THE CAP-SLEEVE BLOUSE & TROUSER PANT
Banned Vintage Off White Button Up Cap Sleeve Blouse, $48 and Banned 1940s Navy High Waist Crepe Full Moon Sailor Pants, $58, both available at uniquevintage.com
Hell Bunny 1940s Black & Ivory Collar Button Up Olsen Blouse, $54, available at uniquevintage.com
What do I admire most about femme fatales? Is it the way these conniving, duplicitous bad girls dupe their lovers? Or the callous decisiveness with which they take their revenge? Barbara Stanwyck. Jane Greer. For me, what makes these women so remarkable isn’t their alluring brand of treachery (though Stanwyck looks wickedly seductive as she lures men to their doom while indifferently smoking a cigarette); it’s the way they unapologetically defied their gender.
The chicest women know fashion-like composition-is a matter of balance. This summer channel your inner femme fatale and juxtapose a structured masculine top with a pair of ultra-feminine trousers. The blouse’s cap sleeves and sharp lines give the ensemble bad girl edge while its classic ivory color renders the look adorably retro. Flowy high-waisted pants offset the rigidness of the top and gorgeously flatter the feminine form. Want to transition this sultry silhouette to winter? Just swap the navy pant for a classic tweed trouser. Add a pair of white cat eye glasses and you’ll look as darkly disarming as your favorite femme fatale.
THE KEY-HOLE BLOUSE & PLEATED CIRCLE SKIRT
Banned Retro Off White Sleeveless Basic Instinct Keyhole Top, $50, available at uniquevintage.com
Is there anything more delightfully darling than this keyhole top? The cream color and demure neckline embody a dainty femininity while the key-hole and asymmetrical detail add a charming vintage pop. Whether you’re heading to the office or enjoying a midday picnic, this elegant blouse will ensure you look nothing short of extraordinary.
Want to look superbly girly? Pair this lovely number with an ultra lady-like 1940s pleated skirt. Its classic circle shape is iconic-not to mention incredibly flattering when paired with a structured shirt.
THE THREE-QUARTER SLEEVE SWEATER & TWEED PENCIL SKIRT
Banned Retro Yolk Yellow Three-Quarter Bow Sleeve Knit Modern Love Top, $32, available at uniquevintage.com
Want to look fabulously fetching the next time you strut into work? If you’re a pin-up girl who wants to look polished, this three-quarter sleeve top is a must. Its classic boat neck recalls the modesty of an earlier era and keeps the look demure enough for work. Practically, I love that its thin, stretchy material makes it easy to seamlessly tuck into a skirt. And who can resist a soft knit in an unexpected color like mustard yellow? Make the look even more killer by adding a curve-hugging pencil skirt.