Spring Colors: Snorkel Blue, Flash Green and Iced Coffee

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This week's color palate includes my attempts at Pantone's Snorkel Blue, Green Flash and Iced Coffee. I've noticed that Iced Coffee keeps showing up and I am thinking that color is like a good cup of coffee, great to have anytime and anywhere! You will see in these photos some of my pieces have been reused like the black chunky heel flats and the Lilac Gray bag. 

My version of Green Flash really does not do the color justice. The color is much more vibrant than the top that I have on. That being said, I think the outfit would be better with a brighter version of that green. 

I styled the outfit two different ways, so you could see a variation on a similar theme. The first outfit is styled with black crop pants that have a bit of a lacy texture to them. I like this look and would wear something like this to work. The lightweight leopard print scarf has an Ice Coffee background with black spots pulling in the black of the pants. For added depth and fun, I added a few green beaded necklaces over the scarf.

In the second look I removed the scarf and green necklaces and put on a silver and blue necklace as well as swapping the crop pants for a pair of floral Palazzo pants. I am not as fond of this particular look as it makes my hips and legs look wider. I love Palazzo pants as they are so comfy and fun, but you really do need to find a look that works for you. After viewing these photos I decided I am going to do a post or a series of posts, just on Palazzo pants, so we can figure out what works and what doesn't. 

Hope you enjoyed this week's fashion post and that you are inspired to see what you have in your closet that might make an outfit using some of Pantone's Spring colors. Next week, I'll continue my Spring color line up.

Read on for this week's Closet Clean Out Tip.

Find the Look:

Jacket Ideas - Khol's $44, Macy's $79.50

Top Ideas - Chico's $79.50, Macy's $69.50

Black Pants - Saks Off 5th $99.99, Khol's $36

Palazzo Pants - JCPenney $34, Kohl's $36

Shoe Ideas - Kohl's $65, DSW $49.95

Scarf Ideas - Kohl's $20, Etsy $38

Necklace Idea - Kohl's $18, Etsy $17

Closet Clean Out - Tip 5: Accessories

I love accesories! Necklaces, bracelets, scarves....you name it, I love it and enjoy wearing it. What I don't enjoy is trying to figure out what to do with it all. As with all my Closet Clean Out Tips, it is important to go through your accessories and purge. Are you ever really going to wear that black scarf? What about that necklace you got at Disney World back in 1983? Or what about that charm bracelet you have had since high school? If a piece has sentimental value, then by all means hang onto it, but unless is has some sort of value, or it is something you love and actually wear, you can probably let it go!

I am going to show you a few of my own organizing "tricks". These are simple and cheap!

This is a simple, adhesive hook. There are tons of these available at Walmart and other stores. Here is one example. These hooks are easy to apply and remove and they hold quite a bit of weight as you can see from the following picture. These hooks can be applied anywhere. These three are on a book case right next to my dresser, but I have three more in my closet on the wall.

Yes! I have too much jewelry and I am due for a purge! Ha, ha.

This is a simple plastic hanger, but with a little tying ingenuity it becomes....

A scarf hanger! I use this for my infinity scarves, but you could take any other type of scarf and hang it by tying it onto the hanger. Some of my scarves I fold an put in a storage cubicle like this one and then set it on a shelf in my closet.

There are plenty of other options for storage of jewelry such as tiered trays, hanging organizers, and organizers you can slip into drawers. 

I hope that gives you inspiration for organizing some of your accessories. Next week we'll focus on shoes and bags! Have a lovely Tuesday!

Check Out this Blogger's site: She is looking for other "Over 50" bloggers to collaborate with. She will choose and feature 50 bloggers to start with, and maybe more later. Just click on her link if you are interested.

Today I linked up with Catherine at Not Dressed As Lamb and Jess from Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Be sure to check out their blogs.

 
 

Spring Colors: Lilac Gray and Buttercup

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Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull, Makeup by Rachel Christensen

Today you'll see the second outfit in my Spring color series. The color emphasis is on Pantone's Lilac Gray and Buttercup. I found the button up at a thrift store. We had a hard time finding a similar color, but here is a possibility. The bag I found on clearance at JC Penney and I really like it. This purse is roomy, but not overwhelming. I have a tendency to put everything in my bag. The muted color enables it to be carried with many other outfits, and the gold chain gives it a classy look without making it heavier. We found a similar bag at Kohl's.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull, Makeup by Rachel Christensen

The buttercup tee (another thrift store find) has an embellished neckline which goes well with the gold on my bag and shoes. We found a similar embellished tank top at Macy's. The skirt, simple black leggings, shoes, and yellow bangle are all second hand store finds but we were able to find you some inspiration from some other stores. Here is a skirt from Kohl's, black shoes from DSW, and a bracelet option on Etsy. As you can tell, I love to thrift shop. If I had been born in an earlier century, I would have been a pirate! Arrrrrrrrrggggg! I was excited to see that the low chunky heel is making a come back!

Obviously, the outfit could be retrofitted for summer simply by getting rid of the leggings and wearing a cute pair of sandals or espadrilles. Carry the button up as a covering for overly air conditioned shops or restaurants and you are all set.

Since, this blog is all about inspiration, I would like you ladies to start digging for treasure in your own closets. See if you have any of Pantone's Spring color line up. Throw an outfit together and have someone take a picture. Then send it to me via a Facebook message or you can email it to me. If you take a pic on your phone you can just text it to my email at guineapigtrekie@yahoo.com. I would love to see how I have inspired your fashion sensibilities and you might even get your pic posted!

Now it's time for our next Closet Clean Out Tip.

Closet Clean Clean Out - Tip 3 - Skirts and Dresses

I really do not know why I have so many skirts and dresses. I think it stems from my upbringing. Being raised in the church we always dressed up for Sunday service. As far as that goes, my mother used to make me wear dresses when I was in elementary school. Being a tomboy I grew to loathe skirts and dresses, although, I never stopped wearing them to church...until recently. However, I still do wear a skirt for work once in a while and if my husband and I splurge on a show I dress up.

Once again, I would say, start by organizing. You can arrange by color, length or type of skirt, or seasonal. The same goes for dresses. If you have room you might want to hang from shortest to longest. Organization is for your benefit, so figure out what is going to work for you. As you begin to organize take a hard look at what skirts and dresses you have. Do you love it? Does it fit? Is it in style?

Actually that is not a valid question any more. What isn't in style? Mini vs. maxi, plain vs. print, plaid vs. floral, a-line vs. pencil, pleather vs. leather.....anything goes! Style is what you make it. A dress you wore in the 80's may no longer be in style, but if you throw a chunky sweater over it, or add a black moto jacket and a pair of over the knee boots you can make it work. That's not something I have to worry about, since I can't fit into any dresses that I owned in the 80's. Ha, ha.

I have found that if I am unsure about a particular item, I put it in a pile, then when I have a significant number of items I try them all on. The item has to answer several questions: Does it have a slimming or smoothing effect? Is the pattern or color complimentary? Could I pair it with other items I have to make it work for me, like wearing a dress with a jacket or sweater over the top, or wearing a skirt with a wide belt and a tee shirt or tank top. How can I update my look if it is something I really love? I am getting better at putting things in the donation box if I am not absolutely convinced it works for me.

I hope as you reorganize your skirts and dresses you will be thinking about some of the things you have read here on my fashion blog. As you saw today, I paired a skirt with leggings, something I have never done before. Think outside the box, after all, you are women and we are more like spaghetti than waffles.

Be sure to come back next week. We'll have another Spring outfit and more tips on cleaning out our closets. 

All photos by Rebecca Trumbull, Makeup by Rachel Christensen

Spring Preview

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While spring is still a few weeks away, the fashion world has been at work since sometime last year planning the color line up for Spring 2016. Pantone is the color guru. Not only do their color choices affect what the models are wearing on the fashion run ways, but they affect the colors used in design and decorating. You can see their website and the Spring color choices by clicking here.

In my fashion posts for the next few weeks I have taken Pantone's color choices and shopped in my closet. Most colors put out by the designers fall into similar color categories and you probably already have something that resembles some of the colors in your closet. For example the color "Serenity" is very close to a light denim blue. "Peach echo" is related to the dark coral family and "Buttercup" the vibrant yellow. 

Pantone picks two colors that become the central focus of the spring line up. This year it is "Rose Quartz" and "Serenity". While you can be trendy just focusing on those two colors, I love to see what I can do with all ten colors put forth in the spring line up. I have so many clothes and I was able to find most of the colors already hanging in my closet or folded in my drawers. A few things I ended up purchasing, but mostly at thrift shops.

The color guide is there as that, a guide. Not everyone can wear "Fiesta" or "Iced Coffee", but you can find the colors that suit your skin tone and make up scheme best and then accent with pieces in the other tones and colors. For instance, maybe your outfit consists mainly of "Snorkel blue" and "Green flash". You could then accent that with "Buttercup" beads around your neck and wrists, or use a "Lilac gray" bag or "Iced coffee" shoes. You will see some of my "Spring line up" over the next few weeks. 

In the mean time don't be afraid to try new things. I will confess, I have a hard time getting out of my comfort zone, but that is part of what writing this blog is about. Learning, changing, adapting and growing. We should never be stagnant, and when we find that we are, well, it is time to do some spring cleaning. Continue reading for our first Closet Clean Out Tip...

 

Closet Clean Out - Tip 1 - Organize

If you are like me, you love to shop, or maybe you don't, but you have a closet full of clothes, many of which you don't even wear. The first thing to do is organize. I know this may be counterintuitive, but I find that if I organize first then I can more easily see what I have and what I don't. Also, I have a second reason for organizing first, as I organize I purge.

I like to organize things in different ways. Sometimes I organize strictly by color; all the yellows together, reds together and so on. I do this by hanging rack and drawers. Right now, I have short sleeve shirts with prints by color, short sleeve shirts without print by color, 3/4 sleeve shirts with prints by color, 3/4 sleeve shirts without print by color and so on. I would love to be more of a minimalist, the whole capsule wardrobe has it's appeal, but I love options and I love colors and I love different shapes and lengths. I guess I just love clothes!

So as you delve into your closet, don't be afraid to pull everything out...but be aware this does take time and you and your spouse want to be able to sleep on that bed where you are piling all your clothes. As you organize according to your own system, get rid of stuff. That pink blazer your never wear because it is just not the right pink for your skin tone...donate it. That turtleneck you love but it's covered in pills, throw it away. Pilling does not look attractive on any clothing. That skirt that is a tad too tight, give it to your skinny friend. I hate to tell you girlfriend, but if you are anything like me, that weight is not coming off very fast and by the time it does, you will want to buy a new skirt.

I know organizing can be an overwhelming task, but look at it in bite size chunks. Look at your hanging racks first. How can you organize your tops, dresses or skirts so that you have a better idea of what you have? Start with the long sleeve tops. Leave everything else on the rack, but the long sleeve tops. Take those out and pile them on your bed or hang them on an empty rack. As you are handling each shirt, decide do I want to keep it, do I want to donate it, or do I need to try it on and decide after I look in the mirror. An item you bought because it was such a good deal, may now not look so great. Even if you never wore it, get rid of it, because keeping it will not guarantee you will wear it.

One thing I read about reducing clutter said to get rid of ten things at a time. So your assignment today, ladies, is to reorganize your closet and as you do, try to get rid of at least ten things. If you do more than ten you are awesome and I feel good that I inspired you to do that much! Tell me your success stories in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you!

Next week we'll talk about those pesky socks and underwear.