Spring Transition - Bomber Jacket Outfit

Last week, I started a series on transitional outfits that take us from winter to spring to summer. Last week's post featured a red jacket worn with a graphic tee, bootcut jeans and peep toe sandals. You can see that post here.

What exactly makes an outfit transitional? An outfit becomes transitional when it crosses over one season to the next or when it takes you from a daytime work wear look, to a night time date look. Usually, an outfit that transitions will incorporate different layers and things that can be taken off or swapped out easily for a different look. 

For today's look I chose another outfit from a Chico's catalogue that inspired me. This look centers around a summery dress, worn like a tunic over leggings, topped by a bomber jacket. 

I've styled this Simply Vera dress before on the blog, when we went to Florida, last December. You can see that post here. I found this cute piece on the clearance rack at Kohl's a few season's back. Here, and here are few cute styles for this season. 

This black bomber I picked up somewhere and I don't remember where! Ha, ha. It is an off brand, but I'll provide a few shopping links for jackets, bags and shoes at the end. 

These black leggings became mine, when I shopped a friend's closet. They are super comfy and thick, but not too thick. I am more inclined to wear leggings at this transitional time, as they are warm, but not overly warm. 

I chose my purply blue agate pendant necklace. I received this as a gift and it is one of my favorite pendant necklaces to wear because of its unique color and shape. Here are some very pretty options from an Etsy seller. i might need to buy myself another one, or two!

For my bag I chose this beauty that I've featured before on the blog. I really love the color and the texture of this pretty clutch, that my younger daughter gave me. It also has a strap so I can wear it as a cross body bag. It goes perfectly with the bluish green in the dress. 

I'm loving these peep toe shoeties from Clarks. They are not only cute, but comfy and the zipper up the back makes them pretty easy to get on and off. 

Here's a look at the outfit without the jacket. If it gets too warm, just take the jacket off and you have a light weight sleeveless dress. If it got real warm, you could take the leggings off as well. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you have any light weight summer dresses that you are dying to wear, but don't feel that it is quite warm enough yet. This is the perfect way to extend the wearability of those pretty summer styles and still be warm and comfy. 

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Leave me some love and don't forget to check out my Instagram and Pinterest pages. 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through my site, I get a small commission. All opinions are my own. 

Tuesday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb, Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Thursday linking up with Jacqui of Mummabstylish.  Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. 

Layering Love - Add a Vest

Continuing my series on layering, I wanted to look at several different ways of adding layers without adding bulk. A vest is a perfect choice for adding warmth around your core, but still allowing you to show off those fancy sleeves. 

Fancy sleeves are all the rage right now. Bell sleeves, laced sleeves and sleeves with layers of ruffles can be found in many of our frequented retailers. By wearing a vest, you give yourself an extra layer of warmth, and let your pretty sleeves show off. 

Since velvet is very trendy right now, I wanted to show off this top that I have worn on the blog before. You can see that post here. This pretty bell sleeve top is Notations brand, which is sold at various retailers including Target. Mine was thrifted. 

This picture shows the sleeve up close. Isn't the pattern pretty? I love the black background with the pink flowers. It is a true winter floral. This pic also shows my green clutch. I decided on green for the clutch and jewelry to pull in the little bit of green in the leaves on the top.

The faux leather skirt is Worthington brand which is sold at JC Penney. Mine was thrifted. I never really had an interest in getting a leather or faux leather skirt until I saw Jodie from Jodie's Touch of Style do a post showing off hers. I'm glad I made this purchase. You can see a couple of Jodie's posts on styling leather skirts here and here. 

Instead of tights I wore heavier leggings. Once again, another way to keep warm. 

The long black vest I got at TJ Maxx and it is brand called harve bernard. Kohl's sells this brand also. As you can see the vest is knee length and has a slight open weave. This will be a good add on piece for fall, winter and spring.

I didn't even realize until I looked at the inside of this boot for the brand that these were Ralph Lauren. No wonder I like them! They are leather, look nice and are comfortable. Win!

Do you like to wear a vest for added warmth in the winter? How would you style your vest? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments. section. I always appreciate your feed back and support. 

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

Layering Love - What to do with a Light Weight Dress

Just because the temperatures are heading down, the wind is picking up and the snow is starting to fly doesn't mean we have to put away all of our cute, light weight dresses. The way to extend the life of our wardrobes and find new, fun outfits is to think outside the box. A light weight knee length or shorter dress can easily be used as a tunic. The differences lie in the length and weight of the accompanying pieces and the types of accessories that you add to complete the outfit. 

This burgundy dress I found on the clearance rack at Kohl's just recently. I has elbow length sleeves, shirring at the neck and shoulders and an elastic waist. It is incredibly soft and comfortable.

For my layer of warmth on the top I added a polka dot black and white blazer which is Black Label - Evan Picone brand. 

For my bottom layer I chose a pair of heavier Joe Boxer brand leggings that I have worn on the blog before. Leggings provide more coverage and warmth than a a pair of hose or even tights, although a heavy pair of sweater tights would do the job.

Yes, I was doing a bit of print mixing! 

My Mossimo fringe bag was having a few issues, probably because I didn't have anything in it. Yes, sometimes I am a fake. Ha, ha. I thought silver jewelry worked great with the burgundy colors. 

I just picked up these Life Stride ankle boots at a thrift store recently. I was really disappointed to find out that my favorite thrift store here in Toledo closed. It is unfortunate when corporations make these quick decisions. A bunch of people are now out of work because of that decision.

The boots have a sort of burgundy look to them when you compare them to brown, but compared to the burgundy dress they really look brown. Funny how that works. 

Just by adding a few layering pieces you can turn a lighter weight dress into a great outfit focal point, even in the winter. Think about what dresses you normally wouldn't wear in the winter. Do you have one that you might be able to transform into a cold weather outfit, just by adding a warm, chunky sweater, some leggings and boots? I'd love to hear you ideas. Leave me  some love in the comments section.

I hope you'll join me again next Tuesday for my next casual holiday outfit, featuring a fun printed skirt. Have a great weekend!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. 

If you like this blazer JC Penney is having a sale right now on Black Label - Evan Picone pieces. Here are a few to peruse. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

Romance is in the Air - Week 1

February is a month that has long been loved and hated by those who are in love and those who wish they were. Whether you are in a relationship or not, you can still enjoy the idea of romance! Watching old romantic movies, reading good books or dressing in a way that puts forth the idea that you are a special person can all give you a sense of joy and satisfaction outside of a relationship. 

I have been blessed to be married to the same man for almost 30 years. We have had our ups and our downs, but we made a commitment at the start of our life together that we wouldn't give up on each other. My hubby loves when I dress up and I don't do it nearly enough. This month, I thought it would be fun to do a series centering on outfits that are a little more romantic. I'm not talking negligee and fishnet stockings, though you could certainly add those things to any of these outfits. I talking more about going on a date to special place or event. Dressing up, just a little bit more, not only pleases the person you are going with, it makes you feel good as well.

This outfit consists of a velvet floral bell sleeve top, pleated skirt, and leggings. I opted to wear the leggings for a bit of added warmth over my nude hose. Hey, when it is cold outside, I get creative in my layering. Thinner layers are key in making an outfit warmer, but not adding bulk. 

To give my waist a bit more definition, I tucked the top in and added a woven yarn belt that ends in fringe. I tied this to the side giving the outfit a little bit of a boho vibe. 

Here you get a good look at the bell sleeve. I think this sleeve type can be very pretty, but it also has to be managed, especially when you are eating. Be careful you aren't dragging the sleeve through your food. Ha, ha. Once again I reached for my dark gray/black clutch with bling. It just goes with all things fancy! You can also see the fringe on the belt. And yes! I did paint my nails a dark maroon! 

My black leggings have a bit of bling on them. I used these just two weeks ago in this Chasing Away the Winter Blues post. I shopped these in a friend's closet and they fit really well and are made of a thermal type fabric. For this outfit I donned my patent leather heels. This is an older pair of shoes I found at a thrift store. I like the height of the heel and the patent leather stays shiny. 

This choker was my first and I got it when I went to Nordstrom Rack on my birthday. I won a gift card from Jodie on Jodie's Touch of Style when she was celebrating her two year anniversary on her blog. This choker was one of the things I bought with the gift card. 

While very simple, the choker adds an element of edgy elegance and allows the square neckline of the top to show off some skin.

My hubby and I are going to a show Thursday evening and I think I will probably wear this outfit. I hope you enjoyed this post. Be sure to check back next week for another outfit made for romance. 

Also, check back on Thursday for another Awesome Accessory post.

Have a great day!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Sunday linking up with Rena of It's All Fine. Whatever Tickles the Fancy. Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, and Shelbee in the Spread the Kindness link up.  Wednesday linking up with The Perfect Storm, Tania of 50 is not Old. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. 

Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 4

In this series I have been sharing with you, some of the ways I try to beat the winter blues. January, February and even into March can be a long, cold and dark time for many people. As a fashion blogger, I wanted to come up with a few outfit ideas that might help to lift our spirits. I also posted about getting out for a day, just to have some fun and a change of scenery. This week, I thought, why not create an outfit using a summer item. 

The focus behind picking a summer piece to wear in the winter, is to see and handle and remember a warmer, lovelier time when you might have worn the piece and to wrap yourself in that memory, to help you get through the long winter days.

This maxi is actually a dress. I threw a crew neck pullover sweater over the top, to give me a layer of warmth.

My daughter kindly pointed out, that next time, I may want to use a dress that didn't have a horizontal line right around the hips and butt. She's right! Now that I have that out of the way, I do like the color of this dress. Since it is more of a fair weather palette I decided to add a touch of maroon, to bring us back to the reality that it is still January.

I also added a black jacket that has tiny white polka dots on it. You can better see the dots on the jacket below. I didn't even realize until we were taking pictures that the black flowers on the dress also have tiny white polka dots on them. Go figure! 

I really like the maroon color with this outfit. 

Due to the thin fabric of the dress, I decided to wear a pair of black leggings underneath. I also wore my black ankle boots. It is still winter after all, even if we don't have snow. 

I'm wondering if you have a summer maxi dress in your closet. Would you style it for winter? How would you add layers of warmth to that summer clothing piece to make it wearable in the colder weather? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. 

If you haven't already subscribed to my blog and would like to receive weekly emails when I post new things, just go to the subscribe box and click.

Check back on Thursday to see what colors I am combining in my Color Crash Course column. Have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, and Shelbee in the Spread the Kindness link up. Wednesday linking up with The Perfect Storm. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, JoLynne Shane in the Fashion Friday Link Up, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge.