Simple Stripes | Shaped by Stripes

I’ve been experimenting lately with simplicity because blogging my outfits has bestowed upon me a habit of wanting to make every outfit overly complex. I want my outfits to be a portrait of my personality and that can mean cramming too many things in at one time. I’m practicing how to showcase personality with small touches. I’ve done this skirt with colorful florals and pattern and sparkles, and it has served extremely well as a complement to many things. But, for this look I wanted to accomplish two things; let the skirt take center stage and show how lipstick can be that accessory that adds interest and personality.

Keeping everything sleek, clean, and black let’s the volume of the skirt sashay it’s way to the visual forefront without being overpowering. Stripes, while great for playing a part in the big picture, are graphic enough to be the whole picture all by themselves. That’s what makes a striped skirt (dress, shirt…I’m not picky) so versatile and why it should be a basic piece in everyone’s wardrobe. It’s a workhorse pulling double shifts and racking up that overtime pay.

I chose to add my personality through lipstick because it’s something I know well, and a bright, bold lip adds color and interest to an outfit without actually adding anything extra to the clothing. I played up the red by adding the complementary green with my belt. The red lip and the green belt are small additions on their own, but the relationship between them makes it one larger statement.

Shirt: Target | Skirt: Modcloth | Shoes: Torrid | Belt: Target| Lips: Colourpop’s Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Succulent

If you want to join us this month and wear your OWN striped skirt (or dress; hey, we don’t mind some variation!) please comment with your post link, tag our Facebook Page, Twitter, or Instagram (all@Shapedbystyle) or use the hashtag #shapedbystripes to show us what you wore! We want to round up all the gorgeous ladies who join us to share their own striped garments and showcase your beautiful selves at the end of the month in a round up post! And if you write a blog post, be sure to copy+paste this banner into your post!