November Styles - Flannel, Denim and Fur

For the month of November, I decided to take a closer look at some of the prints, colors, and textures that are trending this fall. It is hard to slow down and not let our minds go straight from Halloween to Christmas, but I want to take a deep breath and just enjoy fall before winter sets in. We’ll have time for holiday vibes in a few weeks, but for now just sit back and enjoy the changing leaves as they begin their descent to the ground, and savor the scents and tastes that come back around this time of year, like cider, pumpkin, and the outdoor smells of the changing season.

For today’s outfit I am drawing on three pieces of inspiration from a few of the fashion gurus on what was trending for Autumn 2025: earthy plaids, full skirts and luxuriously textured outerwear.

Plaid always comes around for fall, at least in my closet it does. I love my flannel shirts, my wool blazers and my plaid pants and skirts. This year plaid is back in earthy browns and rusts on the runway. See this article from Glamour. I guess you could say I was going for the Town and Country Chic vibe with this outfit.

For this look, I started with the plaid, flannel shirt. It is a men’s Croft & Barrow shirt from Kohl’s. It actually belonged to my hubby, but he never wore it, so I confiscated it. Ha, ha. I love flannel, oversized shirts and while this one is not very feminine, I enjoyed the challenge of making it into a more feminine look by adding the skirt. The shirt has both the dark, earthy brown and the dark blue, so it seemed perfect for the look I was trying to achieve. I also added the silver and brown beaded necklace for a little extra femininity.

My dark wash denim skirt was a thrift find a few years ago. It is a Liz Claiborne - Liz Sport piece. What’s not to love about this full, midi length skirt? It even has pockets. It is a medium weight so easily wearable all year round, and perfectly twirl worthy. You can see this piece styled previously on the blog with a fair isle sweater, and with an olive military jacket.

My Emma James, (an older offshoot of Liz Claiborne) faux fur and faux suede coat is another second hand find. I nabbed this one four years ago as soon as I found it and tried it on. I love the way these types of jackets can be used dressed up or down and the neutral color means it can go with anything. You can see another outfit I wore this coat with here.

I kept my accessories minimal to keep the focus on the outfit. My b.o.c. bag was a hand me over from my best girlfriend in NY. She is an avid thrifter too, and always finds great things, some of which she passes my way.

My boots are thrifted. I find a lot of boots at second hand stores when I am not looking for boots. Right now I am looking for a few new pairs of combat boots and do you think I can finding anything second hand? Nope! I also haven’t been thrifting in a while so that might be another reason. Ha. ha. These are a brand called XOXO. The are faux leather, but still look pretty good so they were a good find. Apparently, you can find this brand on Amazon.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you think I hit the Town and Country vibe? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment or two. I always appreciate your interactions with my little blog.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links brought to you at no extra cost. If you purchase an item through one of my links I get a little commission. I appreciate every think you do to support me and the blog.

Have a great week!

Styling into the Holidays - Part 2: Holiday Work Party

It’s been five years since I lost my job at the university bookstore. As an assistant manager I was lucky to be able to wear business casual attire and sometimes went to work wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, especially if I was going to be book slamming - unpacking and shelving textbooks. However, once in a while I liked to get more dressed up to at least give the appearance that I was the second in command. Ha, ha. Today’s look is one that I might have worn during our holiday sales events.

When I was getting ready for my little photo shoot I decided to put volumizing powder in my hair. Unfortunately, I ended up putting too much in and I couldn’t even get a brush through my hair without nearly pulling my head off. Ha, ha, ha! I tell you what, us girls go through such feats to look beautiful. I tried to add some waves, but even the straight iron couldn’t make headway with my mess. So silly. There are times I really do feel like Lucille Ball. Ha, ha.

My thrifted, plaid Requirements blazer has been styled on the blog before. You can see that post here. It is a great piece, but doesn’t get as much love as it should since I only use it during the holiday season, which is very short. That is exactly why I pulled it out for this post. I really should try to wear it after the holidays. What do you think? Would you wear this before or after the Christmas season?

Denim skirts are trending right now, so I was glad to have another opportunity to wear this thrifted St. John’s Bay piece. This is a great pencil maxi whether you dress it up or down. My belt was also a thrift find.

I love this black turtleneck top that I found second hand. It is a brand called united.states.sweaters. It is soft and stretchy. A basic black turtleneck can be very flattering and can be dressed up or down. Just add gold or silver jewelry or a bright colored scarf and you take your outfit up a notch without really trying.

For my accessories I chose black for bag and boots and gold for my jewelry. My blag top handle hobo bag was a thrifted piece and a brand called Scarleton. You can find this brand on Amazon and they are very reasonably priced.

My black boots were a Black Friday purchase last year from Kohl’s and are Journee brand.

These gold tone jewelry pieces have been around for years, but always seem to keep their shine.

What do you think of this outfit? Would you have worn something like this to a holiday office party? What would you do with the pieces in your closet?

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it provided a little inspiration for your holiday get togethers, or just gave you an excuse to get dressed up to go to the mall or out to lunch with a friend. I have provided a few shopping links for similar items and I try to keep the price points more reasonable. These are for you to shop or to just draw inspiration from. These are affiliate links, brought to you at no extra cost. If you purchase something through one of my links I get a little kickback. I appreciate all of your support.

Leave me a comment or two. I always love to hear from you!

Meet Maureen and Mavis

I want to introduce you to two gals who are going to help me out on the blog every once in a while. They used to work retail, but lost their jobs last fall and now they live with us. They were kind of happy their retail positions got canned. Both of them really wanted to become detectives and solve murder mysteries. For the time being they said they would model for me, since they have nothing better to do and there haven’t been any murders in our neighborhood. Although, with a lot more husbands and wives having to spend loads more time together, would it really be a surprise if someone ended up dead? Ha, ha.

Mavis is the taller one. She has a more conservative, classic stye, and is the planner on the team. Maureen likes to mix it up, gets a little edgy with her clothes and loves to play with technology.

Today, our models are showing off a trendy style that is perfect for spring, leopard print and denim. Join me as we get to know the girls and their style a little better.

Mavis

Mavis is wearing a thrifted dark wash denim pencil skirt. This is a brand called No Faze Jeans. I’ve worn this skirt before on the blog and you can see it styled for a casual look and for a date night look. Mavis is dressed for a stop at the coffee shop to do some computer work on a case (or she would be if she had a client and their wasn’t a lockdown). She likes this skirt because it is comfortable to sit in, with a good amount of stretch.

This awesome leopard print bomber jacket was another thrift find. Another Christopher and Banks piece, I like the cognac colored background and the sturdy zippers on the front and pockets. Mavis likes that it looks cool, but still classy.

The brown top is a Faded Glory tee that I have had for a while.

This leopard and gold pendant necklace goes perfectly with the outfit.

Mixing snakeskin print with leopard? Why not! Mavis isn’t afraid to print mix. A private eye needs to have a cute bag to keep their necessities in: lip gloss, tissues, credit cards and a gun, of course. A girl needs to have some protection.

Mavis always goes for a more conservative shoe. She likes shoes that look cute, but also offer support and stay on the foot. You never know when you might need to run after a criminal. These thrifted Natural Soul by Naturalizer heels are perfect.

Maureen

Maureen loves to stand out and be noticed. She loves clothes that are more flirty and feminine, but also has no problem wearing motorcycle boots and leather jackets. Today’s look revolves around a light weight, silky leopard print dress, a brand called Forever (possibly from Forever 21) and also a thrift store find. the dress is perfect for warmer weather as it is light weight and sleeveless.

You’ve see this thrifted Rue 21 distressed denim jacket on the blog before. It is one of my favorite denim jackets and offers a shorter cut, than most. The fact that this jacket has 3/4 length sleeves and subtle distressing means it is versatile for casual and dressed up occasions. You can see how I styled it with a LuLaRoe dress, a midi dress and a maxi dress, a leopard print skirt, a sweater tunic and a high waisted skirt. Maureen loves her denim, especially with a dress.

Maureen and Mavis are both modest girls by choice, so Maureen wanted a tank top under the lower cut v-neck of the dress. This one is thrifted and St John’s Bay. I like the little sparkle detail along the scoop.

Maureen, like Mavis loves jewelry, but hers will typically carry an air of hippy vibes and boho. I found this beaded choker while thrifting.

Maureen loves a bag that she can throw her lunch in if she wants and just like Mavis, she usually carries a piece, although her’s is a bit bigger than her friend’s. This thrifted, slouchy, hobo bag is American Eagle brand and has two handles, so you can either use it as a cross body bag, or a shoulder bag.

These thrifted Falls Creek combat boots are definitely showing their wear, but I thought they would look cute with this dress. Maureen thought so too. You can see how I styled these boots with pink jeggings, skinny jeans, and a printed a-line skirt.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Mavis and Maureen. They will be around again in the future and maybe they will have some adventures to share. Until then, have a great weekend. Stay safe and keep looking up.

I’ve included a few shopping links for leopard print jackets and dresses. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Denim Daze 2.0 - Pencil Skirt - Dressy

Tuesday you saw this dark wash, thrifted, pencil skirt styled with a pair of sneakers and a graphic tee. Today I want to show you how to style this same skirt for a look that would be night time and party ready. When you want to take a casual piece and make it more dressy, you need to think about the piece you are going to pair it with and the accessories. Bling and heels are always a quick way to bring a casual piece up a notch.

For this skirt, I decided to add an asymmetrical hem, tunic for a new and more upscale look. My daughter was getting rid of this Fred David tunic and I really liked the color of the print. The tunic is more free flowing and I’ve worn it with skinny jeans, boots and a turtle neck sweater underneath for a colorful cold weather look. You can see that look on my Instagram account here. This time I wanted to have a more feminine, body con look, so I chose to wear a wide black belt.

The high-low hem line allows the skirt to still be seen, so you could do this with any other skirt or even a dress for a different look.

Black seemed to be the right choice for accessories, but you could have also chosen shades of the pinky purple in the top, white, gray or even navy to tie everything together with the skirt.

This cute little necklace I found on a clearance rack some where. It has two layers and each of the little dangles holds a sparkly stone.

I chose my sparkly black clutch, as well. Sparkly, to me, always says dressed up, rather than dressed down. Don’t get me wrong, I have tee shirts with bling, but even those make me feel more dressed up, as opposed to a graphic tee like in Tuesday’s outfit.

I haven’t had many opportunities to wear these cute shoes. They are Aerosoles brand and so comfy. The heel, for me is just the right height, and I like the band across the top. They are easy to get on and stay put.

Here is a look at the outfit from the side.

Do you own a denim skirt? Is it a pencil skirt, a-line, pillar or tiered? There are lots of options for denim skirts these days, especially if you go to thrift stores. They are not tied into the trends or seasons, so there are more options available. If you don’t own a denim skirt, you could do this same thing with any pencil skirt you own. Dress it down with a tee and sneakers or dress it up like I have done here with a flowy top and heels.

I’ve included a few shopping links for fun clothing pieces and accessories. I hope you enjoyed this post and that it inspired you to see what you have in your closet that you could play around with to make great outfits.

These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.