I thought that the Havona would be perfect for Bermuda. We are staying only five days, and it's not like I would have gone naked hadn't I bought it, but I needed an excuse to buy it because it looks like something that I wouldn't typically wear in my ordinary life. I don't know you, but I LOVE to buy something new for a vacation, it makes the wait and the packing all more exciting.
Anyway, I got it (how I got it will make the topic of another post) and even if I had read reviews about it, I wasn't prepared for its sheerness and lightness. It's just unlined organdy and it's so ethereal that I was taken aback.
My biggest worry was that besides the vacation, I wouldn't have any occasion to wear it, it looks way too elegant for me; but once "demistified" it is very nice worn with jeans. I would totally go out to dinner with friends dressed like this:
Or like this:
but with a bra (that I have to buy, NO WORRIES, I'm not going around like this. When I saw the pictures I thought that I wasn't going to post them, but I don't have the energy to do this again and anyway I haven't bought the bra yet, so please don't comment on my nipples, I KNOW that they are showing) or the same waterfall cardi as above:
Once the issue of the money-per-wear resolved, I set my vacation fantasy free. Here I'm on the deck of a luxury cruise ship, taking the breeze in while I wave "Hellooo, captain":
Because of the sheerness of the top, I like it more tucked in the pants than not:
But maybe it's just the contrast with the white, because I liked it much better worn untucked with these $10 beach pants. They are a little bit lighter IRL than on the pics, but still go wonderfully with it:
Here I was obviously having a cocktail on the beach...
Back to reality, here is how it look with a pencil skirt:
And this is maybe my favorite outfit. It's elegant but discreet at the same time and I love the contrast between the colors of the Havona and the navy of the capri pants:
And a variation on the same (note the change of bracelet):
In the end, I think it's more versatile that it looked at first. I'm not sure how the flower will hold up after a few ... minutes of wear, but it's possible to unsew it and as FFM suggested.
What do you think? Do you own this top? Have you been tempted to buy it? Do you like the more casual ways to wear it? Do you have any suggestion that you would like to share?
My faves are everything except the jeans & the white skirt. Jeans, schmeans. Of course they work, but my first vote is for the navy capirs. And the white skirt, I think the green card makes the top too dark in contrast to the white.
ReplyDeleteYou might also try another color cardi. Not navy or green...try pink or white or orange or something else if you have it. The introduction of a third color might really set off the blue & green of the cami. I'm just guessing.
Have fun in Bermuda!
I vote for tucked in with white pants. You look great and ready for vacay!
ReplyDeletehi ema, i liked the white pants and the navy capri best with it, but denim is always perfect.
ReplyDeletei would also choose a different cardigan, not sure what color.
isnt it fun to buy for vacation?
ina
Love the styling. So many fun ideas! Probably would have liked the white skirt better without the cardi. Would love to see it with a contrasting cardi, as Gigi suggested. Love love love with the beach pants - so fun. Love with the navy capris.
ReplyDeleteI love the thought you put into how to make this really work for you instead of it hanging in the closet waiting for the right occasion! Enjoy Bermuda!!
I really like the white skirt and the cardigan outfit the best:) I am going to wear mine like that. I love all the looks. Great post...great pictures!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I bought this top too...
My fav look is the navy capris. Thanks for taking so many pictures; I am sure it is time consuming! I am so jealous that you get to go to Bermuda. My BF goes once a year for some wacky ins./ captive meeting and I always beg him to take me. I need to know your secret for how you convinced your hubby:)
ReplyDeleteI love that top. Looks great with everything! Why don't you consider getting it tailored so it hits at your hip....then you have the option of tucked in or untucked and flowy! Check out FFM 's blog- hits her perfectly at the hip.
ReplyDeleteI loved them all, just because it looked like you were having so much fun trying on the different looks. I hope you have a wonderful vacation!!! I like the tank with the $10 beach pants the best, maybe with another cardi--like Gigi suggests, pink or orange?
ReplyDeleteBeen tempted to buy this top---love it on you! Very chic!! Enjoying your blog,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas for the Havona! I love that top though I don't have it (yet) :) Thank you for letting me know about your blog!!
ReplyDeleteyou look great! i wonder if v-neck cardi might look better as it won't fight with the neckline of the top.
ReplyDeleteI just received my Havona in the mail today!!! I, too, have been experimenting w/ how to wear it! I have a long torso so the length is not a problem for me so I prefer mine un-tucked!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the shearness... it is VERY shear & light!!! I will be on the look-out for a nude cami that has the correct strap placement or no straps at all! Also, I immediatly had to snip the flower off~ I just couldn't get pasted it- it wasn't "my style!"
LOVE your blog & I ALWAYS enjoy the IRL photos! Thanks for all the extra work you put into taking and posting these pics! I look forward to more ideas of how to wear the Havona! :) Oh, and have a FABULOUS trip!!!
My fave outfit of yours is the one with white pants tucked in (perfect for resort!) and the one with the navy capris & spicy olive cardi.
ReplyDeleteI have the double serge pencil skirt in bronzed ochre, and the Havona looks fabulous with it, and topped with the turquoise Jackie cardi which is almost a perfect match to the havona's blue.
The Havona looks great on you, definitely a keeper!
Thank you for the all the suggestions ladies! I appreciate all your comments and thank you so much for wishing me well for my upcoming vacation, you are so sweet!
ReplyDeleteRe. the cardi, I should mention that I own very few cotton cardigans, I've stopped buying them after my first couple of summers in New York. I end up NEVER using them in the city (same thing for V-neck sweaters), it's just too hot and it never gets breezy enough in the evening not to look silly wearing a cardigan. Gigi and Ina, the one in the pics is the first that I've bought in a very long time and not in a neutral (white, navy, black) color, so for the time being it's my only option for the Havona. The color is not as yellow as in the pics though, is more olive and much more similar to the green in the Havona than it looks.
But I agree with you Anon @ 4:47, that there is a little bit too much going on around the neckline. The summerweight cashmere in the same color would have been perfect but I just didn't feel like cashing out more than $100 for a summer cardi that I'm not even sure I'm going to wear (especially after having cashed out more than $100 already for the Havona).
Francesca, I don't own any Jacky for the reason that I explained before, but at some point I've vaguely considered buying the turquoise to wear with the Havona. However, I preferred the waterfall in spice olive because the bottons are the same color than the cardi and not white. But if you say that it's a perfect match I will check it out, thanks for the suggestion.
HeidiG and Anon @ 12:23, yes I put a lot of tought (and fun) in this exercise because I didn't want this top to end up like my Elizabeth halter in bright flame that I've bought last year FP and NEVER worn (I've just sold it to a JCA last week, go in peace). It's so sad to see something hanging in the closet and not beying able to wear it.
Emily, it's funny, maybe your boyfriend amd my hubby know each other, he works in the reinsurance business and it's a small world ...
I don't have any special advice to give, I think it's because I was a little bit depressed and he simply had pity of me...
Daisy, I don't think that the reason why I like it more tucked in is the lenght of the top (is not too long), but its sheerness, that is much more evident when worn with the white pants.
MMM, I think that a nude bandeau bra would work better with this top than a cami but it depends on how much support do you need.
I don't think that I'm going to post other pics/ideas, but I have recently bought a pair of
5" chinos in a color very similar to my beach pants (the color code is FMI - not sure what it means) and they make another great pairing. Just add a golden belt and bag (I plan to take on vacation my new small Thompson tote but I also plan to wear an old Guggi purse in the same aqua color that my mother offered me many years ago).
Mrs.anketell, thank you!
Sparrowandsparkes, thank you so much for stopping by!
Hi Ema! I think the Havona looks gorgeous on you! I actually ended up wearing mine on Easter with Dark Blue (almost Navy) *dressy* jeans, and received a lot of compliments. I agree that the contrast of the tank against the Navy is really stunning. I also love it with the white AND it looks FAB with the beach pants, too! I hope you have fun on your trip! :)
ReplyDeleteBtw, I took my flower off and will wear it without from now on for a more casual chic look.
Hi FFM, thank you! I saw your Easter set and understood that you had decided to keep it. Good decision, it is really a beautiful item to own and it looked gorgeous on you too.
ReplyDeleteEma, I saw on the JCA blog that you managed to get the bronzed ochre double serge skirt! Good for you, girlfriend! I hope you like it as much as I do.
ReplyDeleteI actually have that same spicy olive waterfall cardi as well, and it goes really well with the Havona & white pants. But it seemed too much when paired with the bronzed ochre skirt, so I switched to the turquoise cardi for that.
What do you think of the spicy olive color? I like it, but I don't usually wear a lot of green, and besides the Havona, I don't really have anything else to wear with it, besides basic neutrals.
Francesca, it wasn't me who ordered the double serge skirt but another JCA who goes by "Em", sometimes I'm confused myself when I read her comments, I wonder "when did I write that?" and then realize that it wasn't me lol!
ReplyDeleteHowever I might get the "summer" cotton version that just came out. I have to say that I don't wear skirts in winter, except for black evening ones.
I don't know what it is, maybe it's because I don't like to wear tights but I have almost exclusively summer skirts.
That cardigan is my first spicy olive item as well and I kind of like it for now but I don't know if I will still like it in the summer or next year. That's why I haven't bought the featherweight cashmere cardi instead, because I'm not sure that it's a color that is going to last.
The other day I've tried on the Jackie cardigan in turquoise that you suggested for the Havona, but I couldn't resolve myself to buy it. I think that I'm just not the Jackie type of girl...
BTW, the "new" double serge cottonskirt comes in tropical aqua too. Seems to be another perfect match for the Havona ...
ReplyDeleteEma, that's funny about Em; thought you were one and the same! Agree, I'm not a big Jackie fan either because I prefer v-neck cardis, but sometimes I have to take a crewneck style just to get the color I want :o(.
ReplyDeleteI bet the cotton double serge would look much better than the wool one since the Havona is really a spring/summer item. You may be able to reverse the colors (turquoise skirt, spicy olive cardi?) and it would look just as well. Either way, you are rockin' that Havona! Have a great time in Bermuda; DH & I were there several yrs ago and the beaches & balmy climate is sooo relaxing! Hope you share pics on your blog with your JC outfits!