Pantone Spring 2018 - Chili Oil, Arcadia and Lime Punch

As I sit here beginning to type this, it is snowing some of the largest snowflakes I have ever seen! Just two days ago it was almost sixty and now Old Man Winter is back. We expected that, however. Winter will end and spring will come. To help us along it is time to start my Spring Pantone color series. 

I feature the Pantone colors twice a year, spring and fall. The reason I do this is simple. I love color! When I first discovered the Pantone Institute and began keeping track of their seasonal color palettes, I thought it was fun to see all the pretty colors they came up with. Frankly, now I am obsessed. I love to see the new colors each season and try to build outfits around those colors. 

Last week I introduced you to this year's spring palettes for both New York and London. There is a good deal of overlap this year. Considering there are twelve colors on each palette I was relieved for the duplicates. I wasn't about to subject you to that long of a series, just on color. This time around I am combining up to three colors in each outfit, plus a foundational color using one of the featured classic colors as well. 

These pictures will not look very springy, seeing as it was a blustery, snowy day when we had our shoot, but I think they look pretty, even if the wind was whipping and I was freezing. 

These three colors are spicy and fun! Chili Oil and Arcadia are on the New York palette, while Lime Punch is featured on both. My classic color for this outfit is Coconut Milk, or white. 

This thrifted Covington jacket worked perfectly as a Chili Oil piece. Not quite brown and not quite red, this color makes me think of Mexican fiestas and earthy tones. Arcadia partners well with the heat of Chili Oil, as if to cool the temperatures before things get too hot. Then throw in just a smidge of Lime Punch and you have a great transitional outfit. Still warm and grounded, but with just enough color to make you giddy for spring. 

The Arcadia turtleneck sweater is a recent purchase from Chico's. This sweater is soft, stretchy and not at all itchy. They don't seem to have this color any more, unfortunately, but I'll include a few links at the end for similar colored items. 

I found this cute metal and bead necklace at a thrift store. The Lime Punch beads are a nice contrast from yellow or green. 

Once again, I am wearing my Gloria Vanderbilt white jeans. I think white really helped this outfit to pop and to be a great transitional outfit for spring. 

For my bag I chose this cute little thrift store find from Relic. The yellows in the bag are very similar to the Lime Punch color of my necklace. I thought this was a unique piece and I think it works very well to add print to this otherwise solid colored outfit. 

For my shoes I chose this pair of dark burgundy heeled ankle boots. I like the different twist these Life Stride boots have on the side. It is sort of like ruching for a shoe!

What do you think of these Pantone colors? Which is your favorite on this outfit? I've been seeing a lot of Arcadia various places, but Lime Punch is a fun color for the warmer weather. I also like the international flavor of Chili Oil....so many colors and so little time! Ha, ha.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I'd love to hear from you, so leave me some love! 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a shopping link I get a few pennies, if you purchase something through one of my links, I get a little commission. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and Shelbee in the Spread the Kindness link up. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots and Jo-Lynne of Jo-Lynne Shane. 

Marvelous Maxis - A+ A-lines

This is the final installment in my Marvelous Maxis series. An A-line skirt is basically a skirt that is narrow at the waist then subtly flares out toward the bottom, thus the "A" look. I have always been a fan of the A-line skirt because it is figure flattering, but still allows for room through the hips and thighs. It is also a great skirt to wear if you want some flare, but don't want a lot of excess material. 

Today's skirt is from Dressbarn. If you are not familiar with Dressbarn they are a women's clothing retailer selling sizes 4-24. I hadn't been in a Dressbarn in ages, but then visited one with my girlfriend while I was back in NY a few months ago. I was glad I did. They have a fun and whimsical style with a variety of prints, colors and cuts in pants, skirts, dresses and tops. They also sell accessories like shoes, bags and jewelry. It took everything in my power to not spend more than I did! 

Look 1 - Casual

I fell in love with the print on this skirt, knowing that I will be able to use it for spring, summer and fall. The skirt is a somewhat sheer material, but is fully lined so you don't have to worry about finding a slip to wear underneath. 

The lining has knee high slits on both sides, making it easy to walk and sit without feeling bound in. Here is a pretty fuschia floral print. 

I paired the skirt with a simple embellished orange tank top. This is a St. John's Bay brand which is found at JC Penney. My tank was thrifted. I tucked the top in, to keep a more figure flattering silhouette. Notice after I tucked it in, I pulled it out a touch, to allow the material to bag out to camouflage my bulges. We have to have a trick or two to hide our baggage!

Since the tank has all this bling, I decided to not wear a necklace. For accessories I just wore a multi-strand beaded bracelet, carried a small macrame bag and wore my lace up sandals. I bought these sandals at Meijer. Meijer is a grocery and clothing retailer here in the midwest. I was surprised to find out that their Massini clothing line is now backed by Stacy London of What Not to Wear fame. Meijer is trying to create a style for every body. 

Look 2 - Dressy

For a more dressy look, I swapped the casual tank for my glitzy taupe short sleeved pullover blouse. This piece was thrifted and is The Limited brand. The Limited is no longer available as they closed their stores back in January. You can see how I styled this blouse in last fall's Pantone series here. 

I also added a gold clutch and gold Covington wedge sandals, Sears carries Covington brand shoes. I also added a fun pendant necklace. 

Here are the two looks side by side.

I hope you enjoyed this series on maxi skirts. These skirts are a great option when you want to have your legs covered, but don't want to wear pant or hose. Do you have maxi skirts in your closet? How do you like to wear them? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Have a great week! 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a shopping link below, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through my site, I get a small commission. All opinions are my own. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Shelbee in the Spread the Kindness link up and Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.