Color Play - Brown and Pale Green

Brown is a color that not everyone likes to wear, but you know me and my motto which is all colors for all women. Color and how we wear it and look good in it has to do with shades of color, and placement of the color on our bodies.

Today I am showing you an outfit that uses different browns, as well as different pale greens. The thought that brown and green go well together is not new, just think about trees and their branches. Many of the color combinations we see in nature work in the fashion world too.

It is hard to tell that these pants are actually green, but they are. They almost look gray, but when you set them next to a gray pair of pants, they definitely have a green tint. I found these recently on a thrift run and they are Chico’s Girlfriend style.

My plaid brown top was also a thrift find and is Lauren Conrad brand. I love the poofy sleeves and the smocking around the neckline. The fact that it is brown and plaid are what ultimately made me buy it. I have a hard time finding the color brown, especially for summer weight clothing. This one is perfect for the season. Of course, it also helps hide one thousand sins, you know the ones, the extra ice cream sin, the extra serving of potato chips sin, the double serving of just about any kind of chocolate sin…Ha, ha. Ugh! I can’t even really taste things right now, but I just keep on eating.

I added this other second hand treasure, the Apt. 9 vest, for interest and to tone down the volume of the top. The vest adds its own volume, but I think together it looks cute .

For accessories I added my Keds sneakers, a minty green necklace and some beaded bracelets with mint and silver like the necklace. I am also showing off this Rosetti bag that I recently found at a thrift store.

The only things in this outfit that aren’t second hand are the necklace, bracelets and sneakers. It is a satisfying feeling to be wearing an entire outfit that didn’t end up in a land fill.

What do you think of this outfit? I would like to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments below, or leave a comment on my Facebook page.

I hope you are having a marvelous week.

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Pantone Spring/Summer 2020 - Mosaic Blue, Coral Pink and Brilliant White

Today features another pretty blue and a version of a coral color that comes around almost every summer. Just like Biscay Green, Mosaic Blue makes me think of tropical waters, blue skies and palm trees. Coral Blush reminds me of the light pink peonies that used to grow in my mother’s yard every spring. I have always loved peonies for their beautiful, large blooms and delicate scent. Once again, I am pairing these two lovely colors with Brilliant White from the Classic collection of colors.

The sleeveless, abstract print top is from a Kohl’s clearance rack a few years ago. I have always liked Vera Wang’s Simply Vera line at Kohl’s, but have to be choosy about which pieces I buy because of the fit. I love the bright, abstract patterns and the way she combines different textures and styles all in one piece. Her pieces have a little bit higher price point than what I normally like to pay, so I try to find pieces on clearance. The only problem with that is I often miss out on some really fun, eclectic looks because they sell out quickly. You can see some of the other Simply Vera pieces I have styled on the blog by clicking on the links: thrifted navy bag, thrifted cross body bag, embroidered skinny jeans, a floral top, and summer dress.

The Coral Pink long sleeve top that I put underneath matches the Coral Pink splotches in the Vera top perfectly. Obviously if it was warmer I wouldn’t have had to layer, but it is spring here in the midwest. Ha, ha. This coral colored piece is also a Kohl’s clearance find and is Lauren Conrad brand. Lauren Conrad is another brand I like from Kohl’s, but again, unless I find it on the clearance rack I don’t usually buy her pieces. I do love her take on pastels and feminine details.

I’ve also styled these Gloria Vanderbilt jeans from JC Penney on the blog before. These are my favorite white jeans, as they are thick and fit fairly well, even with my extra COVID pounds. Ha, ha. I like the flared style for a little dressier look and they go well with heels.

For my accessories, I thought some pearls would look good. I also grabbed my blue textured clutch and my blush SO ankle boots. Obviously, when the weather warms up I’ll exchange my ankle boots for sneakers and sandals, but these light colored booties work well for spring.

What do you think of these colors? Do you have either of these colors in your closet? I think both of these colors would look good on many complexions. Sometimes coral can be too orange, but this seems to be a happy medium.

Did you like this post? If you did, do my blog some good by hitting the like button and by leaving a comment. I appreciate all your feedback.

I’m leaving you with a few shopping links to enjoy. These are affiliate links and all you clicks give me a few cents here and there. Thank you for that as well. All opinions are my own.

Graphic designed by Rebecca Trumbull.

Seeing Red - Red with Black - Taking Care of Our Hearts

We don’t often think of pairing red and black for Valentine’s Day. More often we style red with white or some version of red and pink. There are also many of us who don’t even visit the red or pink idea for Valentine’s because we either don’t celebrate that special day, we don’t like traditional holiday color schemes in our outfits or maybe are more into blues and greens than reds and pinks.

For these February posts, I’ve chosen to focus on red or darker versions of red like burgundy. I also wanted to make each of these outfits, not be so much about Valentine’s Day, although you could use them for a Valentine’s or Galentine’s outing, but more about the color red.

February is Heart Disease awareness month, and the color red certainly represents the age old idea of what a Valentine’s heart looks like, but it also represents that most important muscle in our bodies. This major fireball, which is about the size of your fist, works hard, pumping blood to keep us alive. Try to envision the heart as the UPS hub, where everything comes to and goes out that our bodies need to survive. Heart disease, like cancer, drug addictions and infectious diseases can be life threatening. It can manifest itself with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries and many other complications. Take a look at some of these statistics that I got off the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website:

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.1
One person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.1
About 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year—that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.2,3
Heart disease costs the United States about $219 billion each year from 2014 to 2015.3 This includes the cost of health care services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death.”

— Centers for Disease Control Website

As you look at the pictures of this outfit I put together, I’m sure you can think of at least one person you know that has been affected by heart disease. This past fall at the college my husband teaches at, a 24 year old student died from a massive heart attack. It was a tragedy.

The Heart Association, formed in 1924, is the major force behind raising awareness about heart disease in the United States. Their website has a bucket load of information. You can see some interesting historical facts on their history page here. I am not getting paid to mention this, but merely want to raise awareness of a disease that affects so many people. You would think in our world where we have so much awareness about health, good eating, exercise and so on, that heart disease would be a thing of the past, but it’s not. We all struggle to make good choices and taking care of our hearts should be no exception.

I have not touched my camera for months, but this is what you get when schedules for taking pictures don’t coincide. Ha, ha. I just did not want to stand outside and try to get my settings figured out, so I tried to stand by the windows to get enough natural light. The skies were gray, as usual, thus the shadows on my face. Oh well, I tired and the pictures are good enough that you get the idea.

For this outfit I wanted to showcase this cute black Croft and Barrow tunic that I found a few weeks ago thrifting. It is probably meant to be more of a summer piece, and when I saw it, I thought it would look cute with cropped jeans and a tee or tank top in the warmer weather, but I also thought it would be the perfect topper for a winter look, thus this red and black combo.

My red cropped pants, I have styled on the blog before. You can see them with a black kimono and with a navy blazer. I found these a while ago at Meijer on the clearance rack and they are a brand called Stitch Star.

The lace 3/4 sleeve, Lauren Conrad top was a thrift find. Typically I would wear a cami underneath, but because I knew the black tunic was going over the top, I didn’t bother. The idea was to create a monochrome layer underneath and even though the pants and top are not the exact same shade of red, it works fine because they are not right next to each other.

To keep the look fairly stream lined I chose my thrifted black and gray houndstooth, Thirty One purse and my Aerosole black suede heels.

The jewelry I am wearing I bought for my oldest daughter’s wedding, so I am often looking for other reasons to wear the necklace and bracelet. I thought this was the perfect finishing touch. You can also see the fun metal rings on the tunic.

Would you wear red and black? What sort of occasion would you wear it for? I could see wearing this outfit for a date night with my hubs where we go somewhere more fancy than Five Guys. Ha, ha.

Do you take care of your heart? I need too. My cholesterol is borderline high, so I have started eating oatmeal more. Exercise is very important, especially cardiovascular. I try to walk a few days a week, but I know I need to be more purposeful in that area as well. I want to do better and my heart needs me to. I hope you all are taking care of your hearts. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to give the gift of health to our hearts.

Have a great Tuesday!

I’ve included a few shopping links for black tunics. These would be great to pair with red pants, pencil skirts or shorts. They could go with all sorts of colors. Feel free to peruse at your leisure. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Fall Trends - 2019 - Part 1

Time has gotten away from us and life threw us a few curve balls, so my daughter and I have not been able to connect to take pictures for my Fall Pantone series. It is still on the docket, but will be put off for a week or two. In the mean time, I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about a few of the fall trends. I touched on a few of them in my last Wearing White post, but now I will address them more in depth.

When it comes to fashion, I am not a big trend follower, but I do like to see what is current and pick and choose what trends I find most fitting for my personality and my style . This week I am going to cover two. These are flat lays I put together and these are clothes from my own closet. Once again, I encourage you to shop your own closet before going out to purchase new items to follow the trends. Often times we have things in our closets that we forget about, that fit perfectly with the trends that are current. I think this is especially important when it is a trend that isn’t going to be lasting - things like tie-dye, see through rain coats, bags and shoes and other very specialized trends.

Trend 1 - Head to Toe Green

I am simply calling this head to toe green, but it is most specific to a light green in the manner of pistachio, sea foam or colors of that nature.

This warm, fuzzy, knee length, open front cardi was a Christopher and Banks purchase at the end of the spring season. I fell in love with the color and its soft coziness. After making that purchase I found myself drawn to other pieces with that same light green color. I would probably say these are closer to a mint. In fact, take the pants away from the sweater and they actually look more like a very light blue. I love when colors have an almost chameleonic effect when they are near other colors.

These straight leg jeans are from Chico’s and I found them on the clearance rack. The silver studs on the bottom portion of the pant leg are part of what drew me to them. That, and they have a soft, stretchy feel. These are So Slimming Girlfriend Ankle Jeans.

This v-neck, thrifted, Croft and Barrow tee has black polka dots, so I decided to make my accessories black. this black beaded tassel necklace, I have had for a while.

I wish I would have thought to lay one of these booties on the side. They have a neat cut-out along the outside where the buckles attach. They are easy on and off with an inside zipper. I got these at Bass Pro Shop when my hubby was looking for a pair of hiking boots. These were marked down and yes my husband did get a pair of shoes too. Ha, ha. These are Natural Reflection brand.

Of course I had to include a bag in my flat lay, so I decided to add another Fall Trend, dark florals. The bookstore where I work used to sell various Vera Bradley products, but not any more. I get a few of these bags at extremely good discounts.

Trend 2 - Metallics

Why do I feel that metallics come around every fall, just in time for the holidays? I like metallics, but they are a trend that I personally feel you have to limit. For fall the push is for head to toe everything, so head to toe green, head to toe metallics and on it goes. I say do what works for you. I like subtlety with metallics, so the following flat lay, would probably be a bit more than I would normally go for, but I think it works well.

Lauren Conrad is famous for a line of clothes that is rich with pastels and feminine details. This skirt is no exception. The metallic sheen makes it party and holiday ready, but it exudes femininity. I need to figure out how to take it in a bit, because it is a little big.

The gold button up was thrifted and I have had it for a long time. George brand clothing is carried by Walmart. When I found this blue cropped tee with the metallic words and dots, I knew I could wear it over this gold blouse. This thrifted piece is Hollister brand. Hollister is not a brand I would normally buy, as they seem to be geared to younger people, but I will say, I don’t care who makes it when I am thrifting. If it fits and I like it, I buy it.

Keeping in the metallics theme I chose my SO silver flats, and my sparkly pewter clutch. The final piece was a metal beaded bracelet.

What do you think of these trends? Will these be trends you will try this fall? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great weekend.

Summer Pieces - Floral Jeans

Florals seems to be here to stay, just like animal prints and I am glad. Both florals and animal prints are great patterns around which to build an outfit. Today I am showcasing a pair of floral jeans that I have had for a number of years. I was surprised that these still fill as I have gained more weight than I want to admit. That’s what happens when it rains and the Seasonal Affective Disorder continues to hold me in its grip. I am tired, so I have a hard time getting out of bed. Exercise eludes me, both because it is raining and because I am tired. In addition the craving for chips and sweets adds to the weight gain. But enough about that and all my silly excuses. The struggle is real girlfriends!

These jeans were a Kohl’s clearance find from a few years ago. These Lauren Conrad ankle jeans have a fun, but subtle floral pattern with touches of white, blue and purple. They are a great piece for pattern mixing, but for this outfit, I chose to keep the other pieces solid.

This open knit, front zip cardigan is from Christopher and Banks. To zip it right now is a little snug, but I’m fine with wearing a cardi open, just like a blazer or light weight jacket that is more for layering. I love the rich orchid color and as you can see I found some metal bangles that were an exact match.

This pastel tee borders on blush, but has a more purple tinge to it. This was a thrift find and I love the embellished bling neckline. It is a brand called Cynthia Rowley. She is an America fashion designer based in the West Village of New York City. Click on her name to see her online site. Her pieces are deliciously feminine with ruffles and florals. They are not something most of us can afford, but it is fun to look and to know that I scored a fancy designer label at the thrift store.

I found this cute owl necklace thrifting and knew it had to come home with me. In this next photo you can see the necklace and the embellished neckline on the tee up close.

I decided to keep the colors similar so chose my blue Keds and blue Rosetti bag. You’ve seen these bright blue sneakers before on the blog. Another thrift store find, I am getting to the point where I can’t wear them for as long a period of time. As we age, our bodies change, as you well know. Our noses and ears tend to get more elongated and I think our feet do as well. I used to take an 8.5, but now I need a 9 in most shoes. I also have a bunion that is starting to bother me, so I need to wear shoes that have a little more room in the toe area. Oh the joys of getting older, but my husband always says, “Well, the alternative isn’t so good either.” Ha, ha.

Would you wear floral jeans like this? Do you prefer to wear pants that are solid or do you like to wear fun prints? I know some people prefer to not draw extra attention to their lower half, but I think printed pants keep things interesting. Tell me what you think.

I’ve included some shopping links as usual. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Be sure to check in next week. I’ll be starting my Denim Daze 2.0 series. Until then, have a great weekend.

Old Becomes New (or Not)

Have you ever bought something only to hang it in your closet where it seems to disappear? Not that it really goes any where, but you just never reach for it. Or, if you are a clothes horse like me, things have a tendency to actually disappear in between other clothes, in a pile on a shelf or the floor. This is one of the problems with having too many clothes. However, this is not a post about how to declutter, though that may be a good idea for a future date. 

I wanted to start this monthly column to force myself to reach for those items that I've had for a while, but haven't really given much thought as to how to style them. I know many people are very organized. Their closets are pristine and when they go shopping they know exactly what they want to get and how they are going to style that piece with something else. I really wish I was more that way, but frankly, I am not. I love to shop and I love to have lots of choices. Believe me when I say, I am much better than I used to be. In fact I have been trying to cut back even more, so that I am able to put money towards other things we will need, like a new car.

I have a little four door Saturn, a company that does not exist any more, but one that manufactured reliable, simple cars. Mine is a 2002 and it still starts right up, even on the coldest days. I'm going to miss that little beast, but it rattles and shakes and makes lots of noise, so we know the day is coming that it will have to be replaced. 

I would also like to use this column to help me weed out my closet. I thought of styling a piece two or three different ways over the course of a couple months. If at the end of that time, I haven't felt the piece lived up to my original expectations I will get rid of it. 

This week, I looked at my many jackets, blazers and other such pieces and decided to build an outfit using this suit wear jacket. Longer than a regular blazer this light weight piece is rather dull. The reason I bought it at a thrift store is that I thought it would be a versatile piece. I have worn it once or twice to work, but other than that don't often reach for it. 

For this look, I decided to pair the jacket with white, off white and blush. The jacket is a brand called Braetan. This brand currently is known for their coats and outerwear. The one I'm wearing is more of a suit coat without a lining. It is very light weight, so a good choice for a transitional spring outfit. The jacket is plaid, though at a distance it is hard to see and depending on the lighting, it looks taupe, brown, gray or olive. 

I am wearing my Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. I love this pair of white jeans as they are a thicker material and not see through. Here is a pair at JC Penney.

This top, I bought a few years back at Kohl's. I love the cute Bambi print. Lauren Conrad did a whole line of Disney themed pieces, which were very cute and whimsical. While she doesn't have the Disney line at Kohl's anymore, here is another cute top. 

For my accessories, I chose this cute little pink clutch, a recent clearance find at Kohl's and my fun beaded necklace with blush and gray. I added my blush SO flats, but didn't take a picture, since you have seen them so many times before. Ha, ha .

My first impressions of this piece are not favorable. I feel that the jacket is too boxy. I am going to style this piece again next month in this Old Becomes New column and we'll see if it gets to remain in my closet, or gets the boot. 

What do you think so far? is this a piece you would wear? How would you style a jacket like this? Let me know in the comments. I love to hear from you. 

Here are a few Braetan brand coats from Kohl's that would be perfect for spring. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. 

Color Crash Course - Mint Green and Teal

For today's Color Crash Course I thought I would style a transitional outfit. As we near the end of summer and the beginning of fall we see the changes all around us. The leaves begin to turn and drop or if you have a cottonwood, they just drop! Ha, ha. The temperatures begin to cool off and the sun's time in the sky shortens. 

While I love all of these changes, what I think I love even more is that I get to move away from my warm weather clothes and start wearing my cooler weather clothes. However, we all know that cooler weather does not happen over night. Usually, we still have plenty of days in the mid to upper seventies and even a few edging into the eighties. For that reason, I like to think layers. 

As I have told you when I started this blog, I am a woman of layers and that includes my outfit style. For a transitional season like fall, I still want to wear shorter sleeves, but I will add a sweater or jacket to combat the early morning chill on my way to work, or the later evening coolness when the hubby and I are coming home from a night out.

Today's outfit combines the warmth of mint with the coolness of teal. These two colors both come from the green family, but teal edges towards blue and mint edges towards yellow.

This mint, ruffle sleeve popover top is a Lauren Conrad brand from Kohl's. The jeans are Gloria Vanderbilt. Looking at these pics, I began to notice the pants seem a bit big and baggy. Though I love the way baggier pants feel, I really do not like the way they look. I will save that thought for another post! 

This jacket I got on clearance from Christopher and Banks. I like the fall colors and the fit. It is also fully lined, so I will be able to use it as a jacket while the weather is just starting to turn cool. 

The colors in the jacket allowed me to add my maroon necklace and maroon Pumas. I finished off the look with my Fossil cognac cross body bag. 

You can turn just about any of your summer styles (except maybe a swimsuit - ha, ha) into transitional outfits if you think layers. Do you still want to wear those capris? Try adding a pair of ankle boots and top it with a bulky sweater. Want to still wear that light weight tee? Add a denim or camo jacket with a pretty colored scarf. Be creative. You'll be amazed at how many more outfits you can come up with if you just take the time to play with your clothes. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Leave me a comment in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you.

I am hoping next week to get back to a more regular schedule. If you follow my faith page, be sure to check back tomorrow for a post on change!

Have a great weekend!