Tuesday, 08 September 2009

• Another Take on the Flannel Shirt

  

  If you've been a subscriber for a few months now, or if you've scrolled back far enough in my past entries, you may have noticed that I've previously made a post on "The Man Shirt" which had a brief section about oversized flannel shirts. I've since collected even more photos and examples of this trend, and as it becomes more popular, I thought I'd give more in-depth of an inspiration to all of you. Here is a brief eveolution of the flannel shirt:

  

                      A                                  B                           C

  (A) Men's flannel shirt ($14 at Kmart or close to nothing when found at a thrift store or father's/brother's/boyfriend's closet).

  (B) "Plaid Tunic" ($20 at Charlotte Russe)

  (C) "Dress-length flannel shirt" ($20 Forever21)

  For your refference, other nicknames for this trend are 'tunic' and 'night dress'. The going price in most womens boutiques for this shirt is around $20, but I firmly believe that the same look can easily be achieved for cheaper with whatever men's flannel shirt you can find, paired perhaps with a thick belt around the midsection and a pair of tights.

  

  ^^Here is what I did with this look. I'm still shopping around for a good price on a plaid shirt, but I have in the mean time found a 'tunic' in the clearence section of Charlotte Russe for around $7. I've paired this long, collared blouse with a cut-off and rolled-up pair of jeans that had gotten too big for me. To add a feminine flair, I threw in a pair of black shear tights ($2 at Walmart) and edged it up with a pair of cowboy boots ($50 at WetSeal which is pretty expensive for me lol).

  

  

  ^^Another thing to remember is that if you're having a hard time finding a long tunic or over-sized flannel shirt (or if you're a little nervous about trying out this edgy look head-on) you can achieve a similar, 'safer' look with a normal fitted women's plaid shirt. It's easier to work with because since its already the 'right' size, you don't have to worry too much about contrasting the manly quality of the larger shirt with feminine accessories. Just wear the small fitted shirt with other simple outfit staples. This look goes really well with skinny jeans.

  

  ^^ Here is how the fitted plaid shirt looks with a simple pair of athletic short-shorts.

  

  ^^ Here is a similar look with athletic short-shorts, only this time paired with more of an over-sized plaid top.

  

  ^^Personally, I don't prefer the athletic/pjs shorts look for myself. I prefer to add some structure and make it look more like actual clothing (hehe) and wear it with denim shorts/cutoffs or denim skirt.

  

  ^^ Here is a look similar to the one I tried. It incorperates the longer tunic with shorts and shear black tights. This girl's look is a little classier than mine because she's selected dress shorts (shorts made out of slack material) rather than the light blue jean cut-offs I used. She also spruces it up with the midsection belt I've mentioned above.

  

  ^^ My favorite rendition of this style is where a long or 'dress-length' plaid flannel tunic is worn with a midsection belt, shear black tights, and a casual black shoe or penny-loafer. If you are confident enough to pull this look off, more power to ya! If you're like me and feel kind of awkward or naked in this look, or don't think you have the body for it, don't worry! There's an option for you:

  

  ^^ As mentioned before, a pair of short shorts on top of your shear tights helps you feel less naked without overpowering the look. Another way to go is to trade out the shear tights for a pair of opaque leggings. These can be worn as pants, so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing your underwear like you would wearing the shear tights. It's more comfortable and less restricting than the shorts option, and doesnt take away from the outfit as much. This is also a great solution on colder days.

  

  ^^ Keep in mind that you don't have to own plaid to pull off this look. a similar style is achieved with either a solid colored tunic like the one I showed you from my closet, or a plain colored flannel of your dad's or someone's. The solid color allows for either more of an understated look (if you're not a flashy person and you want the fact that you're not wearing pants to make enough of as statement without adding loud patterns), or if you want to make your statement with a bright colored- tunic rather than a loud patterned plaid.

  

  ^^Here are a few ways to make a plaid shirt part of a layered look. For both of these looks, start with a pair of sorts. The first girl made for a heavy, dark expression by choosing a dark denim for the shorts, and then by layering the plaid shirt on top of a band t-shirt and under a dark denim jacket. The second girl makes more for a playful look by choosing light blue denim shorts, and by layering the plaid shirt over a flowy white sleeveless top. The light colored hat helps with the fun/flirty/playful expression.

  

  ^^ Lastly, if you are lucky enough to have a really long plaid top ("dress length" tunic or really large men's flannel) you can skip the tights or leggings for knee-highs.

  Well, this has been my longest post ever... Sorry about that. As you can see, there's a million and a half ways to go about this look, so have at it!

  *Want to become a model for this website??!? All you have to do is photograph yourself in any outfit you would like featured on the site, and when I've gathered enough info on that trend, I'll post your photo in an article. Look for a statement like this at the end of every post informing you of what I'll be featuring next! Next time, I'll be featuring ANIMAL PRINT! If you have any animal print, put together a look, photo shoot, upload it to your photo blog and send me the link in a messege or comment! Thanks girls!!

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