20 Days of Christmas - Plaid Pants

Every now and then I have to get outside my comfort box. I have never really liked wearing things that draw attention to my lower half. Especially tight fitting, brightly colored pieces. I prefer a-line dresses to body con styles. If you don’t know, body con is more of a form fitting dress. I prefer dark wash jeans to lighter washes and feel most comfortable in jeans rather than leggings. I don’t wear leggings as pants, or if I do, I have my bum covered. Anyway, when I saw these crazy, red, plaid pants at Target on the clearance rack, I immediately thought of my Christmas challenge.

Those of you who regularly follow me, know I have been doing a monthly column called Outside the Box. These have been posts that I have done to try to challenge myself to get out of my typical fashion mentality. Let’s face it, we all like to be comfortable. Some women are comfortable in heels and dresses. While I can do that, it is not what I turn to when I want to feel secure. My go to, as you know are jeans and cozy sweaters or flannel shirts. But I also know that part of getting older is the urge to get stuck in a rut and not be willing to learn or try new things, thus the idea of getting outside the box.

These plaid pants do not have any green in them, so they will be easily styled with other colors, but I thought they were perfect when paired with a newer Croft & Barrow v-neck cable knit sweater and a thrifted blazer.

This blazer is actually meant to have a double breasted look, but I am too big to button it in that manner. However, when I saw it, it was the buttons on each side that made me want to buy it, that and the color. I think wearing it open, using the buttons for a decoration, works just as well. Since it is more of a forest green, I felt that it keeps the outfit from being too over the top with color.

I decided on silver for my accessories and was excited to remember this large silver pendant necklace that closely resembles a snowflake. That and my SO silver flats and a small silver clutch complete the ensemble.

I think this outfit is festive and fun and would work well for a Christmas office party, or a lunch date with your girlfriends. Would you wear a pair of pants like this? How do you like to dress up for a Christmas party?

I’ve included a few shopping links for more fun plaid prints. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend everyone.

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....