Seeing Red - Thrifted Thursday - Burgundy Skirt

Today’s column is the first of a new one I am going to feature the first Thursday of the Month. Since I am such an avid thrifter and because I see so many other thrifters featuring their treasures on a regular basis, I thought it would be fun to come up with an outfit once a month that is entirely thrifted. I thought this outfit fit into my February theme of Seeing Red because it features my burgundy faux leather skirt.

This skirt is Worthington brand. I have styled this on the blog before. You can see it styled with a velvet floral top here; a burgundy lace top here; a floral top here; and a gray sweater tunic here. This just goes to show, a faux leather skirt is a versatile option for your wardrobe. It works great as a work wear piece or dressed up for a classy night out.

I love this cognac yellow, cowl neck sweater. It is Charlotte Russe brand. Since it is a wider, more relaxed fit, I decided to do the front tuck. I have seen numerous vloggers, (video bloggers) who use this method to create a waist line on an outfit, with a more bulky or voluminous piece. Since I added a jacket over the top, leaving the back untucked was no big deal, as you can see below.

This olive green jacket could be a shirt dress, a very short one. Ha, ha. However, my days of mini skirts are long gone, so I am using it like a light weight jacket. This is Fashion Bug brand. With its large square pockets, metals snaps and casing belt, it definitely falls into the utility jacket category.

I kept my accessories simple. The fun brass and bead flower pendant I found thrifting a few years ago. The cognac, leather, Fossil cross body bag is perfect for carrying the essentials when shopping. I could have went with some cognac colored ankle boots, but opted for the black ANA loafer heels instead. I thought it made the outfit look a little more professional and office ready. My dark colored hose are the only thing not thrifted in my outfit.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like this combination of colors? I really liked the way the yellow, burgundy and olive compliment each other.

If you don’t go thrifting, I would strongly recommend you give it a try. It is a great way to help our environment, other people and our own pocket books.

I’ve included a few modestly priced shopping links, if you are more of an online shopper. These are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone Spring 2018 - Spiced Apple, Warm Sand and Nile Green

We are moving right along in our Pantone Spring 2018 color series. For those of you who may be new to my blog, the Pantone Color Institute are the go-to entity for fashion and design color choices. Twice a year, spring and fall, the Institute puts out a palette of colors, from which many designers find their color inspiration. As a blogger, who loves color, I enjoy building outfits around these colors as well. 

This week, I am featuring two of the colors from the London Palette along with the foundational color of Warm Sand. Say hello to Spiced Apple and Nile Green. 

As I said, last week, the last three posts for this spring series will feature indoor pictures. My daughter and I finally gave up on the snow that was falling fast and wet on the day we took these photos. 

Spiced Apple is a brownish red, bordering on maroon. My skirt might be a tad dark, but you get the idea. This faux leather skirt is a fun, thrifted piece that I have found to be quite versatile. This one is Worthington brand. I topped the skirt with another thrifted piece. This floral, ruffled, bell sleeve blouse is a brand called Sunny Leigh. The blouse contains snippets of Nile Green and I thought it went well with the reddish brown skirt. I added a beaded necklace that also was the Nile Green color. 

I threw the Warm Sand open weave vest over the top as my grounding color. I feel the vest not only adds a layer of warmth for these chilly spring days, but also adds textural interest. 

The bag I am carrying is a bit more yellow than the Nile Green, but it works with the outfit as a whole and without having the color tab right next to the bag, you wouldn't be able to really tell. 

You've seen these cobalt blue heels before on the blog. They go perfectly with the darker shade of blue in the top, so I thought they would be a good pop of color to complete the outfit. 

What do you think of these colors? While I do like both colors, I would not say these are my favorites. Nile Green is a tad light for my taste and the Spiced Apple is a color I would fee better in, come fall. However, it is fun to try out these different colors, because you never know when one of them will strike you in a way that makes you fall in love with it. 

I've included a few shopping links. These are affiliate links, which means if you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through one of my links, I get a little commission. All opinions are my own. 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge and Jess of Elegantly Dresses and Stylish. 

Layering Love - Add a Vest

Continuing my series on layering, I wanted to look at several different ways of adding layers without adding bulk. A vest is a perfect choice for adding warmth around your core, but still allowing you to show off those fancy sleeves. 

Fancy sleeves are all the rage right now. Bell sleeves, laced sleeves and sleeves with layers of ruffles can be found in many of our frequented retailers. By wearing a vest, you give yourself an extra layer of warmth, and let your pretty sleeves show off. 

Since velvet is very trendy right now, I wanted to show off this top that I have worn on the blog before. You can see that post here. This pretty bell sleeve top is Notations brand, which is sold at various retailers including Target. Mine was thrifted. 

This picture shows the sleeve up close. Isn't the pattern pretty? I love the black background with the pink flowers. It is a true winter floral. This pic also shows my green clutch. I decided on green for the clutch and jewelry to pull in the little bit of green in the leaves on the top.

The faux leather skirt is Worthington brand which is sold at JC Penney. Mine was thrifted. I never really had an interest in getting a leather or faux leather skirt until I saw Jodie from Jodie's Touch of Style do a post showing off hers. I'm glad I made this purchase. You can see a couple of Jodie's posts on styling leather skirts here and here. 

Instead of tights I wore heavier leggings. Once again, another way to keep warm. 

The long black vest I got at TJ Maxx and it is brand called harve bernard. Kohl's sells this brand also. As you can see the vest is knee length and has a slight open weave. This will be a good add on piece for fall, winter and spring.

I didn't even realize until I looked at the inside of this boot for the brand that these were Ralph Lauren. No wonder I like them! They are leather, look nice and are comfortable. Win!

Do you like to wear a vest for added warmth in the winter? How would you style your vest? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments. section. I always appreciate your feed back and support. 

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

Winter Wonderland - Week 3

Here we are less than a week away from Christmas! What????? I cannot believe how fast time flies by. When I was playing with my grandson today, I spent a few moments just looking at his cute little face (something we grandmas like to do) and I wondered what happened to that little tiny burrito that I held in my arms six years ago! Time keeps its own pace and doesn't ask how we feel about it, even if we would like it to slow down a little.

This week's day to night outfit revolves around a faux leather pencil skirt. Once again, I reached for the burgundy color to pair with my grays. I just love how these two colors work with one another, almost like a lovely dance with the burgundy confidently taking the lead and the gray coming along for the ride.

For my day look, I chose to style an outfit for work. The look is still casual, but more professional. This would also be a great look for a lunch get together with the hubby or the girlfriends.

Wearing a light gray tunic sweater I wanted to add a little more color by my face so I chose this oblong, multi colored scarf. I love the way the scarf draws in the burgundy of the skirt.

Here is a closer look at the scarf. Try to imagine the look without the scarf and I feel I would be a bit washed out, but adding the scarf and my Mary Kay Mystic Plum lip color adds a wow factor. This close up of the scarf shows you the lovely purple and burgundy tones. I added a brooch to hold the scarf together. A shout out to Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style for motivating me to get reacquainted with pins and brooches. Another way to add some bling to our outfits.

I added a dark gray clutch that can be used as shoulder bag. It has a chain for a strap so I wouldn't put anything real heavy in it. To keep the look more casual, I wore my gray suede wedge heel ankle boots. 

To transform the look into more of a night time go out on a date look I swapped out the scarf for a chiffon kimono and gold layered necklace. 

Instead of the gray clutch I carried a gold woven one to go with the gold necklace. I also swapped out my casual gray ankle boots for a low heeled black pump.

Here is a back view of the kimono. It has a bit of a hi lo hemline and while for this outfit I wore it more as a jacket, I could see pairing with a belt and leggings for more of a tunic look.....oooo good idea for another post. I really need to write these ideas down when I get inspired or I will forget! 

After my daughter had loaded these pics onto her computer she said she wasn't real happy with our back drop because of the busyness. Now I see what she meant. Too many leaves and branches and lights. Ha, ha. But she's the professional. I still think it looks pretty. 

So here are my two outfits side by side. 

Let me know what you this of these outfits. Do you think the look transitions from day to night? What would you have done differently? I love to hear your comments, because I don't know everything and fashion has so many aspects to it that I don't even think of. So don't be afraid to leave a comment. I appreciate the input. I do respond to all comments and you can just check back on the post later to see what I've said.

Shopping the look:

Faux leather skirt (black - other choices in burgundy available on ebay, etsy, etc.) - Macy's - $59.50

Gray tunic sweater (many sizes in light gray sold out - this is another option) - Macy's - $41.99

Kimono - Essential Apparel - $28.80

Ankle Boots - DSW - $49.95

Clutch - Charming Charlie - $29.00

Necklace - Charming Charlie - $18.00

Monday linking up with Michelle of Michelle's Pa(i)ge and Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb.