One of the brands I wear a lot is Stella Carakasi. I like to tell you more about this brand and why I love it so much and can actually show you some of their clothes with myself as a model!
To get an introduction to the brand, you may like to watch this video which explains the Stella Carakasi philosophy by the designer herself.
Stella Carakasi likes to stretch the limits in terms of what she can do technically and creatively while at the same time looking for the most flattering and unusual silhouettes. Her clothes have movement and creative details. Fabric and easy care are important as well as the ability to wear the clothes both during the day and the evening. I love that she works mainly with natural fabrics.
Most of you will know that I love asymmetry and architectural components and so does Stella Carakasi. She plays with draping and asymmetry in each of her collections and I always get excited each season to see the new shapes and silhouettes.
The response tunic is already a wardrobe favorite and I find it easy and so comfortable to wear with both pants and skirts. I love the movement the garment creates when you walk.
This skirt has a lovely drape and is a great option for summer. It looks best on me with a short top, although it’s not quite straight on this photo. However, I also love how the model wore this with the command attention top in all white, another unique top that you can wear several ways and I will feature it shortly.
This jacket is very structural and made of a thick cotton and tencel mix. A great way to add structure and a bit of an edge to an outfit.
The Play it Cool sweater takes asymmetry to the extreme which suits me just fine. I liked it so much that I ordered a white version as well. The Mirage dress on the right will soon be getting an outing on my holiday!
The asymmetrical vest that was part of my winter capsule wardrobe is now also available in a summer version. I will wear it on its own closed-up as the cotton version is cool and perfect for the hot tropics.
Also loving their outer jackets. The Style To Spare jacket on the left is great to wear over high waisted skirts or over tunics and the Go To Style coat is a great versatile coat that will look especially good over pants.
Some other looks I like are the ankle pants with the high drama tunic. Especially great with white when you get a bit of the sheer effect. The Making Waves tunic has a beautiful drape and looks perfect over these knee-high leggings. Also loving the print of the Illusion tunic.
Honestly, I could have featured many more of their styles as I like almost all of it. If you wanted to, you could create your complete summer wardrobe from this brand alone.
Stella Carakasi clothes run quite big and I wear XS for all my tops. I wear an S for bottoms. My normal size would be a US 6 or a European 38.
If you like to try the Stella Carakasi clothes for yourself, 40+Style readers will enjoy an extra 10% off any items from the Stella Carakasi website! Just use the code 40PLUS15 at checkout.
You will see a lot more of this brand on this site as I just love wearing Stella Carakasi clothes. And just for the record, I am NOT being paid to say this, although I do enjoy some gifted clothes. I wear (and feature) the clothes only because I love them and I believe they are a great brand for 40+women. Since I have become quite the expert on this brand, feel free to ask me any questions about fit and fabric in the comments below.
Which is your favorite Stella Carakasi item?
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I absolutely love the white tunic and the drapey skirt…I adore anything floaty and drapey. I’m definitely going to check this line out. I’d never heard of it until now…thanks Sylvia!
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
Great brand. I have been tempted a couple of times looking at your examples in the past. But I keep hesitant as ordering from far away is not my thing. Most of the times I have to send online ordered items back. Something about my body doesn’t seem to match the standards LOL. Apart from the trouble of logging those boxes back to the post office it also costs a lot of money sending them back. I don’t think it is going to be for free living in The Netherlands.
The brand reminds me of Sarah Pacini, a favourite brand of mine. Would I be living in Singapore with you, we might we walking the streets looking like twins (or mother and daughter hahaha).
Greetje
how fabulous to have a “personal” designer 😉
the carakasi line suits you perfect! i like that she focus on natural fibers and quality, not usual this days.
happy easter! xxxx
I like a lot of those pieces. Nice that they are available in such a wide range of sizes. For people who complain about the high price of Eileen Fisher, do you have something against buying second-hand or similar? (that’s how I roll). There are almost 33,000 of her pieces on ebay at this moment.
I am not a fan of asymmetry, but you wear it so well!
I LOVE Stella’s clothes which I first saw on your blog, Sylvia. I am on her mailing list now, but have not bought anything because I have been worried that I am too big, since I am an American size 14. I am wondering if her size XL would work for me. Regardless, her things are gorgeous and I always enjoy seeing you in them, Sylvia. Maybe with this discount, I should take the risk and try a couple of the pieces to see if they work for my size. Like you say, you could make an entire wardrobe just out of these beautiful, classy and versatile pieces.
Stella clothes run big so size 14 would be a Stella L. Their sizing goes up to 16-18 on XL and size 20 can even fit some styles. So yes, I would definitely try it as I think that their clothes would look good for all sizes!
Thank you for the helpful reply, Sylvia. I will definitely try some of Stella’s beautiful things with this information.
Hello,
I am loving your blog and I have added you to my instagram… My question can you do a post on wearing brown. Today I found a great zip up sweater, it was available in grey and brown. I loved the style and the price was a steal. I only bought the grey because I was afraid I would never wear the brown. I just don’t know what to pair it with. Please help.
Good idea Tina. I will add it to the to-do list! You could visit a site called colourlovers.com that will give you lots of ideas on how to mix and match colors.
I often lurk, but had to comment this time. I love asymmetry and modern clean lines, but find it quite difficult to find these clothes for my petite frame. i often resort to simple, but somewhat boring attire. Eileen Fisher is a bit out of my price range as well.
I will keep my eyes open for this. See also my comment to Ikla on how petites may be able to wear some of the SC clothes.
I love love love those clothes. But–no petites! I would love to find a company that makes these lovely, assymetrical, drapey clothes, but in petite sizes. Other than Eileen Fisher, of course, who is far too expensive! Does anyone know of such a company?
The feedback I got back from Stella Carakasi from someone who has size 0 petite is that she can fit some of the styles, but not all. The shorter styles tend to be better suited for a smaller frame. The long tunics can be worn as dresses. The less stretchy fabrics work better for her because she is smaller chested. Hope that helps.
Hi Ikla,
I am the Head Stylist at Stella Carakasi. It is true Stella’s line does not include petite sizes. There are select styles that work well for petite customers.
I have worked with petite women who have found and loved select styles that worked perfectly for them. Since you love the asymmetrical, draped styles that Stella offers I have a few ideas for you, if you would like to give the Stella’s clothing a try.
The Play it Cool Sweater-this style works beautifully paired with leggings, jeans, and layered over camisoles, tanks, tunics, and dresses. This is statement piece that is versatile, flattering, and easy to care for. I also love the Play it Cool Sweater for travel.
http://www.stellacarakasi.com/products/play-it-cool-sweater
The Tiburon Tunic-This is a classic Stella Carakasi style that works on any body type. Petite Stella fans tell me they love this tunic belted or even worn as a dress.
http://www.stellacarakasi.com/products/tiburon-tunic
Stella intentionally adds cropped pant styles in the line that will work for both shorter and taller customers. These styles include:
Shadow Play Ankle Pant
http://www.stellacarakasi.com/products/shadow-play-ankle-pants
Incomparable Ankle Pants
http://www.stellacarakasi.com/products/incomparable-ankle-pants
Define Yourself Ankle Pants
http://www.stellacarakasi.com/products/define-yourself-ankle-pants-sale
I highly recommend the Second Nature Capri Leggings too.
http://www.stellacarakasi.com/products/second-nature-capri-leggings
If you have any questions about how Stella’s clothing fits please feel free to contact me anytime at:
info@stellacarakasi.com
Wishing you a stylish weekend!
Yarra