Being wowed by Cindy Hattersley’s casual chic style

I flipped out when Cindy Hattersley walked through the door for a blogging buddy working lunch at Mary Ann Pickett’s beautiful apartment atop Russian Hill overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. It took me about two minutes before I zoomed in for a closer look and started asking questions.

Cindy is an interior designer. I’m sure she can’t help but use some of her interior design principles to put her outfits together, but when I spoke with her about the pieces she was wearing, it was mostly about love—wearing what she loves—which is something we can all do.

Blogging buddies enjoying Mary Ann’s beautiful apartment

Anatomy of an Outfit: Cindy Hattersley’s casual chic style

Here are the things I noticed right away about Cindy’s outfit.

1. I loved her American Indian turquoise brooch. What a spectacular focal point. That turquoise color against the berry and hot pink colors in her shirt was a wow. Red and green are opposite each other on the color wheel. When you combine colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (in this case, variations of red and green) they manage to each bring bold attention to each other. I love how she popped her collar up as it brings even more drama to the piece of jewelry. She purchased this pin in Santa Fe years ago.

2. In this next image, you can see what happens next. She grabs our attention with her pin and the pin leads us right to her earrings. Also from a trip to Santa Fe, the earrings are by artist Don Lucas. We’ve got an accessory party going on.

3. Can we say Beauty Bundle, everyone? Take a look at her bracelets. When I study an outfit I ask myself what’s holding it together? In this case, her earrings, prominent pin, and an array of bangles are all sharing the same story. They create an impact and I’m drawn in to notice even more of her outfit.

These American Indian bangles are longtime treasures from her collection.

Clothes next

4. The mixed prints of her shirt and jacket are so spunky together. I’m happy that the most dynamic part is the V-shape created by her shirt. Why? Because it grabs our attention first and leads us right to her face. (I’m repeating this image so you don’t have to scroll up.) Her cotton shirt is about three years old and came from J.Crew. Next, we move out to enjoy the more quiet and subtle colors and prints in her jacket. Isn’t that a fabulous segue? She bought the jacket from Etsy and she likes that it looks fairly worn. You’re not going to be surprised to find out that she loves antiques, are you?

The topstitching on the jacket gives great surface interest. It’s pretty hard right now to be sitting in my computer chair tapping away because I want to be jumping up and down giving this outfit a standing ovation!

But wait, there’s more!

5. What’s a casual chic outfit without jeans? These are her new favorites and they’re by Madewell. The frayed hem edge is a modern touch and the fit is perfect on Cindy.

6. Her booties have that worn-in look as well. The woven leather gives her outfit more textural interest. These Seychelles booties also provide a fashion solution for Cindy. She has a bunion on her left foot and the wide toe box makes that a non-issue.

7. I also want you to know about her lipstick color. It’s by Chanel and is called Sensual Rose. It’s only a perfect choice with her outfit.

Summing up Cindy’s style

From head-to-toe, she’s nailed the casual chic look. The well put together outfit tells me she’s creative, sensitive, reflective and approachable. If she was standing in line ahead of you waiting to pay for her purchases, you’d be talking to her. You’d probably tell her what a great outfit she’s wearing and in thirty-seconds, you’d be in a full on conversation with her. I just know it.

Here are ways to learn about Cindy and about Mary Ann Pickett who’s apartment we’re in and who is also an interior designer. Here’s Cindy’s website Cindy Hattersley Design. See more pics of Mary Ann’s design sense and her lovely apartment on her blog Classic Casual Home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this anatomy of Cindy’s outfit. Is there a detail I missed? What’s your favorite formula for casual chic style? Are you wearing what you love? Can’t wait to hear about some of your style secrets!

XO