Outfit Inspiration - Knit Vest

The outfit I am showing you today was styled around a knit vest. I didn’t post anything last week as life was extra busy and we had company for the Labor Day weekend. Today, Monday, I was feeling tired and unmotivated, so I decided to just you give a post on what I had on. It’s certainly nothing fancy, but it incorporates some last minute print mixing and fun textures.

This longer knit vest is a Christopher & Banks piece. I like the colors, and thought they were perfectly suited for a summer day in the air conditioning. We are having a little heat wave right now, which puts off wearing layers, but this worked for being at home all day. This vest is great for spring, summer, and fall. My biggest trouble is remembering I have it. Ha, ha.

I chose my cute a.n.a. pineapple print tee which went well with the coral/orange in the vest. My girlfriend visiting this weekend has several pineapple tees and tanks, so she inspired me to wear mine. I love the gold pineapples and they make it easy to accessorize with gold jewelry.

Style Tip: Remember when picking pieces for a print mix try to coordinate at least one color. This is part of what makes print mixing fun and easy to do.

My jeans are a thrifted pair of Merona’s. I finished out the look with my olive Sperry suede sneakers, and my thrifted American Eagle hobo bag. I also added a green with gold wrap bracelet.

This outfit is casual but cute. I still look like I made an effort, even though the pieces are comfortable and easy to wear. Do you like to wear long vests? What is your every day, go to outfit? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links I might get a little kick back. All opinions are my own.

Have a wonderful evening.

Thinking About Fall - Transitional Style - Button Down Short Sleeve Top

I hope those of you who have subscribed to my blog are content with what I have been posting lately. I have fallen into a rhythm of only posting twice a week, but for now that is the best I can do. Real life is never as pretty as it looks on a blog post or Instagram. Real life is messy and often requires more of our energy and time than we have to give. That being said, I want you to know, I am trying to bring you content that goes along with the seasons and what is going on in the fashion world, as well as to encourage you in your faith. I will probably spend a few more weeks on these transitional looks and then I hope to start that infamous Pantone series. Ha, ha. Stay tuned.

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Last week, I took myself on a little shopping trip. I went to two stores, Kohl’s and JC Penney. These have long been my go to’s when I am looking for new items. In my town, these two stores are only a few blocks apart, making it even easier to justify stopping at both. As you know by now, I shop the clearance racks and I really found some great pieces, including this yellow and white gingham, St. John’s Bay button down. I actually purchased these in two different prints, the other being a blue, yellow and white mini floral.

The thing I like about these is the light weight cotton material, which is perfect for these hot summer days, and the high-low square hem. You can see that better in the picture below. This makes it easy to wear the top out, like I did in this outfit, or you could tuck it in for a more polished look.

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To keep my look light and cool, I accessorized with light, neutral colors and added a bracelet as my only piece of jewelry. My bag is from a few summers ago and is Sonoma brand. A woven bag is always a great summer piece. My off white sneakers were thrifted and they are Mossimo brand.

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To make the outfit ready for cool weather, I made a few simple adjustments. I added a fun yellow moto jacket that I ordered from Kohl’s last year that was on clearance. This is Elizabeth and James brand. I fell in love with the color and it is a heavy, sturdy piece that can be worn as a jacket, not just a show piece.

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I love this scarf and I think the colors are perfect for fall. The yellow mums, the burgundy splashes and there is also a little bit of an olive leopard print throughout. I should have straightened it out a bit more, since the ends look a but rumpled. My hair looks crazy too, so no worries. Ha, ha.

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I swapped out my woven bag for a cute burgundy leather and suede shoulder bag my bestie gave me that she found thrifting. I also added my thrifted Rock & Candy by Zigi ankle boots. These are such a fun boot with the lace overlay. One of the reasons I love to thrift is finding fun, unique pieces like these boots.

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Here are the outfits side by side. What do you think? Did I make a good transition to fall? What would you have done differently? I love to hear your thoughts.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. Moto jackets are a great way to take your clothes from one season to the next. They provide an added layer of warmth in the cooler weather and a lighter layer as the temperatures start to warm up in the spring.

These are affiliate links. When you click on a link I get a few cents. All opinions are my own. I appreciate all your support and all your clicks.

Have a great week.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2019 - Crabapple and Forest Biome

The next two colors in the Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2019 - London Palette are Crabapple and Forest Biome. I grew up with crabapple trees in our back yard and I thought they were one of the prettiest of spring’s trees. We had a pink and a white, and they had a glorious scent that just floated on the air. Obviously this Crabapple color is meant to mimic, not only the pinky flowers, but the tiny little fruits that hang from the branches. As for Forest Biome, we know that it is a dark green, but I had to look up the word biome, to fully understand it. A biome is an ecological community system, such as a rain forest or dessert. Forest Biome, then would refer to an area of forested land probably brimming with pines and cedars and perhaps a few deciduous trees. Wherever they come up with the names for the colors and just what meaning they had in choosing the name, we don’t really need to know, but it is fun to think about.

My Forest Biome is a little more blue and my Crabapple is a bit more pink than their colors, but again, you get the idea. I thought Evening Blue would be a good classic color to pair the other two colors with.

This was a neat little sitting area at the Toledo Botanical Gardens where we took the pictures for this series. I’d love to have a patio like this with an English type garden all around, and fun outdoor furniture, but I have neither the resources, the time or the energy. They always say you will find time for the things you really want to do, but I think it would be more accurate to say, we can always find time for the things we know we should do. Ha, ha. My Grandson is a priority. Picking him up after school and hanging out with him when he has a day off are priorities. Do those things cause other things to be put off or put on the back burner? You bet, but that is what I choose to do because I love him and my daughter. What we really need to do, is stop beating ourselves up for all the other things we are not able to get to.

My jeans are W62 brand from dressbarn. They are very comfy and contain a good amount of stretch. I wear these again and again for work or when I just want a different color skinny jean.

This thrifted, embellished, 3/4 length sleeve top is Dana Buchman brand. I do love the swirling pattern and glistening sheen of the front portion of the top. The sleeves and the back are more like a plain jersey knit.

The dark navy vest is really a belted dress that I found at a thrift store a while ago. It is Issac Mizrahi brand and if I was thin enough, I might consider wearing it as a dress, but it works beautifully as a vest. What do you think?

I went with a little metallic bling with my accessories including a rose gold pendent and bracelets, a Madden bag that I got on clearance at Kohl’s and my SO heeled boots, which were also a clearance purchase at Kohl’s.

What do you think of these colors? Would you wear an outfit like this? I’d love to hear from you.

I’m leaving you with a few shopping links. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend.

Photo and graphic credit Rebecca Trumbull.