This year was definitely a hedonistic venture, in terms of fashion, for both Jen and me. Jen discovered an immense love of huge, ass-kicking boots, and I stumbled upon a hidden love of bright lipstick and top knots.
Among our new discoveries were old favorites and classic standbies – winged eyeliner, skinny jeans and copious platform heels. But what’s fun about that? Here are some of our favorite “new classics” we fell in love with in 2011:
1. Maxi Skirts
We both fell hard for maxi skirts. The pajama-esque nature of their construction, not to mention the sheer versatility of the piece, make the maxi skirt a nearly perfect garment.
2. Florals
Did we age 40 years in 365 days? No, no. Florals were everywhere this year, and therefore unavoidable. We have an unbelievable blast with the Broke-Ass Babes just as summer was at its peak – we tea-partied it up around south Seattle.
3. Flares
With the return of 1970s style came flares. I definitely used to rock these in high school, so it’s officially been almost a decade since I last wore a pair. GAP unveiled their Premium Denim line, and Jen and I both snapped up these gorgeous, wide-leg flares.
4. Graphic T-Shirts
Graphic tees definitely went through an “uncool” phase for a few years, but we can no longer deny their appeal. We’re both casual-but-not-really people, so an interesting, comfortable t-shirt (reppin’ a local cupcake shop, no less!) is the perfect cherry atop a denim & platform sundae.
5. Patterned Tights
Oh man – Jen’s love for tights knows no bounds! She’s always had passion for solid colors, but this year, we ventured steadily into the world of patterned tights. These ostrich-print tights are some of our collective favorites (and there are a lot!).
6. JEGGINGS!
We were oh-so-hesitant to jump on the jeggings train – but now that we’re on it, we’re not getting off. Pajama-style for life!
7. Headscarves
A good 20 minutes of our weekly shopping experience is now devoted to head scarves. Such an easy way to hide an icky hair pile.
8. Not Wearing Black…?
I am usually a black-fanatic. This year, Jen and I both really explored the world of color, and found ourselves black-less (or damn near) on several occasions!
9. FLATS.
I’m 26. Jen is 28. We are officially on the “late” end of our 20s. This is a time when we feel comfortable dropping the “I only wear 4″+ heels…” prestige of our age group. Flats are some of the hardest-to-find elements of fashion, I think! There are so many flats, but the vast majority of them are utterly boring. We reveled in the quest to find cute, interesting flats – and we succeeded.
10. Jackets
While Jen might hold a fancy, corporate day job – she definitely doesn’t let it define her style, at all. We were consumed with the idea of interesting (often thrifted or vintage) blazers for everyday wear. Jen snagged a killer vintage jacket from a friend (who had thrifted it) during a trip to Mississippi.