Dear Fashivly
March/April Edition
Dear Fashivly…
…I need warm weather inspiration. I feel like when you can layer you can be creative... how do you show style with single pieces or no layers???
Tanna: I have ALWAYS felt this - until this year!! I live for layers and mixing and matching pieces to make outfits more interesting. However, I think living in a colder climate has given me a new perspective because I’m not getting to wear my warm weather pieces as much. The key here is accessories. Instead of getting creative with jackets and layers, get creative with jewelry, scarves, belts, charms, hair accessories, etc. 2025 being the “year of personalization” really lends itself to this! Layer necklaces in new combinations, add a scarf in your hair or around your neck, pin some brooches on your favorite sundress or button down. Utilizing pieces in different ways is fun too - repurpose a necklace into a bag charm, try using a scarf as a belt, pair your sandals with a sheer sock! Sunglasses, bags, hats, and shoes are important tools as well! I find myself leaning into the “wrong shoe theory” more in the summer to make my outfits interesting - cowboy boots with track shorts, chunky loafers with flowy dresses! Last summer I would often wear just a t-shirt and shorts, but once I added a pair of fun boots and some cool sunglasses, it made a world of difference and became an outfit that showed my personal style! My point is, don’t let the warm weather limit your creativity, just repurpose it. I’ll share some of my current inspo!
Loading up on the fun accessories - see here, here, here and here
Scarf play - see here and here - adds such a cool visual layer!
This is so creative - a tie as a belt? Inspired.
Here she’s just wearing a simple white dress, but the cap, sneakers, and socks give the look an entirely new sporty vibe!
Imagine this scarf/necklace stack combo with a plain white tee or tank! So effortless and cool.
Also, the one and only Leandra Cohen is a great source of inspiration for this as well!
…I love dark western style but how can I refresh it for spring without going into browns? And without it feeling too cowboyish?
Jess: To refresh your dark western style for spring without diving into browns or leaning too heavily into the cowboy vibe, focus on mixing spring textures and adding lighter, fresher elements while still maintaining that rugged edge. Dark florals are perfect for spring and can still give a Western feel when styled with the right pieces. Cow print is on trend for the season and a great way to incorporate a western touch—try adding a cow print bag to your outfit. A pop of red is also perfect for spring, and a red cowboy boot can add an exciting, cool factor to any look. Turquoise jewelry is another spring favorite that brings a western vibe. For a more refined touch, try pairing a bolo tie with a white dress. By blending these elements, you'll keep the dark western aesthetic while making it lighter and more versatile for the season. Try some of these great pieces!
…can you please do a round up of decent wide brim sun hats for summer? I don’t want to look retired, cowboy, or hippie!
Ashlyn: My key for looking chic and modern with these and none of the described? A flat top wide brim OR details like a print, stripe, or fringe. Find some great options here.
…I feel like a lot of what’s in right now is oversized. I want to play with proportions and I’m a little lost on how to with my curvy and short body shape. I don’t want to only lean on the millennial french tuck!
Nicole: Structured tops and button-downs cropped right at the waistline like this and this, and cropped jackets styles like this give a naturally tailored look without any extra styling and you can find them in any style! Since you're petite they won't give off a cropped look, rather giving you a perfectly proportioned, polished feel that elevates your look.
Tanna: I can’t resist chiming in here as a fellow short gal who loves dressing oversized! Here are some of my personal guidelines that I’ve developed:
pair 1 really oversized piece with something opposite and sleek like a mini skirt or the “little top, big pants” vibe
use a cropped jacket (like the trench Nicole recommended) to add shape and structure to an oversized shirt
cuff sleeves to show wrists (I like adding some bracelets when I do this) and leave top buttons undone to show collarbones
choose delicate, feminine accents like kitten heels and dainty jewelry
These don’t have to all be used at once - normally if I feel like my look is drowning me, I’ll play with 1 or 2 of those guidelines to help it feel right.
…I’m looking for maternity clothes that transition to postpartum that have some creativity/style/visual interest!
Tanna: Mollye and Nicole have both written some great articles about this topic that would be fun to check out for inspiration! (read those here & here) In the meantime, here is a roundup of some great options.
…I’d love to see some uncommon color play in muted colors. I’m a neutrals girly but love to bring in some color for spring.
Jess: I love the idea of incorporating muted colors while staying true to your neutral roots—it’s the perfect way to infuse subtle spring energy into your wardrobe without straying too far from your usual palette! My favorite colors for spring are dusty blue, which pairs beautifully with camel, and soft butter yellow, which complements beige tones well. These muted shades are so on-trend right now and blend effortlessly with neutrals, making it easy to update your spring wardrobe without needing to invest in full new outfits. Check out these two examples below!
Click here for more inspiration!
…Question from Australia and how our seasonal trends. We are coming into Autumn/Fall. So are we following the Autumn/fall trends that the northern hemisphere have just been through? This always confuses me because I love watching your content, but the seasons don't match. Should I scroll back 3 months for inspo and ideas?
Ashlyn: The short answer is kind of yes, but it's getting more complex! Traditionally, Australia tends to follow the last season of the northern hemisphere, although with so many growing Australian designers and brands (and more of a lean towards personal style vs trends in general!) it's been changing. A growing number of retailers are actually shipping the same product to Australia that they ship to the northern hemisphere at the same time, as long as the product itself makes sense. Brands like House of CB are examples here with special occasion dresses. You can see the exact same styles on David Jones right now as you see on the London based retailer's site. A lot of bigger designer brands have also adopted this same mentality, since the world is more connected than ever and Aussies are seeing the new Prada collection at the same time as the rest of the world when it's shown, just a few months before it will be available in stores.
But some retailers like Zara will have the same products at different times for seasonality.
This skirt was from several months ago in the US, halfway in our fall/winter season (now on sale) But the same skirt is part of the Autumn/Winter New Season Collection for Australia right now.
Because of where trends come from now (spoiler alert- everywhere!) we sometimes see trends that come to us by way of the southern hemisphere too! One example of this is bloomers- it seems this was a big trend for you in spring/summer recently, and I'm just starting to see it pop up here for us as the temps get warmer :)
In general, trends have always followed the traditional design schedule and designers and brands have set the standards for what we'll see in the stores and be able to buy. So much of that has changed (see HERE for updated thoughts on the trend cycle), but we're still bound by it for the most part.
If you want to explore some fall/winter trends, here's ours and a more broad autumn roundup from Vogue Australia!
Fashivly Fall/Winter- Pt 1, Pt 2
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That’s it for this month! Thank you to everyone that submitted questions because we love answering them :) Keep following along for more content like this and make sure to submit questions for next month!
xo the Girls at Fashivly