Outfit Inspiration - Cottage Core with an Edge

This week’s source of inspiration started with an Instagram challenge that I am trying to participate in for the month of May. The challenge, #mismatchmay revolves around outfit combinations that might seem unusual or outside the norm. It isn’t just a matter of putting different prints together, although that does have something to do with it. Every week has a different focus. For the first week we are to build outfits with the ideas in mind of character play, pose play and mix of hard and soft.

I thought I would focus, at least for one of the days on the mix of hard and soft. This would be combinations of fabrics like soft silks, tiered tulle, lace, and other feminine fabrics with moto jackets, structured vests or blazers, or leather and vinyl. As I began shopping my closet, I wanted to get a little more knowledge, which led me to Pinterest. There I discovered something I had heard of but didn’t know a lot about, Cottage Core.

Cottage Core delves into fashion that examplifies a romanticized version of pastoral life. You will find floral prints, feminine tiered skirts and maxi dresses, and oversized cozy cardigan sweaters. There is a focus on natural fibers, vintage inspiration and a closeness to nature. There is a Cottage Core aesthetic in the architectural realm as well with home decor turning towards English gardens, and rustic baskets and floral arrangements.

This outfit is my attempt to do Cottage Core (for the soft) with an edge (for the hard). There are two things in this outfit that fall into the Cottage Core aesthetic: the white tiered, lacy skirt, and the floral print on the sweater.

My floral pullover was a clearance find a few years ago from Maurice’s. It is a good piece for spring, as it is not the heavy weight of many of my pullover sweaters. Unfortunately, the weather has been cold and rainy, so my warm weather clothes are on hold.

I have had this skirt for a while. It is St. John’s Bay from JCPenney. I have styled it on the blog before. You can see it styled with a green blouse and jacket, with a pink striped pullover, and with a striped tee and navy eyelet jacket.

My brown moto jacket has been around for a while too. A thrifted piece it is Celebrity Pink brand and you can see how I styled it with an orange medallion skirt, a Grinch sweater, olive utility pants, a printed maxi dress, and a peachy monochrome look.

I added a bit of gold bling in the form of my layered necklaces and multiple bracelets. I addition I thought it would be fun to add another print, so I reached for my thrifted leopard print bag.

I chose a pair of hand-me-over ankle boots from my daughter to finish the outfit.

What do you think of this outfit? Are you familiar with Cottage Core fashion? Do you have tiered skirts, and florals in your closet? What about this style do you like or dislike?

I hope you enjoyed this post. I am including a few shopping links for Cottage Core types of pieces. These are affiliate links which means if you purchase something through the link, I get a little bit of a commission. These are brought to you at no additional cost. All opinions are my own.

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Wearing White - 3/4 Length Sleeve Tiered Blouse

This is my final post in this wearing white series. I feel this outfit really epitomizes the fall feel and it also showcases some of the fall trends that are floating around out there on the internet and in the fashion world. There are so many trends, and depending on who you get your information from, you’ll see some overlap and some very different ideas as to what is currently trending for fall. I’ll be talking more about that for a few posts starting on Thursday.

Today’s outfit features a white 3/4 length sleeve tiered blouse that I found at a thrift store. Just disregard the snarky look on my face. Ha, ha.

Here is a picture without the vest, so you can get a better look at the top. This top is a brand called Spense. You can find this brand at JC Penney, Nordstrom Rack and a few other retailers.

I didn’t notice until looking at this picture that you can see through the blouse a little bit, so it might be good to wear a cami underneath. It don’t think it is a big deal with the sweater vest over the top. I love the detailing on this piece. Each tier and the flounce on the sleeves are edged with a crocheted embellishment, giving the blouse an extra boho vibe.

I paired the blouse with my Worthington leopard print skirt, which I have styled on the blog before. You can see this skirt paired with a pink blouse, a cropped denim jacket, a teal green sweater, and a white denim jacket. You know a piece was worth investing in when it is worn over and over. Leopard print is still showcasing its fierceness this fall along with other animal prints like snakeskin, zebra and more.

To pull the whole outfit together, I chose this crafted fringe vest. I honestly cannot remember where I got this. Ha, ha. No matter, I like it and reach for it often. Fringe is another trend that seems to be making its own cross seasonal stand in the fashion world.

Accessories for an outfit like this can varied and colorful. You could go classic black or brighten up the look with variations of burgundy, red, blue or green. I wanted the focus to be my white blouse so I kept the accessories more sedate going for gold and brown.

Why not wear a leopard pendant with a leopard skirt?

I’ve had this gold bag for a very long time. It was thrifted and is a brand called emilie. Metallics are another trend that are big this fall. Be on the look out for pieces that shimmer and shine. If you are like me, you already have something in your closet that has a fun metallic sheen. I’ll be talking more about that on Thursday.

I just got these boots from DSW. They are Baretraps and I think they will be getting plenty of use this fall and winter.

What do you think of this outfit? Did you like this series on wearing white? I hope that you found some inspiration here on the blog.

I’ve included a few shopping links, just for fun. Every time you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through one of my links, I might get a little commission. All opinions are my own.

I hope you are having a good week so far.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Wearing White - Ankle Pants

Hi everyone. Can you believe it is the middle of August already? It is still summer here in the mid west. I had a nice reprieve from the heat when I went to my mom’s which is near Buffalo. Sometimes being at the other end of Lake Erie can make a 10 to 15 degree difference. We had a few beautiful days to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

Growing up, my mom and I had a pretty good relationship. I think she was glad to have a girl after two boys. She used to sew us matching dresses and all through my growing up years she always made an effort to take an interest in what I was interested in, whether it was watching late night Sci-Fi Theater or prerecorded Alice Cooper concerts. We both love to read, watch birds and go for walks. My mom and I have seen plenty of sun sets and walked through blizzards just for the fun of it. At 93, she can’t walk as steadily anymore and has a harder time seeing print on a page, but we still watch the birds and television together.

My mom grew up in an era where wearing white was something you only did after Memorial Day at the onset of summer and only until Labor Day at the onset of fall. Usually that meant white shoes, white hand bags and an occasional white skirt or sweater. Obviously, fashion has come a long way since then and white is whenever and whatever you want it to be. Personally, I still like the lighter colors for spring and summer and the darker colors for fall and winter, but as I said, I am trying to get out of my own box.

Today’s white piece is a pair of ankle pants from Christopher and Banks that I have styled on the blog before. You can see these styled with a geometric print top, a gray studded tee, a neutral open front cardi, a bright floral top, and a chambray popover blouse.

Currently, I have two problems with these pants. First of all, I have gained weight and they have gotten tighter than they were. Second, when I stood up you could see all the wrinkles. I was a very warm day and everything was sticking to me, so I am sure that didn’t help either. Ha, ha.

My tee was a recent thrift store find. It is Disney brand and very silky and soft. I love the words and if you don’t remember, or have never seen Disney’s Cinderella, here is a refresher. There are times I wish I was a princess, or at least had the castle. I already have a lot of shoes.

To make the outfit transitional to fall, I added my Torrid olive military jacket. This was a Christmas gift a few years ago, from my younger daughter. I love the detailing on this piece from the cuff stripes to the double rows of buttons, to the pockets.

I opted to keep my accessories dark to go with the jacket and tee. These Clark peep toes shoes are a great transitional shoe with plenty of coverage for cooler weather, but still a peek of skin and toes.

My Rosetti leopard print bag is a new thrifted piece. Leopard print is always a winner and I didn’t have a bag with that print, so why not? I have a feeling I will be using it regularly in the cooler weather.

Since there was more going on in this outfit with the graphic tee, the added textures on the jacket and the print on the bag, I opted for a simple choker.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this outfit. Do you own a military jacket? I’m including a few shopping links for you to see. Every time you click on a shopping link, I get a few cents. Every little bit helps. Thanks for all your support.

Have a great Tuesday.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. 

Tuesday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb, and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge.