For those who don’t yet know, I own an online boutique, www.maryjulian.com . Many have asked me about the name; Mary and Julian are my maternal grandparents, and I chose to christen the label as such in tribute especially to my late grandpa, Julian, who passed away three years ago. After more than 50 years of marriage, their bond has always been strong, and Gran still misses him very much.

maryjulian is very personal to me as I not only design the items myself, I also see the process from start to finish. I personaly enjoy playing around with clothes, and I’ve designed with the Every Woman in mind – easy pieces that can be worn as is, or mixed and matched with other things to create your own unique look.

Many girls have written to me to ask for style tips, (do write me if you want; you can find my email address on the maryjulian site) so I thought to do a little entry on styling. I’ve challenged myself to pick just one dress, and to build no less than four very different looks that can be worn for different occasions with this dress.

The dress I picked, pleated hem tennis frock in milk by maryjulian; one of my personal favourites.

Even though I don’t work in an office environment, this first look was something I would put together to wear if I did.

Dress: www.maryjulian.com

Shoes: Charlotte Ruse

Cardigan: H&M

Belt: Vintage

Glasses: Viktor & Rolf

I personally love thick, oversized pieces (great for the freezing a/c in the studio), and I know how crazy cold it gets in air-conditioned offices too. For those with smaller frames, I’d advise a slightly less over-sized and chunky cardi so your frame isn’t overwhelmed; pick a more streamlined one in a light-weight knit instead. Cinching it in at the waist helps make sure you don’t get lost in the fabric, and gives you some womanly shape. Heels are great for this ensemble to balance out the proportions, and make the look pop with pumps in an eye-catching colour.

I deliberately played with texture for this look, juxtaposing the heavy knit against the light, pressed-pleated chiffon.

If you’ve an event to head to after work, I suggest getting rid of the glasses (contact lenses, eyeliner and lots of mascara for all that networking you’re about to do!) and throwing on a little choker instead. Again, I wanted texture to be the focus of this look, so I picked one with pearls and chains.

I thought to casual it up a little with the second look. For those who don’t work in a corporate environment, this is perfect for running around and getting things done.

Dress: www.maryjulian.com

Shoes: Puma

Tee: Petit Bateau

Belt: Puma

Necklace: Flea market

My friends know how much I love my tees! I have a whole bunch of T-shirts, and my favourite colours for my tees are white and grey. The Petit Bateau ones sit higher on the collarbone, which I like. (Bought a whole bunch on my recent trip to France!) This look also works with a form-fitting singlet, for those who get warm easily or who want to show off lean and mean arms. I also love my Puma sneaks – these are from the boxing range. Low-cut sneakers work too, and may be better for smaller girls as high-tops tend to cut off your legs at the ankles and make them (and hence, you) look shorter. I’ve also put the belt on the hips instead of at the waist – more slouchy, more casual, more comfy.

For die-hard heels addicts, or girls who don’t like the rough and tumble look of sneakers, yes, this can go with heels too. Just be sure to keep them fun, whether in terms of colour or style. I’ve put the bright yellow Charlotte Ruse ones here.

For bad-hair days, add a trucker cap! This one’s from Puma. As with the shoes, just keep it fun!

This sweater-over-a-delicate-dress look was done by Alexander Wang for Fall 2011:

And so the next look, using the same pleated hem tennis frock in milk by maryjulian, was put together. Another play on texture, and another one of my favourite layered and slouchy outfits – so comfy!

Dress: www.maryjulian.com

Shoes: Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Tee: Petit Bateau

Jumper: H&M

Necklace: Flea market

I love the mix of csaual and dressy, practical and ladylike, and of course, the play on texture; fuzzy knit with the cotton crewneck tee, followed by plain fabric then light pressed chiffon.

The dropped waist, longer length and loose sihoulette reminded me of the 1920s, and as such I kept to ladylike T-strapped heeled sandals for a slight play on the flapper look.

I like the feel of boy-meets-girl , and so have played with that for the next look. Check out one of D&G’s 2011 ads for more androgynous inspirations:

For smaller girls who find it difficult to carry off the slouchy look (you get lost in all the layers of fabric!); for bigger girls who need a little more definition to the curves while not wanting to show too much skin; for girls who are shy about colour and too much experimenting…I guess, then, for all girls in general, this last look is for you:

Dress: www.maryjulian.com

Shoes: Steve Madden

Belt: Calvin Klein

Jacket: Zara

Easy-peasy, effortless chic. Play around with different jackets to find one that best suits you. I picked a slightly cropped one here to show off the waist, but a boyfriend one will look cool with brogues, especially on taller girls. Swap the shoes for heels if you want more height; I chose pointy brogues for a bit of boy-meets-girl.

Hope you found that fun. Happy Sunday!

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