My Autumn Haul: Zara Bodysuits and Bershka Sweaters

Mode Caroline 4 min
The key takeaway: a little autumn shopping recap, between Zara and Bershka. Two Zara bodysuits, one in a high-cut swimsuit style, the other black with a square neckline and a plunging back, finally elegant as I had hoped. And two mid-season Bershka sweaters, a cream undersweater with a lovely open neckline, a wide knit all about cocooning. I pair them with skirts, jeans, wide trousers, with heels, sneakers or derbies, to show how the same piece changes depending on what you put with it.

A quick trip to the mall, and there I was, as if by accident, inside Zara, then, by sheer chance, inside Bershka, where I had never set foot. I came out with two bodysuits and two mid-season sweaters, those famous in-between pieces so hard to track down when you are after something other than the ordinary. Grab a hot drink, because it is starting to get chilly, and let us look at it all together, putting outfits together as we try things on.

The two Zara bodysuits, finally elegant

Let us start with my favourites, two bodysuits I had been waiting for a long time in dressier cuts.

The swimsuit-style body and the square-neckline body

The first, in a brown lycra, has a hint of a one-piece swimsuit, with a pretty high cut at the front and a worked back. The second, black, plays on a rounded square neckline that I find terribly elegant, with a thong bottom and, a rare detail, no fastening at all, it is sewn. I had been waiting for Zara to offer bodysuits that bare the shoulders and the bust, without covering everything up to the neck. My wish has been granted.

The body, a chameleon piece. A beautiful bodysuit works just as well under a leather skirt with heels as under jeans with sneakers. Close-fitting on top, loose on the bottom, or the other way around, the contrast makes all the style. It is the base you keep for a whole season.

The two Bershka sweaters, mid-season and cocooning

Now to the sweaters, those precious in-between pieces.

The open-neckline undersweater and the wide knit

The first is a cream undersweater that hugs the skin nicely, with that open neckline and those mid-arm sleeves I love, so hard to find and yet so chic, which go with everything in autumn and winter. The second, wider and knitted, is the cocooning sweater par excellence, ideal for lounging on the sofa or putting together a nice little look with jeans or a skirt. Two favourites, two uses.

My pairings, from chic to casual

The part I prefer is styling all of this in a thousand ways.

Heels, sneakers and derbies

The black body I wore with a faux-leather skirt and pumps, then with wide pleated trousers for a chic boho feel, the contrast between close-fitting and loose works wonderfully. For everyday, I swapped the heels for my Vivaia sneakers, the Christinas, of rare comfort, perfect for a day of shopping with friends. And with Vivaia derbies over the trousers, you have a style you will not see anywhere else, enough to assert your personality. Between us, those outfits are far easier to wear day to day than heels.

The tights detail. With a knit skirt, do not hesitate to add tights, especially those floral fishnet styles that are all the rage right now. A simple pair of tights redraws a whole winter silhouette, and turns a tame outfit into a thought-out one.

To dare is already to have style

What I take away from this little haul is that sometimes it only takes daring an unexpected pairing to stand out, heels over jeans, a body under wide trousers, original sneakers. Let your imagination speak, give it a try, and you will not regret it. On the codes side, my Vivaia sneakers kept the WILDY12 and the Lily Studio trousers the CARO12, I slip them in as I go.

Also worth reading on the blog

PS. Tell me in the comments, team body under wide trousers or team cocooning sweater on the sofa… and admit it, you too have already said “next step, learn to knit” in front of a pretty sweater.