I have recently been on a zimmermann kick and I have determined I need a nice pastel evening appropriate bag.
Thinking of a cream, pale yellow, baby blue etc.
I don’t want to look too precious and girly. I like my clothes to have a bit of edge to them. Something unexpected.
Giovanna batagglia is my fashion icon to give some idea of Inspo.
I have seen zimmermann styled with mini kellys, mini coco handles etc but that still feels a bit precious to me. I thought of the Dior saddle bag but the shape and limited interior space makes this bag a hard no.
Any other thoughts on ways to edge these dresses up a bit?
A pastel petite evening bag is a bit girly. I’ve never seen an edgy pastel bag. . .
I suggest, given your fashion icon, a metallic bag. * Something like a BV pouch; or a metallic or sequined Chanel reissue. GB wears pastels and white, but with YG and some black thrown in. But, the image I get when I think of GB is an Italian coco Chanel. Not too young, and if there are frills, they’re kind of distressed and worn ironically.
I would not rule out a Dior saddle until you’ve tried a few on. I think it’s very in keeping with a GB aesthetic. A Dior saddle men’s version with adjustable, ergonomic airline seatbelt strap has good capacity and can be both fashion and edgy. In an exotic, it’s beyond fabulous (thoigh arguably exotics aren’t evening)
A combat boot or chunkier shoe, like an Oxford, which is now on trend, or a crisp white sneaker, also makes a Zimmerman dress more youthful. Barring that, a chunkier heel. A moto jacket (refined being Hermes; less so Dior) also. I also think going the other direction, to make the Zimmerman dress more 1920s, a long tennis cardigan. (If you cannot imagine GB in this, try coco Chanel
Otherwise, I dispense with a shawl for evening and go with a shacket or jacket these days. The one I reach for most is a brunello monili sequined fishnet bomber, which goes with Zimmerman ruffles, or a man style shirt, in a translucent material, fitted for women.
There are a wide variety of contemporary riffs on the above mentioned ranging from Lafayette to some department store brands. At the end of the summer, Akris and Akris can go to 70% off, and they have some nice sequined, chiffon type house shirt jackets with faille cuffs etc.
I also find full matching jewelry with a. Dressy. Outfit can be precious, so I try to limit it to one or two statement pieces. Usually that means I leave earrings, rings, and sometimes necklaces at home
Barring all that, I do text my SAs quickly for a thumbs up or down. They’re honest, and we have the kind of relationship where this is fine ( I don’t do it often). And, yes, I’ve gotten a no, don’t wear that pls lol.
ETA* unless you want to go with the choice suggested by your first pic. For these two specific dresses, the first is styled with a not so small off white clutch, which seems like the right choice. And the second dress has colors that you could easily darken (like a darker version of the amethyst etc) for a less girly look.
