Iconic Fashion: How to Bring Timeless Clothing to Your Style *

Building an outfit is like building anything else — only successful if you have the right foundations. Fashion changes every day, but some essential pieces seem to stick around for life.

From dresses to footwear, you can discover which iconic clothing styles have stood the test of time and how you can use these to revamp your contemporary wardrobe.

Jackets

Leather

The leather jacket is one of those items that you can always rely on when you’re in a rush to meet friends or join your date and you need to be stylishly ready five minutes ago. Contemporary and retro depending on your choice of design, leather jackets are timelessly stylish and have been a huge part of women’s fashion since the 1970s.

Styling:

If you love the grunge appeal, biker leather jackets, graphic tees and skinny jeans are your thing. Fancy a cropped design? Short leather jackets perfectly show off high-waisted trousers and belts, or why not style it with a cute checked or pretty floral midi skirt for an unexpected twist?

Denim

Double denim isn’t for everyone, but a handy denim jacket is hanging in almost all of our wardrobes. This clothing trend was huge in the 1980s and it’s been transforming in sync with new fashion movements ever since.

Styling:

There isn’t time to go into the variety of ways you can dress up or down an outfit with a denim jacket. There are so many styles, it’s one of those clothing pieces that everyone can wear at the same time while looking completely different.

Wear a dark denim design over a plain midi or maxi dress and sandals for daytime drinks. Then, wear it at night with a vibrant animal-print shirt and heels. Go for a boxy, oversized style and rock a dressed down look, or add feminine mystique by wearing a mini, laced dress and cute flats.

Fitted skirts

Pencil skirts have been office-place fashion essentials for years. Helping you feel ready and confident during crucial business moments, many women have chosen to pair this clothing style with more casual tops, as well as the formal shirt and blazer.

Styling:

The quintessential powerful woman in the workplace look features the pencil skirt with a fitted, formal shirt and tailored blazer. But if you fancy incorporating the pencil skirt into your off-duty wardrobe, slip on a knee-skimming length in a pastel colour and wear it with a bardot top and waterfall jacket.

Black dresses

Everyone’s heard of the little black dress (LBD). For years, we’ve relied on this simple but infallible design to make us look amazing at any occasion. Flattering in colour and versatile in design, fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld, once said: “One is never over-dressed or under-dressed in a little black dress”.

Styling:

Many women think that the LBD is reserved for special nights out — this doesn’t have to be the case. When you’re heading out with friends during the day or going out for a cinema date, why not team a black skater dress with cute ankle boots and a faded denim jacket for a flawless casual-chic look? Of course, when it’s time to dress to impress, you need to pair up your LBD with statement jewellery and stilettos!

Jeans

We’re all guilty of stockpiling jeans — there are just so many different styles, it’s hard to throw any away! Easy to pull on in a hurry and simple to spruce up for a night out with the girls; slim, skinny and straight leg jeans are versatility personified.

Styling:

Your body shape can play a big part in how you feel in your pair of jeans. For example; many suggest that hourglass body shapes opt for a high-rise jean to look especially amazing, while pear shapes look best in a slightly flared style, and petites figures look incredible in skinny designs. Go for a straight leg with sneakers and a graphic tee or hoody to rock the cool look, or prepare yourself for a night out by teaming skinny dark jeans with an off-the-shoulder top, clutch and heels.

Footwear

Pumps

When you need a base shoe that goes with anything, you can always rely on the pump. Comfy and chic with a range of patterns and motifs to suit different occasions, you can never ruin an outfit in a pair of these shoes.

Styling:

During the warm seasons, wear yours with floral shorts and cropped tees. Pinafore dresses and chunky tights are perfect complements to the pump shoe, while skinny jeans and bardot tops also get a lift from this versatile footwear style.

Boots

From season to season, day to night; the boot is always there to enhance our outfit choices. Although the era of the thigh-high go-go boot has gone, the famous boot design has transformed multiple times throughout fashion history. Now, we’re lucky to have a huge variety of boot length, heel heights and fabric patterns at our fingertips. Ranging from ankle to over-the-knee, boots carry us from work to home with no fuss or effort.

Styling:

If you’re out for the evening, you need a sultry pair of suede, over-the-knee boots — these look incredible with short skirts and super-skinny jeans. When you fancy wearing ankle boots, team these with a boho blouse to stay true to the casual, bohemian theme. Stiletto boots look amazing with midi dresses on a night out, while chunky block heel boots give you the perfect lift when you team them with tights, skater skirts and denim jackets.

Some styles never go out of fashion. Customise your contemporary look with a few of these timeless, iconic styles.

* This is a collaborative post