me. If it is a “street fashion” one showing a model or reality star, I may recognize her name but I would not likely recognize her face because I don’t pay much attention to celebrities.
What I do pay attention to are the details of an outfit. And so it was in late June that I came across an article in Grazia declaring that Blazers And Brown Trousers Is Fashion’s New It Formula. Apparently, Gigi Hadid And Kaia Gerber had been recently spotted sidestepping “sand-colored chinos for the even more forgiving brown and baggy trousers”. And pairing them with a blazer. Label me “inspired by”.
You might recall from my Fashion Phobias And Other Style Rules post that I won’t wear solid flesh-colored (that would be light tones for me) dresses, pants, or tops. So even though I like them on others, beige chinos are on my no-no list. The idea that brown trousers were a trending option certainly piqued my interest. While trousers and a blazer aren’t a typical summertime look, they could work with lighter pieces.
I’d been half-heartedly looking for darker-hued casual pants for a while without much success. Of course, this meant I needed to get on the ball if this was going to be my “inspired by” look. I found a couple of potentials online and I did a round of visits to my local thrift stores. Despite the lack of popularity and availability of brown pants, I was able to find a few options. The ones you see in these photos are among the thrifted finds that fit me the best. I also liked a couple of the ones I bought online although they’re not as dark a hue.
When I couldn’t decide between a simple white tee or a striped shirt, I opted for both. Either would make for a classic look with the trousers and blazer but together with the shirt worn unbuttoned, I think the outfit has a much more relaxed vibe. And initially, I’d intended to wear my black loafers with the animal print inset (seen earlier this year in Would You, Could You? Gray Sweatpants) but changed my mind when I came across my white slip-ons.
And last but not least, my blazer. Even though I already had a couple of black blazers/jackets that would do the trick, I still made a quick browse through those racks while at the thrift stores as well. With the hope of finding a boxier, boyfriend-style blazer, you can only imagine my delight when I came across the one you see in these photos. It’s unlike any that I already have and it was only 99 cents. In exceptional condition and yep, less than a dollar. Some research on the brand and label indicates that the jacket may be a real find as well. I’ll leave you with that teaser for now because I’ll be sharing more on this beauty in my end-of-the-month post that will be out tomorrow.
Let’s move on to the Magnificent 8 Collaboration. This is its 13th edition. The previous ones were; Life’s A Beach, Distressed, Workout Wear, Spring Pattern Mixing, White Dress, Animal Print, Family Heirloom, Garden Party, Hello, Yellow!, Pearls, Outside The Box, and most recently, Statement Pants. Have you visited any of the other Magnificent 8 gals yet and seen their spins on the theme of Inspired By? In case you haven’t, let me show you the way.
The Magnificent 8 is a collaboration among 8 stylish women, each in a different age bracket, ranging from early 20’s to early 80’s. The intent of the collaboration is to show that there are no age restrictions on style. So wear what you want, when you want, add a smile, and strut your style with confidence. And be sure to check out the other 7 amazing gals! We are sharing these posts on a quarterly basis … be on the lookout in October for the next post in this series.
Grace of Graceful Rags
Mica of Away From The Blue
Roxanne of Glass of Glam
Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
Rena of It’s All Fine. Whatever Tickles The Fancy
Eugenia of The Age Of Grace
Lesley of Jodie’s Touch of Style
And Charlotte of Jodie’s Touch of Style
Remember, you can’t put a number on style!
Have you been as equally inspired by this look as I was? Where do you find your fashion inspirations? What styles or details have caught your attention recently?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post. However, some or all of the links to clothing items (if present) are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Photos: MMPerez
18 Comments
Ooh, I love this look on you, Rena! I remember having a pair of very Katherine Hepburn/menswear-inspired cuffed, wide-legged, high waisted trousers in the late 90s that made me feel like a BOSS (my first time feeling that Lady Boss inspiration!), so I’m thrilled to see this style looking so BOSS on you! I like the addition of the shirt layer here (reminds me of how I wore my long black vest under my red leopard suit a while back).
The blazer is excellent – it’s great to find current styles in a thrift store! That’s always my first go-to when I read about a new style. There are tons of these boxy blazers in the thrifts from the late 80s/early 90s, even into the early 00s. I can’t wait to see your detective work on this one! That’s my favourite part of second-hand: doing the research!
Rock on, Rena!
I did feel rather boss-like again in this look as we first were taking some of the photos for the AWIK post and then taking my photos. I adored the cuffed trouser suits I had a couple of decades ago. KH’s style strikes me as a little too minimalist for me; I leaned more towards Diane Keaton and Candice Bergren’s Murphy Brown character.
I’m always a huge fan of brown even more so than black, and I love how you (and the inspiration) put them together!!
I am shocked you had to buy a pair of brown pants though, LOL!!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
I also really like the combo of brown and black. But even so, I don’t have much brown in my wardrobe and it’d been a long time since I had brown trousers.
I don’t have a lot of brown in my wardrobe but I’m not sure why – it looks great on you! I like that we were both inspired by outfits with blazers too, such different inspiration pics and resulting outfits. It’s so fun seeing all the different ideas in this theme! 🙂
Hope your week is going well 🙂 I was working in the office again yesterday which was nice.
I have a few pairs of wide legged trousers….love stripey ones. And I love brown so it is a win from me.
That’s great to hear, Hilda.
Mica, I don’t have a lot of brown either which was a deliberate choice at one time. But now, I think that needs to change.
What a fabulously cool outfit, Rena! I have always liked brown and black together. It is such a rich saturated combination. And I love the tee shirt, unbuttoned shirt, and blazer layering for a really cool street style vibe. Well done, my friend! The inspiration outfit is really cool, too! But I do love how you made it wearable for you.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Thank you, Shelbee. I was pretty pleased that I pulled it off so successfully.
Looking good! I am loving black and brown together! You look magnificent!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thank you, Mireille. What a lovely compliment.
Great style recreation! Like you, I am not a fan of beige. It just doesn’t register as a color for me. (Yes, I know that sounds crazy.) Lately, I have been embracing brown as well. But it needs to be the right shade – not too much gray undertones.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Michelle, I totally understand how beige does not register as a color. And you’re so right about how important the right shade of a color can be. I much prefer deep, rich hues as opposed to muted ones.
I do love browns and prefer them over black, but this mix is stylish together! Love where you got your inspiration! I used to go to Barnes and Noble, sit at the coffeeshop and read fashion magazines! I also had some subscriptions back in the day. Lots of fun to find inspo in varying places! You can tell you felt good in this look! 🙂
thanks for linking!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Jess, there are so many magazines that are no longer published that I miss. It’s likely the shift from publications and ads to celebrities and influencers that has caused that change.
I love your look. So pretty! Love the black and brown combination.
Love the whole look and outfit. You are looking gorgoeus! Thanks for sharing this.
Love: Mariann Yip
https://www.mariannyc.com/celebrity-edge-cruise-experience/