Color Play: Burgundy with Olive Drab and Gold Accents

This will be my last outfit post focusing on the color burgundy. January is drawing to a close and while we have plenty of winter left on the calendar, I want to move on to a few other ideas here on my Fashion Page. Please feel free to message me or if you subscribe to send me an email if you think of something you would like me to cover in this space.

Today’s outfit started with this fun, corduroy puffer vest that I got from Maurice’s a few months ago. It is different cut and style for me, but I wanted to try it and think up different ways to style it. Right now it is rather stiff, but a few washings may help with that. It is a cropped length and a boxy fit.

I’ve had this Sonoma blouse from Kohl’s for many years. I love dark florals, so this piece is perfect for fall and winter, and of course you could wear it all year round, but I like to transition my wardrobe to lighter colors in the spring and summer. There are no longer fashion rules that say you can only wear certain colors at certain times of year, but we can still have your personal preferences.

These thrifted, Lee corduroy trousers are olive drab. They look gray, but when you compare them to a true gray you can easily see they have a green tone to them. I love cords in the winter and these are super comfy.

You know you have bought a good piece or pieces when you wear them over and over, as is the case with these Impo brand, suede, ankle boots. Do you have pieces in your wardrobe that you reach for again and again?

I thought gold was a good choice for my accessories and they really stand out against the background of burgundy. The gold necklace I purchased from a retail store which might have been Kohl’s or JCPenney. I don’t remember. The gold clutch/crossbody bag was a thrift find.

This outfit formula is very simple and anyone can put something similar together. Pick a pretty blouse, a complimentary pair of pants or a skirt, a coordinating vest and finish it off with shoes, jewelry and a bag. You will be ready for work, a lunch date with friends or even a casual date night with your significant other.

What do you like about this outfit? What would you change to make it your own?

I’ve including shopping links after each clothing piece for similar items. I try to use retailers that I would shop at and choose things at a little bit lower price point. These are affiliate links and are brought to you at no cost.

Thank you for stopping by the blog. Have a fantastic day!

Shopping Our Closets: Winter Trends and Texture

It is always fun to add texture to our outfits whether through various materials, accessories or patterns. Winter provides ample time to pump up our texture building muscles by the addition of layers. Today’s outfit, still a call out to the winter trend of burgundy, also incorporates the additional trends of leopard print, and texture in the form of faux fur. I’ll also touch on the wider leg trouser trend.

I have had this thrifted, burgundy, Pendleton blazer for years. A few times I have thought to get rid of it, but then I pull it out and create an outfit and remember why I keep it. It is a beautiful, structured piece and I like the longer silhouette.

This leopard print tunic top was a second hand purchase from this past year. It is very soft and comfy and could just as easily be used for lounging around the house as going out on the town. Leopard print is having a long run in the fashion world and probably always will. It is practically perfect in every way, as Mary Poppins said of herself. Ha, ha. This pullover is a brand called Honey Me.

You can also see my thrifted three layer necklace. I love unique pieces like this . They add texture and interest to any outfit. Do you like these statement pieces or do like jewelry that is more delicate and fine?

My gray jeans, also thrifted, are White House, Black Market - Blanc. The sparkly embellishments on the pockets are part of what drew me to this particular pair. Gray jeans are in again, so if you have a pair in the back or your closet or in a drawer, pull them out and wear them. Wide leg trousers are also in. I would not call these a true wide leg, but what I have seen at retailers includes anything this width or wider.

My faux fur scarf was given to me by my youngest daughter a few years ago for Christmas. It is a fun piece and I love the color. It is A New Day brand.

My gray ankle boots are Impo brand and I purchased them a few years ago at DSW. These work well for a more dressed up look. They have a small wedge heel that is easy to walk in and look nice with pants or skirts.

My bag is Aidebam brand and used to be available on Amazon, but it seems they do not sell that brand anymore. It is a nice cross body bag with top handles so you can carry it either way.

What do you think of this outfit? Is this something you would wear? What would you do differently? What do you like most about an outfit like this?

I hope these burgundy inspired outfits are giving you ideas for outfits from you closet during these long winter days. Stay warm everyone!

Shopping links are affiliate links and are provided to you at no cost to you. If you purchase an item through one of my links I get a few pennies. I appreciate all your support.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2021 - New York Palette: Illuminating, Fire Whirl and Ultimate Gray

Over the weekend, I became grandmother again. My oldest daughter had a little boy and we are very excited to meet him, as soon as we can. Obviously, with all the restrictions for visitors in the hospital, we were not able to meet him before he came home.

I am going to being this Autumn/Winter series, as I usually do with the New York Palette. It wasn’t until recently that the Pantone entity added the London Palette to its long list of color tools. Today’s outfit revolves around the two Colors of the Year, the sunny yellow, Illuminating and the classic gray, Ultimate Gray.

In all honesty I was having a hard time putting the outfits together for this series. I think most of it had to do with being plagued by this stupid sinus stuff and cough for so long. I am finally sleeping in my bed again, but I still have a wheezy, chronic cough. We’ll see how long it takes to get some sort of resolution, or maybe it has moved in permanently, but it is a pain. It is hard to have long conversations and I cannot sing at all, not that I really could before I got this cough, but it was better than now. Oh well, life is just that way sometimes.

The other problem I think I was having, was the weather. It was so hot, I was having a hard time really getting into styling fall outfits. I love fall, and am excited about that change, but it has just been slow to actually feel like the season to wear layers. Here in my area, by Wednesday, the highs are only going to be in the 50’s. That definitely feels like fall.

You can see that I only used Illuminating in very small doses with my yellow beaded necklace and bracelets. The Fire Whirl red tank top is a thrifted Loft piece. It is actually more of an a-line or swing silhouette, so I gathered the shirt underneath in the front, then secured the little “pony tail” with a hair band. The result is to give the top a more fitted look with a fun swirl at the front.

For this outfit, it worked out that Ultimate Gray takes center stage with just a few pops of Fire Whirl and Illuminating. My thrifted, plaid, Sag Harbor trousers are actually petites, so I expect they would be closer to an ankle pant than a crop pant, but I like the way it looks, especially with my darker gray Impo booties.

The next picture shows you a closer look a the Illuminating jewelry and the detailing on the yoke of the top. The gray moto jacket is a no name brand and I am not sure where I got it. I wanted to say it was thrifted, but for some reason, I think I bought it at a store. I really cannot remember. Is that bad? Ha, ha.

My tote bag was going to be a gift for one of my daughter’s one Christmas a few years ago and I ended up keeping it. Many times, I just end up buying too many items, so I have to return stuff, but this was a cheap purchase, I believe from Kohl’s and I really liked it.

Fire Whirl is more the color of my top, but I kind of liked the contrasting shades of red, as well as the two differing plaid patterns. It just gives the outfit a fun vibe.

What do you think of these colors? Would you pair these colors with one another? Do you have these colors in your closet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

I am including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links, brought to you at no extra cost. If you click on a link, I get a few cents, if you purchase something through my site, I get a little more. Thank you for all of your support.

Photo credit Jessica Trumbull, with Rebecca Trumbull.

A Dickens' Christmas - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

These photos were taken in a local graveyard. No disrespect was intended to the families of those laid to rest in its borders, nor to the spirits who might walk its paths.

Probably the spookiest of Dickens’ Christmas spirits is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This specter is darker and more formidable than either of the previous phantasms. In both of my favorite movie versions of the story, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is personified as a dark, flowing, faceless creature who stands head and shoulders above Ebenezer Scrooge and who never speaks. He simply points his long, skeletal like fingers to what he wants Ebenezer to see.

When I started thinking about an outfit to typify this gruesome ghoul, I knew I wanted to go with gray colors. I thought gray, rather than a stark black spoke more to the shaded veil our futures seem to be. No one can know the future, but God alone, and I personally would rather not have the so called privilege of knowing what is to be, except that blessed assurance of life with Him, after I die.

There was no doubt, I wanted these pictures, done in a graveyard. The most telling scene in the movie version of A Christmas Carol, is when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come brings Scrooge to a lonely, forsaken graveyard. In his creepy, speechless manner, the Ghost points to a specific, unattended grave, which in overwhelming despair, Ebenezer wipes aside the snow and sees his own name engraved on the stone.

I wanted my look to be work appropriate, so I chose pieces that created a classic monochrome look, but still gave the illusion of movement. I also wanted the layers.

My plaid Style & Co trousers have been around quite a while. I honestly can’t remember if I bought these new or if I got them at a thrift store. Style & Co are still sold at Macy’s.

My gray turtleneck is Worthington brand. Once again, I have had this piece for years and I don’t remember if I got it new at JCPenney’s, or if I thrifted it. Not only is my memory in need of help, so is my waistline. I know the above picture is not the most flattering, but ladies, this is the real me at the current moment. I have a spare tire or maybe two, and I am probably in the worst shape I have been in, in years, due to achey joints, not eating well and not enough exercise. I can’t blame it all on the pandemic, as much as I would like to. Most of it is my very undisciplined nature. Maybe you can relate. I hope so. I really don’t want to feel like I am the only one in this rocky boat. Ha, ha. I am really hoping, that once this busy holiday time is over, I can try to implement a few changes. Never give up!

The light weight shrug that I put over the turtleneck is also Worthington brand. This piece I did buy new at Penney’s. It has an asymmetrical hem, so the longer front pieces can be tied, to create a different look. You can see how I wore it tied with a black maxi dress.

My long, wide scarf was not only a purply gray color, but it had bugs on it, which somehow seemed fitting with the grave theme.

You know me, I had to try keeping in character. Ha, ha. I do look like a fitting specter to haunt this old graveyard, especially in black and white.

Here are my grays together.

Since this was meant to be an outfit, one could actually wear for work, or for a night out, I did have to style it with a few accessories. I chose silver and gray to maintain the monochrome look. A small silver clutch, to give it a bit of bling, a three strand statement necklace and my dark gray Impo ankle boots completed the look.

What do you think of this look? Do you think it personified the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come without looking too much like a costume? A monochrome look in any color can be an easy, fun and interesting way to change up your wardrobe and still look like you put thought and effort into your outfit. Monochrome doesn’t have to be an exact match, but just be pieces with the same color hues and tones. Adding texture is also the perfect way to make a single color scheme look go from boring to fabulous.

This was the last post in my Dickens’ Christmas series. I certainly hope you enjoyed my interpretations of one of my favorite Christmas stories. Be sure to check back on Thursday for a very mischievous, Actual Amy post. Until then, have a great week.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

This week, I am not including any shopping links, for outfits. I hope to resume regular style posts after the first of the year.

Have a great week and a very Merry Christmas!