The "Elaine Benes"

Remember Elaine Benes, played by Julia Louis Dreyfus in the '90s sitcom Seinfeld? Did you miss it when she had her resurgence as a fashion icon just as the new decade arrived? It's funny because "The Elaine Benes" look is basically those '90s tenets of pairing sweet, demure - nay, even grandmotherly - items with tough, "street" things. Allow me to demonstrate:



This was taken a while back, when I cut my bangs in a fit of post-haircut pique. I know it's uneven but I think it's kinda charming! No? Just me eh?

Here's a frilly, grandmotherly cardi, which I believe I mentioned is somewhat unwieldy; and a favorite vintage man's shirt. Taken together they're fairly blah, but if you button the shirt all the way to the neck, add a choker (Punk Kikay), another blingy necklace (Forever 21) and a statement ring, and you're on to something special.

To balance the frilliness and bling up top I added sleek black pants (Zara). And an Elaine Benes look isn't complete without chunky man shoes! (Peacocks London brogues).

So there you go: a little tomboy, a little nerdcore, a little lola and a whole lot of '90s. That's the Elaine Benes!