How to Style: Plaid Vest Collaboration with Stacy

Stacy, also known as @scoutsonny on Instagram, is one of my favorite instagrammers to follow. I find a lot of style inspiration from her, not just from the pieces she chooses to wear, but how she styles them. She knows how to take one piece and style it creatively, which makes her own closet very versatile. Her style is best described as both classic and fun. Her wardrobe is timeless without ever being boring. She even made (yes, she can sew) a dress inspired by a dress Jackie Kennedy wore –  this is one of the reasons why she is cool in my book.

We both have the Ralph Lauren multi-plaid vest from last year. She found hers at TJ Maxx and I got mine off the Ralph Lauren website. If you’re still wanting to get your hands on this vest, I recently saw a bunch of them on sale at the Ralph Lauren Factory store. It’s lightweight so it doesn’t add bulk when layering, has zippered pockets to keep your phone from falling out, and has a leather trim on it that makes it irresistible.

We chose two ways to style this vest. For the first outfit, we did a more casual look with a vest / boots combination.

I love how Stacy’s boots match the plaid on the vest!

Anything with elbow patches makes a great look when paired with a vest. You can still layer over it without covering up the detail of the patches.

I love turtlenecks for layering, and you can normally find them for $10 at Target. I have one in white and one in black and I wear them frequently come fall and winter.

The vest is a bolder pattern so I kept the rest of my outfit in neutrals to style this look.

 

For our second outfit, we decided to do a more feminine style:

Stacy is great at layering, which is why I love how she wore a denim jacket over the vest. It adds a subtle pop of style that compliments the rest of her outfit perfectly.

Along with expert layering, I love the leopard flats with this look. It’s unexpected and works with the dominant neutral tones of the outfit. Stacy isn’t afraid to mix patterns and is a great example of someone who does so exceptionally.

 

I wanted to compliment the vest so I wore a sweater that drew the deep crimson stripe in the pattern. I layered it over my trusty, light blue OCBD and paired it with a more structured skirt to tie in the sporty feel of a vest with the femininity of the skirt and tights.

Since I layered the shirt/sweater/vest, I wanted to keep the rest of my outfit simple. For example, I wouldn’t wear tights / tall socks / boots with this outfit because it wouldn’t balance correctly from having too much layering going on.

 

Overall, the Ralph Lauren plaid vest is fun to style. There are countless ways to wear this vest and it is appropriate from late fall all the way to the end of winter. I enjoy layering it over lighter colored pieces for a nice contrast, but layering it over a darker piece might give it a subtle, laid back look.

Thanks Stacy for doing this collaboration!

November 7, 2014 by thedressdecoded | 2 Comments