Outfit Inspiration - Dressed Up Casual Style

This Thursday column is about the places I find some of the inspiration for my outfits. There are many wonderful fashion bloggers out there. Jodie’s Touch of Style, Jo-Lynne Shane, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Fashion Fairy Dust, Shelbee on the Edge , A Picture Worth Style, and Away From Blue are just a few of my favorites. All of these women provide regular outfit inspiration as well as fun and interesting takes on real life. While I derive a ton of inspiration from these ladies, I also get many ideas from looking at magazines, fashion ads and ads from retailers like Chico’s, Christopher and Banks and Maurices. Pinterest is another great place to find fashion inspiration. You can see my Pinterest boards by clicking here.

Today’s outfit was inspired by another Chico’s ad I got in the mail, I think from last fall. The model was wearing boyfriend cropped jeans with a rolled hem, a white tee and a lovely orange and multi-colored ruana. When I was looking for my source of inspiration for this post, I saw that and I knew I had the perfect pieces to mimic the same look. This is my version.

Obviously, the focal point of this outfit is the beautiful, thrifted ruana. I found this piece, by a retailer named Mason and Belle, at a thrift boutique back in New York when I went to visit my mom. My best friend, Stacey, and I always take a day to shop, have lunch and just talk, laugh and vent. It is so good to have at least one close friend you can do that with. It is hard to be so far away, but we regularly email, text, pray and look forward to the next time we can spend together.

What drew me to this piece were several points. First, the cut is very different than any other kimono or ruana I own. It is much shorter, almost more of a shawl, wrap or poncho. The cut is also asymmetrical, unlike the more boxy cut of Tuesday’s yellow floral piece, or the rectangular cut of the kimono you will see next Tuesday. The second point is the fringe. Yes, this boho girl loves me some fringe, and this was no exception. Even the fringe is exquisitely different, with its additional beaded look. The final point that caused me to put this in my basket was the color and pattern. Purple? Of course! Plus the added oranges and yellows make this a great piece to take me into fall. Here are some other pictures of the back and the fringe.

I still need to do some unwinding of the fringe since I washed it, but all of the fringe is still intact.

My thrifted jeans are Merona brand. I didn’t wear them for a long while because the waist is rather big. They fit great through the hips and legs, but the waist has a tendency to stick out in the back. I was going to try to take them in, but decided to just wear them as is. I always wear a belt anyway, so that helps to make the waist more secure. I rolled up the hems to make them more of a cropped pant, rather than the ankle length that they are.

My simple white tee is Christopher and Banks brand. They have quality tees, that fit well and are made out of medium weight material. Every now and then they have good sales on their tees, so if you like their styles keep an eye on their sales.

I chose accessories to emphasize the colors in the ruana. The purple fringe pendant necklace is one of my favorites and it stands out against the white backdrop of the tee. I had two orange bags that I was trying to decide between. One was a brighter, more pumpkin orange and it was suede, so very appropriate for this boho look, but I decided to go with this shopper bag in the more burnt orange color, to give the outfit a little classier, big girl, dressed up vibe.

Lastly, I went with these lace up, gladiator style sandals. These are Massini brand and I got them a few years ago at Meijer.

Where do you get your fashion inspiration from? I hope that I inspire you from time to time. Remember, there are many ways to put an outfit together. Those pieces in your closet are just waiting to be unleashed into a variety of beautiful outfits. If you ever have any questions about putting an outfit together or a fashion or faith question, feel free to email me. I’d also love your thoughts for other things you would like to see on the blog. Thanks so much for all of your support!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

I’m including a few shopping links that mimic my look. These are affiliate links. Every click on a link gives me a few cents. All opinions are my own. Thank you for all your support.

Have a great weekend!

Kickin' It with Kimonos - Yellow Floral

It seems that floral is a very popular pattern for kimonos. I am not sure it that is because most of us use our kimonos during the warmer months as a way to level up an otherwise, “normal” outfit like a pair of jeans or shorts or if I just am more naturally drawn to the floral prints in my purchases. Today’s kimono is a shorter style, but once again is covered with a floral print, although this time a bit more tropical.

I was on the verge of getting rid of this pretty yellow kimono. It is a brand called TruSelf and I think I got it at Walmart a few years ago. I am not real thrilled about the length of this piece. If the hemline was more asymmetrical, I think I might like it better, but for the sake of trying something different I kept it.

One of the bloggers I have followed since becoming a blogger is Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style. Jodie is such a warm, friendly lady, and an actual person. She isn’t at all fake, and I love that about her. Most of the fashion bloggers I follow are real women, who have their own sets of struggles and difficulties, but they are trying, just like me, to accept themselves and this process called aging. Jodie featured a post on a different way to wear your kimonos and that is where I learned this trick of tying the front to give the kimono a different look. You can see Jodie’s original post on how to make kimonos look more fitted here.

I tied mine differently than Jodie did in her post, but it still serves the same function, to make the kimono more fitted, rather than boxy. Here’s what it looks like tied up.

My light blue tee is a thrifted Sonoma piece. I love graphic tees and a great place to find them are thrift stores. Whether you like band tees, place tees or just random word tees, you can find plenty of different graphics second hand. Be sure to check out the men’s section as well. I found a few tees that were perfect for my younger daughter.

My pin striped skirt is reminiscent of the old time railroad engineers’ caps. this was a recent online purchase from Christopher and Banks. I was looking for another pencil type skirt with a little different look than just plain denim. This works perfectly. I am looking forward to cooler weather and styling this skirt with some tights and ankle boots.

Since the chunky sneaker look is trendy with skirts and dresses right now, I knew I could add my bright blue thrifted Keds and be spot on. My other accessories consisted of my thrifted Jaclyn Smith bag, a navy flower pendant necklace from Christopher and Banks and a simple beaded navy bracelet.

Do you have a kimono in your closet that you are not sure how to wear? I hope these little posts are offering you some inspiration. Sometimes we only need a new way of looking at something to give us a whole new set of ideas for styling outfits with clothes already in our closets.

I hope you week is off to a great start.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Have fun looking over the shopping links below. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

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. 

Awesome Accessories - Summer Scarves

During the warmer months scarves usually take a back seat to fun jewelry or bare necklines as in scoop neck tanks, off the shoulder tops or fun boat neck tees. Gone are the turtlenecks, crew neck sweaters and bulky scarves. However, there are many light weight, pretty scarves that can add a pop of interest or color to an outfit, without adding a lot of weight or bulk. Since scarves come in so many shapes and sizes, I decided to take three for this post and show you different ways of tying them to add a little pizzazz to your summer looks. 

Here are the three scarves I styled for this post. The first is a squares scarf. The fabric is light weight, as are all of these. The second is an oblong large and the third is an oblong small. The patterns vary from floral to leafy and geometric to a snowflake. I didn't realize the blue and white one was a snowflake, until just now. Ha, ha. So maybe it is Christmas in July! 

Scarf 1 - Square

Look 1 - Muffler 

This look is attained by folding the square corner to corner to make a triangle. Then holding the triangle in front of you with the point down and the longer portion up, wrap the two ends behind your neck and tie. 

Look 2 - Square Knot

Fold the square scarf into a triangle. Starting with the pointed end, roll or fold the point towards the longer end of the scarf until you have a long strip. Wrap the strip around your neck from the back to the front. Tie in a double knot.

Scarf 2 - Large Oblong

Look 1 - Decorate your bag

For this, all I did was stuff the scarf part way into the front pocket on my tote bag. You can also  tie the scarf around one of the handles. This scarf was rather large so I thought the pocket was a better idea. The beauty of this look is what you can then do if the air starts to cool and you need something to cover your arms. 

Look 2 - Shawl

When you start to get cool, just pull the scarf out of your purse and wrap it around your shoulders. These light weight larger oblong scarves are the perfect cover up for an air conditioned restaurant or a leisurely stroll on a cool evening. 

Scarf 3 - Small oblong

Look 1 - Double Wrap French Knot

Taking the scarf in both hands, wrap it from front to back and then back to the front. Tie in a double knot. 

Look 2 - Slip Knot

This one is really easy. Fold the scarf in half bringing the two ends together. Wrap this shortened scarf around your neck back to front. Slip the loose ends through the loop. This would look even prettier with a brooch to hold the scarf in place at the length you want. You could loosen it, so that the part around your neck isn't as tight, then pin in place. 

Look 3 - Simple Tie

Wrap the scarf around the back of your neck so the two end hang in front. Tie once. This could also be knotted twice or you could use a pin to secure it at the length you want the loop to be. 

I know not everyone likes to wear scarves in the summer, especially when it is hot. I think they can be fun to add to an outfit in other ways besides just wearing around your neck. Putting one in your hair, using one for a belt, or adding a large one over the top of a maxi skirt or pair of skinny jeans call all be ways to wear your wonderful scarves. 

My friend Jodie at Jodies Touch of Style just recently finished up a series on wearing scarves. Check out these posts on her blog:

1-The Small Neck Scarves are Perfect for Any Age   2- Could a Skinny Scarf be Perfect for You?     3- An Infinity Scarf can be Tied More than 1 Way

  A great website I found while researching scarf knots is Scarves.net. Check that site out, not only for great prices on scarves, but a whole page on how to tie scarves and another page on how to tie them on your head! Another fun place to shop for scarves is Charming Charlie. 

I hope this post inspires you to give those scarves you have a second chance. Just like white, scarves can be worn all year long. 

Have a great weekend.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with JoLynn Shane in the Fashion Friday link up and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. 

Pantone Spring 2017 - Flame

If you follow the Pantone colors, you know that they come up with a palette every spring and fall that contains ten colors. This palette becomes the basis for what fashion designers and architectural designers use as their color schemes for clothing, accessories, paint colors and home goods, such as furniture, bedding and pillows.

Today's earthy hue is called Flame. This bold, deep orange is evocative of sunny days sipping iced tea and warm evenings sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows. It also shouts of day lilies and fuzzy peaches warmed by the mid day sun.

Earlier in the year, Liz of With Wonder and Whimsy and I, did a collaboration sneak peek of the Spring Pantone colors. To see my post click here. For one of my outfits I styled the same pair of pants that I used in last week's post and called it Flame. Just for fun I want you to see the difference in these two oranges.

When we initially did our sneak peek back in February, I thought these orange pants were pretty close to the actual Pantone color. Turns out I was wrong! See, I do mess up! Ha, ha. It's all good. I am still learning about color. Perhaps that is the reason I enjoy doing this series on the Pantone colors. The first orange really is more of a pumpkin color and has yellow undertones. Flame has more red undertones. So we could say, orange is orange is orange, but in reality, it isn't. 

The reason, I am spending a bit of time on this idea of color, is that I often hear people say, "I can't wear that color. It just washes me out." In reality, I think we can wear every color out there. You just have to know which version of the color is flattering for you. I probably would not wear the pumpkin orange near my face, but Flame, I can. However, I can wear the pumpkin orange as pants and it is no problem.

On to my outfit. This Flame utility jacket I purchased at Nordstrom Rack with the gift cards I received from winning a drawing on Jodie's Touch of Style.  I fell in love not only with the style, but with the color. 

I wore my dark wash skinny jeans, although I think any wash denim would look good with this orange. This orange would also look great with brown, khaki, olive and white. I rolled the jeans for a fun look and the lighter colored cuff adds some interesting texture. 

Since stripes are in I decided to wear my navy and white Loft tee. I found this at a thrift store. It is a nice weight and has an elastic bottom. I love that it is a tee, but hides my flaws. The best kind!

You can also see I kept the jewelry simple. Gold seemed to be a nice contrast, but I think silver would have worked as well. 

My navy blue bag, another thrift store find, is a Vera Wang. I love the dual tone and texturing on the bag, and, of course, the roominess. 

This was meant to be a transitional outfit, taking me from winter to spring. In Northwest Ohio, for me it is still pants weather, so I will be wearing this again. I went with a pair of ankle boots, but it could be just as cute with a pair of fun canvas sneakers or cute flip flops. 

What do you think of this orange? Do you think you like the pumpkin orange of my pants or this Flame color better? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. 

I hope you are enjoying this series on the Pantone Spring 2017 colors. I love to read your comments. Right now if you make a comment you won't know if I respond, but I always respond to your input. Just check back on the original post a day or so later and you will be able to see that. I am so thankful for your support.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I get a small trickle of income if you click on a shopping link. If you buy something through my post I get a small commission. That means a lot to me. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Here are some possible "orange" options.

Have a great Tuesday!

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Nicki of Sweet Parrish Place, Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Sara and Hannah of The Perfect Storm. Friday linking up with JoLynne Shane in the Fashion Friday link up and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. 

How to Wear a White Blouse - Under Another Blouse

This is the last installment in my collaboration with Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style. We have been showing you different ways to style a white blouse. It is so easy to get into a rut, wearing the same clothing piece in exactly the same way. Jodie has a flare for mixing things up and for trying a new idea! I was intrigued when she said she was going to do a series on wearing a white button up blouse in new and innovative ways, so I asked if I could participate and she said yes. 

Monday we styled our white blouses under a tee shirt. Wednesday you can see us all wearing our white blouses under a sleeveless top. Today's post will show you how to wear a white blouse under another button up top.

For my look I chose a tunic. I am sure this particular piece was meant to be worn as a dress and I might style it over leggings as some point, but I thought it was a fun tunic length top that could be worn open or closed, belted or not. For this post, I chose to wear it like a jacket over my white button up.

If you click on the picture below it will take you over to Jodie's blog. Jodie has the joy of styling not just herself but her step mom, Nancy and her mom, Charlotte. I have trouble coming up with one outfit! I don't know how she styles three women. I love these unique takes on how to wear the white blouse. Jodie pretty much has hers only peeking out the top of her pretty floral blouse. Nancy is cool casual in her white and blue. Don't you love those cute shoes and her rolled up jeans? Charlotte looks so stylish and on trend with her white blouse showing beneath her belted chambray. Ladies you do us proud!

I found these bright red pants at the thrift store. They are Worthington brand from JCPenney. Worthington dress pants are wash and wear and unless you cram them in a drawer they don't need to be ironed. They also fit smoothly around the butt and thighs, which I love. Sometimes when I try on pants, they fit around the thighs, but then they gape around the waist. These being a wider leg trouser I am going to be able to style them in some fun ways in the future. 

I decided to cinch my waist in with a skinny belt and also chose brown shoes to match the belt. I think this would have looked better with a higher heeled shoe. For a bag I chose my navy Vera Wang.

If you look closely at this top you will see besides the blues and red, it also has a touch of teal green, so I chose that color for my accessories.

What do you think about this series on wearing a white blouse in different ways? Has it made you rethink that blouse that is hanging in your closet? Jodie and I both agree, this has given new life to button ups of all sorts, as a great piece for transitioning from the colder days of winter to the warmer days of spring. We hope you enjoyed following along.

Have a great weekend! 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a shopping link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something by clicking on a link, I get a little bit more. All your support is appreciated. We couldn't be bloggers without you! 

Friday linking up with Laurie of Vanity and Me, JoLynne in the Fashion Friday link up, and Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots. Saturday linking up with Rena of It's All Fine. Whatever....

Color Crash Course - Wearing White with White

I would have never thought to put white with white for an outfit. All I can think of is the Man from Glad of my childhood days. He was impeccably dressed in white pants, white shirt, white trench coat and white shoes. The point was, that with Glad cling wrap for your food, things wouldn't smell up the fridge or leak over. Strange, the things they used to do to sell products....even stranger the things they do now....but that is for another post. Ha, ha. Anyway, I never thought I would try white with white. I was just getting used to the idea of white pants in winter and was feeling pretty comfortable with that, but then some of my blogger friends had to go and do the white with white look. You know what? I loved it!

Jodie's Touch of Style: How to Wear All White in the Winter

Jodie from Jodie's Touch of Style was the first one to inspire me to try this look. She seriously pulled it off and not one of her beautiful models made me think of the Man from Glad! Ha, ha. If you click on the link under the picture you can see the full post. 

Mummabstylish White Jeans in Winter?

Jacqui at Mummabstylish was my other source of inspiration. She nails the white with white look and I love the classy, casual vibe of her outfit. You can click on the link under her picture and see her full post as well. I figured if these lovely gals could pull off the white with white look, maybe I could too. 

There are several keys to pulling off this monochromatic look:

1. The whites don't have to match. They can, but they don't have to. You can pair snow white with ivory and ivory with pearl and so on. Differing whites make it easier to go with an all white outfit.

2. If you are going for a more matched white outfit, then change up your textures. Pair white corduroys with a white silk blouse and throw on a white handmade scarf. 

3. If you are still unsure about going totally white, add a little bit of color. Both in Jodie's post and in Jacqui's you can see a touch of color in the accessories. A pop of color in your shoes, jewelry, bag or a scarf can be just the right touch to soften the outfit.

These same tips would work for styling a white outfit in the summer. 

This is my take on white with white! For this outfit I wore my white boot cut jeans, a white button up top and a white cardigan. Because my outfit didn't have as much texture and the whites matched, I decided to add a scarf for a bit of color. I went for taupe or tan colored accessories. 

Here you can see I left the blouse untucked under the sweater, just to give the outfit more texture by breaking up the line of white. It also makes the outfit a bit more casual. 

The scarf I picked has blues, green and a little of that taupe color. I also added a few bracelets in the same color scheme. You can also see the little silver dots on my sweater, which also add a bit of texture and bling. 

A close up of my suede ankle boots. 

What do you think? Would you wear white with white? I would throw in a word of caution here. Do not wear this if you are planning to eat anything with red sauce! Ha, ha, ha. Especially, if you are as clumsy as I am. 

I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below. Also, if you get a chance check out my Instagram page and my Pinterest page. I'm trying to grow all these different aspects of the blog and social media. Be sure to check out Jodie and Jacqui's blogs as well! They'd appreciate the love. 

This post does contain affiliate links which means if you click on a shopping link, I get a few cents. All opinions in the blog are my own.

Thursday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots,