Pantone Fall 2016 - Spicy Mustard

October 18, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Fall Colors, Pantone, Women's Fashion, Spicy Mustard

Of all the Pantone Fall 2016 color line up, Spicy Mustard is the one that surprised me most. I am not a big fan of yellow. I think yellow is a lovely color, but I don't tend to reach for it and don't have many yellow pieces in my wardrobe. Spicy Mustard, however, seems to be a versatile yellow, one I keep reaching for. In fact as I write this I am wearing the same tee you see in this post, with a pink fly away cardi and flared jeans. Check out my Instagram post from Monday.

For today's post I decided to style the Spicy Mustard, 3/4 length sleeved tee with a snakeskin print skirt that I have had for a long time. The skirt itself seems to carry a bit of that same yellow throughout the pattern.

Since the skirt takes on the role of pattern for the outfit, I decided to downplay my accessories and keep them a relatively neutral color.

The bag and shoes are a pewter color, while the jewelry brings in the browns and creams in the skirt.

It is hard to get a good picture of shoes when you are standing in grass and the ground is soft! Ha, ha.

Here is a close up of the skirt snakeskin pattern.

Be sure to check out Liz at With Wonder and Whimsy for her take on Spicy Mustard.

What do you think of Spicy Mustard? Would you wear it? How would you style it in an outfit? Let me know in the comments section below.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Be sure to check back on Thursday and see which Beautiful Blogger inspired my polka dot outfit. Until then, have a great day.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Shopping Options:

Spicy Mustard top - Nordstrom Rack - $34.97

Snakeskin pants (skirts available at Poshmark and other online used retailers) - Macy's - $35.99

Strappy Shoe - DSW - $39.95

Bag - DSW - $49.95

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. Wednesday linking up with Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter and Tania of 50 is Not Old. Thursday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge and Nicole of Hight Latitude Style. Friday linking up with JoLynne of JoLynne Shane, Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.

Awesome Accessories

July 14, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Blogging, Clothing language, Clothing pieces, Dressing After 50, Women's Fashion

The second Thursday of the month I am going to focus on accessories.

“My motto is to go wild on the accessories - the belts, the hair clips, the jewelry.”

— Heidi Klum

Accessories are those items that help make an outfit look complete. They can include jewelry, shoes, bags, scarves, hair clips, hats, belts and so on. Most often we put an outfit on and then decide how to accessorize it. What necklace goes well with this top? Should I wear bracelets with this sweater? Should I wear over-the-knee boots or heels? Do I carry a clutch or a hobo bag? So many questions and so many answers.

This column will look at different accessories and possible ways to style them. I'll try to answer questions that I have had about differences in shoes, bags, scarves and so on. Not everyone automatically knows how to tie an oblong scarf versus a square scarf. If you are like me, you probably didn't know how many different types of bags there are and I am not talking about the ones under your eyes! I hope to share what I am learning with those of you who read my blog about the importance of using accessories to add to your clothing "language".

I never used to think about styling an outfit around a scarf, or a bag, or a statement necklace, but now I do. In fact, I think putting a well thought outfit together can be fun. I love going into my closet and saying, "What can I put together?" Just like that puzzle idea I mentioned last week, finding the right pieces for an outfit and the right accessories can be a very satisfying experience. Do I feel satisfied every time, no, but I do find joy in the search, just like I enjoy finding pieces that fit together in a puzzle.

I hope, over the coming months, to show you different ways to wear a scarf, what makes a piece of jewelry a "statement piece", the ins and outs of purses and bags as well as look at other clothing items that might qualify more as an accessory rather than an actual item of clothing.

If there is anything you would like me to feature on this Awesome Accessory column, let me know by leaving a comment. I would adore you input! Thanks for following and have a great week.

Spring Colors: Snorkel Blue, Flash Green and Iced Coffee

March 29, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Layering, organization, Spring Colors, Women's Fashion

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.

Layers of Fun: The Outer Limits - Week 2

February 24, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Layering, Winter, Women's Fashion, Menswear inspired outfits

Here is the conclusion of my first photo shoot. Remember, I am not normally a photogenic person, so it took some gentle direction from my photographer daughter to help me know when to smile, when to walk, how to tilt my head and so on. I am a work in progress, a living, breathing testament to Philippians 1:6 - "...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

This is one of my favorite outfits. It was classy, but comfortable. A perfect outfit for my job as an assistant manager at local university bookstore. I paired the tunic and narrow leg trousers, both from Christopher and Banks (see similar pants here). The tunic is no longer available. The vest and shoes were thrift store finds. The vest gives the outfit an edgy vibe and the shoes shout menswear oxfords. The necklace was probably clearance at Kohl's (bought a few years ago).

I like this outfit too. I am most comfortable in jeans and these skinnies are easy to slip into my taller boots. As I said from last week's post, I am not real fond of the vest worn by itself as the pattern tends to widen my already wide middle. But putting it under the fitted jacket works. The raspberry shirt adds a pop of color. Now if I could just find my horse!

Thanks for checking out this week's fashion post. Next week (and month) we'll be looking at Pantone's Spring colors and I'll be searching my closet for outfits that work the color scheme. We will also be doing a "closet clean out" with tips for slimming down our bulging closets. I hope you will join me.

Layers of Fun: the Outer Limits - Week 1

February 23, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Layering, Winter, Women's Fashion

We finally got to the outer layers. Outer layers can include jackets, sweaters, vests, and coats. Follow those with other accessories such as jewelry, scarves, bags and shoes. The pictures below show you some of my final outfits. I did not focus on coats, other outer wear, or bags as we will focus on those in a different post at a later time.

You can see with the above outfit I added a sweater, skinny belt to give me a waist and a scarf. Even though it is print on print the scarf pulls together the black in the shirt and pants as well as the raspberry color of the sweater. The ensemble is completed with a pair of heels.

All the pieces in this outfit except the necklace were thrift store finds. The fun necklace was from H & M a few years ago. As my blog evolves, I hope to be more tech savvy and give you links to possible similar outfit pieces. Right now I am still learning. Thanks for being patient.

Tomorrow I will post Outer Limits: Week 2, as we will be starting a Spring theme next week. Be sure to check out my last two outfits from our first photo shoot tomorrow, then put next Tuesday on your calendar for Spring colors and tips for weeding out your closet. Until next time, keep stylin'!