Black Watch Plaid Pantsuit on a Rainy Day
Wednesday I shared my three day trip to NYC and mentioned we did a photoshoot – well here are the photos! We met with Kathleen from Laurel Creative at Pastis, a French restaurant in the Meatpacking District, for a breakfast shoot. I bought no new clothing for this trip and struggled with what to wear that was deserving of a paid photoshoot, that I hadn't shot before. I decided to just wear what made me feel fierce – my black watch plaid pantsuit I got from Talbots this past holiday season. You've seen it before; I wore it with a black camisole for our family holiday cards and wore it with a crisp white shirt to a Mommy & Me tea at the Four Seasons. I wanted to toughen it up and make it feel less “holiday” for a rainy day in February in NYC.
Pantsuit: Talbots (gift from brand, no longer available, both pieces are 14 petite) | Turtleneck: Universal Standard (XS, gift from the brand over a year ago) | Booties: ASOS (old; similar) | Faux fur: Unreal Fur via Rent the Runway Unlimited (XL) | Ring: REALM (gift from brand)
I've had this turtleneck from Universal Standard's Foundation line for over a year and it is so darn versatile. I recently wore it to winterize a summer jumpsuit and last spring I wore the turtleneck with a red pantsuit. It's opaque (that is unless a flash is being used on you), stretchy, fitted without being clingy, and washes up amazingly well. Not hot, but still gives warmth. I have the same turtleneck in white and they are the perfect layering pieces all winter long. I added a pair of old, well-loved black patent booties to keep warm on such a cold day but add edge to the look. Who says Talbots has to be just preppy and conservative classic looks?
When I decided to take this black watch plaid suit to NYC, I rented this dark green faux fur jacket from Rent the Runway Unlimited to take along with me. Such a jacket can fill an entire suitcase, but I put it in a packing cube and it shrunk up to a fraction of its size. If you'd like to try Rent the Runway Unlimited, use this link and promo code RTRDC22F051 at checkout to get $100 off your first month!
I felt like too much jewelry would ruin the look, so the only piece I wore was my gold ring from REALM. I felt tough with my big gold ring, fur coat, and suit with a turtleneck and I have to say I liked the effect. I'm also glad I wore less makeup, it felt right for this outfit.
I keep saying how much I love suits, but they work for so many occasions. I felt fierce in this outfit while remaining comfortable and completely covered. When I was somewhere that was warm, I could take off the blazer and still have a put-together look. While I wore this suit with heeled ankle booties, it would look just as chic with a pair of brogues or loafers (I've been looking at these, and I just got these in white croco and find them extremely comfortable and chic looking).
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I love black watch tartan/plaid and that looks great, perfect color pairing with the fur coat as well!
Oh this print is fabulous, it brought back memories of when I was in high school and had a pair of trousers with the exact same print!
I am agreeing with Krista—Fierce and Fabulous.
Plaid is my least favorite fabric design. Yet I am compelled to say how well it looks on you.
So should I say Plaid and Patent—Perfect!
Wow — you look amazing. I love the green faux fur with the suit!
Thanks Cynthia!
You do such a great job at giving conservative pieces an edge! That is your wheel house. Then again…you make everything look good!
Oh thank you so much Allison!
Fierce and Fabulous!
Thanks Krista!
Now we know why when you posed with your suitcase it wasn’t carry-on sized 🙂 Who cares when you’re on a bus!
I think as long as you know you’re going to have a layer over the turtle neck that they’re OK with a substantial bust.
Do you pick a particular bra with that so when you are’t wearing the jacket you minimize VBL?
I like the dark color with the jacket. If I were going to wear white with that outfit I’d probably go for a blouse so I could have the white collar stand out against the lapel.
The photo shoot looks good, you’re living the blogger dream life with this one.
Exactly, if I was taking a plane I would have packed far differently! Half the suitcase was the coat! And this turtleneck has been good to me, I think because it’s fitted but so… spongey I guess you could say that it’s not clingy. I believe I wore the Soma Cooling Full Coverage. And thank you!
Lovely clothes and photos, Alison! You chose a look that is pretty, relaxed, and polished enough for the Big Apple. Here’s a question. Like you, I love turtlenecks, especially here in the northern latitudes, but also like you, I am busty and feel that turtlenecks are not necessarily in a good proportion with the girls. Maybe it’s just me being hypersensitive, but I’d love to have your opinion.
I never wore turtlenecks for the same reason, I felt like it made me look like I was all shoulders and boobs. Not all turtlenecks are created equal and I’ve learned that only in the past couple of years. I’ve become a sticker for the neck; if it’s too long there is too much volume up there and it makes everything else look linebacker. Thinner fabrics (love a sweater turleneck with a slightly tighter/thinner neck fabric), shorter necks so when it folds over it’s not swallowing my second chin, and well-fitting shoulders (no raglan) so there is that separation between head and bust. I only have two I really like, and both are from Universal Standard (this one and their merino turtleneck). They have good neck lengths.
Thanks, Alison! These are good suggestions. How right you are that we busty ladies should avoid raglan shoulders.