February Outfits: Colorful Combo 1 - Pink, Red and Salmon

Hi everyone! I am making an attempt to get back in the saddle as they say, or in my case, get back to posting on my blog. January was a difficult month, as I lost my mom on Christmas Day, traveling for the funeral and then ending up with the flu. I wanted to take the month off as a way to lean in to grieving, but I ended up leaning in to trying to recover from illness and nurse my spouse back to health. Yikes! Anyway, I am going to give it a go for February and we’ll see how things develop.

I decided to focus my attention on the month of hearts including both Valentine’s Day and The American Heart Association’s Heart Awareness month. This month I will be featuring outfits with the colors of “love”: pink, red, burgundy, purple, white and everything in between. I decided to do a few different color combinations. I hope you enjoy these outfits.

I apologize that these pictures are so grainy. I need a new phone, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Also, my pants are very wrinkled. I took these yesterday and just wasn’t feeling like I had very much energy. Between grief, Seasonal Affective Disorder and my ongoing health issues, I didn’t feel like ironing. Ha, ha.

Let’s look at how I put this look together. The first piece I chose was this fun, bubblegum pink, pullover sweater. This is a thrifted piece, and looked to have a tag, but no longer has one. It is a heavier piece and doesn’t have a lot of stretch, so if I gain too much weight, or when the temperature warms up I won’t be wearing it. However, I love the color, the open weave and the cuffed sleeves and bottom.

Just for a bit of contrast I added the white button down shirt underneath. I like the pop of white and feel like it ties in well with the polka dots on the pants. This is a thrifted, men’s shirt; a brand called At Collins. I will try to show it to you in the spring as a shacket. It has some beautiful white embroidery on it, but when I put it on for this post, I realized it is itchy, so it will probably be worn most over another shirt. :)

After I chose the pullover I decided to go with the red vest. I am becoming more comfortable with these bright color combinations and they are a definite dopamine boost in these drab winter months. This is another second hand piece and is reversible, so all red (with the black stretch) on one side and then this floral pattern on the other side. This was another piece without a tag, as many reversible pieces are.

I was going to just grab a pair of jeans, but then I thought, why not try another bright color, so I reached for these thrifted Gloria Vanderbilt pants that I have had for a number of years. I had worn these a while back so they were folded on a shelf waiting for another wear. Do you launder your pants every time you wear them, or do you wear them a few times before washing? I always get at least two or three wears out of a pair of pants as long as they haven’t gotten spilled on and don’t smell.

The outfit has a lot going on with the multiple layers and the print on the vest, but I did add a couple of pieces of jewelry. My charm necklace is old, but still a fave when I want something red, and my bracelet was a more recent thrift find.

I went with basic black for my shoes and bag. Since it is still winter, and there is a little black in the vest I thought it would be a good choice. My bag has been on the blog before. It was gifted to me a few years ago for Christmas, and is a brand called Aidebaum. My combat boots are Seven Dials and were purchased a number of years ago. You can tell up close they are getting a little worn. Ha, ha.

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like to wear bright colors or you more of a fan of muted tones? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment or two below, or on Facebook. I also post regularly on Instagram, so if you have an account please follow.

No shopping links today. Have a great Tuesday evening!

My Style: Denim Jacket Outfit for Spring - Two Ways

There is nothing that says warmer weather like a denim jacket. These warm weather pieces are the perfect weight when you just need a little something for the air conditioning or for a cooler evening outdoor event. Fortunately, there is no reason to wait until it is warmer. We can start wearing our beloved jean jackets during these transitional weather times as the temps fluctuate from 70’s one day to 40’s the next. “Oh my sinuses!!”

Style Tip: When styling a jean jacket for the cooler and unpredictable spring weather just look at them as you would a button down cardigan, a utility jacket or your favorite blazer. A denim jacket in any wash will make an outfit interesting, youthful and provide an extra layer when the weather isn’t quite ready to stay put.

I thought it would be fun, and beneficial to show you how to style a jean jacket two ways. The first will be for a dressed up look suitable for lunch with friends, a night out with your significant other, or even for the office or church. The second will be more casual for a day of chasing the grandkids, or getting the groceries.

Look 1 - White Button Down

I did some research this past week on styling white button down shirts. It seems these pieces that once were reserved for the work place or maybe church are now chic and elegant with any type of outfit. Listen to this YouTube Video which gave me some great ideas for styling a collared white button down. The thought to use it for this blog post on styling a denim jacket for spring seemed like the perfect way to introduce this idea.

This thrifted Christopher and Banks piece is actually an XL. Typically, the idea behind a classic white button down is that it be a bit more structured, but the fix for a bigger, boxier piece like this is to merely tuck it in.

Style Tip: Choose the white that works for you. I am not as much into stark white, and lean more towards an ivory, pearl or very light cream. Find what works best for your complexion.

I’ve had this basic denim jacket for a number of years. It is Massini brand and I bought it at our local Meijer. I have numerous jean jackets. Here is one in a military style, a cropped one, one with floral applique, a medium brown, a white one, and a yellow one with 3/4 length sleeves. I do have a couple more, but I haven’t taken outfit photos with them yet. I know! How many denim jackets does a girl need? A basic one is really all that your wardrobe requires, but you know me and my clothes horse issues. Ha. ha.

These hand-me-over slim cut pants are Chico’s brand. A few years ago my best friend was cleaning out her closet and let me go through the bags. That is always fun to do!

For my shoes, I grabbed these thrifted, Merona, wedge ankle boots. I thrifted them last year and hadn’t really had the opportunity to wear them. When I put them one, I was pleasantly surprised at how comfy they are. I definitely need to think of some more ways to style these.

My tote bag was from Charming Charlie’s back when we still had a store at our mall. I love this room piece and with the two tone color and gold rivets feel like it is great for dressing up.

Gold tones seemed the perfect accompaniment for this outfit. Layering necklaces is still a think so feel free to layer it on.

Look 2 - White Tee

The beauty of this type of outfit is that it is easy to swap out just a few pieces to make the outfit completely different for the changing aspects of your life. Swap out the dressier button down for a white tee. I chose a long sleeve, graphic tee.

I got this cute “love yourself” tee with the appliqued daisy before I started my #75hardstylechallenge . This is a brand called Ultra Flirt and I bought it at the thrift shop around the corner when they were having a 50% off sale which they do at the end of each month. You can also see, I swapped out my narrow metallic belt for this wider olive one, which also makes the outfit more casual. This shirt is a cropped piece, so could also be worn out with not belt.

I chose white my white Steve Madden sneakers from DSW. These are starting to show some wear, but I will clean them up with a bit of dish soap, baking soda and a toothbrush and they will get me through one more summer.

Since brown bags are trending, I thought I would pull out this thrifted Rafe for Target bag. I definitely want to use this for the summer. It is quite roomy and seems very durable and it has a pretty printed cloth liner.

Here are the two outfits side by side. What do you think? Do you have a denim jacket in your closet? Will you be taking it out for spring? Would you style it the same way as you would a blazer or cardigan to get more wear out of these fun warm weather pieces?

I hope you enjoyed this post. I’m providing a few shopping links for you to look over. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.