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When it comes to test driving out new trends each season, I like to approach with caution. After all, I have 7 years worth of content to prove when I should and, perhaps more often than not, shouldn't have tried out a few fleeting styles (cue the uncomfortable cringing now). But when the folks over at Who What Wear ask you to try out a few of their stand out favorites of the season ahead, you can rest assured it's been street style vetted and stamped with approval. So, of course you say yes.

As part of their 30-day fall wardrobe challenge with Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, their editorial team asked me to tackle two stand outs, that being chokers and cropped flared jeans with block heels. Granted, I've seen more than my fair share of both lately and I love the look on some of my go-to street style stars, but admittedly, wasn't sure how I'd pull either off. Both trends push me slightly out of my comfort zone (I'm a sucker for dainty gold jewelry and a skinnier stiletto heel) but sometimes it's necessary to shake things up. Or at the very least, surprise yourself from time to time.

What I love about Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, especially for a challenge like this, is just how many current season items are available at a reduced price -- it makes investing in some of the trends ahead easier to digest (sartorially and financially). And much like my mom, who taught me at a young age how to navigate stores like this, I can easily spend all day browsing through the racks (and on numerous occasions went off course), but I stuck to my task at hand. Chokers. Check. Cropped denim. Check. Block heels. Check. I was on a mission. And I refused to fail.

I started first with the chokers. Because, accessorizing shouldn't be that tricky, right? Right?

When it comes to my personal accessorizing style, I tend to keep things pretty simple and classic. Give me a few gold, dainty necklaces and bracelets and I'm good to go. So of course, when it came down to styling a choker, I was a bit afraid it would complicate my already clean aesthetic -- that is until I tried these two chokers layered together. The black suede adds a bit of interesting luxe texture with my gold charm necklaces and oddly enough, balances it out really effortlessly.
As for my denim task, let's be real: I live for cropped denim. When you're 5'4" like me, with already short legs, a cropped length means less hemming! Naturally, I was excited to try out the cropped flare trend that's been circulating ever since I saw it on Alexa Chung earlier last year -- but admittedly, I was worried that the length wouldn't balance that well with the block heel we've been seeing a lot of lately. My knee jerk reaction was to style it with a pointed toe, skinnier heel -- to create the illusion of more ankle and a longer leg. I'm happy to report though, after throwing these block heels by Charlotte Olympia on, I was whistling a different tune. Something about the weight of the heel balanced out the flare of the leg really nicely.
And there you have it! Two trends, tackled by me, hunted down at Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, that still feel very effortlessly Krystal at the end of the day. Which is your favorite? Any other trends ahead you're excited for?
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This post was in collaboration with Who What Wear and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th. As always, all opinions and styling are my own. Thank you for supporting all This Time Tomorrow collaborations!