Outfit Inspiration - LuLaRoe

Last August I was introduced to LuLaRoe by a friend of my daughters, who was a styling consultant with the retailer at the time. I purchased a few other pieces from her since then, and while she has moved on from the business to finish her nursing degree, I think the idea of a small business selling modest clothing for women and girls is a great idea. You can see my original post here, as well as this other post on a different piece, here. 

One of the other pieces I purchased was a dress. I was a bit hesitant to try the Julia dress (each style has its own name), because it has a more fitted silhouette. However, I'm trying to get outside my box (see my Thursday Outside the Box column) and be open to other styles and pieces that I haven't tried before. 

This lovely number has a blue colored background with aqua and white diamond shapes as well as white dots in the foreground. At first I wasn't sure how to style this, but once I pulled it on and felt how comfortable it was, I knew I wanted to evoke a casual, date night look. 

The LuLaRoe website describes the Julia in this way:

“The Julia dress is a form fitting, knee- length, knit dress with mid-length sleeves and a high neckline. Its simple silhouette makes the Julia dress a great canvas for layering and accessorizing. This dress is a staple for every season’s wardrobe. It is feminine, flattering, and you may not ever want to take it off.”

I think this perfectly defines this dress. I love the longer sleeves and it is so comfortable, I almost feel guilty wearing it, but not that guilty! Ha, ha.

I am wearing an extra large, because I prefer to not have a body con fit. You can see from the two photos below, the material, which is a mid-weight knit skims my hips, but clings in the right places. 

I went for my cropped slightly distressed denim jacket to wear as a topper. I think the jacket adds an extra dimension of interest and texture to the look and makes the outfit seem slightly edgier. 

Once again I reached for my textured blue clutch, which I felt paired well with the blue in the dress and the denim jacket. 

For jewelry I added a light yellow pendant necklace and a darker yellow bangle. 

While I could have went for a wedge sandal or a heel, I decided to keep the look casual with my blue SO flats. 

i was pleased with how this outfit turned out and I am excited to try a few other combinations with this dress. I think a chambray shirt tied at the front would look cute too or a cropped sweater or tee. I think there are many possibilities. 

Do you like this look? What do you think of this dress? Do you like to wear more form fitting dresses or do you like silhouettes that are more swingy and flowing? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen.

Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Jo-Lynne of Jo-Lynne Shane, and Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots. 

Spring Transition - Bomber Jacket Outfit

Last week, I started a series on transitional outfits that take us from winter to spring to summer. Last week's post featured a red jacket worn with a graphic tee, bootcut jeans and peep toe sandals. You can see that post here.

What exactly makes an outfit transitional? An outfit becomes transitional when it crosses over one season to the next or when it takes you from a daytime work wear look, to a night time date look. Usually, an outfit that transitions will incorporate different layers and things that can be taken off or swapped out easily for a different look. 

For today's look I chose another outfit from a Chico's catalogue that inspired me. This look centers around a summery dress, worn like a tunic over leggings, topped by a bomber jacket. 

I've styled this Simply Vera dress before on the blog, when we went to Florida, last December. You can see that post here. I found this cute piece on the clearance rack at Kohl's a few season's back. Here, and here are few cute styles for this season. 

This black bomber I picked up somewhere and I don't remember where! Ha, ha. It is an off brand, but I'll provide a few shopping links for jackets, bags and shoes at the end. 

These black leggings became mine, when I shopped a friend's closet. They are super comfy and thick, but not too thick. I am more inclined to wear leggings at this transitional time, as they are warm, but not overly warm. 

I chose my purply blue agate pendant necklace. I received this as a gift and it is one of my favorite pendant necklaces to wear because of its unique color and shape. Here are some very pretty options from an Etsy seller. i might need to buy myself another one, or two!

For my bag I chose this beauty that I've featured before on the blog. I really love the color and the texture of this pretty clutch, that my younger daughter gave me. It also has a strap so I can wear it as a cross body bag. It goes perfectly with the bluish green in the dress. 

I'm loving these peep toe shoeties from Clarks. They are not only cute, but comfy and the zipper up the back makes them pretty easy to get on and off. 

Here's a look at the outfit without the jacket. If it gets too warm, just take the jacket off and you have a light weight sleeveless dress. If it got real warm, you could take the leggings off as well. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you have any light weight summer dresses that you are dying to wear, but don't feel that it is quite warm enough yet. This is the perfect way to extend the wearability of those pretty summer styles and still be warm and comfy. 

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Leave me some love and don't forget to check out my Instagram and Pinterest pages. 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link, I get a few cents. If you purchase something through my site, I get a small commission. All opinions are my own. 

Tuesday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb, Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge. Thursday linking up with Jacqui of Mummabstylish.  Friday linking up with Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. 

Spring Transition - Red Jacket Outfit

Now that it is officially spring on the calendar and has been for over a month, and now that the temperatures are starting to feel like spring, I thought I would do a series of outfits that revolve around transitioning from winter to spring to summer. 

Here in Ohio, our temperatures can vary on any given day during the spring as much as 30 degrees. It can be 32 degrees when we head to work in the early morning and be 65 when we leave work in the afternoon. Spring dressing can often be a conundrum that is not easy to maneuver. That is why I love my layers. 

I cannot emphasize enough that layering can be, not only a way to keep warm when the temps are cool, but a way to add interest and pizzazz to any outfit. This first outfit in this series was inspired by a previous Chico's catalogue. 

The Chico's outfit included a red jacket, a graphic tee, jeans, and a chain belt. For my outfit I started with my Christopher and Banks quilted jacket. This is a perfect spring piece. It is not heavy, but has a certain amount of insulating value, so if it is cooler, it will still keep the wind out and the heat in. The jacket is fitted through the middle and has snaps for ease of closing and opening. Here is a red faux leather moto jacket from Off 5th, a cute zip up from H & M and a very similar one to mine from Kohl's.

My graphic tee, I picked up at Kohl's a few years ago. The symbols reminded me of our trip to England back in 2012. It was a wonderful trip and one to be long remembered. This one is Thakoon brand. Thakoon Pnichgul is originally from Thailand. You can read the Wikipedia article by clicking on his name. 

You can also see my chain link belt in the above picture. This one I found thrifting and has fake money hanging on it. Is this what they mean when they say "money belt"? Ha, ha. 

i got this cute choker at Nordstrom Rack a couple years ago. You can see a few other cute options here, here and here. 

I've styled these Rock & Republic boot cut jeans on the blog before. You can see that post here. These are figure and leg flattering, have some stretch and the dark wash is perfect for making an outfit have a little bit more of a dressed up feel. Here is a pair from Kohl's and they are currently on sale. 

This George satchel from Walmart keeps popping up here and there. Satchels are a great way to add structure to an outfit without actually having to wear something that is uncomfortably fitted. This bag is still available at Walmart.com and is only $19.00. While they don't have my neutral pattern they do have a floral one, that is perfect for spring and summer. Check that out here. There are lot's of pretty options from other brands, such as this Nanette Lepore version from Lord & Taylor, and this pretty pink and black floral from DSW. 

Let's not forget shoes. Once again I am styling these perforated peep toe sandals. You'll see these pop up on the blog through out the summer. One of the reasons I like these has to do with my varicose veins. We are often told to embrace our flaws, and show them off, rather than cover them up, but I am more about doing what makes me, and you, feel most confident. I do not like showing off my purply blue bulgy veins. I have chosen to wear support hose when I wear a skirt or a dress and wear shoes that cover more of my foot. Believe me, I love the look of a sexy, beautiful leg, but that is not what I have. However, I do have strong legs that still take me on walks and hikes and still are fairly healthy, even with the vein issues. 

These sandals still allow me to show off a pretty painted toe, but keep the more unsightly veins covered up. Plus they are pretty dang comfortable! I did have my toes painted, but they are such a light pinkish orange you can't tell from these pictures. Time to get out the dark pink polish!

These types of sandals are fairly popular and not too pricey. Here is a cute neutral wedge from Kohl's, a similar color to mine from Nordstrom, and a pretty dark blue pair from DSW. 

Here is a look at the tee without the jacket. 

I hope you enjoyed this outfit post. How do you make the transition from winter to spring and spring to summer? Do you like to wear layers? I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you ever want to show off your outfits, I'd love for you to post a pic on my Facebook page of an outfit I've shared that inspired you. The more the merrier. 

Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a shopping link I get a few pennies. If you purchase something through one of my links, I get a small commission. 

I've included a few links for fun graphic tees as well. Enjoy! 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. Make up Rachel Christensen. 

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Thursday linking up with Jacqui of mummabstylish and Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge.