I love wearing baggy jeans, men’s shirts and ugly shoes (aka Birkenstocks) and generally dressing like a boy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like feminine things. In fact all the fun in being a girl is getting away with flirting with the boundaries of girliness and androgyny. It is possible – indeed, advisable – to be feminine, but with an edge.

Styling feminine pieces in a feminine way is just to obvious, and consequently, boring. Mix it up – it’s a wonderful tool for styling your outfits. I loved reading about this years ago in ‘Parisian Chic’ by Ines de la Fressange. Wear a diamond necklace with a denim shirt (and never with a black dress at night), and a chiffon dress with battered biker boots (and never with brand-new ballet flats). Juxtapose and live on the edge of a fashion faux pas.

So if you’re going to wear a feminine lace top, get your head out of the pencil skirt and stiletto pump space (going double lace is also triple z’s territory). Instead, I’ve styled this super pretty off shoulder lace top by Lilya with torn up denim shorts and a leather jacket.

Have I turned what could have been a perfectly nice outfit into a Mad Max style post-apocalyptic biker costume? Or have I ‘snatched a triophe de style from the jaws of disaster’, as Ines de la Fressange put it?

Quilted Leather Jacket – Alexander Wang x H&M
‘Clementine’ Lace Off Shoulder Top – Lilya
‘Bandit’ Distressed Denim Shorts – OneTeaspoon