Nina Proudman - evolving style

Ever wondered how many printed maxi skirts a girl doctor can own?

Or how many tank/cardi/skinny scarf combinations can a girl do?

Sounds like Nina Proudman, eh?

Well, what if she tries something different?

After all, she has been wearing the same look for what?  3 seasons.....maybe its time to change...

I am not thinking of trying to change her feminine bohemian style, but perhaps we can tweak what she actually wears to make her more, well, fashion forward, & a tad outside her (very) comfortable comfort zone.

Lets analyse a few elements of the tweaks....

#1. Denim

Currently Nina wears basic jeans & standard shaped denim jackets...B-O-R-I-N-G.....


Would we consider giving her:

a pair of floral jeans - 

These are so 2012 & not 3 seasons old.....

or bleached jeans -

Please ignore the upper half of this picture - its way to edgy for Nina - but she can definitely wear the jeans and stay true to her style.

how about metallic jeans -

These are Just Cavalli SS 2012

Granted a little "out there" on the runway - but if Nina keeps the other elements of her style true, then these would be a super pop for going out! Do you agree?

or patchwork jeans -

These are Dolce & Gabbana SS 2012.

I can totally see Nina in a 70s flair. Totally.


or lets give her denim pieces that have been dip dyed -

These are from Dries Van Noten SS2011.

Nina could even dip dye her current denim jacket.

& the new piece da resistance - SS 2012 that says: "I am totally current but still boho" is - 

the chambray maxi skirt - 

& they are Balmain SS 2012

I can definitely see Nina in the chambray version.

But what if she turned up to dinner with Patrick in the black chiffon version? Wowza!

2. Stronger colours/ tougher look

I'd like Nina to try bolder colours and tougher looks, but still staying true to her bohemian & feminine style.

So far, her shades are muted, soft, with only small pops of colour.  These are classic Nina pieces.......

Johnny Was "Jessica" silk top $279

Johnny Was silk "Miller Lined" maxi with silk slip $339

lets amp up the colour & the contrast -

This is a Colette by Collette Dinnigan dress (in David Jones) in navy silk with red peasant embroidery. Its not "classic" Nina but the boho elements are there in the softness and the red embroidery.

& here is a Sportsgirl $50 sale skirt that could give some extra pop to Nina's look.

I used this in my previous post.....

http://www.styleintoaction.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/nina-proudman-shops-at-sportsgirl.html

How about a khaki military style jacket? 

This jacket and the maxi skirt came from Myer Miss shop. The jacket was $70, the skirt was $50.

This kind of jacket has a tougher edge than Nina's cardigans, yet it works as long as the rest of the look remains "Nina".

Worked back with a strong floral, it gives extra flexibility. The top was $30 from Myer Miss.

3. Accessories

Dont fret, dont have a heart attack.

No major overhauls here either....I would however suggest two things:

floral sunglasses - 

Lets make her sunglasses more floral, same look, less tortoise shell and but more floral.....

Liberty of London has put their florals on sunglasses...great idea, IMO.

http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/categorylist/dept/accessories_sunglasses?resetFilters=true 

an environmentally friendly bag - 

Instead of only having the types of bags on the left, how about she gets a Feed bag (options on the right)? 

Lauren Bush started the whole Feed bag thing - as a way of getting food to children in third world countries. Lauren married the son of Ralph Lauren, David Lauren.

How do you feel about Nina getting more environmentally aware though her clothes?

& dont forget - you dont need to replicate Nina's look down to the last item - use her as inspiration but let the real you show through.

Nina Proudman shops at Sportsgirl

Everyone is Nina crazy. Everyone. I had never watched the show until last week & now I am hooked....on her style.

Mind you, her style is a million miles away from my style, but I love how the producers have identified a definite look for her and are sticking to it. I adore it when people & characters are consistent (read: authentic & read: "know thyself").

We are in Season 3 and everyone is whinging that they cant find the clothes Nina is wearing because the show was filmed 6 months ago and the pieces have sold out.

Imagination, people.

Imagination.

I decided to find an affordable "Nina would shop here" store in Sydney & grab everything they would let me take in the change room in one hit & photograph it - the photos being "Nina" style outfits.

The choice of store was pretty easy - I chose  .....drum roll.....Sportsgirl.....

Would you have chosen a different store?

If so, tell me which one....

Here are some of the Nina outfits I created & every piece was cheap as chips - nothing was over $50, most of it was $15 - $20 per item.....

#1. White tank, coral loose tank layered (she loves layering) over it with a paisley print maxi skirt and a soft grey long scarf.

# 2. Change the scarf to a bottle green & the softness reduces by a touch in an instant. 

#3. Then swap the dark skirt for a light coloured pastel maxi skirt & the soft factor amps up even more.

In case you havent noticed, the beauty of Nina's print skirts is that they have enough colours in them that you can wear many colours with them. This increases versatility.

In this case, a number of different shades of pinks/peaches with it (but probably not all at the same time)... 

#4. Now pick the grey in the skirt & get a scarf in that colour....and you have another look.

#5. Look at this version: I can see Nina in the lace tank & the glittery scarf. They are bohemian and soft & that's her style. Like?

# 6. How about a white shirt half buttoned, with a coloured tank under it & a complementary scarf?

The scarf!

Probably the most used word when it comes to Nina fashion is skinny scarf.
She wears them in muted soft pale colours, sometimes with a bit of colour. Nothing dark or too bright. 

# 7. I can also see Nina schlepping around in this tee & scarf combo....again, its all soft in colour, in fabric & even in the raglan sleeve....

#8. Another pretty Nina top - with jeans & a cardi. Notice the off white background, small soft (bird) print and small ruffles around the neck - classic Nina. Yes?

#9. Finally a floral kimono jacket - the softness here is in the loose style & the flowers. Of course we have to add a scarf which picks up one of the colours from the kimono.

#10. A softly beaded evening top.

Another thing to note: Quite a few of these pieces have been picked up from the Sportsgirl Vintage collection. If you are not familiar with this, the large Sportsgirl stores in the main cities sell vintage clothes from the 70s & 80s that they have picked up on their buying trips - unique & environmentally friendly. 

The soft pink patterned skirt is a vintage item. I will show more vintage items in a later post.

Memo to you: YOU ARE UNIQUE

I hope this has inspired you to create Nina outfits without feeling the need to get the identical pieces she wears in the show. After all, she is a fictional character - do you really want to mimic a TV character? However, by adopting a "Nina style" you get to dress it in your own unique way - after all you ARE unique.