Wednesday, February 12, 2014

There is a bird in that cage



 
Sweater- Gap similar
Vest- Ralph Lauren-thrifted splurge
skirt-thrifted similar
boots-Shoes. com option
necklace-JCPenney similar
worn Feb. 9, 2014
 
The last time I wore this skirt, I was not at all pleased with the results so I hung it back in the closet and it's been there for what seems like forever. I do love the pattern and rich colors so I started thinking about wearing it again. I had eyed both the skirt and vest in the closet and decided they would go together nicely.
 
I wore this to church and afterwards we had lunch with a couple with a small child who decided to check out my necklace. She climbed into the seat beside me and looked into my necklace and exclaimed "there's a bird in there." And yes, there is.
 
Linking here:
 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Ol' rusty and a loafer day



 
Blazer- old- option option
shirt-thrifted
pants- JCPenney
shoes-old Target option option
necklace- Chicos-thrifted
Worn Feb. 7, 2014
 
I'm wearing my trusty rust wool jacket again. This piece gets rotated over and over during fall and winter, but usually just with browns. This time I tried black pants. Maybe next time I'll work in navy. I also wore loafers because it was Friday and I was tired, just too tired for heels. Do you ever have those days?

Speaking of heels vs flats, one of my favorite bloggers recently posted that she wears flats a lot off the blog but not on the blog. Why not go ahead and keep it real? Show the outfits with flats too. Not being ugly to anybody, but outfits that are not for the real world do me no good. They are just eye candy and I see a lot of it. Lots of posts where I think, where in the world would she really wear that outfit or those shoes? You certainly wouldn't do a lot of walking. It makes me wonder if some of these people even have jobs, or do that just dress up and take pictures all day? Just my rant, you go ahead and run your blog as you see fit. Mine will be a real world collection of what I really wear to work, church, and play.

Linking here:







Monday, February 10, 2014

Chambray dress- four ways



Sometimes one single solid piece, like a dress, can be difficult to style in multiple ways. I've found this chambray dress to be very versatile and easy to create different looks season to season by changing accessories and shoes. By the way, the shoes in the first pic are no longer in my closet. They were uncomfortable, not to mention unflattering.

For details on each outfit, go to the the original post by clicking on the date below it.

 

 

 

 
 
Linking up here:
 









Friday, February 7, 2014

Style Swap

                             Mix and Match Fashion              My version
 
Today I'm linking up with My New Favorite Outfit and Style Swap (details here). I chose to swap out a style from Tara at Mix and Match Fashion.  I had recently pinned this outfit from her blog with my skirt in mind. I don't have any window pane pants but I do have a fushia sweater, black blazer and this skirt. I also liked the pop of blue she added, so I did the same with my bubble necklace. I recently read that bubble necklaces were out, but I've seen a few of my favorite bloggers still wearing them, and as long as I'm comfortable, I will be too. I just couldn't skip the pop of color this adds just because bubble necklaces are "out".
 




Blazer- Dress Barn- option option option
sweater- JCPenney option option
skirt- JCPenney option
boots- shoes.com option
Worn Feb. 5, 2014
 
Also linking here:
 
 
 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Delayed gratification





 
Jacket- Target option option
blouse- JCPenney (old)
pants- Limited similar
belt- thrifted
bracelet- JCPenney
shoes- Payless
worn Feb. 3, 2014
 
I stalked this jacket in our local Target for the longest time. The more I saw it on other bloggers, the more I wanted it. I know it can become a versatile piece for my work wardrobe. Yet I wanted to get a bargain too and I knew I didn't NEED it. So I stalked it. Weekly. Until finally just before Christmas it went on clearance and with a coupon, I got for around $20.
 
Then with the busyness of Christmas and the weather, I didn't wear it until this week. I tried one other time, but the blouse I picked out to go with it was too white and I was running late and didn't have time to iron something else. Then it was too cold. Finally, Monday was a warm day and it was perfect for this outfit.
 
Just curious, do you ever want something so badly, yet delay wearing it when you finally get it?
 
Linking up here:
 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Comfy light layers



 
Cardigan- JCPenney
long sleeve tshirt- JCPenney
jeans- Levis
scarf- Target
shoes- Old Navy
worn Feb. 2, 2014
 
I usually dress up for church, but some days I just don't feel like it. Sunday was one of those days where I just wanted to be comfortable. The temperature shift left me clueless about what to wear. I knew I needed light layers because it would be warm in the afternoon. So, I popped over to my pinterest style board and saw this pin. It was one of those aha moments where I realize I have similar items in my closet and they are so simple I would have totally overlooked wearing them together. Done. Dressed.
 
Linking up here:








 

 

Monday, February 3, 2014

Camel pants- Five outfits



 
So...there are two things you can take away from this post. One, the main point which is that a great neutral piece will lend you countless outfits and if you have only think of black or navy as a neutral, try camel. I loved my camel color pants and the options so much that I made it a priority to find a new pair after I lost weight. The first pair had already been altered (hemmed) once and just weren't worth the investment of another alteration bill. I only paid $10 for them to begin with, so I was happy to invest in a second pair.  Camel is a great fall/winter color and pairs well with bright and jewel tones.
 
Second take away... lighting can really affect your photos and the colors of your outfits. In the collage above, the first two are the exact same pair of pants and the last three are the exact same pair, but the coloring is different in all of them. I'm certainly not a professional photographer but I'm learning and will definitely pay more attention to lighting in the future. Another helpful thing for this type of post with the same item would be to take photos at the same time of day and location each time. Good luck with that. I sometimes barely have time to take photos, much less the same time and place daily. Nor can we control mother nature and clouds vs sun, but I can do a better job of working with what I am given. You'll notice these photos span a time frame of two years, so they are going to have some differences. Best case scenario would be to recreate all the outfits and photograph them the same day and time, but... you know that time thing.... so I'm working with what I've got. I hope it still gives you some inspiration.
 
 
 Camel/pink/brown
 
 
Jan. 2, 2013
 

 
 
Aug. 27, 2013
 

 
Oct. 23, 2013

 
Dec. 23, 2013

 
One more way to wear camel HERE.
 
 

Friday, January 31, 2014

Sweater and scarf- two ways

 


 
Jacket- thrifted option option
sweater- JCPenney option option
scarf- Target option
pants- Gap
shoes- Sears
worn Jan. 30, 2014
 
I thought this was the exact same outfit as a couple of weeks ago except for the jacket and shoes, but when I looked at my side by side comparison below, I questioned if these are the same pants. I think they are, but the lighting is different. The scarf and sweater are the same and it's still a good illustration that just changing the jacket and tying the scarf differently can create a totally new outfit. And I'm going to critique myself here too- I think the cut of the pink jacket is more flattering.
 


Linking here:







Thursday, January 30, 2014

Stripes and sunshine




Sweater- Forever21 option option;
pants- JCPenney
necklace/earrings- ??? option option
shoes- Belks
Worn Jan. 27, 2014
 
I normally wear this sweater with more navy or red, so I decided it was time to mix it up with grey and a pop of yellow. Temps went into the 70s Monday before the "storm" arrived this week so it was nice to have a little sunshine before all the cold and grey.
 
I'm having a brain freeze from all the cold and I can't remember wear I got this necklace. It was either at Belk or JCPenney (it's not like we have a large choice of stores here).
 
Linking here:
 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

In need of sweaters





 
Shirt- JCPenney
pants- TJMaxx
shoes- Ross
tote- gift
Worn Jan. 26, 2014
 
This has been the coldest winter thus far since I moved to my current location. All the others had been so mild, I had gotten rid of most of my sweaters. I have been in need of them this season. When I saw Caitlin at Southern Curls and Pearls in a white cable knit and red plaid, I knew that a white cable knit would be a good addition to my wardrobe.
 
This sweater that I'm wearing isn't a true cable knit, but I used rewards to get it free from Gap. The cable knits were sold out in my size. This one is really soft and comfy, so I'm happy, as long as it holds its shape.
 
And yes, same purse and same shoes as a couple of posts back. They are in constant rotation now. Actually, I tend to carry the same purse for a week or two (or longer) at the time. How often do you swap purses?
 
Linking up here:







 

 

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Navy, coral and beige



 
Blazer- Sears option option
shirt- Gap option option
skirt-thrifted
belt- Target option option; shoes- TJMaxx
tote- gift
Worn Jan. 21, 2014

Another outfit inspired by my Pinterest board. My outfit is not exactly the same, but the color scheme was the inspiration. I'm learning to tag my pins by color or item so I can use the search feature to easily find them or find inspiration if I'm trying to decide how to style a particular item. How do you use Pinterest?

Oh and the cute tote- a Christmas gift from my hubby. It's from a local shop.

Linking here:








 

Monday, January 27, 2014

A blazer and a bird



 
Blazer- old option; sweater- Target
jeans- Levi's skinny
shoes- Ross option
Worn Jan. 19, 2014
 
Dressing for repeated cold days is beginning to get difficult because I'm not accustomed to it here. However, it did give me the change to create another look with the bird sweater. I layered a wool blazer over it with jeans and a statement necklace.

What's your favorite way to dress for the winter?

Linking up here:







 

 

Friday, January 24, 2014

For the red carpet




 
Blazer- thrifted
shirt -JCPenney
jeans- Levis
shoes- DSW similar similar
clutch -Forever 21
Worn Jan. 18, 2014
 
I wore this to an amateur film premier last weekend. My hubby was involved with some of the props and makeup and had an acting part as well. This was a "no budget" film but still turned out great. There is a local film council in our area assisting aspiring film producers and soliciting movie makers to our area. It's fun to see people you know on the big screen.

Linking here: