What I Wore to a Fall Wedding (or a Great Thanksgiving Outfit)

I see numerous bloggers do posts on what to wear to a wedding according to whatever season it is. Since I was actually going to a wedding, I figured it would be good content for a post. The wedding was at night and it was a very cold evening, so those factors contributed to my outfit choice.

I knew I was going to wear pants instead of a dress, but initially I was thinking black, as it is typically a more classic color. However, I saw this recently thrifted Eva Mendez floral blouse in my closet and thought it would be a pretty piece to build a dressy, but warm and comfortable outfit around.

I just loved the pussy bow tie on this piece and its pretty floral print. It is sheer, so I added a dark cami underneath for coverage. Once I chose the blouse I started looking at my pants. I have a black pair, and I think that would have worked as well, but I decided on the brown Worthington wide leg.

After I had the top and pants figured out, I knew I wanted a sweater or topper of some sort. Once again I was thinking about a black sweater or even a light pink one, but neither of those seemed the right choice. Then I remembered another more recent thrift find.

I love the duster length, the rusty color, the drape, and the lighter weight of this A New Day sweater. It makes a great layering piece and it was perfect for giving me an extra layer of warmth without making me too hot.

Besides my belt, the only accessories I had were my boots and my bag. The brown suede ankle boots were a Kohl’s purchase a couple years ago and are Nine West brand. They have a bit of a western vibe with a shorter block heel and the pointier toe. Originally, I was going to wear my “witchy” boots from last week’s post, but because my knee has been painful, I decided to not take the chance of the taller heel making things worse.

My b.o.c. bag is a hand me over from my bestie. I really like the tritone color and the large metallic ring detail. It is also a bit smaller than some of my other bags, so less weight on my shoulders and neck. I typically wear a longer bag like this as a cross body bag.

This outfit would be great for work, a night out with your significant other or going to church. This also would be perfect for your Thanksgiving Day celebration. In all honesty, when we got to the wedding, I felt a bit underdressed, but at least I was warm and comfortable. Since we were not family of the bride or groom, I didn’t feel too out of place with all the suits and dresses. Ha, ha.

To top everything off, and to stay warm, I finished the look with my ESpirit Outerwear, brown, wool, winter dress coat. This is another thrifted piece and I keep it around for just this type of occasion: to look fairly nice and also be warm.

What would you wear to a fall wedding? What do you think of this outfit? Would you wear this? How would you change it to make it your own? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment or two!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Having Fun with Layers - Dressy Valentine's Day Look - 5 Year Bloggiversary with a Giveaway

Today I am showing you a more dressed up Valentine’s Day look. Although, so many of us are choosing to not go out very often, or at all, there still is the opportunity to dress up for a date night right in your own home. Obviously, this is harder for those of you who have kids, but those of us who are empty nesters can do this a little more easily. If you are a young couple, there is no reason you can’t have a fun Valentine’s party with your littles and reserve some of your own special time once they are in bed.

Today’s outfit revolves around a beautiful blouse I recently acquired from Maurice’s clearance rack. I love everything about this blouse from the high collar, to the pattern and the flowy, sheer fabric. Just like I did for my casual outfit on Tuesday, I am wearing the same under layers consisting of the black tights and black tank top.

My long, black maxi skirt was a Meijer clearance find. It is a summer weight skirt of lighter material, but it is not sheer, so doesn’t need a slip underneath. The brand is Ava James. I like the textured pleats which gives it the look of crepe. It also has a comfortable elastic waistband and pockets.

You can see from the above picture that I drew on the gold, metallic splashes that are on the blouse for my jewelry inspiration. There is plenty going on, on the blouse, but I thought a few simple gold pieces would compliment the look just right.

I added the metallic, blush moto jacket as my over layer piece. This jacket, I’ve styled before on the blog. I got it a few years ago at Nordstrom Rack and it is a brand called Coffee Shop New York. You can see how I styled it with a camo shirt and with a Mickey Mouse tee.

In keeping with the gold jewelry and the gold flecks on the blouse, I decided to carry my small gold, clutch. This is a thrifted piece and perfect for those special occasions that require you to dress up. I don’t have very many of those any more. How about you? Do you still find occasions to dress up?

My shoes you have seen multiple times on the blog. They are Aerosoles and I got them on clearance at DSW. Again, I apologize for the dirty shoes. I didn’t realize how much cat hair is just laying around, and I have vacuumed several times since Christmas. Those darn fur balls. Ha, ha.

What did you think of this outfit? Do you like floral blouses? Do you prefer maxi skirts, midi skirts or a knee length or shorter? Are you doing anything special for Valentine’s Day? I don’t know if we are doing anything or not. As we get older, it has become less about the particular days and more about making every day special. Don’t forget about the giveaway. I’m including the rules again, below. If you haven’t entered yet, be sure you comment and subscribe.

If you want to be entered into the drawing to win either a $25 Target card, or a $25 Amazon gift card, please be sure to read the rules and enter. Entries will be taken until 12 midnight on Friday, February 12th. If you are not sure how to subscribe, just click the link at the top of home page that says, Subscribe and fill in the information. Being a subscriber does not cost you a thing. It just allows me to sent you a once a week email, to remind you there are new posts on the blog. You can either comment on today’s post, or on this past Tuesday’s post. You can also earn more entries by commenting on Facebook and Instagram. Have a fabulous Thursday!

Favorite Summer Patterns - Floral

I was going to do a post on what is trending for summer, but there wasn’t a whole lot on the list that really appealed to me and if I know my subscribers at all, most of it won’t appeal to you either. Things like bralettes and sheer fabrics, backless dresses and jumpsuits, mini skirts and halter tops have a place in the fashion world, but I just don’t think they are practical and this blog is about real life and real women, so if you prefer trendy attire, there are oodles of bloggers and Instagram accounts that cater more to those preferences. I hope that doesn’t deter you from following my blog, I just want to keep it real here.

Image by Shirley Hirst from Pixabay

Instead of doing a more trend oriented post for this 5th Thursday of the month, I thought I would share one of my favorite summer patterns. Florals, for a long time, were considered a pattern strictly for elderly women, but I have seen a definite move away from ageism and stereotyping to a more all inclusive thinking on patterns and clothing types for all ages. I have seen some rockin’ 70 plus women sporting mini skirts and crop tops and I have also seen some beautiful 20 somethings veering towards a more modest mindset donning floral patterns and midi skirts. I love the diversity of the fashion blogging world, because now almost anything goes.

Florals are everywhere and on everything. While this post is going to show you a few of my specifically summer pieces, I have florals for every season of the year. In fact, some of my favorites are ones in the darker, more brooding colors of fall and winter, but I couldn’t resist showing off a number of my lighter, brighter pieces that work well from spring, into and through summer.

Tees

Both of these tees were thrift store finds. Floral patterns on tees are an easy way to dress up an outfit. Just throw on some jewelry and your choice of bottom in a pair of shorts, jeans or a skirt and you are ready for a summer picnic or lunch with friends. You can find a plethora of floral patterns at thrift stores and whether you like small prints or large, I am sure you’ll find something suitable. I’ll include a few shopping links at the end if you prefer regular retailers as opposed to thrift stores.

Other tops

This babydoll top was a recent purchase at Maurices. I love the pattern, of course, but also the dark teal color and the tiered layers. It hides all my Covid weight gain. Ha, ha. This piece I can definitely wear into fall with a chunky sweater over top.

This sleeveless denim piece was a recent thrift store find. Denim and floral are two of my favorite things, so how could I not scoop up this pretty top?

Jacket

Once again, the combination of denim with floral is the factor that drew me to this thrifted piece. This is another one that will see wear, all year round. Often in the winter I will wear a jacket like this, just as an extra layering piece to keep warm. It will look great with a pale pink turtleneck, cream sweater or light blue long sleeve tee.

Maxi dress

You’ve seen this floral maxi dress make its debut appearance on the blog this past spring. You can see that post here. You really can’t go wrong with a maxi like this. Just throw it on, add a few accessories and maybe a shrug or sweater and you are all set for a date night with the hubby or a stylish outfit to wear to church.

Skirts

I have numerous maxi skirts and quite a few of them have some sort of floral print. I keep telling myself I need to get a few skirts that are just solid colors, but I am always drawn to prints. Both of these skirts are really good in any season. The one on the left is fully lined and the one on the right is LuLaRoe and a medium weight knit, so no need for a slip.

Pants

You can see how I styled these ankle pants on my Instagram post here. I need to think of some other ways to wear these. What would you do with them?

Bags

If you have been following me for a while, you know I love to style an outfit around a bag. The top one is a thrift find and the bottom one is Vera Bradley. I love the color combinations for both of these bags. Do you have a floral print bag?

Shoes

These are the only floral shoes I have, but I would love to get a pair of Keds x Rifle Paper Co sneakers. They have the cutest floral designs. I’ll include a few in the shopping links.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of my summer floral pieces. Florals aren’t for everyone, but everyone could certainly wear them. They come in all manner of colors, and sizes, and vary from realistic to abstract. Floral patterns are an easy way to jazz up an outfit and get inspiration for assembling an outfit right from your own closet.

I’m including a few shopping links for all things floral. I hope you enjoy shopping. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Have a lovely weekend. Stay safe and stay healthy.