I've been anxious to post an outfit with my new babies - black Converse high tops (aka Chuck Taylors; aka Cons). I've literally wanted these shoes for over a year. I finally pulled the trigger and got them. They are just as wonderful as I imagined they would be.
I'm still trying out different ways to wear them, the photo above was the first time I wore them out of the house. I paired them with a shirt dress from Target that I knotted at the hip to give me a little more shape. The pleather jeggings are also from Target. They are fleece lined and super comfortable. The only other item I paired with the outfit was a necklace my mom gave me for Christmas that carries a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt on it. I'm excited to play around with these shoes as the weather warms up. Cons are my go-to sneaker, I now have two pairs to get me around. Below are some close-ups of the outfit!
0 Comments
I'm not a huge prints person...wait...who am I kidding? I'm a huge prints person. Floral prints are my normal go-to, but I do fancy other prints on occasion. An "other print" dress that I really like and have had forever is from Target. It honestly looks like a dalmatian or a snow leapord print. But I love it! The cut of the dress is young, the print is fun, and the black/white coloring is classic. I normally pair this dress with a black scarf, tights, and boots. Wearing clothing with busy prints can be a bit intimidating. But if you really love the print, there's something pretty empowering about wearing it after you have it on. Put your fears aside and get ready to stand out! A close-up of this print:
Fall is my favorite season and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. When both things pass, I tend to feel a little down. So to curb my impending sad feelings, I decided to dress up a bit on Thanksgiving.
The outfit I wore is styled similarly to my last post. Same scarf, same belt, same boots. But can we appreciate this dress?! Another beautiful find from Orange Possum. This dress was warm, flowing, and forgiving as my belly grew larger from all of the indulgence. I tried something new with the triangle blanket scarf (that I got many compliments on). Instead of wrapping it around my neck, I chose to drape it over my shoulders and belt it at my waist. It ended up looking like a long vest from the front. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday full of love, memories and gratitude! There is something truly marvelous about the right shade of mustard yellow. I am not a person that wears very much yellow, but for shades of mustard, I make an exception.
I caved and made a trip to Orange Possum in Hampton. If you read my previous post, you know that I was fighting the temptation to visit this store due to the overwhelming number of amazing pieces they have in right now. The dress I'm sharing today, along with the scarf, is featured in image four of that post. I just had to have that outfit! They only had size large left in the dress, which was actually perfect. The material is very comfortable, but clingy, so anything smaller may have showed off lumps and bumps I didn't need anyone to see! I believe that you can fix anything with a belt, so as you will see, I belted this dress off to give some shape to the silhouette. The large also fell better in the skirt - long enough for work and it hit in just the right place on my legs so I look a foot taller than usual! I wore this to work and ditched my standard heels. I paired the dress with brown tights and ankle boots from Old Navy. I topped everything off with the triangle blanket scarf I purchased at Orange Possum and was very pleased with the outcome! What a November so far! Can't beat this beautiful Iowa weather. It feels so strange to not be bundled up a little more each day as winter approaches.
In this abnormal warm streak, dressing for the day has been a bit of a challenge. It's cold when I step out the door at home in the morning, but warm when I leave the building after work. I've partially transitioned into my winter wardrobe with boots and tights, but have kept it light otherwise. I have several different variations of the collared button-up top I am wearing below. They are from the I Heart Ronson line at JCPenney. These shirts are great because they are long, perfect over leggings, and light, so they can be tucked into a skirt or layered without adding bulk. They offer a lot of look possibilities. They are also a tad bit sheer, which I like because there's good air flow and it adds a bit of sexiness to an outfit whether you are wearing this top casually or professionally, especially when you have it buttoned all the way up. I paired this particular version of the I Heart Ronson top with a vintage olive green skirt (with pockets!) that I found at Goodwill. My boots are from JCPenney. This outfit was comfortable and held up well during a day full of meetings and video shoots! Lisa, my cousin, got married this past weekend. She is a sweet young girl with a beautiful new little family. Her wedding and reception were just how I like it - simple and focused on love. She requested a "device-free" ceremony, which I thought was a wonderful idea and a surprising choice for someone of her age. They kept the whole thing small and intimate, yet lively. The weather and the company couldn't have been better. I am also very sore from so much dancing! It was a great day. I was assigned to the guest book and planned to run around helping with anything else that needed to be done during the event, so I tried to keep my look cute yet comfortable. I also didn't know what the weather was going to be like, so I made sure to layer. I chose an all black ensemble, which as much as I like black, I don't do that often. I opted for tights and boots along with a long-sleeved sweater dress layered under a blazer with patent leather sleeves, both items from H&M. I used a gift card I had to the Covenant Medical Center Gift Shop to pick-up some accessories. (If you're in that area, they have some really cute stuff!) I chose a black scarf with red, pink, and olive green crosses, and a cute little purse that is the perfect size for me. I hate carrying purses. This was my compromise. It held my phone, ID, and lip glosses nicely. I also liked the neutral colors and classic design, it can go with a lot of different outfits for a long time to come. Joel and my sister performed the first dance song at the reception, so my handsome man was all dressed up! And I mentioned the dancing...Here I am with my "boyfriend" from the reception. Cutest little boy that loved to dance with me as much as I loved dancing with him! I believe I'm teaching him the "Cha-Cha Slide" in this photo. Things got a little blurry after a bit. The libations were going down a little too well! But hey, we were there to celebrate! Lord, please give me the strength to stay away from Orange Possum this season.
Ladies, I have to tell you, I am a thrifter/discount crazed lunatic through and through, but sometimes I am very tempted to take all of my money, drive to a store, and buy all of the things at full price. I want pretty much everything that is currently available at Orange Possum in Hampton right now. They've been tempting me on Instagram one post at a time...but I will stay strong... Here are some of the items I need NOW! Unfortunately, I don't have a pro following me around to take my outfit photos like Jackie O. did. Here's a visual description of what I look like while capturing my fashion photos: Phone propped on bumper of car; Self-timer set; Me jogging backwards so I get a full body shot; Me jogging forwards to check the shot and reset the camera. This series is repeated around 10 times while one of our neighbors watches without me realizing until I've made a complete fool of myself. I'm a blogger, people! Get over it!
Anyway...This gem of a dress is a piece I found for...wait for it...five dollars!! I am not kidding. Brand new, off-the-rack at Sears. My sister and I scored on the first day of a sale they were having. The discounts were deep and we were on Cloud 9. We both walked away with multiple dresses and I also got a great jacket you'll see later on. I love this dress because it is the epitome of classic. I'm just missing gloves and a pair of chic sunglasses. The cut, the pattern, the material - perfect. And to top everything off? It has POCKETS! I paired the dress with my favorite pair of Vera Wang peep-toe heels and red nails. I felt very Jackie O. - pulled together, polished, and timeless. My ideal trio of characteristics in life and in fashion. I've been proud of the creativity I've brought to dressing up for work this summer. Our new house has better closets that allow me to see everything I own vs. 50% of it (at our old house, the rest was hidden in the back - I had to press against and squeeze in my clothing to see everything I had). I think the new closets have helped a lot.
The cute combo I am wearing below is a JCPenney/Old Navy creation. Jacket, top and nude flats from JCPenney, skirt from Old Navy. It is an easy breezy look that is both comfortable and professional. I always love the look of a good blazer. They pull everything together, making an otherwise casual look appropriate for the office. I've been making a daily effort to dig deep into my vast clothing collection and pull out items I haven't worn in awhile. It's been fun to see my "old friends" and remember why I've held onto some pieces for so long.
While flipping through my closet yesterday, I ran across the gem pictured below. A great t-shirt dress from Old Navy that I bought a year or two ago when I wanted to feel confident at a big meeting I was part of. The shoes have been mine for I don't know how many years...a deep discount JCPenney find is what I'm thinking. They're classic in both style and color, so I could never part with them. The tan in the shoes went well with the tan in the floral print of the dress, so I thought I'd give it a try. I love the way this dress falls (although the length is borderline too short for work) I believe the loose cut, crew neck, and longer sleeves balance that out. The shoes made my legs look a mile long, which is great because I'm a shorty. The floral print is bold and makes me smile when I look at it (that's really why I bought it!). Let your style bloom! Dig deep in those closets and show the pieces that have been gathering dust that you still appreciate them. |
Archives
March 2022
Categories
All
|