Tartan Trousers Two Ways

Dresses and skirts are my go-to for work and weekend wear, but I do love a sharp pair of trousers. I'm always on the look out for something that really stands out either because of a great print or a really great cut and for today's post I've found a pair of trousers that has both. So, to kick off FemmeLuxe collaboration week, I thought we'd start with these Beige Tartan High Waisted Skinny Leg Trousers - PercyBeige Tartan High Waisted Skinny Leg Trousers - Percy.

FemmeLuxe has never let me down when it comes to high waist jeans and slim fit trousers, but I also love their Corset Dresses and maybe next month I'll be able to showcase one of them. I chose these Beige Tartan High Waisted Skinny Leg Trousers - Percy because the plaid print is comprised of a warm red and three neutrals: beige, black, and white. I knew that this combination would be really fun to mix neutral and red components in the outfit. There were so many possibilities that I'm sure I'll have to do another post to showcase a few more looks, but for today, I chose two looks that mix neutrals and red.

For our photo shoot today, I found this lovely little bakery and the proprietress kindly agreed to let me take a few pics here on this chilly morning. I didn't manage to get her in the pics, but her two year old daughter was quietly wandering around, peeking around corners and smiling her big smile. She was such a little ray of sunshine with her big rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes, maybe next time I'll get her to be in a pic with me.

Back to business, for this first outfit I had in mind a workplace look, something classy for the office. I chose a red blouse in three quarter sleeves that cuff at the end to bring out the red in the plaid. The nice thing about this blouse is that it isn't very long, only about 23"/58cm. The reason that is so important for this outfit is this: when wearing high waist trousers with a slim fit, you want to show off the waist, but a crop top isn't office appropriate. You need a blouse, but you don't want to lose that high waist silhouette with an untucked blouse.

Then again, you also don't want the lines created by a bodysuit or lumps created by the bunched up fabric of a tucked in blouse. A short length on the blouse allows you to tuck in your top with just a touch of blousing around the belt line and to show off the waist without those ugly lines that ruin the look. I chose a black patent leather belt and matching peep toe pumps for a polished look. I decided to go with black instead of adding more red because anymore would be overpowering. For the accessories I chose a pearl necklace and earrings to add that vintage class and put my hair in a messy bun for both looks.

For the second look I wanted something a little more romantic and soft. This frilly beige lace top seemed like the right fit to create that look. Like the red blouse, this top has a short length so I can tuck it just a little and show off the Percy's high waist and the red belt, and lace always creates a soft romantic look. 

I know many people shy away from combining a textured top with a printed trousers, for fear of it making the outfit too busy, but that's really not the case. The top is a neutral color and in the same color palette with these Percy trousers, so instead of creating conflict it creates visual interest.

And, to that end of creating visual interest, when pairing these Percy trousers with a neutral top, I didn't want to lose that lovely red accent in the plaid, so I decided to add a few more red accents with red flats, a red belt, and a red lip color. Interestingly enough I think less is more and I love the way these accents really make that red pop in the plaid. With a high neck blouse like this that's already making quite a statement, I decided to forgo the pearl necklace but keep the earrings.

I can't decide which of these two outfits I like the best, but the good news is that I don't have to choose. Not only that, but more outfits with these Percy trousers are on the way and I'll be featuring another great style of FemmeLuxe trousers this week, so stay tuned.

Shopping Info: Trousers from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk, Lace blouse and camisole from Forever 21, belt from ModCloth, and flats from Ebay, Top from Shein