Pantone Spring/Summer - 2020 - Faded Denim, Orange Peel and Lark

I must give the creators at the Pantone Color Institute credit for coming up with interesting names for their colors. It is especially mind boggling when they have been doing it for so long. Coming up with new words to describe color has to be no easy task. The name Faded Denim is cute and evokes memories of well worn jean jackets and tattered jeans. Orange Peel, mmmm, can’t you just smell the juicy, citrusy goodness? A Lark is a type of bird and you can see a few images of one here. On seeing the images the color will make perfect sense. On to our outfit.

The Pantone version of Faded Denim is a more of a medium wash denim that has paled a bit from repetitive washing. I chose my light wash Christopher and Banks pop over chambray top, which is a bit lighter than the Pantone color, but it serves the purpose. I’ve used this top on the blog before. You can see how I styled it with white pants, and with a denim vest. Here is a picture without the sweater, which I’ll come back to.

This Lu La Roe maxi skirt has a fun multi-colored print that includes Orange Peel. I like a printed skirt like this because I can match it up with so many different colored tops or sweaters. Even in this situation where the top is not one of the colors in the skirt, it works because the light blue goes well with all of the other colors. You probably could do this with numerous other colors.

I found this Lark (or camel by any other name), colored sweater thrifting. It is Old Navy brand. It has a bit of a grunge vibe, which I like. I thought pairing it with this more dressed up skirt and top gave the look a cozy feel.

This chunky orange necklace was perfect for this outfit and the small little black clutch with heart appliques kept the whole look from being too overwhelming. Some times a big skirt and a big sweater and a big top with a big bag, just gets to be too much.

This black pair of peep toe shoeties from Clarks are so comfy and I like the zipper on the heel. They are very easy to get in and out of.

What do you think of Faded Denim and Orange Peel? Would you wear these colors? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments.

I’ve included a few shopping links, just for fun. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Graphic by Rebecca Trumbull.

Outfit Inspiration - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and welcome to my holiday series! This year my fashion posts leading up to Christmas will be inspired by a few of my favorite Christmas songs. I love Christmas music and I am guilty of starting to listen to it, the week before Thanksgiving. In my opinion, the season goes by so fast and I want to enjoy all the music, lights and trimmings for as long as I can. In addition to the outfit photos, I will also provide a few tidbits on the history of the song, as well as sharing a few of my own Christmas traditions. I also hope to connect my faith posts on Wednesday or Fridays (depending on which day I can get them done), to the songs that epitomize the original reason for the season. I hope you enjoy the series.

The first song I chose is It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. This song was written by Meredith Wilson in 1951. Mr. Wilson was an American flautist, composer, conductor, playwright and author. He is probably best known for the book, music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Music Man. This Christmas song is probably best remembered by us older folks as being performed by Perry Como, or Bing Crosby, but was also performed by Johnny Mathis. More recently Michael Buble did a version which has gained popularity over the last eight years when it first appeared on his album, Christmas.

As you can see, this first outfit and the setting are, indeed, beginning to look like Christmas. We were fortunate (?), to have snow for this first outfit. All the rest of them will be typical Northwest Ohio, browns and grays. Ha, ha.

This mid thigh length red sweater vest is a great piece for Christmas, or anytime the weather is cold and you need an extra layer over your core. This was a recent thrift store find and is a brand called one A. The vest has a full button front, roomy square pockets and a belt. For this outfit, I chose to leave it open and tied the belt at the back, so you could see my Joy sweater.

I’ve styled this cute, thrifted, Old Navy sweater on the blog in my Christmas series last year. In that post, I wore it with my burgundy pleated skirt. I’ve also styled it with a purple moto jacket. Just click on the links to see those posts.

Christmas is a season that brings me joy and that is part of the reason, I chose this song and this sweater. When I was a child, Christmas wasn’t about how much money we had, but about the traditions that went with the holiday season. My family celebrated Jesus birth. That was the central focus of the holiday. We would go to church, sing Christmas hymns and carols and enjoy good food with family. There were several things that brought me joy. The first was when my mother would begin to get out the Christmas decorations. We had a trio of red bells that lit up and we would hang those in our front door so you could see them from the street. I loved seeing those bells as they flashed, announcing to all the passersby that it was Christ’s birthday.

One of the other things that brought me joy was the Christmas tree. When I was really little, my dad would get the tree and he and my mom would decorate it after we went to bed on Christmas eve. My brothers and I would wake up to a magical tree complete with pretty wrapped packages from Santa under its scented pine boughs. As we got older we would go with my dad to pick out a tree and helped to decorate it after he put it in the tree stand. We have wonderfully amusing memories of crazy shaped trees.

These distressed cognac colored jeans were from Meijer a few years ago. They are a brand called Stitch Star. I’ve styled these on the blog before too. In that post they were a featured Pantone Fall 2017 color. I wore them in that post with a red sweater. I just love the combination of those two colors. This type of distressing is my favorite. No skin shows and they have added pretty embroidered embellishment.

For my accessories I added a Christmas scarf as a head band and tied it in a bow. I also grabbed my patchwork tote bag from Walmart and my SO cognac booties from Kohl’.s. The booties got a little bit snow covered. Ha, ha

Do you like Christmas music? What is your favorite song? What do you think of this outfit? Do you have Christmas traditions that you remember from your childhood? What sort of Christmas traditions do you have with your family? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment or two.

This last picture will hopefully bring you joy, as it is a photo of me being silly.

Since there is a few weeks until Christmas and because you might be stumped on what to get people on your list for Christmas, I am including a few shopping links and a few Black Friday deals. Be sure to check them out. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving Day. I had to work, but we are going to have dinner this evening.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Here is a link to Michael Buble’s version of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. That is my favorite version of the song. I hope you like it as well.

20 Days of Christmas - Joy Sweater

I have styled this sweater on the blog before (see that post here) and I think that it is the perfect piece to add to my 20 Days of Christmas challenge. For many who believe that Christmas is celebrated because of Jesus birth, it is a time for joy. However, I think joy is a good word to think about at all different times of year. Webster’s online dictionary defines joy as: the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.

When I think of joy, I think of something much more permanent and deep than merely obtaining what I desire. I desire all sorts of things, but it is rarely the acquisition of those things that brings true joy. In the same way good fortune or success do not necessarily bring real joy. They may provide momentary happiness, but joy seems to be much more stable than the fleeting happiness that success or things may bring.

If you are interested in hearing more about joy, check out my faith post tomorrow on the blog.

I would have worn tights that matched my skirt and shoes if I had them, but when I tried these on, I thought, why not? Both the skirt and shoes are more maroon, while the hose are more burgundy. To me it just seems festive all the way around.

This sweater is thrifted and Old Navy brand. It is fairly light weight, so I felt the need to add a blouse underneath. I chose my thrifted Jaclyn Smith piece that I have featured on the blog before, for another holiday season. You can see that post here. The thing I like about these silkier types of blouses, is that they add a layer without adding bulk. Plus they have that shimmery look to them, which is perfect for the holidays.

I found this unique necklace on one of my thrift runs. I really like the colors and the design.

I’ve had this maroon pleated skirt for a while now. It was originally from Kohl’s and is AB Studio brand. To keep the outfit more upscale I grabbed my pewter sparkly clutch and added my thrifted Bandolino heels.

Figuring out a festive look does not always mean green and red or silver and gold. Sometimes it is easier to find one festive piece, like a sweater and then build the rest of your outfit around that. A pleated skirt will always kick an outfit up a notch and then adding heels and a sparkly bag or jewelry is all you need to be ready for a Christmas get together.

What did you think of this outfit? What do you like to wear for holiday gatherings? I’d love the hear your thoughts, so leave me some love in the comments.

Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram for my 20 Days of Christmas challenge. You’ll see more of my every day Christmas looks.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

i’ve included a few shopping links for cute booties and blingy clutches for you to look at. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.