Off Duty

I have a mega grush (girl crush) on Karolina Kurkova — but not because she’s annoyingly perfect in all of her Victoria’s Secret campaigns (I secretly hate Victoria’s Secret.  Hate to be a hater, but that’s just how it is.  It’s like the McDonalds of retail — cheaply-made, mass-produced, icky.  Whenever I see the tourists flooding out of Georgetown Park, the shopping complex literally a stone’s throw from my office, they’re laden with those annoying pink VS bags, and I want to vom.  I’m sorry, but their merchandise burns my eyes…and it’s so poorly crafted, I could probably survive longer with a pair of underwear I’ve threaded together manually.  WOW, sorry for that vitriol.  How’s that for pent-up fury?).  At any rate, setting Kurkova’s affiliation with VS aside, I’m literally obsessed with her “off duty” looks.  Very Euro, very “I’m so chic and I hardly try” — she dresses simply, elegantly, and comfortably.  I dig.  Especially the white jeans, which are in heavy rotation in her LRR wardrobe:

{Are those silver lizard-print t-straps with coordinating silver toe polish?  Thumbs up.}

{Those sunnies!  And those jeans hit just the right spot on her ankle.}

{Fierce for winter.  LOVE.  And I mean LOVE that coat.  Would wear it all winter long, and potentially even in spring, summer, and fall.}

{Back to white.  Love this monochromatic styling.}

OK, so — setting aside the height differential (she’s probably 23 feet taller than I), how do we go about channeling this little chic pea?!  I’m envisioning something like a denim shirt ($88, Madewell), white skinnies, and some neutral flats in an interesting texture ($200, PrettyBallerinas):

Balenciaga’s rocker-chic “Trapeze” bag ($1,606, CultStatus) finishes the look with the perfect devil-may-care ‘tude:

Jewelry is kept to a minimum with this no-frills styling — just a pair of killer face-shields, and only in black.  These Karen Walkers ($180, LaGarconne) are all the rage at present:

Alternately, beat the heat in this easy-on striped dress (Kain, on sale for $41, Bluefly) — perfectly formless for the type of “oh this old thing?  I just threw this rag on and I still look radiantly beautiful” look we’re after:

Finish with some wear-with-anything brown leather t-straps (they’re neutrality is oddly glamorous — $60, Zappos — or go for the more expensive, label-luster version by K. Jacques — $224, Shopbop; I own a pair of K. Jacques in HOT pink, and die over them all the time) — and a fringed crossbody (DKNY, $225, Net-A-Porter):

Did you wince at the thought of wearing something with fringe?  I half-wince.  I kind of like its cool rocker chic vibe, but cannot envision myself pulling it off, but then saw Minka Kelly sporting her own and kind of loved it on her.  (She’s definitely in “Model Off Duty” territory, and can be seen wearing this $179 J.J. Winters bag.)  At any rate, let me now gab about my latest obsession, which are currently en route to my house: J. Brand’s red skinny jeans (they fit like a guh-love — $176, Shopbop).  For my own off-duty look, I’d pair them with a denim topper like this inexpensive H&M find (like the racerback — $20, H&M) and a pair of aviators (Ray-Ban, $129, Shopbop):

Is it wrong that I already want them in the pale pink color as well?  Imagine pairing with fiery orange-red accents and a white blouse?  TDF.  But I digress.  I’d pair this look with a roomy brown tote ($525, Rebecca Minkoff) and some on-trend Missoni t-straps ($365, Intermix):

As an alternative, how about this loose-fit tank (Kain, $155, Net-A-Porter), some black skinnies (J. Brand, $174, Shopbop), and a Panama hat ($58, Madewell):

I’d finish with this leopard-accented bag (I’d tuck the strap in to make it a clutch, as shown below — $195, Matt & Nat) and some brown-on-white t-straps (Michael Kors, on sale for $123, Zappos):

Love that sandal.  Now, while I’m definitely not usually a jeans-and-t-shirt kinda girl, this downtown chic get-up would be just the sort of thing that an off-duty model would slip into while going incognito in the Meatpacking District.  Picture a Chanel-esque tee ($130, YouHeShe) beneath a fitted boyfriend blazer (this The Row style would be exactly the type of high-end, non-descript item that KK would wear, but affordable versions abound from outposts like H&M, TopShop, Zara, etc.), black skinnies (J. Brand, $174, Shopbop), and some striped, silver-cap-toe flats (l.o.v.e their Parisian-chic vibe — on sale for $248, Giuseppe Zanotti):

I’d finish with a black bag (die over this textured style — $495, Rebecca Minkoff) and some boxy, flat-top shades ($153, Madewell):

Anyone else ready to strut around in cool urban duds, acting like you own a closet full of Peter Som, Rag&Bone, and other slightly off the beaten path designers?