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

My Style: Pre July 4th Look

It is hard to believe the first full day of summer, the longest day of the year is already past and we are heading towards Independence Day, the 250th birthday of our country. When we celebrated the 200th birthday I was 12 years old and I do remember going to the parade and seeing fireworks. It was a big deal. No matter who you are, what you believe or who you voted for, I hope we all can set aside the negativity and simply enjoy the freedom and benefits we have living in the United State of America, and that for just a little while we can concentrate on all that we have to be thankful for.

Today’s outfit revolves around this idea of celebration of the red, white and blue.

I didn’t really want to go full on red, white and blue, so I chose olive green as the back drop for the rest of the outfit. I started with this Love in Faith tee that I purchased a few summers ago. If you have followed me for a while you probably know my love for this online retailer. They do not pay me to endorse their products, I just love their faith-based tees for their fun graphics, their soft material and their decent pricing. Here are a few of this year’s patriotic tees.

I wanted to keep the olive theme going so chose these thrifted Supplies cropped utility pants. With their zippered pockets and fun camo pattern they are a good summer alternative to white. Here are a few possibilities from Torrid, Chicos, and Walmart.

The next thing I chose were my shoes. I got these red, Comfortiva sneakers at a thrift store a couple years ago and I just love them as a fun alternative to white sneakers for summer. I found these for $1. It really does pay to check out second hand stores on the regular. You may not find exactly what you are looking for, but you might just find something you would have never tried otherwise. Here are some possible red options from DSW.

I also chose red jewelry.

At the last minute I decided to add a topper and chose my thrifted Ralph Lauren navy blazer. I might have chosen a lighter weight cardigan, but I was trying to get these pictures taken so I could get this post up for Tuesday. I like the juxtaposition of the classier, structured blazer with the more casual vibe of the tee, pants and sneakers, but I also wonder if the cardigan would have been a better choice. Oh well, live and learn. Here is a pretty one from Land’s End, Chico’s, and Kohl’s.

The last piece I chose was my Charming Charlie tote bag from a number of years ago.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like to dress up for holidays like the 4th of July? What kind of outfit will you be wearing for our country’s 250th birthday? I love to hear you thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments.

Thank you for all of your support, and have a wonderful week!

Shopping Our Closets: Casual Summer Vibes

I am trying to get back to my monthly posts, at least for the summer, so this week I am shopping my closet to bring you a casual summer outfit that would be good for a coffee shop date, an afternoon of shopping or a trip to the theater with the grandkids to see a movie. We all know that indoor activities during the summer can often come with too much air conditioning, so thinking ahead about what to wear is essential for being comfortable.

Today’s look revolves around pieces that most of us have in our closets, or at least pieces that are similar: a Breton striped tee, light wash jeans, and a light weight cardigan.

A casual look like this is easy to put together and anyone who is reading this can probably find similar pieces in your own closet. Let’s look at each piece individually.

My Breton striped tee is an older thrifted piece and is J. Crew brand. I love the structure of this piece and the beautiful, sparkly bird embellishing its upper right hand corner.

I wondered what exactly made a shirt a Breton striped piece, so I looked it up. The Breton stripe originated in France and was made specifically as the official uniform for the French Navy back in 1858. The shirt was typically white with navy; the white stripe being wider than the blue, and it was usually a 3/4 length sleeve. In addition the neckline was a wide boat neck. In 1910 Coco Chanel took inspiration from the French navel uniform and it began its iconic journey through the decades as a fashion statement.

Here is an elbow length sleeve version from JCPenney; a red version from Eddie Bauer; a short sleeve version from Land’s End, and a plus-sized version from Kohl’s.

Style Tip: While tee shirts that are cotton/polyester blends are soft and comfy, they don’t always give us the coverage we desire as far as our extra rolls. A medium to heavier weight cotton will typically give you more structure, and is less see through for both your extra bits and your undergarments.

The next piece we’ll look at are my light wash, cropped jeans. I love this pair of Talbots that I found at a second hand store. They are a little heavier weight, but are soft, and I love the added detail of the stripes that go along the outside seam. Once again, the heavier weight cotton fabric is still doable for summer because it is still breathable.

Here is a mid-rise version from Land’s End; a higher rise pair from J.Jill; a lighter weight version from L.L. Bean; and this pair with the fun pocket detail from Christopher & Banks.

Style Tip: Jean washes don’t really matter any more as far as seasons are concerned, but If you are old school like me, I like to get out my light wash, and white, or bright colored jeans for summer just to lighten my wardrobe up a bit.

I decided to tap into the black stripes on my tee, and yes, mine are black, not navy, for the cardigan I chose. The stripes on my jeans are also black, so that added to the reason I went for a black sweater and black shoes. My cardigan is Croft & Barrow brand and I bought it at Kohl’s many years ago. Time goes so fast, it is hard to keep track. The 3/4 sleeves are perfect for when you want extra coverage, but not too much.

Here is a Croft & Barrow, open front version from Kohl’s; one from Macy’s; another version from Chico’s; and a couple from JC Penney - regular size, and plus size.

My Oxford shoes have been around for quite some time considering I haven’t worked at the university bookstore since fall of 2019, and I got these while I was still employed. These are a brand called Naya, and I got these at DSW on the clearance racks.

It’s funny, of all the pictures I struggle with, shoes are the worst. Ha, ha. If my feet are in them, I don’t feel like I can ever get the right angle for the picture. Either my feet look super long, as in the first picture, or my ankles look like tree stumps, as in the second picture. Ha, ha. It’s okay. I am no flighty influencer and that is okay. I just keep doing this for fun, and for you, my lovely followers!

My woven bag is also thrifted, and the label says, icing, which was Claire’s Boutique’s brand for many years. I don’t shop there any more, since I no longer have young daughters, but it was a fun place to go, especially for their special sales and clearance jewelry.

Pull out your straw bags, I mean doesn’t everyone have one? They are always spot on for the warm weather months, and always seem to be trending for summer. Here is a whole page of possibilities from DSW.

What do you think of this outfit? Is this something you would wear, or that you could put together from pieces you already have in your closet? What would you do differently: wear shorts, or a skirt; pick different shoes? Let me know in the comments. I love to hear your ideas.

I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

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!

My Style: Casual with a Graphic Tee

I have been struggling to get things posted on the blog. It seems our summer has been busier than I thought it was going to be, and the heat, and added responsibilities have made it hard to find the time and the energy to put outfits together or write on my Faith page. However, here I am trying again. This is a piece of advice my mental health therapist often says, “Begin again.” There is something freeing about those two words. The fact that I can start over and begin again reminds me that, not only am I not perfect, but that it is okay. The important thing is that I keep trying.

For today’s outfit I decided to show you an outfit that is very much me. I am pretty simple when it comes to my style, and over the years I have showed you glimpses of what style types I pull from and for the most part these styles are casual and practical.

I like this combination of teal green with salmon. For this outfit, the first this I did was pick the tee shirt. I got another order from Love In Faith. I love their tees and place an order about once or twice a year. The fall and Christmas ones are always hard to resist, but this summer they had a number of cute graphics and colors. As always they are faith based. I am not an affiliate for them, I just love their products and they are always having good sales and are a faith based company so I like to buy from them.

I love the words on this tee, and the picture, of course, but the colors are lovely and so summery. The words printed at the bottom say, “My sin was great, His love was greater….Joh 3:16:” Obviously, I could have gone for a more orange color, but there are also slight shades of the salmon in the tee as well, which don’t show as well in my photo. In case you are ever interested in purchasing from Love In Faith, I typically get a large, because I like the extra room, but I could wear a medium. Since I have lost a few pounds, mediums are beginning to fit better, but I still like my tops roomy, and they do not shrink.

I bought light weight utility ankle pants a few years ago from Kohl’s and they are Sonoma brand. I was looking for a good alternative to jeans. These are perfect for hotter weather and though I could wear them ankle length in the summer I like to roll my pants so they come half way between my ankle and my knee. It is my alternative to shorts.

I found this fabulous green gingham number a few weeks ago. While I can’t really wear it yet, because it is so hot, I am looking forward to bringing it out more often when it gets cooler. It is actually a men’s shirt from JCPenney It is a stiffer cotton fabric, almost like a smooth canvas, and at first I wasn’t sure I would like it, but I am glad I took it. The stiffer feel gives it a bit more structure, which is great when wearing a piece like this as a shacket.

I added a bit of silver bling just to keep the outfit from getting too casual. You can see a little bit of the pinkish color I was talking about on the tee above, thus I also added my embellished Bueno pink cross body bag. I love the fake embroidery on this bag. This was another gift given to me by one of my daughers.

For shoes I pulled out my platform sneakers. I bought these back when platform sneakers were just becoming a thing a few years ago. It looks like we will have a bit of the platform trend sticking around, so I figured I was doing okay to wear these. These are a brand called Roxy and I found them on clearance at DSW.

What do you think of this outfit? What do you like to wear in the summer to look casual but put together? Leave me a comment or two below. I always like to hear your thoughts.

No shopping links today. Just take this as inspiration to shop your own closet and see what you can come up with.

Have a great day!

Shopping Our Closets: Linen

Today’s outfit revolves around a few pieces I found in my closet that are over 50% linen. Linen is a go to for summer outfits due to it’s ability to keep the wearer cool and comfortable. I see many bloggers and Instagram gals wearing linen on the regular all throughout the summer. Many retailers carry these light weight pieces starting in the spring. You can see numerous pretty tops, pants, and skirts at Chico’s, JC Penney, Coldwater Creek, Old Navy and more.

Linen as a fabric is made from the inner stem fibers of the flax plant. In its pure form it is breathable, durable, dries easily, and is perfect for hot climates. The only bad side of pure linen is that it is rather stiff and wrinkles quite easily.

My two pieces featured today are a linen blend. My pants are linen and rayon, and my vest is linen and cotton. The pants are not as cool as a linen cotton blend, but they are flowy and that allows for better air circulation. As you can see, they still get a little wrinkly, and that is part of what makes me less enamored with linen than others might be.

These pants were a Christopher & Banks purchase from a few years ago. I liked that the stripes were vertical, keeping the eye moving down rather than fixating on my wider hips. These had front patch pockets, and a wider elastic waist. They are very comfy and so easy to pull on and off.

My vest is the other linen blend piece. This is a thrifted Maurice’s piece. I love vests and I have a small stash of lighter weight ones that I like to pull out for layering and texture when it is warm. The eyelet on this piece is really what drew me to it. I love clothing with texture and eyelet is one that we see a lot of in the warmer months.

I ended up using a simple, thrifted tank top underneath. While I could have chosen any color, I decided to go with white, to keep the top part of my body more monochrome, helping the blue stripes in the pants to stand out.

I also went for neutral accessories in my pendant necklace, my bracelet, and my lace up sandals. I like the way the neutral looks with this color combo giving the whole outfit a very summery feel.

I could have chosen a neutral colored handbag, but went for a lighter blue to add a bit more understated color to the look.

What do you think of this outfit? Do have linen pieces in your closet? Do you like linen and wear it often in the summer? I love to have your feedback so feel free to leave a comment or two.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. I decided to show you an array of linen/linen blend pieces. Even if you only have one or two in your closet, they do come in handy for these warm days of summer. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great day!

Begin Again, and a Look at What I Have Been Wearing

Hi everyone. What was originally going to be a one month hiatus has turned into nearly two, thanks to my new normal. I am trying to come to terms with the idea I have a chronic illness; a muddled mess of chronic sinusitis and asthma, each one individually trying to be managed, and at the same time exacerbating the other when one goes awry. In my vast experience (ha, ha) of 3 years I am seeing a pattern of sinus infection almost always leading to worsening of asthmatic symptoms. There seems to be a definite connection, though you will hear little of it from the medical community. Indeed, I am learning it is imperative we do our own research and keep looking for answers while trying to maneuver an overburdened medical landscape.

That is part of the reason for my disappearance from regular posting on my little blog. My hubby and I were able to take our meandering vacation in May without any issues, other than the car having a few hiccups. I am so thankful, because it was after that I got sick, and that would have ruined a really relaxing trip.

Here I am doing what my counselor so often tells me to do and that is, begin again. I will be starting out slow, but I do want to get a little bit of content out there before the summer is over. Today I am going to share a few of my daily outfits that I was able to post to instagram.

Outfit 1 - Long Denim Skirt and Graphic Tee

I wore this while we were visiting my mother-in-law, before we left for our Meanderings. It was the perfect combination of comfy and cute. I have this skirt in my rotation to be worn again, so I am thinking it deserves its own spot in a blog post.

Outfit 2 - Olive Pants and Peach Top with Lace Cut Out Yoke

I love this thrifted top. It has a cotton liner in the bodice area, and since the entire thing is cotton it is very comfortable for our warmer temps. I thought the combination of pastel peach with olive and blue chambray a fitting outfit for late spring and early summer.

Outfit 3 - Subtle Camo Cropped Pants, Floral Tiered Tunic and Open Weave Shrug

This is one of my favorite outfits I put together since we got back from our trip. Everything but the Sperry sneakers was thrifted. The outfit came together as a result of a print mixing challenge in Instagram, and I always love a good print mix. It was one of those cooler, late spring days, and these pieces kept me completely comfortable.

Outfit 4 - Rewear of Camo Cropped Pants with Floral Peasant Top and Blingy Vest

I always rewear my pants over the course of a couple of weeks between laundry sessions. Rewearing helps keep our clothes from getting worn out due to over washing and saves water and detergent. Do you rewear your clothes before washing? Isn’t the floral mix of print and embroidery beautiful on the sleeves of this piece? The Christopher and Banks vest makes regular appearances on the blog and Instagram.

Outfit 5 - Purple and Blue Striped Maxi Skirt and Graphic Tee

It is a struggle for me to wear things outside my comfort zone. This comfort zone revolves more around what is going on in my life than things not being comfortable due to size, fit, or type of piece. I love skirts and dresses, but my life rarely is conducive to wearing them. In order to not be too stuck in a rut, I am trying to reach for a maxi skirt on occasion and style it for my writing grandma lifestyle. Ha, ha.

This outfit is so me. I love the purple hues in the skirt and the tee is right up my alley. The tee was thrifted, and the skirt was another past Christopher and Banks purchase. I haven’t bought from them since they closed down their brick and mortar stores, but I sure did like them when I was able to shop in person. Since they went to an online only presence I have been less than underwhelmed. Sad!

Outfit 6 - Embroidered Chambray Shirt, Graphic Tee and Dark Wash Jeans

I have had this light wash chambray shirt for years and I absolutely love it. If it has embroidery on it I am sold! I used it more as a shacket, but occasionally wear it as a button down. I don’t like to layer it under other things because I want the embroidery to be a focal point. The floral graphic tee was a Maurice’s find several years ago. The dark wash, ankle jeans are a pair of Lee’s petites that I found at Kohl’s on clearance a while back. I don’t normally buy petites but when looking for an ankle pant they often work.

Outfit 7 - Pineapple Bling Tee and Jeans

A fun, easy outfit. What more can we ask for during the busy, hot, days of summer?

Outfit 8 - Floral Kimono, Oversized Tee and Reworn Jeans

I had an eye doctor appointment the morning before I took these pictures, and my eyes were dilated. That’s always fun. When I stepped back outside after I got home to take these pics, I was pretty squint eyed. Ha. ha.

Style Tip - There are so many ways to take an ordinary jeans and tee outfit up a few notches with accessories including layered necklaces and kimonos. Just because you have a routine of wearing the same type or style doesn’t mean it has to get boring. Jazz up the routine with colors, patterns, layers and bling, even if it just for a grocery store run or a doctor’s appointment. It is amazing how much better it makes me feel to put in the effort. Even when I am struggling with my physical heath.

Outfit 9 - Jeans with Bling and an Oversized Tee

I could not resist this recently thrifted tee. It is not cotton, so definitely not one I will wear when it is super hot, but it is so me. I love murder mystery shows, all the comfy clothes, and feel most comfortable with just a small number of people; although I can handle more like 8 or 10. Ha, ha.

Finding pieces that perfectly fit both your body and your personality is really what makes fashion fun. Graphic tees are great ways to show off the bands, movies, books, and philosophies you like. In the same way accessories can further show off your amazing sparkle. Don’t be afraid to play dress up every day, even the days you don’t feel good.

I hope you enjoyed this look at a few of my more recent outfits and I hope to be back at regular posting soon. Have a great week!