Shopping Our Closets - Light Weight Jackets

I thought it would be useful to do a post on light weight jackets. As the summer draws to a close and fall meanders its way into our areas we all will be reaching for those light weight jackets to ward off the early morning or late evening chill. There will still be plenty of warm days ahead, but having a few light weight jackets, not only gives you something to throw on when chilled, but adds a touch of class to any outfit.

I have been blogging since 2016, so for 7 years I have been showing different outfits in this space. Instead of showing you a new outfit this week, I thought I would go back and cull my posts to find photos for the different types of jackets I am going to talk about. As I always tell you, make it your own. Shop your closet and figure out which light weight jackets will work best as the season of summer transitions into the season of fall.

Denim Jackets

I wanted to start with this one, because it is one of my faves and a regular go to. Denim jackets are much more versatile than in the day when they were thought of as work wear only for the farm, or a style worn by teens looking to get into trouble. Boy, times have changed…Ha, ha. Today jean jackets come in every cut, color and wash, and they are still relatively inexpensive.

Cropped:

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull

Embellished:

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Colored:

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Denim and jackets cut in a similar silhouette are great, casual choices for transitional weather outfits.

Utility Jackets

I love my utility jackets and they are the perfect light weight piece to add to your transitional wardrobe. Utility jackets, like denim, now come in assorted colors and prints. They are the perfect casual topper for spring or fall when the temperatures are beginning to fluctuate, and they offer a little more coverage than the standard denim option.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Blazers

I love blazers all year round, and they do double duty in making an outfit look stylish and providing a light layer of warmth for the cooler days of fall or the air conditioning of the office or retail store. The following are a few of my blazers. From solids to prints, a blazer is a fun option for adding interest to your outfit and keeping warm as the weather cools off.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

It was fun going through my blog looking for light weight jackets. Many of these pieces I still have, and a few I have gotten rid of. As we grow in our fashion journey, we realize what works for us and what doesn’t. Sometimes that has to do with what phase of life we are in. Losing my assistant manager job and coming home to help with the grandkids and dabble in the freelance writing arena has definitely changed what I wear on a regular basis.

I’m including a batch of light weight jackets in my shopping links. These are affiliate links, brought to you at no cost. If you purchase something through my link I get a small commission. Every purchase you makes helps me keep this blog going. I really appreciate it. All opinions are my own.

Have a great day!

Clara Sunwoo - Mosaic Petal Top with Techno Knit Blue Denim Pant

For the last few months I have been sharing with you retailer Clara Sunwoo. The mother/daughter team based out of New York City is known nationwide for their comfortable, stylish pieces that meet the needs of today’s modern women. Made with knits and materials that move with you, each piece is perfect for day to day life, from the office to dinner out.

All of the the outfits I have shown you, including today’s, have been gifted to me, in exchange for posts on my blog and my other social media accounts. All opinions regarding the retailer and the clothing pieces are my own.

Today’s look is probably my favorite so far. You can see the first outfit, side tie water color top and brown straight leg pant here. You can see the second outfit, wide leg pocket pant and parachute hem tunic, here. Today’s look features the Mosaic Petal Top paired with the Techno Knit - Skinny Ankle Pocket Pant in Blue Denim.

You know how I love color, so this top really caught my eye. Not only is it a beautiful combination of colors, but it is so comfortable. The 3/4 length sleeves, wide scoop neck line, and a-line silhouette provide a cool, confidence-boosting vibe.

The Techno Knit pants are very comfortable, and like all the others easy on, easy off. There are no belt loops, zippers or large back pockets adding bulk. All of Clara Sunwoo’s pants are made to be easy to wear, comfortable, and lasting. The Techno Knit pants are more structured than the other two pants I received, which I do like better for every day wear. My only issue with these has to do with my legs, not so much the retailer’s manufacturing. With my wider calves, the Skinny Ankle pant has a tendency to gather and wrinkle just below my knee. Once again, I wonder if I had sized up if that would have made a difference. I am wearing the Large in both the tunic and the pants.

I thought it would be fun to show you a few pictures of me sitting and moving in this outfit, to show you how easy going and comfortable these pieces are while still making you look fabulous.

Clara Sunwoo clothing is worn by big name stars including Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Jane Fonda, and more. I like the fact that this retailer is using bloggers and social media influencers to get their product out to people like me. You may be a working woman who regularly needs to update your wardrobe to keep it looking fresh, or you may be a stay at home mom, who just needs the occasional outfit that still feels comfortable, but also makes you feel dressed up and stylish. You might even be a retiree who doesn’t really need a whole new wardrobe every season, but just needs something once in a while for a special occasion. The retailer’s price points are higher than what I normally pay as a thrifter, but as I have stated before, I look at these pieces as investment pieces that will be used over and over again. You can also look for their “final sale” items which decrease the prices by 25% - 50%.

I hope you are enjoying your summer, and that you enjoyed this post. Let me know what you think of this outfit from Clara Sunwoo. Have you bought anything from this retailer? If you see something you like, be sure to use my code STYLINGRANNY10 for a 10% discount. Because I am an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo, I get a little kickback when you purchase something with my code. I appreciate all your support and that you are also supporting a retailer that lives, designs, and manufactures most of their pieces right here in the USA.

Have a great week!

Dreamy Dresses from Closet52 - Button Front Maxi Dress

Today’s outfit is another piece gifted to me by Closet52. Closet52 provides quality dresses for women at reasonable prices. Whether you need a dress for work, a special occasion or every day, Closet52 is a great place to start you search.

Today’s featured dress is the Button Front Maxi.

I love the simplicity and elegance of this maxi dress. Once again, the fabric is a medium weight, 100% polyester knit. The description on their websites lists this as a capped sleeve, and on their model it does look that way, but on me, it lays as a wide sleeveless. A capped sleeve usually extends a little bit onto the arm.

I should have taken a picture without the included belt to show you the dress actually doesn’t have a waist. From the bodice to the first tier on the skirt the dress is more of a column. What I like about this idea is I can style it with different belts, or even scarves to create unique looks. I decided to wrap the belt around and tie it at the back for a different look.

The gold buttons are a beautiful addition to the bright fuchsia color of the dress. I think it is small details like this that make Closet52’s selection a step above other dress retailers. Gold allows this dress to be taken from the work place to a night on the town, with just a quick change of accessories. I wanted to focus on the gold buttons so my accessory choices were all gold.

I love a tiered maxi skirt anyway, so the tiering on this piece is perfect. It gives the look a little bit of that prairie girl, boho chic vibe while still looking modern and classic. This is another piece I am excited about trying to style in different ways. I can see this working quite well as a jumper with a flowy button down top and knee high boots. You could even leave a few of the lower buttons unbuttoned to better show off your boots.

With the tiered skirt giving it a bit more volume a girl’s gotta twirl!

Once again, I am very impressed with the quality and detailing on this piece from Closet52. The easy on, easy off ability and the way the dress hangs are just added benefits of this beautiful dress. Check out the great selection at Closet52 by clicking on any of the included links.

This dress was gifted to me by Closet52. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Jessica Trumbull for Rebecca Trumbull Photography.

Summer Outfit - Faux Lace Dress - Casual

I honestly wasn’t sure how to style this faux lace dress in a casual way, so I started by thinking what makes an outfit more casual. We usually associate certain shoes, bags and accessories as being either more casual or more dressy. There is also the option of adding other pieces to make a look more casual, like I did in my geometric maxi dress post, where I simply slipped on a graphic tee, to bring the look down to a more casual level. I also used more casual accessories like the straw bag and hat. I followed the same formula for this outfit.

I was sort of going for an artsy-writer look with this outfit…whatever that is. Ha, ha, ha. I was thinking if I wore this dress to a coffee shop to work on writing, rather than a night out to a show, what would I do differently? First off, I added my oversized, thrifted, pinstripe Izod button up, as a light weight jacket, for any air conditioning a coffee shop might offer.

This shirt is a very pale purple color and has gray pinstripes. To jazz up the outfit with a little more color I pulled out this cute fish scarf, but instead of putting it around my neck, I tied it to my bag. I thought the purple and green in the scarf pulled the outfit together.

The purple bead pendant goes so well with the purple in the shirt and the scarf. It also gives the outfit an added casual, boho feel. To keep that casual boho vibe going I thought the multiple strand green wrap bracelet a good choice.

This slouchy, thrifted, American Eagle hobo bag has made an appearance multiple times on the blog. It is good to have a few pieces in your bag arsenal that lean completely towards casual or dressy. It makes getting dressed so much easier. This hobo bag does just that and is a go to, if I want to make an outfit look dressed down.

Shoes are another thing that will either elevate or make an outfit more casual. I love these suede oxfords that I found on clearance a number of years ago at DSW. If I could have found them in multiple colors, I would have bought them all. I would love to have a pair in blue, green, red, brown…you get the idea. The thing I like about them, is they feel a tad tight when I put them on, but after having them on they are so comfortable. They are Naya brand.

What do you think of this outfit? Not every piece in your wardrobe will necessarily translate into a more dressy or more casual look, but I wanted to show you there are ways to think outside the box when it comes to your clothes. It not only gives you more outfit options, but enables you to get more wear out of each piece.

These pictures were taken at the Toledo Botanical Gardens by Rebecca Trumbull.

Here are the two outfits side by side. Which one do you like better?

I’ve included a few shopping links just for fun. These are affiliate links. When you click on a link, I get a few cents. I appreciate every click! All opinions are my own.

Thanks for following along on the blog. It wouldn’t be any fun, if it weren’t for you, my faithful followers. If there is ever anything you would like me to cover on the blog, either in the area of fashion or faith, please feel free to make a suggestion in the comments below, or on Facebook. You can also shoot me an email.

I won’t be posting on the blog next week as I am going to visit my mom and won’t have internet, but I’ll still post some outfits and what I am doing on Instagram, so you can follow me over there. Have a wonderful weekend.

Actual Amy - Waterfall Cardigan Outfit

I decided to go back to a column once a month on outfits that better represent how I really dress. I think it is important for fashion bloggers to show you things about fashion and beauty that are trending and help women feel more confident and beautiful. I also think there is a lot of false information going around out there. Take for example the idea of ageism and body acceptance. I really believe that even though these things are being addressed, in the fashion realm, there is still a huge gap between what is shown and what is reality. I do think it has been bloggers that have made strides in closing that gap, but I know I still struggle with showing you things that are interesting and helpful and showing you the real me. Thus this monthly column. I was doing a similar column previously and called it Ordinary Amy, but I thought that might not be the best title, so now you get Actual Amy! Ha, ha.

This thrifted Pink Rose brand, waterfall cardigan is one of my favorites. I am not a huge fan of the waterfall or cascading cardigans, unless they are made from a lighter weight knit. I have tried heavier versions and I always feel that they add to much bulk right where I do not need extra bulk; around the thighs and middle. The lighter weight knit and the more open weave seem to do better for me. I also love the rusty color of this one.

I found this rust and navy long sleeve tee at Maurice’s on sale. It’s made of a soft, stretchy fabric and will be a great piece to wear by itself, when the weather warms up a little. The brand is 24/7.

You can also see my pendant necklace. The thing I like about this large, donut style bead is the variety of colors in it. I wear it a lot with blue and navy, but it also looks great with this rust color.

Kohl’s now carries the brand Nine West and this bag was on clearance. I do not have a round bag, so when I saw this brand, at a great price and with a snakeskin print I knew I had to order it. I’m sure it will not be a regular in my rotation, because the shape and size are not large enough for all I carry in a bag, but it will be great for special occasions. I’m thinking this will look great with yellow, brown, blush or navy.

My jeans are Apt. 9 skinny ankle jeans. These work great with my Sonoma faux suede boots. Because they are shorter than other pairs of my skinny jeans, I wear a pair of heavy boot socks which come up about mid calf, and tuck the pants into them. It keeps the jeans from riding up when I sit down.

This an outfit formula that works for me. Pick a great sweater, a top, a pair of jeans, boots and a bag and voila you are ready for a day out with friends shopping and hanging out.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like waterfall cardigans? If not, what sorts of sweaters do you reach for in your wardrobe?

I’m including a few shopping links. These are affiliate links, which means when you click on a link, I get a small commission. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for all your support. I know not everyone has time to read blog posts or time to make comments, but I appreciate when you do. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Outfit Inspiration - Monochrome Look with a Kimono

As I have mentioned on other occasions, the inspiration for my fashion posts, comes from all different areas. A lot of times it comes from a picture in a magazine, or an add I get in the mail. I have a notebook where I keep the pages from these magazines and catalogues, of outfits I’d like to try to mimic. Today’s outfit was inspired by a JC Penney add from last fall.

In the add, the model featured a rust colored tee, rust colored corduroys and a kimono with a beautiful fall pattern full of those colors like rust, teal and burgundy. I have numerous kimonos, which I am always lamenting I don’t wear enough for how pretty they are. Kimonos, ruanas, ponchos or capes can all be such beautiful statement pieces, so why not make that statement piece the focal point of the outfit.

Since we are well into winter, I decided to use a more wintery colored kimono. This is truly a great piece for all year round, but since I decided to make the monochrome part of the outfit black, it seemed perfect to top the dark under layers with a piece full of bright tropical pink. This kimono was thrifted and is Massini brand. Before I had any kimonos, I never really saw what the draw was, but now I am sold. This beauty was one of the first ones I bought.

I know my black pieces do not match exactly and while that would drive some people nutty, I figure the kimono is getting the main attention in this outfit, so it didn’t matter as much. The thrifted black skinny jeans are Mossimo brand and the back cable knit turtleneck sweater was from Kohl’s a number of years ago and is Croft and Barrow brand.

My black, slouch, Massini, boots are also a Kohl’s purchase, but a clearance find. I had been looking for a pair of these soft, faux suede boots to wear with skirts and dresses. I have a wider calf, so quite often I cannot get these softer types of pieces. They are usually made thinner to stay up, otherwise we’d have panty hose ankles like our grandmas use to have, but with our boots.

With my recent walking activity while employed seasonally by Kohl’s my legs got much more tone and I lost a few pounds. Now I can wear these boots over skinny jeans, as long as the material isn’t too bulky.

I styled these same boots and the black turtleneck in my 20 Days of Christmas series back in 2018. You can see how I used those two pieces with a slip dress here.

For my accessories I went with silver, black and gold. These days there is no worry over mixing our metals. I enjoy pendant necklaces and reach for these longer pieces more often than my short ones. This one has a number of charms dangling from the end of the chain.

You can also see the layers of bracelets I threw on my arm. Most of these are cheap stretchy beaded types, but I don’t think we have to pay tons of money to have interesting and unique pieces in our jewelry boxes.

This bag was another thrift store find. It is Libby Edelman brand and is genuine leather. The leather is soft and supple and I love the wide guitar like strap and the riveting. My hubby thinks i have two many purses, which is true, but how can you pass up a winner like this one? I also love the bright reddish pink color.

What do you think of this outfit formula? What inspires the outfits you wear? Inspiration can come from all sorts of places, including bloggers you follow, other people’s Pinterest pages and like I found, even pictures in an add or catalog. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I appreciate each one of you.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

I’m including a few shopping links. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

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.

Flat Lays in the Flesh - Layering Knits

One of my favorite flat lays from my Fall Trends 2019 series was the one featuring layered knits. I’ve always been a fan of layering, especially in the winter time. I don’t like to feel cold, so laying is the obvious choice here in northwest Ohio. I know it might sound funny, but the other reason I like to layer is so that I can wear more of my clothes at the same time. Ha, ha. When I saw that layering knits was a trend for this fall, I was so excited. Finally, a trend I can really buy into.

Photo by Amy Christensen

Normally, I only layer knits on the top. I don’t typically wear leggings, but would be more likely to do this outfit with a pair of jeans. However, wanting to keep an open mind and use these LuLaRoe leggings my daughter got me, I decided to add them to the mix. Here is the look in the flesh.

This long green sweater is from Christopher and Banks. They are having some good sales on sweaters right now, so check out their website or if you have one near you drop in. This sweater is medium weight and has no closures, so just hang open. I rather like that idea, because then I can wear something underneath and know that it will still be seen.

What you see underneath the sweater this time is my thrifted Merona bear sweatshirt. This is definitely not something you want to wear when you are going to be real active, but if you are sitting around watching a movie at home or want to be comfy when running to the store, this would be a great outfit. Mr. Bear looks a little wrinkly. Ha, ha.

I added the gingham scarf as a way to pull the purples together, making the outfit look a little more cohesive. I added a green envelope clutch and my Rock & Candy by Zigi thrifted boots.

In the picture below, you can see the fun lace detail on the side of the sweater. Little details like those are what draw me to different pieces. It was the same way with the boots. I love the lace overlay giving them a unique texture.

I was a little disappointed with how this outfit looked in the flesh. Part of it might be the leggings. I think I would look better in leggings that were a solid color and preferably a darker color. I feel that these flowers are a little much for my pudgy gams. The other thing I do not like is the volume of the sweatshirt and the sweater together. It makes me look like some sort of pillar. Just being real here and analyzing this. When we think about what we are wearing and what works and what doesn’t we will begin to make better choices about how to put pieces together.

My verdict on this outfit is that it looks better as a flat lay, than in the flesh. What do you think? Please be honest. I love to hear your opinions and ideas.

I hope you all have a great weekend. See you next week.

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

Photo credit (except where noted) Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2019 - Cranberry and Chicory Coffee

Hi everyone. The days are flying by and we are almost to Halloween. I haven’t even gotten out my decorations yet! That is how far behind I am. Maybe I should just skip Halloween and start decorating for Christmas. All the stores are doing it. Ha, ha . Well, I don’t think I’ll get that crazy, but this time of year does seem to go awfully fast. Do you get that feeling?

Today’s colors are what the Pantone Color Institute label a “vital red that adds a pungent punch to the palette,” and a “robust and tasteful” brown that, “introduces an element of heartiness.”

I was able to pull these pieces from my closet and decided to add the off white cardi that mimics Rutabaga from the London classic color palette.

This Cranberry cami was a recent thrift purchase. Most of my camis are pretty tight and I wear them as layering pieces under long sleeve tops and sweaters. I do not wear them to be seen, but it occurred to me that it would be nice to have something I could have more visible under an open sweater. It is Maurice’s brand. I am becoming a fan of Maurice’s. I see pieces every so often at thrift stores and recently I bought what has become one of my favorite pairs of jeans on the clearance rack. What really drew me to this cami was the pretty lace detailing.

These trousers are Worthington brand from JCPenney. Do you know how hard it is to find brown slacks? Now maybe that has changed. I have seen rust, and that more yellowy brown called cognac, but real brown is hard to find, especially a dark brown like this one.

The off white open front cardigan is Chaps brand and another clearance rack find from Kohl’s. Chaps has some nice pieces, but they do have a higher price point than I would normally pay, thus my reasoning for waiting for them to go on clearance. If I thought a particular piece is really worth paying full price for, I would buy it, but for the most part there isn’t anything that I absolutely have to have. I could shop my closet for months and come up with all sorts of new combinations, because I have so many clothes. Truth!

I kept the accessories minimal with my gold leopard print medallion necklace, a few gold bracelets, my snakeskin clutch, a brown belt, and brown boots. I thought this was a good outfit for complimenting with animal prints.

These are two colors that I can get behind. I love the combination and think these two work well together. What do you think? Do you have any of these colors in your closet? Do you wear camis a lot? Do you wear them more for layering or to be seen? I’d love to hear you thoughts, so leave me a comment or two in the comments section. I appreciate hearing from you and all your support.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to peruse. I hope that you find these helpful. Every click you do, gives me a few cents and I appreciate every one. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo and graphic credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Have a great day.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2019 - London Palette - Intro

Past Pantone seasons, I have tried to combine both the New York and the London color palettes into one series. Most of the time there were plenty of overlapping colors, so I was able to take colors from both palettes to make my outfits. This fall there were only two overlapping colors, Galaxy Blue and Bluestone. It was for this reason, that I decided to break the series into two parts. We just finished the New York palette last week. You can see a recap of those outfits here.

Today’s post will introduce you to the London palette and give you a few sneak peeks at the upcoming outfits.

Both the New York and the London palettes included numerous fall yellows, reds and browns. They both included a green, some blues and hues with pink undertones, but the London palette is the only one to include purple, which I thought was interesting since purple is trending right now. Purple has always been one of my favorite colors, so I was excited to see it included on this palette.

In all honesty, I like this palette better than the New York one. I always veer towards richer more saturated colors, rather than pastels and I felt that I had an easier time finding pieces in my wardrobe that better personified the color palette. In this palette we find words like vital, fortifying, robust, delicious, rich, baked, arresting, mellow and distinctive to describe the colors.

I hope you will join me on Thursday as I take a closer look at the London color palette for this fall. Here are a few peeks at what is coming up.

I hope you will join me on Thursday for the start of this series and a look at the first two colors.

Have a great day.

Photo and graphic credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2019 - Peach Pink and Biking Red

These are the last two colors from the Pantone - Autumn/Winter - New York palette. Peach Pink is reminiscent of coral, which never really seemed like a fall color to me, but I must remember that the old rules don’t apply…at least to some things. I know many people buy into the old adage, the rules are meant to be broken, but I don’t always believe that is the best mindset to have, and that mindset trickles down to our children and our grandchildren. As far as rules, I think that many of them are in place for our protection and our benefit. Rules like, look both ways before you cross the street, floss your teeth once a day and eat your fruits and veggies are not bad. Actually, they are for our well being. Rules about color, really no longer apply, so I am okay with wearing white after Labor Day and wearing coral in October. Why not?

The other color in this ensemble is a dark red. It reminds me of the Brick Red from my Crayola Crayon box. How many of you remember those wonderful boxes of crayons? I used to obsess about having all the similar colors arranged by shade in my box. I didn’t want to hunt around for Brick Red, so I put it in the “red” section. Ha, ha.

As you can see, once again, my colors were not perfect matches. You will see I did a little better with the London Palette, which I will be introducing on Thursday.

The heavy gauge sweater is Candies brand from the Koh’s clearance rack at end of last winter’s season. I find this is the best time to shop for those pieces you want for the season, if you don’t want to pay full price. I have found most of my non-thrifted clothing pieces this way.

My Peach Pink tank top was a thrift find from a few years ago. It is Eddie Bauer brand. You’ll be able to see the ruching on the neckline in an upcoming picture.

My Paloma gray pleated skirt was also a Kohl’s clearance find a few years ago and is Apt. 9 brand.

My chunky wood ring necklace is making an appearance again. I love this necklace my daughter gave me for Christmas. It is so handy for making a statement and pulling the colors in an outfit together. A necklace like this works much the same way a scarf will, but without the added heat around your neck.

My little thrifted Houndstooth bag works both as a satchel and a cross body. The shoulder strap is inside the bag, but can easily be taken out and attached so I can wear this for hands free activities.

I really like these black Aerosole heels. They are comfortable and stay on my feet with no slipping or sliding. I decided to add the dark tights at the last minute for two reasons. The first was to keep the leg more monochrome and thus make the legs look longer. The other was to make the outfit seem more ready for fall weather. The day we took these pics it was hot!

What do you think of this outfit? Is this something you would wear? Do you like these Pantone colors? Why or why not? I’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment or two.

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

Photo and graphic credit, Rebecca Trumbull.

Have a great day.

Pantone - Autumn/Winter - 2019 - Sugar Almond and Dark Cheddar

Today’s colors, in my opinion are the epitome of fall. The browns and oranges remind me of pumpkins and firewood stacked as it waits to be used. Red’s and yellows are other bright colors associated with this season and we will be seeing more of those in the London color palette, which will be coming up shortly. Let’s take a closer look at Sugar Almond and Dark Cheddar.

This thrifted, Sonoma, chevron print, dress caught my eye a few months ago and I knew it would be perfect for fall. Originally, I was going to used the waterfall cardi for the Sugar Almond color, but I actually think the colors in the dress are more suited to both of these Pantone colors.

Since I don’t normally wear dresses this short, I thought it would be fun to pair it with cropped pants. This pair of St. John’s Bay, creamy colored pants were another thrift store find. I almost didn’t get them, because I thought they were a little tight, but then, what isn’t on me right now. Ha, ha. However, I ‘m glad I put them in my cart. I think they make a cute addition to this dress. I want to try them with boots, when the weather gets colder. I might even try this dress with a chunky sweater, tights or leggings and boots. If I have success with that, I’ll post pictures either on Instagram, or I’ll do a post about it.

You can see in the above picture, the dress has a partial button front and an elastic waist. Wearing a belt with this would be another fashion forward idea, but I wanted an uninterrupted look from collar to hem, especially since I chose to wear this with cropped pants.

Let’s take just a moment to talk about the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a photography guideline that suggests mentally dividing your picture into thirds, horizontally and vertically. You then place the image you wish to photograph at the intersection of two lines. This can make for a more interesting picture, that draws the eye to the image.

Fashion also has a rule of thirds. The body is divided into thirds: head to waist, waist to knees and knees to feet. This is an approximation and as we all know, some people have longer necks, shorter torsos and longer legs, so each individual will be a little different. This rule is good to be aware of when putting together an outfit.

If you look at the above picture, the dress would be considered in the first two thirds of my body and the crop pants and shoes in the last third. Take a look at this article to learn more about the rule of thirds in fashion, and why it helps to keep it in mind when you dress. Dressing Your Best: Rule of Thirds.

This Pink Rose, waterfall cardi is another thrift find. I love the open weave, and as you can see, it also has the chevron pattern on it. I did not plan that. Ha, ha. I just thought the color went perfectly with the colors in the dress. This is a great piece for these fall days that are still warm.

For accessories, I went with a coppery bag and my thrifted Naturalizer shooties. I also added the pendant bead necklace as a way to bring out the cream in the dress and tie in the pants. Accessories are the best way to pull an entire outfit together and make it look finished.

What do you think of these colors? Do you wear orange? Orange is often an intimidating color to wear, but there are so many different shades and tones that there is probably one out there you could wear. Would you wear crop pants with a dress like this? Let me know your thoughts. I love to hear from you.

Be sure to check back Thursday for two more Pantone colors.

Photo and graphic credit Rebecca Trumbull.

I’ve included a few shopping links for you to look at. These are affiliate links. Any time you click on a link, I get a few pennies. If you purchase something through my links, I get a a small commission. I appreciate all your support and all opinions are my own.

Have a great week.

Wearing White - Embroidered Pants

I hope you are enjoying this series on wearing white. Most of us have at least something or other that is white, or at least cream or ivory (what is the difference really). I centered this series on pieces that I would classify as a true white, not cream or ivory or off white, however every outfit could easily use pieces that aren’t a true white. It’s all about wearing what works for you and what you are going to feel best in. Not everyone likes to wear white, top or bottom. It can make us look washed out or larger if it is on the bottom, but we are trying to break out of some of those fashion boxes right, and if I want to wear white, I’m going to do it. Ha, ha.

Today’s outfit revolves around pants that you saw earlier this spring on the blog. These pants are from Shop National and were gifted to me when I did the original post, which you can see here. I was excited to get to style these again and wanted to pull another color from the festive embroidery on the legs, so I chose yellow.

I have to tell you, my daughter and I had quite a time being silly on this shoot. It was hot and I was melting, so everything was sticking to me, as you can see here, my yellow tee was taking on its own identity with its ripples. Ha, ha. When we are taking pictures, I don’t remember to smooth everything out, but I guess that’s real life. When is life ripple free? Rarely ever. This tee is thrifted and is Basic Edition’s brand.

I thought it would be fun to show movement, so I told my daughter I wanted to take more shots of me walking. Here are a few. I must confess, I was having a hard time walking a straight line. Ha, ha. And I don’t even drink!

Because I wanted to make the outfits in this series transitional to fall, I added a layering piece to each one. For this outfit I chose my green faux velvet jacket that I found at a thrift store. This is a brand called Erika. It is soft and perfect for when the evenings start to get cooler.

Since this was a casual look, I kept my accessories simple. This pendant necklace I have worn before on the blog.

The embroidery on the pants contains yellow, green and a couple of blue shades. I brought in the yellow and green, so I thought blue would be perfect for my shoes and bag. These bright blue Keds are regulars on the blog, as you just saw on Tuesday. Isn’t it amazing how much more blue they look with the bright white pants?

Bright blue is also how my bag rolls. Bright blue like the summer sky.

I actually had this green tassel from another bag, so I added it to my blue bag. I just like that combination of colors and think it works perfectly for summer. I have several Rosetti bags and like each one for various reasons. Cross body bags are definitely my muse right now. They are perfect for hands free shopping and more secure than a shoulder bag.

I hope you liked this post and that this will inspire you to pull out those white pieces and creatively make an outfit that will take you into fall.

I’m heading off to see my mom this weekend. What are you up to? I love to hear from you and am very thankful for all of you who take time out of your busy schedules to comment.

Have a great weekend.