Shopping Our Closets: Summer Trends - Pinstripes and Polka Dots

This summer two patterns that seem to be trending are pinstripes and polka dots. I thought it would be fun to mix these two patterns for a smart, casual style that can be worn for dress down Friday at the office, or a lunch date with your girlfriends.

The star of this show is the a.new day blazer that I got off the clearance rack at Target a number of years ago. I don’t wear blazer’s as much as I used to, but I love these structured pieces and keep them around. After all, every now and then a girl wants to wrap herself in a lovely jacket, just to make her feel fabulous.

My polka dot tee is a thrifted brand called maxcare. I have never heard of this brand. I did a little searching and the only thing I could come up with was a medical supply company offering scrubs, etc, and a cosmetic company. I supposed this could have been a tee for a medical uniform, but who knows. It is interesting to try to track down some of these lesser known brands that I find at second hand shops.

My jeans, which are also a very light pinstripe pattern are thrifted Gloria Vanderbilt brand and I have had them for a number of years now. They are great for summer as they are light weight. For today’s look I rolled the hems up, but you could easily leave them down. I think rolled hems give an outfit a more playful vibe.

At first I was wearing my white sneakers, but I just wasn’t satisfied, so I went with my denim blue Keds that are from Kohl’s a number of years ago. Keds are one of my favorite casual sneaker brands.

My bag is also old, and another clearance find from Kohl’s. This Sonoma tote is big and roomy. I like the rose gold threads woven in for extra interest and texture. Tote bags are back in as purses, so don’t be afraid to carry one around as your regular bag. I like to occasionally have the extra room a tote bag offers to carry a book, a notebook, or a sweater for those extra chilly air conditioned spaces.

I threw on a little bit of jewelry and was ready for fun.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you have pinstripes and polka dots in your closet? Would you wear them together? I always love to hear your opinions, ideas and thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments.

The included shopping links are brought to you at no cost. These are affiliate links which means if you click on a link I get a few pennies, and if you purchase something through one of my links I get a small commission. Every little bit helps.

Thanks so much for following along on the blog. I hope to get back to regular posting on here and my Faith page soon. Life, as usual has been dishing it out on us, so sometimes I am not able to get to it. For me this is a hobby started to encourage women like me and you on getting dressed and walking out our faith.

Have a fabulous day!

Spring Trends 2020 - Polka Dots

If there is one thing that is prevalent this year for spring trends it is patterns. From polka dots, to plaid, to pinstripes, to florals and tropical greenery, and more, patterns abound. Being a girl who likes color, I am all in when it comes to wearing patterns. It is an easy way to add visual interest and colors to an outfit, with just the addition of a printed top, skirt or scarf.

Today’s outfit revolves around polka dots. Yes the cheery dots are back and bolder than ever. Most of what was on the runway featured larger more bold polka dots, but any dots will do and if you are feeling really bold, why not go for a head to toe polka dotted outfit, like the one featured in this post?

I think everything in this outfit I have used on the blog before. With the ever increasing emphasis on recycling of all sorts, it is a great practice to only purchase pieces for your closet that are going to get used over and over.

Let me tell you about this outfit from head to toe and provide links to other posts where I have used the same piece.

Polka Dot Top

This “top” is actually a short dress/tunic that I got on clearance at Charming Charlie a few years ago. The dress is too short for my taste, but I thought it would be cute with cropped pants in the summer, or used like this, tucked in, so it looks more like a regular popover blouse. It is fully lined, so no worries on having to wear a cami underneath. You can see I styled a similar look with a different polka dot skirt and a navy eyelet jacket here.

Abstract Polka Dot Skirt

I call this George brand, high waisted, pull on skirt, abstract polka dot, because the dots are more squishy than perfectly round. I really like this midi length skirt and midi’s are the trend for spring and summer. Go figure, we go from midi skirts to hot pants. No hot pants for this girl. I’m sorry, but hot pants are only made for ladies with long, slim, pretty legs, and mine have none of those qualities. Back in the day, but not any more. This skirt is fully lined, but very light weight, so perfect for spring and summer. I originally posted this skirt with a striped crop top and jean jacket. You can see that post here.

Classic Blue Cardigan

This ANA cardigan has been a warmer weather staple in my closet for many years. I can’t seem to find another post using this sweater, but I know I have worn it on Instagram. If you don’t follow me yet, on Insta, just look me up. You’ll see more of my every day looks over there and pictures of our cat, Plato and a few other things here and there.

Trendy Bag and Necklace

Large tote bags are making a come back, at least for the spring and summer. Like I said in my introductory post on the Spring Trends, I like a fun, large tote bag, especially for traveling, because you can throw extra things in there like a book, notebook and a bottle of water. This tote was a clearance find at Kohl’s and I love the texture details and the gold design. 

Another Spring Trend is chunky chain jewelry. I got this necklace a couple season’s ago and haven’t worn it that much. Now I have more of a reason to.

Classic Blue Heels

I’ve worn these bright blue Croft and Barrow heels numerous times before on the blog. For a while I couldn’t find them. I had packed them away in a shoe box, inside another box. I’m not sure what I was thinking. Ha, ha. You can see how I styled them with a denim skirt, a floral dress, a maroon skirt and white jeans. They are very versatile shoes and I noticed when we did these pictures they are starting to show signs of wear, so I need to be on the look out for a replacement pair.

Are you a polka dot fan? What do you think of this outfit? I’d love to hear you thoughts.

Thanks to everyone who supports the blog. I’m including some shopping links. These are affiliate links, and all opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Have a wonderful day.