What I Have Been Wearing Lately, and a Look Forward

Hi everyone! It has been a long while since I last posted on my Fashion page, or my Faith page. Life has been busy and filled with all manner of difficulty and struggle, so the blog has taken a back seat for a little while so my spouse and I can try to catch up and recover from all the various challenges.

I have thoughts in mind about when and how to proceed with getting back to a more regular posting schedule which I will share at the end of this post. For today, I thought enough time has passed where I could get away with another post on what I have been wearing lately using outfits I posted on Instagram.

I enjoy the ease and quickness of posting on Instagram. The descriptions are short and usually include a little blurp about a challenge I am participating in, the outfit I am wearing and what was happening on that particular day. Lately, they have been shorter than ever because I am so tired and unmotivated, but I keep trying to show up because I know if I give up I will crawl under a comfortable rock and probably never come back out. Here we go!

Italian Coastal Chic

I put together this fun look from the above prompt for one of the IG challenges I was participating in. The idea of an outfit that exemplified the Italian coast was way outside of my wheelhouse, so I began with Pinterest. I typed in Italian Coastal Chic and most of what popped up where beautiful, lanky women in their mid thirties dressed in lovely tiered dresses, flowy neutral pants, crisp white tees or tanks, carrying cute straw bags and wearing strappy sandals. As much as I would love to look like they did, I don’t, so I created this look from what was in my closet, using the embroidered, lace topper as a jacket of sorts over a tank top. Keeping the colors neutral definitely gives it more of a European vibe.

Bohemian Vibes

Most of these outfits, you will see, are the direct result of a daily Instagram challenge. The prompts are meant to inspire whoever joins to shop their own closets and come up with an outfit that goes along with the prompt. For this look the prompt was Urban Boho. I had fun combining this pretty Sonoma kimono with the thrifted tee that matched perfectly. It’s always fun when that happens.

Print Mixing Fun

I always love a good print mix and this outfit was a cute combination of summer stripes and textured waves on the Chaps knit vest. Vests are great pieces for summer layering. They are perfect when you are going to an air conditioned restaurant or coffee shop.

Ultra Casual

I put on this very casual look after I had housecleaned. The tee has been around for a number of years, while the wide leg capris are a brand called Westbound. They are so incredibly comfortable. The perfect pants when you just want to chillax.

Cherry Tones

Who doesn’t love the sweet, black cherries of summer? I buy several pounds every time I get to the grocery store during the season. This outfit was born of three separate challenges: Chic Cherry Tones, “Cherry” On My Wayward Son, and Wear It. The last one had to do with sustainable pieces in our wardrobes and my focus was this cute Christopher & Banks vest that I have had for many years. It is such a well made piece and always looks great, no matter how often I wear it. That is what I look for in a sustainable piece.

Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday

I’m showing you two outfits that I wore right around the 4th of July. I was tapping into the traditional reds, whites and blues and liked how both of these turned out. I’m so glad I found these Comfortiva red shoes. These are probably one of the best buys I have found. This brand of shoe runs around $105 new. I got them for $1. In the second outfit I am showing off a new pair of thrifted jeans with fun, floral embroidery.

Preppy Neutrals

The highlight of this outfit is certainly the striped top with embroidered flowers. It is a brand called Jane and Delancey. I paired it with a light weight pair of Sonoma utility pants, for a breezy traveling outfit.

Vanilla Raspberry Fudge

This outfit revolved around two IG prompts: Vintage Revival with Distressed Denim, and Style an Outfit Based on Your Favorite Summer Treat. The pretty lace tee was a recent find, and reminded me of the bodice of an old timey dress. My favorite summer treat is ice cream from a little shop around the country from where we live, called Vanilla Raspberry Fudge. It is so creamy and delicious.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these everyday outfits. When you start feeling like your closet has gotten boring and you no longer have anything to wear, trying looking at it differently. Try taking inspiration from a painting, a paint swatch at the hardware store, or even the tiles in a public restroom. Perhaps you never thought to combine those colors before. Another way to find inspiration is by pulling out various pieces in your wardrobe without worrying about what goes with it. For instance, pull out three bottoms; perhaps a pair of jeans, a tiered skirt, and a pair of capris. Now pull out three tops that you haven’t looked at in a while. Start imagining how one of the tops could go with one of the bottoms. Now you have the beginnings of a completely new look. Add a belt, a bag, some shoes and maybe a light weight jacket or sweater and you are set to go.

I am hoping to get back to more regular posting in August, or at the latest, September. Whenever I do I will be starting with my Pantone series to kick things off for fall. Isn’t it crazy that we are already thinking about fall? The New York Palette has some very pretty colors on it this year which I will be exploring.

I hope you all are doing well, and I appreciate your patience with me and the blog. Have a great week1

What I Have Been Wearing Lately

Hi everyone. It has been a crazy few weeks since I last posted on this page. Since I don’t have an outfit picked out for today, I thought I would just share a few of my Instagram outfits, just for some content until I can get back to regular posting. My spouse and I are making progress on his retirement, but it has been one roadblock after another. Who would have thought getting all the things in place for retirement would be a full time job, and a job without all the perks! Ha, ha.

A Little Bit Boho

Most of these outfits were put together for a monthly Instagram challenge, but I have also been trying to challenge myself to wear things I don’t regularly reach for. This tiered blouse was a thrift find a number of years ago. On the day I wore this it was chilly so I added a long sleeve tee underneath. The asymmetrical vest is older, but I bring it out every warm weather season since it is lighter weight.

Floral Midi Skirt and Denim Vest

This combo includes a Christopher and Banks skirt that I fell in love with before our brick and mortar store closed. I love that it contains so many fun colors and is light weight making it perfect for summer. On this day it was cool, so I added my Joy light weight sweater that I have had for a number of years, and a dark wash denim vest that I thrifted more recently. My Converse were also thrifted.

Wearing a Scarf a Different Way

One of the Instagram prompts was to wear a scarf, not around your neck, so I decided to used this square plaid piece as an interesting addition to my waist with a thrifted embellished tank top, thrifted gray jeans and my older Saucony sneakers.

Linen Pants Outfit

This look revolved around my striped linen pants. Linen is one of those fabrics most of us have a love hate relationship with. It is a marvelous fabric for the hot weather months, but it wrinkles terribly. Most people don’t worry about the wrinkles and wear their linen pieces with pride and less sweat. Others of us look for pieces that won’t show the wrinkles quite as much and these striped pants fit the bill. This is another Christopher and Banks piece that I have had for a while. For this outfit I paired them with a tropical print tee and a denim vest, also C & B.

Airy Neutrals

I don’t reach for my neutral pieces enough, but when I do I always like the way the outfit turns out. This prompt gave me the opportunity to wear this cute “fashion girl” tunic tee, the knit ruana, and the light colored Chico’s pants all together. The tee was thrifted, and the pants were a hand-me-over from my besties in NY.

Floral Button Down Casual Style

This pretty floral top is a recent thrift find. I fell in love with it because it reminded me of my mom. She always wore these types of collared button downs during the summer months along with her culottes. Due to my veiny legs I no longer wear anything short, but I made it my own style with my dark wash jeans and another pair of Converse sneakers. Yes, I do seem to be accumulating Converse, a shoe I never thought I would own! Ha, ha.

Striped Pants Outfit

I found these St. John’s Bay striped pants last fall, and I knew they would be perfect for the warm weather months. I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about them, but now that I have taken them for a spin around the block I love them and will definitely be styling them again for summer and maybe early fall. They fit great, have pockets, and a roll up hem. The one side is missing the snap to hold the tab in place, but I just used a safety pin to keep it in place. My top is a few years old and is Liz Claiborne brand from JC Penney. My Keds sneakers are also a few years old.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at what I have been wearing. These are outfits I actually wore. I post on Instagram almost every day, so these are definitely outfits that allow me to live my life.

I hope to get back to some regular posting in the next few weeks, and I will also give you an update on all the things my spouse and I have had to deal with. I appreciate your support, and hope you are having a fabulous Tuesday!

Spring/Summer Trends 2026: Another Bright Color Combo and Romantic Details

I have been taking a look at the spring and summer trends for this year, and while I might be a little behind, as usual, these are definitely ideas that will take you well into fall. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the bright color combinations are trending. Me being a lover of color, I decided to look at another of these combos and add another of the spring trends, romantic details.

Today’s color combo is orange and white, although the fashion gurus also mentioned orange and gray, so I decided to incorporate all three colors into this color block outfit ( another trend for the warm weather season), and we will also talk about what gives an outfit a bit more of a soft, romantic vibe.

Since I knew I wanted the color orange and also wanted a look that had more romantic vibe I searched my closet for a good starting piece. This Old Navy eyelet top was just the thing. I have had this for a few summers now and have worn it every warm weather season since I thrifted it. I love eyelet. I think it is one of the textures and fabrics that whispers romance without having to be overly frilly or immodest. I added a Faded Glory tank underneath for coverage, but you could certainly just wear a nude colored bra for a cohesive color underneath. Since the tank has lace trim I think it works perfectly.

Style Tip: Whether you are wearing jeans or a satin skirt you can upgrade you look to include romance by making a few simple choices. Choose lace, eyelet, tulle or silky fabrics. These speak volumes to making an outfit more feminine and fun. You can also add embellishments like embroidery, ruffles, and pearls in the form of buttons or jewelry. My personal opinion is less is more…not less fabric or coverage, but less embellishments and textures. Here is are similar colors from Shein, Ann Taylor, Bloom Chic, and Macy’s.

I knew I want to have white pants or a skirt and opted for these lighter weight cropped pants that I thrifted last year. These are Talbots brand and very comfortable for the warm weather season. Capris are back in style. I won’t go back to those, but some people really like them. I might if my legs were pretty, but they are not, so I accept that and move on. Here are some from JCPenney, Macy’s, and Chico’s. Here are a few pairs of ankle pants too: JCPenny, Old Navy, and Macy’s.

When I decided to incorporate the color gray as well, I knew I wanted gray shoes, a bag and jewelry. I have several pairs of sneakers in different grays and this pair of medium gray Skechers seemed the most complimentary with the white and orange. I bought this pair at Gabes a number of years ago. I keep them around, because they are cute, although not the most comfortable. It baffles me how a pair of sneakers can be uncomfortable, but they can be! Ha, ha.

My bag was a thrift find and has no identifiable tag as to what brand it is. I love a cross body bag all year round, but a light weight bag is perfect for summer. This seemed perfect with the sneakers and the jewelry. Here are a few gray options from Kohl’s.

The two pieces of jewelry are both second hand. The necklace was from my bestie in NY, and the bracelet was a recent thrift find. I love both of these pieces for their interesting blend of metal shapes and textures. The bracelet is a reminder to me every time I wear it of what Christ did for me on the cross.

What do you think of this color combination? Do you wear bright white in the summer? How about all year round? I tend to lean more toward the creamy, winter whites in the cold weather and bright whites in the summer. I’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment or two.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Outfit Inspiration: Cool, Coastal Vibes

Another trend that is around this summer is one I feel is always on repeat. Whether you call it coastal or nautical this summer trend seems to be veering away from the traditional red, navy and white color palette and is leaning more towards soft neutrals and pastels, while still giving a nod to the more traditional nautical stripes. For today’s outfit I decided to stick with a neutral palette, leaving out the stripes for a soft, feminine outfit that would be great for a casual dinner out followed by a walk on the beach.

I looked at Pinterest for inspiration for this coastal trend, and I found a number of outfits with a similar color palette to what I have put together here. White, light tan, with a light version of blue often seen in chambray pieces like button downs or skirts. What seemed to dominate the looks I found on Pinterest were white tops and bottoms with layered pieces, bags, shoes and a bit of jewelry taking on the other colors. To make this look completely my own, I decided to use the neutral tan color as my overall grounding color and just add in a little white, and blue.

My knit ruana is a fabulous Sonoma piece I got a number of years ago at Kohl’s and use it every so often to help build an outfit with texture. You can see how I styled it on the blog as a work wear look, and a boho look.

My white tank is a thrifted Loft piece. It has a bit of an iridescent sheen, so it didn’t show up real well in some of the pictures. You can also see the simple pendent necklace I chose to keep the outfit more low key.

My pants have made the rounds and were a JC Penney’s clearance find years ago. They are Liz Claiborne brand. How could I resist these with their beautiful embroidery? You can see how I styled them on the blog with a yellow top and cardigan.

My gladiator sandals are older and Massini brand, and my bag was gift a number of Christmases ago from my younger daughter. I also added my woven hat as you can see in the final pictures below.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you think it is giving off coastal vibes? How would you do it differently? How would you make it your own? I love to have your feedback, so be sure to leave a comment or two below.

I have included shopping links with similar items for you to enjoy. These are affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links I get a little commission. I appreciate all your support.

Have a great week!