Outfit wearing a silk cami and polka dot skirt

The number of times I reached for something with polka dots last week because a bit of a running joke at work. It was like I couldn’t leave the house without putting on something with a polka don’t print. What can I say? I love a good dotty print, and for today’s post, I thought I’d share this simple black and white outfit, which features a spotted maxi as the hero piece. It’s a combination that I’ve reached for a few times already, as I love the elegant nature of the textures, and the relaxed vibe of the silhouette. The number of polka dot pieces in my wardrobe has definitely grown this past year, so I’m feeling pretty lucky that polka dots have been touted as a key trend for spring, as I know they will be pieces in my wardrobe that have longevity well beyond the next 12 months – especially considering it’s become such a staple print for my closet.

Wearing Grana silk cami (10% off with JAMIExGRANA), FRNCH polka dot skirt (I also love this one and this is a gorgeous spot dress from the brand), Everlane editor heels, Angti&Yang ‘miss boy’ bag (10% off with JAMIE10), Mejuri necklace, Reliquia earrings, Linjer watch

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve started to share some more style essays along with my outfits over the last month, and I thought to mix things up a little, I’d start to include some styling notes with all of my other looks, to give a bit more context around how I’ve built my outfit. So, let’s talk a little bit about this outfit (and perhaps a little less about my obsession with a pretty polka dot)…

STYLING NOTES

Minimal colour palette: When wearing a polka dot print, I like to keep the colour palette of my outfit minimal, as I like it to be the focal piece or ‘talking point’ of my outfit. As it’s still pretty warm, I opted to pair it with the simplest thing I have, a little silk cami. The one I’m wearing in the pictures above is a rather new addition to my wardrobe from Grana, and I’m definitely in love with this style. It’s a soft washed silk with spaghetti thin straps, and it’s double layered – basically the three things that I look for in a silk cami.

Relaxed silhouette: I have a few styling rules that I generally refer back to when putting together an outfit, one of which is to balance the look. Essentially this means that I’ll wear something fitted on one half, paired with something loose; think an oversized sweater with a pair of skinny jeans. For this outfit, I’ve thrown that rule out the window in favour of something more relaxed. I like the fact that this cinches in at the waist, which helps to create a bit of shape and keep the silhouette interesting.

Mismatched accessories: Out of habit, I typically tend to have a sort of ‘theme’ with my accessories. They might have the same kind of hardware, be in a similar colour family, or work together to create a tonal look. Instead, I’ve opted for something a little mismatched, and I think it works really well against the minimal colour palette of my outfit. I’ve paired my favourite camel suede heels from Everlane with a black and red structured bag from Angti&Yang, which not only complement each other, but help to break up the monotony of the black and white outfit.

Shop the look below: