Oh, Olive! Utility Jacket - Casual

I am back from visiting my mom and ready to get back to posting here on the blog. I wasn’t feeling well, the first couple of days after I got home, but I think most of it was fatigue and allergies. They seem to be beating on everyone this year. While I was at my mom’s I didn’t have internet, but I was able to get some photos taken and was pretty pleased with the result. I hope you will be as well.

I am continuing my look at a few of my different olive pieces and how they can be used with just about any outfit and any color. I do like to think outside the box, at least my box, so I hope you will find some of these outfits inspirational for your own wardrobes. The week before last I showed you a casual and a workwear look using an olive pair of pants. Today and Thursday, I want to take a look at ways to style an olive utility jacket. You can see how I styled this same jacket on the blog before with a striped tee and distressed jeans, another striped tee, and a polka dot chambray top.

Another thing, I decided to add to this little series, is to give you a few peaks at what is trending for fall. I’ll point it out as we go along. Let’s take a look at the olive utility jacket.

I have had this olive utility piece for a number of years now. St. John’s Bay brand, I got it at JCPenney. Since then I have accumulated a few other utility jackets in other colors. I like that they are so versatile. In fact, I may have to do a post on that at a future date. Most of my pieces, including this one are lighter weight, so a great topper for spring, summer and fall. While they do tend towards more casual, I will show you on Thursday how to make one look appropriate for work.

What makes a piece utility? I think it has to do with the pockets and the details like drawstrings, snaps and metal zippers. Next week I will be showing you an olive utility vest.

Fall Trend Alert - Denim on Denim

Once again, it seems denim with denim is trending for fall. While I wouldn’t wear this regularly, it does have a casual appeal. Monochrome is always a good way to get a longer, sleeker line. Most of what I saw on the runway were pieces of the same wash. See this post on Fall 2021 trends from Marie Claire. However, there is a sense of personal creativity in putting together pieces with different washes, as I did in this outfit.

My chambray top is a thrift find from earlier in the summer. It is a brand called Cremieux. Apparently, Daniel Cremieux started a men’s clothing line in Saint Tropez, on the French Riviera in the mid 70’s. It looks like he designed women’s clothing for a time as well. Both lines were sold at Dillards, but the women’s line is no longer available in the US. The fun things you find when you thrift.

You’ve seen my thrifted, distressed Simply Vera, Vera Wang jeans plenty of times on the blog. They are getting rattier looking as time goes along, but I guess that is the point. Ha, ha. If the holes get to big for my comfort zone, I may make a few patches, which actually could be fun.

I decided to add this floral mini print scarf just for a little extra color. I don’t use my scarves much in the heat of the summer. I sweat just sitting still on these humid days. Last night, I was working on this post and I was dripping with sweat. Of course we hadn’t turned our air conditioners on. Sometimes, we have to choose between a little bit of inconvenience and being able to pay the electric bill. My husband always runs colder, so he’s not as hot unless he is doing yard work or something. Today is supposed to be even warmer. I think the air will be on later, so this woman doesn’t get too cranky. Ha, ha.

If you follow my Instagram account, you may have seen that I rearranged my scarves. Just like with all of my clothes, I have way more than I need, but I am trying to make everything more accessible and visible, so it is easier to sort through and find. Do you have a special way of arranging your scarves?

My blue Converse are making another appearance. While I still think this brand of sneaker makes me look even more like I have ski feet, I am trying to embrace those long skinny things on the ends of my legs.

The last accessory I have is my white cross body bag. This was another thrift find. I like that it is a little bit larger than many cross body bags, so I can actually fit everything in it, without having to squeeze it in. I am not sure what the brand is, but it was still very clean and unworn, so I snatched it up.

Do you own an olive utility jacket? How do you like to wear it? I love hearing from you, so be sure to leave me some love in the comments. I hope your summer is going swimmingly well!

I’m including a few shopping links for denim pieces and utility jackets. I hope you’ll look those over. Every time you click on a link, I get a few cents and I appreciate it. All opinions are my own.

Have a great Tuesday!

Actual Amy - Tiered Navy Skirt

Today’s Thursday column revolves around outfits I would be likely to wear. What I would like to do with this column is give you some explanation behind my outfit choices. Not only does this help me to be more thoughtful about what pieces I am putting together, but it also helps you as you think about the pieces that are in your closet.

Today’s look is what I would call dressy casual. What makes an outfit fit this description? I believe it is a combination of what types of pieces are worn and how they are accessorized. While we don’t usually think of something like sweat pants or torn jeans as being dressy, there are certainly ways we can make them looked more dressed up.

With this outfit, I think the tiered skirt, the button up and the tee could all be dressed up or down. Pair the skirt with heels, a silk blouse and a blingy bag and you’d be ready for a show. Layer the tee under a blazer, with nice dress pants and heels and you’d be ready for the office. The button up could be worn with a cashmere sweater in the cooler weather, with nice skinny jeans and boots and it could be date night. I have learned to try not to divide my wardrobe into casual or dressy. I believe there are all manner of levels of casual, dressy casual and dressy between the stay at home in your jammies look and the heading to the Oscars look.

I just recently found this pretty, navy blue, Chaps tiered skirt, while thrifting. I really am a sucker for tiered skirts. Why is this me? Part of it is, I like to cover my legs, due to my veins, but I have liked the prairie skirt idea ever since I can remember. I always thought the long dresses of days gone by were so unique and different, whether plain, like the women living on the frontier or the frilly, decorative dresses of the nobility. I am also a bit of a boho girl, and to me a prairie skirt just seems to have a certain hippy quality about it.

There is definitely something fishy about this JC Penney button up from a few years ago. Though this top is not silk it has a certain soft, silky quality to it. I chose this top, because I decided I wanted to go for a more monochrome look. There is just something classy and slimming about an outfit with one main color scheme.

My white, v-neck tee underneath is Time & Tru brand from Walmart. Walmart, Target and Kohl’s are great stores to get basics like short sleeve and long sleeve tees.

Rather than tucking the top in and adding a belt, which would have made the outfit more polished, I chose to tie the tails at the waist. Just that simple choice of tying, rather than tucking, can make an outfit more casual or dressy.

My accessories were chosen to finish off the casual look, yet I felt they kept the outfit elevated enough to be something I could wear to an outdoor concert or dinner with friends, especially if walking was involved. I got this great Stone Mountain cross body bag at a thrift store. It is real leather and looks hardly used. I thought it was a fun pop of color and goes with the color of some of the beads in the necklace. Once again, my white Keds sneakers are making an appearance. Adding sneakers to a dress or skirt is an easy way to make the look more casual and right now this is very trendy and also better for your feet, knees, hips and back if you have to do much walking or standing during the day.

I don’t have much opportunity to wear heels any more, though I do put them on with outfits for the blog, because I know many women still wear their heels. That is why I have so many different sneaker type shoes. It’s just what I wear.

What do you think of this outfit? I am including a few shopping links, for you to look over. Remember every link you click on gives me a few pennies. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend everyone. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay sane.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Seeing Red - Color Play - Patterned Scarf

Color inspiration can come from so many different places. In this monthly column, I am trying to force myself to look in different places for color. The typical places we look to are our clothes. For instance a pattern on a top or sweater, might be the basis for the rest of your clothing piece choices. Last month I chose a watercolor painting and table center piece as the inspiration for my outfit. I am hoping to inspire you to look in places you never thought of looking for color inspiration.

This month, I decided to inspire you with something probably every one of us has in our closets; a scarf. This particular scarf is full of color and not typically colors we would want to put together into an outfit, but why not? Think outside the box. Most of us use our scarves at accessories, without ever really letting them inspire our whole look. I decided to give it a try, so be sure to let me know what you think.

This scarf is perfect for this month’s Seeing Red theme. It is full of burgundy, red, shades of purple and a yellowy green. Using this as my spring board, I dove into my closet to see what I could find. This is what I came up with.

These bright red Faded Glory pants are a recent thrift find. I like ankle pants as the weather gets warmer and I thought this color would be fun for spring and summer. I used to never wear bright colored pants like this, but I have decided that life is too short to not wear the fun pants. I still reach for my simple blue denim jeans the most, but a bright color once in a while is a good way to stretch ourselves, whether it be on the bottom or the top.

My lavender colored button up shirt is a thrifted Merona piece. The longer yellow sweater was a clearance find at the end of last winter season from Forever 21. I don’t shop there too often, because most juniors sized clothing, does not fit me very well, but with the advent of bigger, roomier fashion, I can find things once in a while that don’t make me look like I’m trying to dress like I am still 21; 39 maybe, but not 21. Ha, ha. The sweater is soft and cozy, the perfect topper for these very chilly winter days.

I know the fashion industry and many bloggers are already talking about spring and the upcoming fashion trends. I understand the need for being ahead of the game and often at this time of year we are yearning for the change of seasons and the warmer days of spring. However, the reality is, it is still, very cold! This morning when I checked the temperature, it registered at 18, but the “feels like” temp was only 9. Um, I’m still going to wear my warm, cozy sweaters, thank you very much. To even think about baring my ankles or talking about shorts and less layers makes me feel cold.

I’ve had this red and gold charm necklace for a long time. It is the perfect piece to add a pop of red color against any top. I love pendant necklaces and I am fortunate enough to have a long enough torso to wear them. I especially like these charm type necklaces with all their different fun charms, beads and dangles.

You’ve seen this cranberry colored bag just recently on the blog (you can see that post here), and I realized it would be a great color match for the berry color in the scarf. This thrifted Libby Edelman bag was brought to my attention by my thrifting bestie back in Buffalo, NY one time when I was back visiting my mom. As much as my hubby prefers that I never bring a purse into the house again, once in a while a girl has to bring it home.

My olive SO ankle boots are making another appearance. These ankle boots are the most comfortable, versatile pieces and are the one purchase I would strongly recommend. It doesn’t have to be the SO brand, but I have found Kohl’s carries SO and Sonoma boots and I have really liked both. They are comfortable, fairly durable and have a great price point, especially if you can get them on sale or on clearance. I’m including shopping links at the bottom of the post, so be sure to check those out. Now is a great time to get boots for next season as many of them are on clearance. The great thing about ankle boots is you can wear them well into the spring with cropped pants, rolled pant hems and even skirts.

Do you have a scarf in your closet that you would love to build an outfit around? Give it a try. It is always fun to challenge your fashion brain to think beyond your norm. Many people might say they don’t want to change the way they do things, but there is something fun and satisfying about doing things differently and having it turn out well. Give it a try and let me know how you did.

For some beautiful scarves check out Nora Minassian at The Jacket Society. She has some beautiful printed pieces like this blue and white multi, ivory, pink and orange, tan and orange, multi-leaf print, and many others. Nora’s scarves are large and can be used as a shawl too, which would also be perfect for an outfit like this.

I love to hear your thoughts and I really wish there was a way to get more people to interact on the blog. The reason I say this, is not just for my benefit, but you all can be an encouragement to each other. After all, isn’t that what this is all about? For those of you who do comment, thanks again. For those who don’t, I would never want you to feel pressured. I know life is crazy busy. I often delete posts from other bloggers, because I just don’t have the time to comment, but I always feel good if I do. I feel like I am reaching out and encouraging a friend I’ve never met.

Thanks again for all your support.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

The shopping links included are affiliate links. I get a few cents if you click on a link and a little bit more if you purchase something through one of my links. I appreciate every click.

Have a great weekend and I hope the sun is shining where you are.

Seeing Red - Layering Light - Monochrome Pink Outfit

Seeing as it is the beginning of February, I thought it would be fun to make this whole month revolve around the color red, or some derivative thereof in keeping with a Valentines theme. Today’s outfit is the last in my Layering Light series, but I felt it fit into this month’s theme, because pink is just a lighter shade of red. I remember in grade school, learning how to make pink by mixing red paint with white paint. Even though this outfit is mainly pink, just think of it as a shade a red with white mixed in.

I got these dark pink Sonoma corduroy jeans at Kohl’s this past fall. They are soft and stretchy, and the narrow wale corduroy is extra warm in the chilly winter weather.

This light pink moto jacket is a clearance buy from Christopher and Banks. Can you have too many moto jackets? Of course not! Ha, ha.

This light pink Gap turtleneck was a thrift find. I like that it is lighter weight, because that makes it easy to layer under other pieces. The ribbed neck is also soft and comfortable, with no itchiness or irritation. Different fabrics affect my skin in different ways. I cannot wear wool and usually try to stay away from fabrics that are stiff and scratchy.

You can also see in the above picture, I added a pink scarf which subtly ties in to the darker color of the pants. The coppery metallic ring necklace and the thrifted copper bag were a way to add a touch of earthy color to the outfit.

These SO block heeled blush boots were the perfect choice to finish off the outfit.

This outfit would be a great date night look to wear with your significant other for Valentine’s Day. My husband is not a huge fan of pink, so I might wear this out with friends and choose something else for the romantic holiday.

Would you wear all pink? Do you own a pair of corduroy’s? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

This month I will be having another give away since this is my bloggiversary month, so keep a look out for that.

Flat Lays in the Flesh - Capes

This is the last of my Flat Lays in the Flesh outfits. I picked out the four that really appealed to me, but that doesn’t mean the other Flat Lays weren’t also interesting and possible “in the flesh” outfits. These four were the ones that appealed to me for various reasons and it has been fun to see how they actually looked on a person, namely me. For your information, so that you know how you might measure up, I am 5’5”, 171lbs. I would feel more comfortable in my skin if I was about 150 or 155, so that is a goal I am working towards, albeit very slowly.

Today’s outfit in the flesh features the Fall 2019 trend of capes. I think capes were very popular back in the day, especially in Medieval Europe. They have come and gone over the years and typically when we hear the word cape we think of super heroes donning their spandex suits and adding a cape as a finishing touch; think Superman, Batman and Robin or even Thor. While capes came back this year, I personally haven’t seen very many of them floating around in the stores or donning women walking down the street.

Flay lay and photo by Amy Christensen

I know not everyone is buying into the mustard trend, but I really do like this rich sunflower yellow cape that I found while thrifting. I like that it is a crafted piece, made by hand and has the fringe, which is so indicative of a bohemian look. Here is the outfit in the flesh.

My yellow thrifted plaid shirt is Divided brand from H&M. I had no idea when I found it how well it would go with this knit cape. I love plaid and since I have been on the yellow train, it makes sense that I would buy a yellow plaid shirt, especially one from a thrift store. The plaid print includes a little blue, white and blush.

Drawing on the blush in the shirt, I went with blush accessories. My clutch I found on clearance at Meijer. My necklace was a JC Penney clearance find, and my SO ankle boots with the block heel, were a Kohl’s clearance purchase.

My Rock and Republic boot cut jeans are more like jeggings than jeans, but they have a zipper and button front, as well as regular pockets. They are just made from a stretchy fabric and are easy to move in.

Here is a quick shot of the back of the cape. I just love the fringe around the bottom.

What do you think of this outfit? Would you wear a cape? Just to clarify, capes are usually shorter like this one and cloaks usually come past the knee, with some versions reaching the floor. Do you know how to knit or crochet? That is something I wish I had time to do, but not right now. My mom used to crochet afghans and doilies and I had an aunt that used to crochet stuffed animals like bears.

I’ve included a few shopping links for capes and for yellow pieces that I think are fun. I hope you are having a great Tuesday and thanks so much for stopping by the blog.

Photo credit, except where specified, Rebecca Trumbull.

These shopping links are affiliate links. When you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through my site, I get a little bit more. All opinions are my own.

Print Mixing Mash Up - Printed Skirt - Outfit 1

This week, I’ll be styling a printed skirt two different ways. Remember, the goal of this series is to show you how you can take a printed piece in your closet and combine it with another printed piece for a print mixing mash up that will make all your girlfriends and colleagues envious of your print mixing panache.

Today’s outfit centers around a thrifted Gianni skirt I have had in my closet for a while. I love purple, so when I found this purple, blue mix, I thought it would be fun to work with. I like the a-line style. It is light weight, but fully lined, so easily wearable for at least three of our four seasons. You could probably extend its season into winter if you wore leggings or a heavy pair of tights. Since we are talking about and looking forward to spring, I wanted to make both of these outfits more transitional looks.

What I love about this skirt, is its ability to change hues. When you look at the skirt by itself, the purples look more purple and the blues look more like a denim blue. When I started looking for a piece to pair this with, I saw this Knox Rose top that I found at Bass Pro Shop a while back on the clearance rack. I thought, even though the colors weren’t exact, at least they were similar enough that it might work. Once I put the SO sweater, from Kohl’s, with it, I knew I had a winner.

Technically this print mixing, isn’t so much mixed, because the print on the top is not next to the print on the skirt. However, the whole point of trying to print mix is to think outside the box. I would have never put these two pieces together, had I not been thinking about mixing prints and colors. The top, which is more of a greenish blue, looks as though it pairs perfectly with the blue of the skirt, just as the more reddish burgundy color on the top and the sweater, look as though they combine perfectly with the purple. Isn’t color wonderful? Ha, ha.

It was so cold when we were taking these pictures. My daughter was running back into the house after each outfit was finished, and she had on a hat, coat, gloves and boots. Ha, ha. My face is set in defiance of the blustery cold! That is definitely not my most flattering face.

I decided to draw on the little bits of yellow in the top for my necklace and purse. Once again, I would have never thought to pair yellow with this color combination, but once I put it together, I loved it.

By the way, those are little fleck of snow on my sweater, not dandruff or lint. Ha, ha . Just thought I had better clarify.

I think this thrifted yellow Elle tote is a great number for spring. I love the shirring on the front, the sunflower yellow color and the metal rivets, rings and Elle charm. This just goes to show, you don’t have to spend lots of money to have a nice bag.

I have a tendency to get into a rut with my bags. Right now I am using my yellow thrifted cross body. It is so convenient for shopping. Often, if I am carrying a large tote like this one, which already has some weight to it, I overfill it and then wonder why my shoulder and back is bothering me. What kind of purse do you like to use?

These burgundy Naturalizer loafers were another thrift find. When I put the outfit together, I knew these would be the perfect casual finishing touch.

One of the things I like about thrift shopping is the ability to try different brands without spending a ton of money. I normally don’t buy high end. My hubby and I just don’t have the income, to support a shopping habit of that nature. Ever since I was a young girl, I have always been somewhat conscious of getting more for my money. My mom used coupons, made our clothes and made the most of what we had. Things were not always easy for our family, but I grew to appreciate the ability to save money by looking for cheaper options. Now when I thrift I am drawn to higher end name brands, because often they are a better fit and are well made. I still like my Kohl’s, Penney’s and Target clearance finds, but thrifting is always my first muse.

I hope you are enjoying this print mixing series. Let me know your thoughts. Have you done any print mixing in the last few weeks? Tell me about what you mixed. I love hearing from you and you are what keeps this blog going, so thank you.

I’ve included a few printed skirts to look over. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Flying Solo

Well, it was inevitable that at some point this newby to the blogging world would have to start taking pictures on her own. My hubby got me a new camera for our anniversary, but I have not had much time to acquaint myself with it, at least not until today. Seeing as how my daughter and I have had not time to schedule another photo shoot, I had to take it upon myself to try to, not only put an outfit together, but take pictures of it, edit them and put them on this post. Since Rebecca taught me how to download pictures I have no problem with putting a post together, but I have never had to actually take pictures of my own outfit. So today (and one other day last week) I have taught myself how to set up the tripod, turn the flash on and off and use a remote. Wow! Look at me! I am exhausted. Ha, ha. 

So here goes.

I guess you could call this a military jacket. It is an olive drab color and has metal buttons up both sides which can be buttoned open as I have it or buttoned closed, which I might have to lose a few pounds to do. 

I styled the jacket with a wine colored long sleeve tee and white pants with a light gray snakeskin pattern. The tee is quite long so I did the magic front tuck to give my waist definition. I thought about putting on a belt, but decided against it.

I added a square scarf which I folded into a triangle and put it around my neck so the point of the triangle is in the front then wrap the ends all the way back around to tie in front. Because the scarf is then worn shorter I could also add a bit of bling by wearing a longer necklace.

You can see by this photo the jacket does nip in at the waist due to the multiple panels and seams in the back. Great pic of my butt, huh!

Finally the shoes! I found these at a thrift store and absolutely love them. They are a wine/burgundy suede and have the perfect size heel with a bit of a platform on the ball of the foot. It makes walking in them so much easier. They are a low cut bootie and have zippers for easy on and off. 

So there you have it! What did you think of my first solo flight? I would love to hear your thoughts. Rest assured I do have another photo shoot scheduled with my daughter, but you'll have to put up with my unprofessional pictures for a couple of weeks. Ha, ha. I hope to get outside for a stab at natural lighting, which I generally prefer. It is much harder to take pics in natural light when it is dark! That gives you an idea of what sort of Monday I had today. But that is a story for another time.

If you get a chance on Thursday in between the turkey and the pumpkin pie, come back and see what I do for my Color Crash Course column. 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb, Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. and Michelle of Michelle's Pa(i)ge. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter,  Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.