Styling into the Holidays - Part 3: Dressed Up

I couldn’t finish this series without a shout out to those of you who have fancier events to attend at the holidays, especially New Years. While today’s outfit is not black tie attire, I think it would do well for an evening out for dinner and a show, like the Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. Many years ago, my mother, and father-in-law got my husband and I, along with his sister and her husband tickets to this holiday ballet. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had just been my sister-in-law and I. Ha, ha. My spouse does not appreciate ballet anymore than the color pink. He’s such a goof, but I love him.

I was helping my hubby pick out a shirt for the university December graduation ceremony that he was attending this morning, and while he is donned in his regalia, he still likes to look presentable under the robe. He was wearing black pants and asked if I would pick out a shirt for him. I ended up giving him a navy button down.

“Is it okay to wear black with navy,” he questioned.

I assured him any color can be worn with any other color and it also served as the inspiration for today’s outfit. I already had the blouse on, as I was using it as part of my Instagram outfit. It is one of the dressiest blouses I own. With that beginning I began looking through my skirts and settled on this beautiful navy, velvet piece with pleats. This was a Kohl’s clearance purchase a few year ago and is Chaps brand.

In my opinion pleated skirts never go out of style, nor does velvet, making it the perfect choice for fancier attire. An added bonus is that this skirt is warm, which is helpful on a chilly winter night.

The combination of this thrifted Jaclyn Smith satin blouse and the vest gives the outfit a classy academic vibe, and also adds more of an hour glass silhouette. This Rachel Zoe vest was a recent TJ Maxx clearance purchase. I have been looking for a waistcoat of this sort since they were trending back in the spring. I had all but decided they were only intended for the slender folk to wear, so low and behold when I saw this, tried it on and it fit I was super excited. It is definitely going to be used all year round.

You can also see my delicate gold jewelry, chosen for its association with the Silver and Gold song sung by Burl Ives. Ha, ha.

The black, faux fur, No Boundaries bomber was a gift a few years ago from my hubby for Christmas. I never think to pull it out once the temperatures plummet, but when I was taking these pictures I was totally cozy with it on. The draw back is that it is short and in the cold weather I like my bum and thighs to be covered. That is exactly why it is perfect for an outfit like this where you will be mostly in and out and not standing outside for a long time.

Style Tip: Fabrics like velvet, fur and silk or satin will add panache to any outfit, whether you are wearing jeans or tweed. If you are attending a function, but don’t want to go the whole gambit of a dress or skirt, try a dark wash pair of dress jeans with a silk blouse, and heels. You will look like a million bucks!

My Steve Madden, velvet, heeled ankle boots were a thrift find. Who knew they would work beautifully with the velvet skirt? A classy, heeled ankle boot is a great alternative to regular heels in the cold weather.

My sparkly clutch typically makes an appearance on the blog when I am showing off an outfit that is more dressed up. It was a good purchase all those years back. In the photo below you can’t really notice the sparkles. Ha, ha.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this more dressed up outfit. It was fun to put together, and afterwards I showed the pictures to my spouse and said, “You need to give me an excuse to get dressed up like this more often.” Ha, ha. I’m not subtle at all.

I interspersed shopping links throughout the article. You can just click on a picture to find out more about the piece as far as brand, store and pricing. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

There will be no fashion posts for the week of Christmas and New Years as I am going to take a little break and hope to get back to see my mom and other friends and family in NY between Christmas and New Years.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!

Styling into the Holidays - Part 2: Holiday Work Party

It’s been five years since I lost my job at the university bookstore. As an assistant manager I was lucky to be able to wear business casual attire and sometimes went to work wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, especially if I was going to be book slamming - unpacking and shelving textbooks. However, once in a while I liked to get more dressed up to at least give the appearance that I was the second in command. Ha, ha. Today’s look is one that I might have worn during our holiday sales events.

When I was getting ready for my little photo shoot I decided to put volumizing powder in my hair. Unfortunately, I ended up putting too much in and I couldn’t even get a brush through my hair without nearly pulling my head off. Ha, ha, ha! I tell you what, us girls go through such feats to look beautiful. I tried to add some waves, but even the straight iron couldn’t make headway with my mess. So silly. There are times I really do feel like Lucille Ball. Ha, ha.

My thrifted, plaid Requirements blazer has been styled on the blog before. You can see that post here. It is a great piece, but doesn’t get as much love as it should since I only use it during the holiday season, which is very short. That is exactly why I pulled it out for this post. I really should try to wear it after the holidays. What do you think? Would you wear this before or after the Christmas season?

Denim skirts are trending right now, so I was glad to have another opportunity to wear this thrifted St. John’s Bay piece. This is a great pencil maxi whether you dress it up or down. My belt was also a thrift find.

I love this black turtleneck top that I found second hand. It is a brand called united.states.sweaters. It is soft and stretchy. A basic black turtleneck can be very flattering and can be dressed up or down. Just add gold or silver jewelry or a bright colored scarf and you take your outfit up a notch without really trying.

For my accessories I chose black for bag and boots and gold for my jewelry. My blag top handle hobo bag was a thrifted piece and a brand called Scarleton. You can find this brand on Amazon and they are very reasonably priced.

My black boots were a Black Friday purchase last year from Kohl’s and are Journee brand.

These gold tone jewelry pieces have been around for years, but always seem to keep their shine.

What do you think of this outfit? Would you have worn something like this to a holiday office party? What would you do with the pieces in your closet?

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it provided a little inspiration for your holiday get togethers, or just gave you an excuse to get dressed up to go to the mall or out to lunch with a friend. I have provided a few shopping links for similar items and I try to keep the price points more reasonable. These are for you to shop or to just draw inspiration from. These are affiliate links, brought to you at no extra cost. If you purchase something through one of my links I get a little kickback. I appreciate all of your support.

Leave me a comment or two. I always love to hear from you!

Styling Into the Holidays

Over the next few weeks as we head towards Christmas and the end of the year, I thought I would devote my fashion posts to outfits with a holiday vibe. From casual to dressy we know the holidays can call for all manner of outfits from Christmas pjs to glitzy New Year’s Eve style. You know I am all about casual, but I will try to throw in a bit of fun and frivolity too.

Today’s look is very casual and would be perfect for some holiday shopping or errand running as you take your packages to the post office to mail off to family members far away. It would also serve to trim the tree after you drag all those Christmas boxes up from the basement or down from the attic. I wanted an outfit that was casual, but also festive. Let me know if you think I achieved my goal.

I have a number of Christmas specific tees, sweaters, sweatshirts and vests that I like to pull out every year to make their December appearance. This tee from Love In Faith is very basic, but that is what I like about it. It can be paired with just about any topper, and I love the sentiment.

You can just barely make out my snowflake necklace, which was the only piece of jewelry besides my wedding rings that i put on. It was slightly askew, and maybe I should have chose something more colorful. What would you have paired with this tee and topper, or would you not add any jewelry?

Once I chose this tee, I knew I wanted something red plaid as a topper. I am also wearing a thrifted long sleeve tee under the tee for extra warmth. I thought about one of my two red plaid blazers, but decided the red and black checked button down a better choice for the casual vibes. Buffalo plaid, which is a larger checked plaid, is always popular at Christmas, so I thought this worked well. This piece is thrifted Old Navy brand.

The only reason I reached for these sparkly, embellished Juicy Couture skinnies was that I had worn them a while ago and didn’t want to throw them in the wash until they had a second wear. Ha, ha. Sometimes inspiration is as simple and practical as a load of laundry. I just saw the other day that Taylor Swift is making skinnies popular again, and tucking them into ankle or combat type boots is okay by her, (click on the link to see the article). Ha, ha. So you see, I have been trendy all along!

I wanted to add a scarf for a little more festive color, and warmth, so I ended up with this pretty plaid number that I got from Kohl’s last year.

These black combat boots were thrifted last year and they continue to be worn frequently. They are already getting that “distressed” look, but because they are black it isn’t as noticeable. These are Joe Boxer brand and I’ve styled them on the blog before.

This Buffalo plaid tote bag was the final piece and even though I am stirring the check and plaid pot, I think it works. What do you think?

What do you think of this outfit? What would you wear for a casual day out, or for trimming the tree? Let me know in the comments. I always love your feedback.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. Christmas is on the way, so be sure to look for yourself or others. These are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

I hope you are having a great day!

Shopping Our Closets: Spring Trends Edition

Today’s post revolves around several Spring 2024 fashion trends. While I don’t follow every trend that comes along, I like to be aware of what is happening from season to season. Frankly, most things have already been done, and just keep coming back into the trend rotation. Certain colors and prints, fabrics and styles come around again and again. For instance, leopard print is once again in; not that it really went out. I always hang on to a few leopard print pieces. That choice is less about what is trendy and more about what I like.

I’m not even going to give you links to forecasted spring trends because they are all so different. One says high waisted pants are out, another says they are in. The same thing for corduroys, and other styles. As I always say, wear the things that make you happy and feel good about how you look and who you are. You don’t need a high priced fashion entity to tell you what to wear. That being said, in today’s post I will share a few of the trends I like.

Prep School

Academic blazers, button down shirts and polos are all part of this preppy aesthetic. You can’t go wrong with a thrifted Ralph Lauren blazer. This is my second Ralph Lauren blazer. You can see my navy blue one here and here.

Style Tip: Second hand stores, and retailers like Poshmark, Ebay and ThredUp are great places to find cast off high end brand names.

Color Combos

This dark gray and brown pairing was another item on the trends list for this year. It seems there are few color combinations that seem a little different, but you know I love a color combo challenge, so this was perfect. Dark gray and chocolate brown would not be my first go to color combo, but I like it.

Cherry Red

Red is in and it speaks volumes, adding a pop of color to any outfit dressy or casual, and there are so many ways to make a statement with red. Try a red top, a red skirt, a red jacket or coat, a red scarf, a red bag, red shoes, or keep it simple with bright red lipstick.

Wide Legs

The wide leg look is sticking around, and you can wear it in any fabric or texture. Dress up in a wide leg trouser for work or a night out, or dress casual with a variety of wide leg jeans.

Metallics and Flats

Metallic fabric is shimmering on the run ways, but that doesn’t mean we have to go all out. Just a little dab of metals is all you need to take an outfit up a notch. I added mine in the form of my gold clutch and my silver SO flats. Flats are also on trend this spring, so take those ballet flats from the back of your closet and let them shine.

I added a few silver necklaces for a layered jewelry look, along with a few silver bangles.

Before going out shopping for new trends, be sure to take a look in your closet. Without a doubt, you have one or two pieces that are back in the trend revolving door. Out of the trends I listed above a nice structured blazer, and metallic shoes or a bag are great pieces to hang on to. They are easily styled with dressy or casual outfits, and are perfect for parties, special events and work.

I hope you enjoyed today’s outfit, and that it will inspire you to check out the spring 2024 trends on the web. You might find you have some of the ones I mentioned or others already in your wardrobe.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great day!

Outfit Inspiration: Valentine's Day Inspo from Pinterest

Today I am showing you an outfit that was inspired from a Pinterest pin. I have a number of Pinterest boards and with this being the month of Heart Health Awareness and Valentine’s Day I thought I would create a new board and pin outfits that contain the color red. This is the pin that inspired today’s outfit.

Red on red is definitely a bold choice, but so is any bright color combo. I knew I wanted to do this when I rediscovered this red coat out on our back porch covered with a plastic garbage bag to keep it clean. I hang a few of our winter things out there when we are off season. How could I have forgotten this beauty? Truth be told it is a tad tight around the middle since I have put on a few pounds, but that doesn’t mean I need to get rid of it.

This lighter weight, thrifted jacket works well for those not super cold days. It is Worthington brand. I love the textured fabric and the buttons on the back. My pictures do not do it justice.

Style Tip: If you are a thrift shopper always check out the coats and jackets. You never know what beautiful piece you will find, especially in the off seasons. If you don’t do a lot of thrifting, buy coats at the end of the season. This is when you will find the best sales, and if you shop stores like Kohl’s or JCPenney you might get an additional percent off with coupons.

My bright red mock turtleneck sweater was just thrifted; I didn’t even wash it yet. When I decided to do this outfit, I knew it would be a perfect partner for the coat. This is A New Day brand.

My jeans were also thrifted and are Jennifer Lopez brand. I know Kohl’s used to sell her clothing, but they stopped carrying her line in 2020. These are slightly distressed skinnies and comfortably stretchy, making them perfect for boots.

I found these leather, Clarks boots at the same thrift store as the red sweater. How awesome is that? I have really been trying to find a least a couple of pairs of leather boots at thrift stores. They are so expensive to buy full price, even though they do last almost forever. When I saw these I was so excited they were in my size. They had a little bit of scuffing, but my hubby has a shoe polish kit and was able to shine them up.

Style Tip: Whether you are a pro second hand store shopper or and avid fan of regular retail, it is always helpful to make a list. Keeping a running list of things you are regularly looking for or in need of is good planning and will help you save money in the long run and keep you from overbuying.

My bag was from Amazon and a gift.

Style Tip: I think most of us know we don’t have to match our bag to our shoes anymore, but what about matching our bag to our clothes? Isn’t that too much matching? You tell me. I think anything goes, and I am loving this monochrome look on the top. Plus the little bits of gold on the bag goes perfectly with my gold jewelry.

As is the outfit is great, but what if you want just a little bit of extra color or warmth around you neck by adding a scarf? Why not? I chose my Southwest oblong scarf that I have had for a number of years. It does a great job of pulling it all together with the reds, browns and blues of my outfit.

What do you think of this outfit? Does this look like a good Valentine’s outfit? Would you wear something like this? What would you do differently to make it your own? I love to hear what you think. Those of you who take time to comment always give me things to think about as well.

A few shopping links for you to peruse. We are coming to the end of boot and coat season, at least in the retail world. Ha, ha. Have a great week.

Hello 60! Being a Grandma.

When I got married, I didn’t think about the fact that one day I would have grandchildren. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about children. My husband and I had discussed kids, and we both agreed that we wanted to have them at some point in time, but we figured that was maybe four or five years in the future. Two years later I had our daughter, Rebecca. Nineteen months later her sister Rachel came along. Neither of our daughters was planned, at least not by us, but God, the master planner has it all figured out.

In the same way, eighteen years after we had our youngest, she had our grandson Quintin. I won’t tell you it was a beautiful time. Our daughter had walked away from the belief system we had raised her in, and she struggled to figure out who she was. When that little guy came along, all of our worlds were upended, and she was in the throes of becoming an adult, but still needing to be a child, and having a child to now be responsible for. Eleven years later, our oldest had our next grandson, Lewis.

My mother-in-law used to tease me when the girls were young. She’d say, “Just you wait until you become a grandma. There is nothing quite like it.” The first time I got to hold Quintin in the hospital, the proverbial lightbulb came on and I realized she was right. Having grandchildren is something very different than having your own children. You love your kids, and would die for them, but grandkids, well, that love just goes a bit deeper. Maybe it is the fact that grandchildren and grandparents now have a common enemy. Ha, ha. I don’t know how many times I have muttered under my breath, “Pay back,” when my younger daughter bemoans something about her newly turned teen, or when my older daughter complains about how much work it is having a toddler. Not a very Christian attitude, I know, and as I grow closer to the One, these thoughts come less frequently.

Being a grandmother is awesome. I have had the privilege to be part of both of my grandsons’ lives on a very regular basis. I helped my single daughter take care of Quintin from the time he was very small. Now, he’s moved into the time of school, video games, and friends and grandma doesn’t see him very often, but I am still here if he needs to be picked up from school, or if mom wants him to hang out with us for a few hours when she has a long shift at the hospital. I also watch Lewis once a week, or sometimes more if needed. I have enjoyed every minute with both of them.

Style for grandmothers is a bit different than it was when I was a child. My grandmother wore dark, floral dresses, often with an apron over the top, sturdy block heeled shoes, and never got down on the floor to play with us. She did, however, make a mean pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes. These days you can’t tell who is a grandmother and who is not. Most women have been influenced by the anti-ageism movement, as well as social influencers and bloggers who remind them to wear what they want and age is just a number.

When I’m on grandma duty, I dress in an outfit that is stylish and comfortable. I want to be stylish in case I need to run to the store, the mall or somewhere else with the boy(s). I also want to be comfortable so I can get down on the floor to play or move furniture around to make a fort. Quintin is much more likely to just want to sit on the couch watching YouTube videos, but occasionally we will venture out to a movie or to get lunch at the mall. The toddler loves to go outside, play with Play Dough, and pull things out of grandma’s drawers and cupboards. I do a lot of bending, lifting and getting up and down when he is here.

My 70’s style SO hoodie was a recent purchase from Kohl’s. I saw it and fell in love. The black, distressed Stitch Star jeans were from Meijer. The boots, scarf and bag were all thrifted. The Eiffel Tower sweater is Elle brand and has been around for a while and I think was also from Kohl’s.

I hope you enjoyed this little look at the Grandma side of me. I have been enjoying sharing with you more about the person I have become. Don’t worry. February will be back to my regular Fashion posts and not nearly so wordy. Ha, ha.

Hello 60! The Writer in Me

If this is your first interaction with my blog welcome to my Fashion page. This month I celebrated my 60th birthday. I decided to spend the month celebrating me. Why not? I rarely spend a lot of time talking about how I came to be the person I am, and 60 is a pretty big deal.

Last week I did a post that gave a shout out to the decade I grew up in, the 1970’s. I was born in 1964, but it wasn’t the 60’s that most influenced my fashion or music choices. I can distinctly remember a particular pair of red cuffed, wide leg flares my mother ordered for me out of one of the sale catalogues at the time (JC Penney, and Wards were the two I grew up with). I remember standing on the toilet in the bathroom, so I could see what I looked like in the medicine chest mirror. We never had a full length mirror in our home. I was so excited to wear my mod, red pants to school that day. Do you have any good memories that revolved around clothing when you were young?

I’m gong to throw my pictures in throughout, tell my story, and then give the outfit details.

It was in 8th grade that I became a writer. Our English class was reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. For some reason that story felt so real and personal. As a typical public school student I saw the divisions, the bullying, and the reality of teens being affected by their peers. I was one of them. I didn’t get bullied like some, but I never fit in. My family didn’t have a lot of money, and I often wore second hand clothes I got from my cousin. That’s probably why I remember those red pants so vividly. I had a small circle of friends and most of my social life revolved around the church.

I began to create my own Outsiders stories. After several “books”, which were hand written pieces of about 100 pages, I moved towards stories with mild sci fi slant. Gradually, I turned to trying to write historical fiction, and now my muse is fantasy. I have published a few short articles, and I do a regular monthly article in a local community news magazine, and of course I have this blog. Do I want to be a published author? Yes? Why haven’t I got there yet? I could give you a million excuses such as undisciplined, lazy, tired, busy, etc., but I think the real reason is much simpler: fear.

It takes effort, time, and something I would call heart and soul to pour out your ideas and thoughts into a cohesive work that makes sense and appeals to others. Not only do you have to write, you have to read, voraciously, books in your genre, books in other genres, and books on writing; lots and lots of books. In addition, once you’ve written your piece then comes the ripping, and tearing editing process, followed by the overwhelming questions. Where do I send this? Is it long enough? Is it short enough? Is it good enough? Should I get an agent? How do I look for an agent? The questions are endless. Believe me, to be a writer for a living is a full time job, and not for the weak. However, I am not going to give up.

I am currently working on a fantasy novel with a Christian slant involving a rag tag group of young people who have to learn how to overcome their various problems, find self acceptance and become warriors who can help save the world. In addition to that, I have a few short stories I want to fine tune and try to send either to e-zines, or contests. I would like to get a portfolio of 10 to 12 short stories that I can keep sending as I receive rejections to eventually get something published. Right now I have five short stories that need some work. I am also going to keep looking for some sort of freelance work that I could do part time. If anyone you know is hiring for remote writers, or copy editors let me know.

That’s enough about my writing life. Let’s look at the details of this outfit.

I was inspired by looking through Pinterest at 70’s and 80’s fashion when I found knit sweater outfits, either a skirt and top or a dress. I thought it would be fun to mimic that style and use a few of the 70’s accessory vibes.

My creamy zip up v-neck was a Kohl’s find a year or so ago. It is soft and warm. The skirt I found at a thrift store. I don’t usually wear sweater knit skirts or dresses, due to the hip factor. I do have wider hips and I have never felt comfortable showing off my curves like some women do, but this skirt is big enough that it doesn’t cling. It is also very warm and comfy. The brown belt adds an hour glass vibe, without being extreme.

The Walmart bag is a nod to the patchwork patterns that were popular in the 70’s. Bags were shaped differently than this one, but I thought this worked as a tote bag, and purse.

Once again I added my thrifted slouchy, suede boots.

Apparently, pearls were a thing in the 70’s too. I do remember my mom wearing fake pearls to church early in the 70’s, so I guess that was a thing.

Are you a sweater dress, or sweater skirt fan? What do you think of this look? Would you wear something like this to work? Please leave a thought or two in the comments. I always love to hear from you.

Sharing a few shopping links just in case you are looking for slouchy boots, patchwork bags, or knit pieces of a similar vibe.

I hope you have a great Tuesday!