Marvelous Maxis - The Dress Edition - Week 5

This is the last week of my marvelous maxi dress series. It has been fun, and good for me to pull these beauties out of my closet, and think about how to wear them. Let's face it, most of us will reach for the same pieces over and over, because we want things to be easy. I am finding that growth as a person does not happen by doing everything the same way. Sometimes you need to do something differently for your brain's sake, even if it is something as simple as starting your washing routine on the opposite side of your body. With these maxi dresses the easy way is to just throw them on, after all most maxi dresses can pretty much stand alone, but taking the time to think about adding a fun belt, fancy jewelry, the right shoes or a statement bag can take the outfit from boring to bold. 

This last dress is one of the very first maxi dresses I bought years ago. It is Sonoma brand. As I have mentioned before, I don't wear dresses very much, as I am more a jeans kind of girl, but I do like to have options and when I saw this particular dress, I thought the pattern and color combo perfect for summer and the empire waist hides many a bulge. I am showing you two ways to style this piece. 

Look 1 - Casual

For the first look, I simply threw on my  black Mossimo shrug, a pair of beaded MIx-It thongs, a gold and silver necklace, charm bracelet, and carried my woven bag. 

I know what they say about horizontal stripes that hit at the hips, but you know what? I don't really care. Ha!

Look 2 - Dressy

For the second look, I decided to do a bit of print mixing by removing the black shrug and adding an elegant, floral, rectangular scarf that serves as a wrap. I swapped out the casual thongs for a pair of Kenneth Cole - Reaction, patent leather wedge heeled sandals and exchanged the jewelry and bag for something a bit fancier. 

Just a few simple changes can take your look from every day to date night. Here are the outfits side by side 

I hope you enjoyed this series on the maxi dress. It might be fun to revisit these in the fall and see how I can style them for colder weather. What do you think? Is that something you would like to see? I love hearing from you.

Be sure to leave some love in the comments box. My comments box disappeared last week for some reason, but the next day it was back, so if you ever have an issue and want to leave a comment, just wait 24 hours and try again. Technology!

I've included a few shopping links just for fun. These are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. 

Have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Outfit Inspiration - Bold & Bright

My outfit inspiration comes from many places. Sometimes it is a picture in a magazine or catalogue. Once in a while it comes from something I see in a book, but many times it comes from other fashion bloggers. This month my inspiration is coming from Liz of With Wonder and Whimsy. Liz has been a fashion blogger for a number of years now and specializes in outfits and styles for plus size women. She is sweet, fun and very knowledgable about clothes, styles, fabrics and working with retailers. I had the honor of doing a collaboration with Liz in the spring of 2017 on the Pantone Color palette for that year. You can see that post here. 

Liz has a whimsical, colorful approach to not only her outfits, but her life in general. This is a gal who is not afraid to wear pale pinks, purples and yellows, but she also knows when to take the color palette up a notch to make a statement. The post that inspired me for this month's Outfit Inspiration column is from June 1st and is called, Packing A Capsule Wardrobe for Summer Getaways.  You can see her original post by clicking on the link. 

I have never been a big fan of a capsule wardrobe, because I am a clothes horse and like to have options when I travel. However, I think it is an idea worth visiting so I thought I would give it a try for this post. I did not give too much thought ahead of time as to how I would put this together, but I chose four key pieces for my capsule wardrobe. At the end I will give you list of the extras I would throw in to make this a weekend worthy wardrobe. 

Outfit 1 - Casual But Cute

White pants whether cropped at the ankles, capris or longer are always a must have travel piece in the summer. They are versatile, going from casual to dressy and can be worn with anything solid or print. I have styled these Christopher and Banks ankle pants on the blog before.  Like Liz did in her post, I styled mine with a Simply Vera  - Vera Wang floral top. 

For this look, which would work well for perusing the shops in a cute little village and then having lunch or dinner with my husband, I chose simple accessories that draw on the colors in the blouse; blue heels, light pink clutch, silver bracelets and my new Marina Griffin necklace that I won in a drawing on Jodie's Touch of Style. 

I couldn't believe how perfectly the necklace goes with the colors in the blouse. Unfortunately, the necklace does get a little lost in the print of the blouse, so I'll be choosing a solid top next time to show off the necklace. This is a very pretty piece that is well made. Be sure to check out Marina's Facebook page by clicking on the link above.

Outfit 2 - Dressy But Comfy

When packing for a getaway it is nice to include pieces that will not wrinkle easily, especially if you want to get more dressed up. I chose my LuLaRoe maxi skirt for the bottom piece. these maxis are made out of a silky, stretchy medium weight knit. They pack well and you don't need to wear a slip as the material is thick enough to keep light from showing through. Any skirt that has some give and is made from material that won't easily wrinkle will be a good choice for your get away wardrobe.

For the top I chose another comfortable piece made from a similar material as the skirt. This knit peplum top is Liz Claiborne from JC Penney. 

This is such an easy top to wear. You just pull it on and go. there are no clasps or zippers or buttons. It's like wearing a tee shirt, but more dressy. As you can see I threw on a string of olive colored beads to go with the olive print in the skirt. 

I was also doing a fair bit of print mixing in this outfit. This works well, because the print of the top is smaller than the print in the skirt and it coordinates with the black in the skirt. 

Once again I kept my accessories simple with a little black clutch and a new pair of shoes I found on the DSW clearance rack. These may be my favorite black heels ever. I love the retro vibe and they are so easy to get on, as well as incredibly comfortable. Win, win! These are Aerosoles brand. They still have these in a number of sizes here. 

Here are my two outfits side by side. 

Now what would I add to these four pieces to make it the perfect weekend wardrobe?

1. One other shirt like a tank top that could be worn with either the pants or skirt.

2. A pair of flip flops or more casual sneakers.

3. A jacket or sweater that would go with either the pants or skirt. I think my dark wash, distressed cropped jean jacket would be perfect. 

Add to those three things a swim suit, sunglasses and a good book to read and you'll have just what you need for a fun weekend away. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I love to hear from you. What is something you can't live without when you travel? Leave me some love in the comments. 

Have a great day and a perfect weekend!

Winter Wonderland - Week 4

After numerous days of Christmas celebrating, food, presents and visiting with family it is good to be home and ready to start a new year. For the final installment of my Winter Wonderland series, I chose to style a skirt you have seen before in this Piece Perfect post from August. Pleated skirts add a classy vibe to any outfit. Once again I am showing you a casual day to a more dressy night look.

For this casual version I wore a tunic length cowl neck blush colored sweater paired with a brown tweed jacket. I really like the boho meets classic vibe of this whole outfit. The mid calf boots and brown velvet hobo bag add a slouchy sort of charm to the look.

The only jewelry I wore was this simple bead and fringe necklace. Here you can also see some of the detail on the jacket. The tweed has tiny pink spots on it and the piping around the pockets and along the collar and down the front is a blush color as well. It went perfectly with the sweater. 

To change the outfit to fit a more night time date look, I switched out the tweed jacket for a dark gray fly away vest with clear sequins. I swapped my boho bag and boots for gray heels and a gray sparkly clutch.

I changed necklaces too as you can see. I liked the brown color with the burgundy skirt so I opted for a mixed strand of brownish coppery beads linked to a gray chain.

Here are the outfits side by side:

I think what I enjoy most about winter outfits is the fun you can have with textures. Sweaters, jackets, boots, bags, even jewelry have some sort of texture. Combining the smooth, sleek look of the pleated skirt with the soft bulky look of the sweater adds another dimension to the outfit.

Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed the Winter Wonderland series. You can see all the posts in the series by clicking on the older posts arrow below. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2017!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping Options:

Pleated skirt - JC Penney - $24.99

Cowl neck sweater - Dillards - $59.50

Tweed jacket - Lord & Taylor - $74.50 (there are lots of options on ebay and poshmark)

Long vest - Sears - $44.99

Mid calf boots - Kohl's - $69.99

Textured pumps - DSW - $54.95

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.  Saturday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb.