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!
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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! I do not condone illegal activity. But I also do not condone the cost of movie concessions! That's why I resort to smuggling in my own goods when I know I'll be craving a sweet treat.
Shhh...don't tell...but I committed my latest offense this past weekend! In the cute little getup I'm wearing below, I had just enough room in my jeans pockets and give in my t-shirt to carefully conceal my candy. In the Fall and Winter, I wear my motorcycle boots 80% of the time. I got these boots from LBL on Main Street in Cedar Falls, one of my favorite stores. They have a lot of well-made, edgy options. My jeans and t-shirt are from Old Navy. And my flannel (funny story) is actually from the little boys' section at Target! I've found some gems in this section throughout my lifetime (I started shopping there sometime around Junior High). They have some cute options (that fit my style, not all) and the price is always right! Now that I look at this photo again, I kind of look like a little punk that would smuggle in sweets...I bet they knew I was guilty all along! If my headline wasn't enough...FALL IS HERE! My absolute favorite season. You can call me "basic" all you want - I don't care!
Joel and I had the opportunity to indulge in an anniversary getaway to celebrate seven married years together (10.5 years together total). We did our normal wandering across Northeast Iowa and I was dressed for the occasion. I bought the olive green, anorak jacket I am wearing below this summer for $5 from Sears! I have been waiting patiently to wear it and since our trip I have worn it every single day! I paired the jacket with a cream t-shirt with stud details from JCPenney, skinny jeans from Old Navy, and tall boots that I've had for years from JCPenney. As an accessory, I wore a quartz crystal necklace that I found in a vintage store in Des Moines. I would post other outfits from the weekend, but all were covered by my jacket, so they probably wouldn't offer up too much inspiration! I don't only wear business attire! Although I do normally like to be "dressed up" in some form, I keep it casual on occasion, especially on the weekends.
If you were to stop by my house on a weekend, you'd definitely find me in some form of stretch jean or legging, t-shirt or tank (normally band oriented), a baseball cap or bandanna, and always, my white Chucks. I've included photos of two outfits from this past weekend below. Joel and I did a lot of adventuring around Iowa and Wisconsin, so I wore outfits that were acceptable for several different scenarios. The first outfit includes my aforementioned Chucks with a pair of wool shorts from Old Navy and Ramones t-shirt from Kohl's. The second outfit is Old Navy head-to-toe! The flats are snakeskin, the jeans are my favorite pair (I cannot wear them without at least one person asking if I need money to buy proper pants), and the grey t-shirt is made of a super comfy material that helped hide my belly after eating waaaay too much delicious food... 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. I felt a lot of pressure dressing myself for the 80/35 music festival in Des Moines last weekend. The stakes are always high. Festival fashion is fun to observe, but I never feel like I fit in (i.e. I never feel as cute as I perceive others to be!). I saw A LOT of great outfits at 80/35. Cute dresses, outfit combinations, and lack of outfits (some festival goers opted for airbrushed clothing vs. the real deal). But it all looked fabulous.
I knew it was going to be hot, so I wanted to dress light. I stopped by Goodwill and was able to pull together the outfit pictured below for less than $20! I'm really into "side knotting" my shirts, because I think it is flattering on me, so I tried that out here. The outfit lasted me through some very sweaty moments and I felt "festival cool" in it. After I got home I thought of about 10 other variations on the same outfit that I could have worn instead...but there's always next year! |
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