Martial Law: thou shalt wear Utilitarian chic.

Another undeniable presence on the runway was utilitarian, uniform, and military influences. Often this look creates strong shoulders and clean lines. But sometimes, it can swing the other way, evoking the grungy squatter kinds that live in the park across the street from my house. Personally, I prefer the former. As much as I love that grunge is back, I prefer to do so with the color evoked by plaid shirts, rather than the grim khaki shirts of the military. Honestly, I think this has everything to do with my daily exposure to the kids across the street, and their general head to toe dirt color. It also has to do with the fact that a structured shoulder looks great on me (and any other girl with a slight frame).

And once again, my favorite thing to do is play with contrasts. I just adore the big wool coat by Philosophy, belted nice and tiny at the waist and paired with a floaty chiffon and sequined gown. Absolutely mouth watering with its diversity of flavor. I also enjoyed how Doo.Ri created a very sleek simple blue uniform dress, but added subtly feminine draping on the skirt.

It seems to me that there is a lot of room to play mix and match with this trend. Much like my much loved black moto jacket, I think a few choice military pieces could go with just about every feminine frock in your closet.

Pictured above from left to right top: Doo.Ri, Philosophy, William Rast, Richard Chai Love. From left to right bottom: Marc by Marc, Rag and Bone, (philosophy's feet), Vivienne Tam. (all shots pulled from Style.com)