Jack Aubrey

This outfit began as a Girls' Night Out ensemble, and I liked it so much that I parlayed it into work wear. I thought it was an interesting mix of neutrals and also a great way to wear these cute shorts.

This outfit is a great example of how to mix brown and black together in an outfit. The real trick for this or any other difficult color pairing is to repeat, repeat, repeat. Don't just throw on brown shoes with an otherwise black outfit and hope it's going to work; the best way to really pull it off is to throw in several pieces in each color and try to break them up by alternating black over brown or vice versa. Although it's not a great idea to mix different shades of black, using several different shades of brown is another great way to mix up an outfit comprised entirely of neutrals. I know the colors are difficult to discern in these photos, so I'll walk you through what I did here.

The top is a deep olive green; I used this in order to bring in some variety, but really any neutral would've worked just as well -- ecru, perhaps, or gray. The scarf is actually a deep chocolate brown, which is much more apparent when you see it in person, particularly when it's next to a true inky black such as this jacket. The shorts are a medium brown herringbone pattern, the tights are black, and the boots are brown. Alternating the black and brown makes the pairing look much more intentional.

I told you I've been getting a lot of use out of this customized military jacket, and here it is once again. I love how the brass buttons instantly make any outfit look more structured and formal. Plus it really feeds into my fantasy of being a heroic 19th century ship's captain like Jack Aubrey, though I suspect that if I'd lived back then I'd have been a lot more like nerdy naturalist and hopeless landlubber Stephen Maturin. What, you've not read all 21 of the Master and Commander books? Well, if you've got a love of the high seas and a hundred or so hours to spare, I'd highly recommend them. I've just finished the last one and am tempted to start the series all over again, so much do I love the characters. I also think I need to get myself a pair of epaulets, pronto.

Which characters, fictional or real, inspire your style?

Jacket: F21
Top: Victoria M. Ortiz
Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Shorts: Mango
Boots: Bata