Dress with intention

By |Published On: August 10th, 2016|

As the summer holidays draw to a close, fall is on the horizon. With the end of summer we have to say goodbye to sunny, leisurely days spent by the lake and hello to our more regimented routines and work schedules. Now is a great time to start thinking about what you will be wearing this fall season to ignite the inner icon in you and walk in confidence.   What impressions do you want to make and in what way can they express your personality? The image you project is something that is completely in your hands. You can have fun, be playful, and experiment while also creating your future by simply choosing the right clothes that are relevant to your dreams, your passions, and the life you so want for yourself.

For the Mums in Heels at heart we have a tip for this upcoming season: wear culottes!

Despite the fact that some may call culottes a weird trend, they carry a strong statement about who you are. They have often been a sartorial punch line and don’t suit every figure, but that doesn’t mean we should count them out. Culottes have a feminist backstory. After their popularization in 18th-century France, (so closely were they associated with the ruling class that their opposition was known as “sans-culottes”) in Victorian England…. they were trousers in disguise.   Skirts that would split apart to enable women to ride horses, play tennis, and ride bicycles.

In today’s world culottes seem to tie in with the way that fashion is heading, which is that women are dressing for themselves and each other and not to appeal to men. A woman who would wear culottes would probably be very fashion forward – that’s kind of the point of the design.

What else do we like about culottes: they are the perfect transitional piece this Fall, chic and sophisticated, perfect for your office and to go out on weekends. The newest and most elegant way to work this trend is to choose culottes with a long flowing look and fuller leg. Think of culottes like a swingy skirt with a modern twist. Try to avoid the overly bulky culottes that might accentuate your midlife middle.

Another tip is to combine culottes with a silky blouse that drapes a bit or has a soft knot on the front. If you want a more tomboyish look, then choose a button-up style shirt to have a beautiful contrast of hard and soft, strength and grace.

Blouse and Culottes ESPRIT A/W 2016

Navy Boot bag A/W 2016

For mums with a bit of mommy tummy, try a sweater tucked out that stops at the top of the hipbone, or tuck the sweater just on one side of your waist.

Avoid baggy tops so you don’t create that wide on the top, wide on the bottom silhouette that makes you look like Sponge Bob Square Pants!

Culottes can take you through some colder months as well. We love wearing them with a soft cashmere turtleneck and a long line white blazer or double-breasted camel blazer. They can also be paired nicely with some really cool patterned tights to keep you warm as the weather cools.

With culottes, be careful about choosing the right pair of shoes: pair them with heels to lengthen your leg line or sexy bootie. Kitten heels would be perfect for an office environment.

Be playful, have fun, and express your-MUM-self.

ASOS leather culottes

Jimmy Choo pumps A/W 2016

Gap double-breast camel blazer (similar here)

 

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About the Author: Tsitaliya Mircheva

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Tsitaliya is a writer and fashion journalist for more than 20 years. She founded Mums in Heels 10 years ago and keeps growing and evolving together with her community or fashionable mums and responsible consumers. Fashion and Wellness are her most favourite topics to write about.