Pantone Autumn/Winter 2025 - New York Palette: Brandied Melon, Hot Chocolate and Bright White

Today I am showing you outfit #5 from my Pantone Autumn/Winter New York Palette series. This is the last trio of colors from this fall palette, and hopefully next week I’ll start the London color palette. You can see the original colors in this Pinterest pin.

Today’s outfit revolves around a mellow orange named Brandied Melon, a soothing brown reminiscent of Hot Chocolate, and Bright White, mimicking the gorgeous clouds we see meandering through the late summer sky.

I chose this unique, thrifted patchwork top for the pops of Brandied Melon. I love the boho vibe and the variety of colors and print. I looked up this brand, Style & Co, and found that Macy’s was the original retailer. I always find it interesting that I will find a certain brand and then find more pieces of that brand as I thrift. I must be drawn to them for a reason.

My Bright White Gloria Vanderbilt jeans have been around for years. I purchased them new at JC Penney, and use them whenever I need a pair of crisp, white pants that are both casual and dressy. I have a hard time photographing white, or any lighter colors outside. Oh well, not worries. You get the idea. You can see these jeans styled with a yellow sweater, a floral kimono, a velvet jacket, a fall jacket, with a white top and sweater, a black vest, and a multi print top. There are more, but you get the idea. White pants are not restricted by any season and go with every color.

Since the top didn’t contain any browns, I added my thrifted Hot Chocolate corduroy bag. I love this roomy, casual bag, and the strap is long enough I can use it like a cross body bag.

I kept my accessories simple. My faux suede, SO ankle boots were from Kohl’s a number of years ago. My necklace was from a few years ago.

If the weather was cooler, I could easily add a longer cardigan for another layer by picking another color in the top. It would look great with olive, black, white, and even the Mauve Wine (see my first outfit in this series, here.)

What do you think of these colors? Do you wear white all year round, or just in the warmer months? Please leave me your thoughts in the comments or leave a comment on FB. I love to hear your ideas.

I included a few shopping links under each item. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I hope yo are having a great middle of September!

Color Play: Building an Outfit Around a Bag

When I found this cute color block bag on a recent thrift store run, I knew I had to style an outfit around it. The colors are perfect for spring, summer and fall, and for me, the size is just right. I have gotten away from carrying large bags, because they tend to bother my shoulders. Even a cross body bag that is larger becomes problematic because I put too much stuff in it. You know the saying, “If it’s big, fill it up!” Ha, ha. I may have just made that up.

Aren’t the colors on this piece so cute? This has no brand name on it anywhere.

There were lots of choices I could have went with for an outfit. For a little while I was looking at a white maxi, but decided to save that for another day. I also pulled out a pair of coral pants, but ended up with the look you see here.

For this look I decided to have a similar color block vibe to the bag. I am looking forward to using this bag again for inspiration with a print mixing outfit.

I was pretty sure I wanted to use this thrifted teal blazer as it matched so well with the bag. Obviously this is a great outfit for these spring days where the temps fluctuate, but once summer hits the heavier layers will disappear. This blazer is a brand called Weekenders. It is a medium weight with a longer silhouette, and textured cuffs that match the shawl lapels.

Once I decided on the white Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that I have had for years, and can still squeeze into…and I do mean squeeze…I knew I wanted a coral piece to match the coral in the bag, so I chose this thrifted Cherokee shell, which I decided to use as a knit vest.

I also wanted to add a little black, so decided on this thrifted Chaps blouse with polka dots. Once I had that the only jewelry I added was this fun pendant necklace I found at the second hand shop around the corner.

I have always like the classy look of oxford shoes, so I pulled out this black patent leather pair I have from my days as an assistant manager at the bookstore. These are a brand called Sugar.

Do you have a bag that you can use to inspire an outfit? Have you ever tried building an outfit around a fun, colorful bag? What do you think of this outfit? Would you wear something like this? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I’m including a few shopping links for you. I bring these to you at no extra cost. These are affiliate links which means I get a few cents if you click on a link, and a bit more if you purchase something through one of the links I provide. I appreciate all your support. All opinions are my own.

Have a super week!

Having Fun with Layers - Light Weight Kimono

I am sure most of us have one or two kimonos in our closets. Typically, we only pull out these light weight pieces when the weather warms up enough that we can show them off over our spring or summer outfits. Kimonos are really more of an accessory than they are an actually clothing item. They are meant to accentuate or be the focal point of an outfit, much like a statement necklace or a scarf. For this reason, I thought it would be fun to show how we can use a kimono while it is still cold, by using it in the same manner, but over an outfit with heavier layering pieces.

This kimono was a clearance find at Kohl’s a few summers ago. It is actually a bit small for me, but since I don’t have to worry about closing the front, I just let it hang open, almost more like an open front cardi or vest. You can see the pretty floral detail, but what you can’t see is that there is also a spattering of light yellow here and there in the pattern. That is why I wore it over the bright yellow sweater.

I love this pretty yellow, St. John’s Bay, cable knit sweater that I got at JC Penney over a year ago. Cable knit sweaters are definitely a staple in my cold weather wardrobe. They are comfortable and can be worn along or with a collared shirt sticking out as an additional layer.

You’ve seen these Gloria Vanderbilt jeans on the blog many times and I swear by this particular pair of white jeans. So far I can still fit into them, which is a good thing, because a heavy weight pair of white jeans, that don’t show through are hard to come by. Ha ha.

I didn’t really need to add a whole lot to my look since the kimono does the bulk of the work. I added some black beads, both at the neck and on my wrist. I also opted for gray Impo ankle boots, and a thrifted Evan-Picone bag. Like my blush New York and Co. bag, this gray piece serves as both a tote, a crossbody and a clutch.

I hope this post will inspire you to pull out that kimono in your closet and give it some love.

I’m including a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Have a great evening.