48 Hours in the Akiko with Narie

March 20, 2014

Have you ever worn a dress for 48 hours straight? No? Then you’ve never lived! Here, our ever-resourceful COO Narie Foster shares her tips for styling the Akiko from a Friday-morning meeting with investors through to a Saturday-night soirée—all without batting an eye.

Hey, Narie. Tell us about your style. 

I’ve gotten more experimental in recent years, and I play around more with fashion than I used to. Since co-founding MM.LaFleur, I haven’t bought much new stuff; instead, I’ve focused on repurposing what I already own. It’s been nice to try to breathe new life into vintage pieces or old accessories that I’ve picked up while traveling. When you work with what you own, those boundaries force you to be more creative.

So why do you like the Akiko so much?

This dress is very proper, but it’s also very cool. It has a lot of interesting design details. The asymmetrical neckline drapes just so. It’s formfitting and the nipped waist is really flattering, but it also has a surprising amount of room in the hips. Whether you have slender or full hips, it looks good either way; and the darts in the back prevent it from bunching. I also love that it’s made from two different fabrics: the back is tailored wool and the front is made of draped matte jersey that looks great on every body type.

10am: Meeting with Investors

For an investor meeting, I want to look professional but also fashion-forward. We’re a fashion brand, so I feel comfortable playing with my style a bit, as long as it’s within the realm of professionalism. I carry this Carven bag every single day because it fits my laptop.

My shoes are from Zara and they’re my answer to looking professional/appropriate but also a bit cool. They’re actually surprisingly high quality, so I can walk a ton in them and not worry about whether they’ll fall apart. Here, I paired the Akiko with our Sant Ambroeus jacket, which is such a sharp look.

7pm: Evening Event at Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery

Painting by Manika Nagare at Miyako Yoshinaga.

This dress is great for days when I don’t have time to go home between work and going out for the evening. Adding a piece of statement jewelry takes it to the next level of dressiness. This metal necklace was a gift that someone brought me from Morocco, and the shoes are from Zara. It seems like everything I own is either MM.LaFleur, vintage, or Zara…

Noon: Saturday Hangout

For the weekend, I just throw on this mohair sweater, which is really warm and also dresses things down. I’ve been experimenting a lot with layering this way, rather than with a cardigan or open jacket.

Here, I finished the look with sheer tights, Tom Ford sunglasses, my grandmother’s necklace, my everyday watch, and boots from a Korean vintage store in the East Village.

9pm: Saturday Soirée

One of the reasons this dress is so great is that I can wear it in a business setting, but I can also wear it to an art opening, fashion event, or nice dinner. The Akiko is one of the more formal dresses in our collection, but I was surprised to see just how versatile it can be. 

For this look, I threw on every single bangle I own. Some are from India, Thailand, my grandmother… It feels like I’m wearing so many different people and places.

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Follow Narie’s lead and shop the Akiko, or browse the entire MM.LaFleur collection here.