Adventures in Layering

This season, the overarching theme is the LAYER. (Pronounce it lay-aaaah to maximum fashion-ness.) Layering is hard to pull off — it can be easy to mismatch items or go overboard and look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Today’s outfit is my ultimate layering triumph. Not only does the combination splice together eight different materials, it’s also a high-low mash-up that mixes luxury, consignment, fast fashion and independent designer.

Trench Coat: Burberry London (Saks) | Black Tank Top: Target | Brown Wool Draped Top: Zara | Skirt: Zara | Boots: Yves Saint Laurent (Consignment) | Wraparound Belt: Free People | Necklace: Love Brigade (circa 2006)
Trench Coat: Burberry London (Saks) | Black Tank Top: Target | Brown Wool Draped Top: Zara | Brown Silk Blouse: Dolce & Gabbana (Consignment) | Skirt: Zara | Boots: Yves Saint Laurent (Consignment) | Wraparound Belt: Free People | Necklace: Love Brigade (circa 2006)

The look started with the knit, draped Zara top, which is a challenging piece to wear. Too scandalously deep to wear alone, the top also looked rather schoolmarmish when paired with a sweater. (It looked like a Brownie vest, minus the badges.)

Enter a consignment sheer silk blouse (last seen here), which cements the color palette with zero heaviness. Because multiple layers add a lot of heft, I cinched everything with a thin belt to keep some semblance of an hourglass shape. The pyrite charm doesn’t get a ton of play in my closet, but it echoed the chains on the boots.

trench2

The Yves Saint Laurent boots were a secondhand find. When I first spotted the boots at a secondhand store, they were $300 (retail price was +$1,000). I passed. A month later, the boots were still there… and 50% off. Which reminds me — it pays to stalk your favorite items, whether at retail or consignment locations. You might not have first-movers advantage, but you’ll wind up saving hundreds if you have patience.

On the flip side, I paid full price for the Burberry trench coat, which was an excruciating experience. (I saved for a year before making the purchase and STILL hyperventilated at the cash register.) In my defense, I haven’t found many Burberry trenches in consignment. And the ones I’ve found are extremely vintage, the wrong color (I prefer this sandy tan to the creamier pale versions) or designed for men. So far, it’s paid off — I’ve worn it more than any coat I own.

What’s your most creative way to layer without looking like a snowman?

trench3