Summer Citrus

Today is the last day of FemmeLuxe week for June. Next month I hope to showcase some of FemmeLuxe's fabulous T-shirts and joggers or their amazingly comfortable loungewear sets, but in the meantime I am so excited for today's outfit. I've been thinking about it and planning this little ensemble for months and talking about it all week. And now, without much further ado, the outfit I have been planning for two months at least and am so excited to finally be able to show you! Is it unconventional? Maybe. Is it bold and bright and filled with citrus and sunshine? Yes, Yes, and Absolutely!

I am a creative person. Being creative is something that I just have to do; it's my stress reliever, my coping mechanism, my comfort. Fashion has become the way I channel my creativity, so I probably do spend more time thinking about how to put together an outfit than the average person, but the good news is that I also love sharing the outcome with you to inspire you to create your style. I get so much enjoyment from trying new things and putting together fearless fashion statements. It's fun and I love the whole process that goes into creating the outfit composition. Fashion is a form of art and style requires creativity and a great outfit is like a well composed piece of music. It should be harmonious, yet original, with a few playful and surprising details thrown into the mix.

So, a few months ago I was browsing FemmeLuxe and I saw this Orange PUCorset Top – Amy. I have worn the Amy corset top before and really enjoyed styling it each time, but what really interested me was the bright warm orange color. I had to stop and look and look again and look again, each time thinking of how I could best style this piece. In the past I have usually styled the Amy corset top with a pencil skirt or full midi skirt, so naturally I gravitated toward that again, but I couldn't think of the right skirt in my wardrobe to match the intensity of this corset top. I really wanted to style it, but I needed time to think. I pressed pause on it for a while until I felt like I could really put together something amazing with it, but a seed was planted. I kept thinking about the Amy top in orange, knowing the day would come.

In the springtime I came across some equally bright citrus print trousers from Collectif. The oranges, leaves, and background blue were all so pretty and instantly this outfit put itself together. I will admit to a mild case of the online shopping jitters. I was so excited about this outfit and there is always a chance that the colors on the screen will not be what you get in real life. 

Fortunately, the colors were a perfect match, even the color of my heels matched perfectly. Plus, I am pleased to announce after some trial and error I have finally found the perfect style of bra to wear with this or any corset top. I recommend a strapless balconette bra (push-up and padding optional). The sides won't peek out over the corset top and it will provide the right amount of support. Of course, a great feature of the Amy top is that is has some built in shape and support, so it all really comes down to your body type and comfort.

To change this look to something a little more casual, I have a pair of orange sandals or I might consider some beige espadrilles, but for today I decided to wear these peppy patent leather heels because I just could not resist. Recently I found this pearl necklace which I've had for years and decided to bring out and wear more often and these pearl earrings are part of a new collaboration I am working on(info about that to come in a future post) After all this thinking and waiting the outcome is everything I had hoped this outfit would be—bold, sunny, original, and chic and I hope you love it too. In fact, I've been so inspired by this Amy top, that I am putting together a few more citrus themed outfits. Coming soon!

Shopping Info: Top from FemmeLuxe, Trousers from Collectif, Patent Heels from Shein, Earrings from Natuloth