Outfit Inspiration - Knit Vest

The outfit I am showing you today was styled around a knit vest. I didn’t post anything last week as life was extra busy and we had company for the Labor Day weekend. Today, Monday, I was feeling tired and unmotivated, so I decided to just you give a post on what I had on. It’s certainly nothing fancy, but it incorporates some last minute print mixing and fun textures.

This longer knit vest is a Christopher & Banks piece. I like the colors, and thought they were perfectly suited for a summer day in the air conditioning. We are having a little heat wave right now, which puts off wearing layers, but this worked for being at home all day. This vest is great for spring, summer, and fall. My biggest trouble is remembering I have it. Ha, ha.

I chose my cute a.n.a. pineapple print tee which went well with the coral/orange in the vest. My girlfriend visiting this weekend has several pineapple tees and tanks, so she inspired me to wear mine. I love the gold pineapples and they make it easy to accessorize with gold jewelry.

Style Tip: Remember when picking pieces for a print mix try to coordinate at least one color. This is part of what makes print mixing fun and easy to do.

My jeans are a thrifted pair of Merona’s. I finished out the look with my olive Sperry suede sneakers, and my thrifted American Eagle hobo bag. I also added a green with gold wrap bracelet.

This outfit is casual but cute. I still look like I made an effort, even though the pieces are comfortable and easy to wear. Do you like to wear long vests? What is your every day, go to outfit? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links I might get a little kick back. All opinions are my own.

Have a wonderful evening.

Fashion Fun: Boho Maxi Dress

I do apologize, again, that I am not getting as much content out as I would like, and I am also forgetting to send out a weekly email. Life has been busy and we have been continually bombarded by life bombs including those minor inconveniences like car problems and bigger things like family illnesses and issues. Sometimes we get to a point where we want to give up and just go hide in a nice warm hole, but in the words of Tim Allen of Galaxy Quest fame, “Never give up! Never surrender.”

This week I wanted to share with you three looks revolving around a dress I got as a gift for Christmas. Most of us are aware of the prairie/boho vibe that invaded Target this past year. Long, flowing, tiered maxi and midi dresses hung from every rack. I heard many women complaining that the retailer had lost their mind and that there was no way they were going to keep shopping there. However, I noticed these options are still strong with new colors and prints for spring.

My dress is a solid, rusty color, which will be great for fall, but I tried to think about how I could style this for spring. Let’s take a look.

Outfit 1 - With a Knit Vest

I have long been a fan of gauze. I can remember as I was growing up having a few different tops made out of the light weight, textured fabric. It is the perfect warm weather fabric. This dress is fully lined with a polyester underlay, so actually great for cooler temps. As you can see, the dress has an empire waist and four tiers layering down from the bodice. No worries about pinching or feeling like this piece is too tight. It is like a muumuu, but a little more stylish and classy.

This knit vest was in a style box I won through an Instagram Style Challenge. I hardly ever win anything, so this was a pleasant surprise and was gifted by Instagrammer Rae, @forensicfahsionnotes . There were lots of other goodies in the box including a dress, scarf and necklace. Most of the pieces were thrifted, which I love. This vest is a heavy weight yarn and the oxford gray will go with so many things.

To complete this look I added some beaded jewelry, my gray combat boots and a Sonoma tote bag that I picked up online at Kohl’s last fall. These are a great addition to your wardrobe. They are light weight, but sturdy; very roomy and will carry everything from your laptop or tablet to a notebook and all your other essentials. Check out all the glorious colors and prints by clicking on the link above.

Style Tip: When wearing a lower cut neckline, fill in the exposed area with several layers of beads.

Outfit 2 - With a Corduroy Jacket

I found this wide wale corduroy jacket while thrifting a few years ago. I have been very close to getting rid of it, because I just don’t wear it, but for some reason I keep hanging on to it. It is as though this jacket wants to be mine. It wants to belong to me, because it knows both it and I have such great potential together. The sleeves are a little short, but I love the off white color, the roomie box cut and the texture.

I thought my fringy boho scarf the perfect complimentary piece. After that it was just a matter of a black bag and white sneakers. Done!

Style Tip: When adding a scarf to an outfit with only one or two colors pick one that also has at least one or two of the same colors.

Outfit 3 - With a pullover sweater.

I was going to try just wearing the dress with a belt, but to me it didn’t look quite right. Part of it might be the need to find the right belt. Instead, I decided to make my maxi dress into a maxi skirt by topping it with this Christopher and Banks pullover sweater. This works wonderfully for the cold weather as it gives you an extra layer and using the belt allows you to cinch in your waist for a more streamlined look. The belt is another thrift find as it the necklace.

I added my suede boots and an older tote bag from many years ago. Once again, I love the pattern and the corduroy texture. Plus, it adds to the boho flare of the entire look.

Style Tip: Trying looking at your maxi dresses as skirts and see what sweaters or tops you have that would go with the bottom.

Here are the three outfits side by side.

Which outfit do you like best? Would you wear a prairie/boho dress like this? What other ways would you wear a dress like this? I’d love to have your feedback, so leave a comment below, or on my Facebook page.

I’m including a few shopping links, just for fun. Feel free to look them over. These are affiliate links, which means I get a few pennies every time you click on a link. I appreciate every click.

Have a great day!

A Dickens' Christmas - Introduction

I love Christmas, and I especially love coming up with outfits around the holidays. If you have been following me for a while, you know I enjoy finding inspiration for my ensembles in all manner of places, from colors in the natural world, like leaves and flowers, to colors and designs in home decor and bathroom tiles. You also know I love using movies and songs around Christmas time to inspire outfits. Last year I used a number of my favorite Christmas carols and songs, some well known and a few that were less popular, to inspire a month of looks that were both somber and understated as well as fun and party ready.

This month I am going to switch from music to movies: from auditory to visual, to inspire my choices for outfits. All my outfits are going to be built around inspiration from a particular character or characters from a Christmas movie. Starting today, and for the next three Tuesdays, I am going to focus on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It has long been one of my favorite stories from the Christmas season, but it has also become one of my favorite Christmas movies. On the following Thursday of each of those weeks, I am going to resume my monthly columns, but each outfit will be inspired by a certain character in different Christmas movies, which I will share with each post.

When I think of A Christmas Carol, I don’t usually think about the time period during which it was written, other than to see it as a back drop for the fabulous ghost story that Dickens weaves. This year, it struck me to look at what people were wearing during that time period and for this first post use that as the inspiration spring board for my outfit. These outfits are not meant to mimic a time period or character from the movies, but to simply draw inspiration from which to build an outfit I could realistically wear to work, a holiday party or a show.

When I started looking at 1800’s fashion, I was specifically looking at the dress of Christmas carolers. One of the costumes I saw was a long plaid skirt, a jacket with buttons and a tightly fitted bodice, with a small cape over the shoulders. Bonnets were also worn, typically with a large ribbon tied under the chin to hold the bonnet in place. You can see a “costume” version here.

This gray and black, A-line, plaid skirt is from Christopher & Banks from a couple of years ago. While it looks like a wool blend, it actually is a medium weight knit, making it very comfortable, though not quite as warm, thus the heavy weight black tights. It would look cute with black boots and nude hose as well.

I’ve styled this thrifted, red velvet, Briggs New York blazer on the blog two years ago, for this Christmas outfit. The idea to wear it with a white blouse seemed obvious, so I chose my H & M clearance pinstriped blouse from a few seasons ago. I also wanted to add an unexpected element, so I chose this Pepin brand knit vest. I do not remember where I picked this up, but knit vests are trending right now and they are a great way to add an extra layer of warmth around your core. I like both the unexpected color combination and the textural element it adds.

I picked up this paisley scarf at some thrift store along the way a number of years ago. It looks particularly festive for the Christmas season with its reds and greens, making it the perfect accessory to bring this whole outfit together. Instead of trying to tie a bow, I just did a regular knot.

Since the scarf also had blue in it, I decided to carry my blue, textured clutch.

I wanted to wear a heel rather than a flat boot for this look, so I chose my faux suede Aerosoles. The black shoe with the black tights helps to elongate the leg and wearing tights allows you to show off the shape of your gams without the unsightly varicose veins.

Does this look make you think of Christmas carolers back in Charles Dickens’ time period? Is this something you might wear to work at the office on a chilly winter day? You could easily pair it with a different colored jacket or sweater for a completely non Christmas look.

I hope you enjoy this series and will follow along the rest of the month as we look at more Christmas movie outfit inspiration.

I am including a few shopping links, just for fun. These are affiliate links and come to you at no cost. All opinions are my own.

I hope your December is starting off well.

Fall Trends - 2019 - Part 3

Here we are looking at two more fall trends for 2019. Depending on who you look to for the latest info on the trends, there is some overlap. However, not all trends are the same according to all the fashion gurus. Who What Wear has a different list from Marie Claire who has a different list from Vogue and so on. When I put together my list of trends, I am taking from a few different sources and presenting you the ones I like and find interesting and plausible for us real women. Remember most trends that you see on the runways are geared toward younger women who have the stature of a fashion model, so very tall and thin. That does not mean that we cannot wear a particular trend, but pick the ones that are right for you.

Trend 5 - Head to Toe Prints

This is not a particularly new trend, but it presents itself in a bolder more, out there way. Pattern mixing has become quite common, but now the patterns are brighter and bigger. Here are some examples from a Pinterest page I discovered. I decided to go more conservative, because I was grooving on the earth tones of browns and blues. This is what I came up with.

Obviously the old time suiting that women, and men, used to wear would fall easily into this trend category. A matching plaid blazer and pants along with a bold print top and you would be stylin’ with the best of them. The thing I like about this trend is the challenge of creating a printed outfit that I would actually wear and that looks palatable to the eye, not obnoxious. Some of the outfits on that Pinterest page I would classify as obnoxious, but that is only my opinion.

I found these paisley corduroys while thrifting last spring and unfortunately won’t be able to wear them, until I get back to my lighter spring weight. Ugg. However, I loved the pattern and the heavier weight for fall and winter. They are a brand called Havana Jack’s Cafe. Do you ever wonder where they come up with the names for things?

The blue in the pants made me reach for my Chaps knit vest and my thrifted polka dot SO button up. I found the fun necklace at a second hand store and thought it would be a good addition to the outfit.

Blue seemed to be my color of choice for bag and shoes. Everything in this outfit came from my closet and has been used on the blog before. You can see the vest here and here. The pants have not. but I already explained that problem. Ha, ha.

Trend 6 - Dark Florals

I have really taken a liking to floral prints. I like the bright bold colors of spring, the soft pastel prints of summer and especially the dark floras of fall and winter. It would seem that florals are here to stay and I am glad.

I found this dark floral Jeans by Buffalo top while thrifting. I love the colors and when I went to put this flat lay together, I realized this erin london bomber jacket from Shop National would be the perfect over piece. It goes well with the green in the top and has its own floral print.

These distressed, embellished skinny jeans are Rock & Republic from Kohl’s, and I’ve had them for a while. Once again, I have grown out of them, but I refuse to get rid of them. Ha, ha.

Since the top contains some red, I chose red for my accessories, including my tall, black, studded boots that have red detailing along the zipper on the back.

This is definitely an outfit I would wear on a regular basis. The pretty florals, the layers and the skinny jeans with boots will be a regular rotation as the weather cools.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Next Tuesday I will bring you one more post on fall trends and then I hope to start my Pantone Fall 2019 - New York series.

Thanks for following and please join me next time.

Ordinary Amy - Denim Love

If you follow fashion bloggers at all, then you see loads of cute outfits and put together looks, that sometimes leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed. I know I feel that way. There are many bloggers who show lovely outfits and gorgeous photos. For me they are a source of inspiration, but they can also be a source of dissatisfaction.

There are times I come away from looking at another blog feeling like I want to crawl under a rock! Unfortunately, I feel that way more often than I would like in the long winter months. I want to hide and become invisible, yet, at the same time, I want to be noticed and recognized for something, not sure what, but for something. This is a dichotomy I have struggled with most of my life. Being an introvert often leaves me being misunderstood as aloof or stuck up. It also puts an added burden on my shoulders to push myself outside my comfort zone. That alone, is not a bad thing. It forces me to grow and learn as an individual. It has helped me to overcome fear and be able to reach out to others who have similar feelings. 

Unfortunately, it also weighs on me most of the time. I never really feel free to express myself or my opinions. Yes, I am one of those individuals who has had my opinions shot down, laughed at and even ignored. Obviously, that makes it harder to be confident and bold, not only when it comes to my writing, but to my fashion as well. I often reach for what is comfortable.

When I was growing up, my mom always hung the laundry out on the clothes line when the weather was nice. I remember when I was really young, we still had a ringer washer. I always thought washing day was so much fun, because my mom would let me help her feed the clothes through the ringer, which squeezed the excess water out. I loved to put my hands in the cold rinse water, especially on hot summer days. When I was tall enough, my mother would let me help her hang clothes on the lines outside that ran from our house to a large maple tree.

I used to play amongst the flapping clothes, imagining they were the curtains to a stage where I would be a singer. There weren't many kids in our neighborhood, as we lived out in the country, so I learned to play by myself using my imagination. Sometimes I would sing a story and other times I would imagine I was lost in the jungle and dinosaurs were after me. To this day, I still love to imagine and I also love to do laundry. Hey, everyone should have at least one household chore they like to do! 

When I took these pictures a few weeks ago, the temps had gotten up into the mid fifties. I had a set of sheets and a few smaller throw blankets to wash, so I decided to hang them outside. Ever since those early years, I have loved how things hung outside, smell! 

This is me. Denim, cozy knit vest, sneakers and a little bit of jewelry. I am wearing my Christopher and Bank jeans. The knit vest I have worn on the blog before here. It is Chaps brand. Chaps is a brand found at Kohl's. It has a little higher price point than some of their other brands, but the quality is good. Sizing seems to run a little small, so I usually size up. I found this vest on clearance.

In the above picture you can see some of my pearl jewelry and details on the shirt and vest. The polka dot chambray shirt is SO brand and was thrifted. And looky there, I did some print mixing! Ha, ha. 

Once again, my satchel, from Walmart is making another appearance on the blog. I love the neutral colors and the firm structure. Many of the bags I use are more a hobo bag and slouch when put down. This one is a tote and stands up well. Here is the same one.

I'm also wearing my Keds sneakers that I have had for a while. Here is another cute navy pair, or there is this slip on. 

What is your go to outfit, when you want something comfortable, but don't want to just hang out in your sweats or pjs? Let me know by leaving a comment below. I love hearing from you!

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you'll have a wonderful weekend! 

I've included a few shopping links for similar items. These are affiliate links, meaning if you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through my blog, I get a little commission. I appreciate all you do. All opinions are my own. 

Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.