At HABITUAL, we praise the European-influenced look of fashionistas like Emmanuelle Alt, who has a mastery of the chic yet relaxed look. Our new Angelina Cigarette Skinny jeans is a slimmer take on the European influenced look. To recreate the modern, sexier Audrey Hepburn look, try applying these style cues.
Pair the Angelina Cigarette Skinny with a men’s Tuxedo shirt for a laid-back, European vibe; or if you want to go for an even more casual, but still insanely cool look, go with a loose cashmeres sweater in gray. While neons have definitely been trending for spring, make sure that you don’t overwhelm your outfit with too much color. Try a bright leather belt and finish the outfit off with either a traditional pump or a moto kitten heel for a sexier and tougher look.
Tops: J.Crew Men’s Thomas Mason Tuxedo Shirt (left), J.Crew Cashmere Sweater
Jeans: HABITUAL Angelina Skinny Jeans at Nordstrom or Blue Jeans Bar
Belt: J.Crew Skinny Leather Belt
Shoes: Givenchy Moto Kitten Heel
LA Weekly’s annual fashion issue is on stands now, and the paper explores the question, ‘Does LA Have a Fashion Identity?‘ We certainly think so.
For all of the LA style archetypes described in the article – the rocker vampire, the Morrissey, the scarecrow, the skateboarding surfer – the throughline is a great pair of jeans. Writer Gendy Alimurung relays how the average LA resident “hikes and has a dog and eats well” to get that perfect LA body; nothing shows off a great body like a pair of jeans and the right tee.
It’s the confusion about LA’s fashion identity referred to in this piece that gives LA a reputation for being one of worst dressed cities in the US. We think publications like GQ that make this claim are missing the point. LA is stuck taking the blame for the overembellished Ed Hardy look you can find on Melrose Avenue because he happened to set up shop here, but this is not an acceptable look for the majority of Angelenos. Rather, the constant here in LA, jeans, has become an increasingly central piece of a fashion forward equation, which is why you see everyone from Kate Middleton to Emanuelle Alt in the latest rise, and an army of denim bloggers behind them sharing each and every look.
There’s no dispute that New York is the hub of fashion, but the best denim in the world comes from LA. Any brand that wants to compete in premium denim has to have a presence in LA to develop the most current washes and fits and understand how people are wearing denim right now. New York-based brands like Theory, Ralph Lauren, and Johann Lindeberg’s BLK DNM have all crossed the country to develop their denim offering, and San Francisco-based Levi’s produces all of their premium lines out of LA. Even apparel behemoth GAP recently splurged on a 5,400 sq ft. design space called the Pico Creative Loft to house its 1969 denim line, and better position itself to compete with LA’s luxury denim makers.
The article gets closest to the mark when it says “Los Angeles is casual”. We’ll take it a step further, and say Los Angeles is denim, because no fabric exudes “casual” quite like denim.
We loved this recent look from the always comfortable Editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt (whose French Vogue is covered this month by Dutch model Lara Stone). Emmanuelle has transformed her skinny jeans into cropped jeans simply by rolling them up a few inches. It’s easy to forget little tricks like these that will get you more mileage out of your denim, add a relaxed feel to your summer look, and even draw some attention to the new shoes you just bought. About the roll – try not to be too clean about it, a haphazard roll is more laid back than an even fold. It is summer after all. This one is not just for the ladies, either, we’ve seen a lot of men adding a cuff to their jeans, too.
Tip: We can take another style cue from Emmanuelle here by looking at her accessories. What accessory you ask? That would be her confidence, of course.
Get the look:
Top: Organic by Jon Patrick Raw Hem Oxford Shirt
Jeans: HABITUAL Audrey Legging in Hotness available at American Rag
Belt: Linea Pelle Twisted Braid Hip Belt
Flats: TopShop Malachy3 Black Ballet Pumps
Emmanuelle Alt, recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue, is a lesser known Anna Wintour – she hasn’t had a full length documentary made about her or been played by Meryl Streep, but she is every bit the style goddess. She can wear thigh-high boots with skinny jeans, a white tee, and leather jacket and it looks not one bit trashy. It’s nothing but chic and gorgeous and effortless. She looks equally amazing in wider leg flares, the ‘latest’ trend in denim. She is one woman we would love to see in HABITUAL. Emmanuelle, if you ever read this, please call us! We’d love to fit you.
