Favorite Summer Patterns - Floral

I was going to do a post on what is trending for summer, but there wasn’t a whole lot on the list that really appealed to me and if I know my subscribers at all, most of it won’t appeal to you either. Things like bralettes and sheer fabrics, backless dresses and jumpsuits, mini skirts and halter tops have a place in the fashion world, but I just don’t think they are practical and this blog is about real life and real women, so if you prefer trendy attire, there are oodles of bloggers and Instagram accounts that cater more to those preferences. I hope that doesn’t deter you from following my blog, I just want to keep it real here.

Image by Shirley Hirst from Pixabay

Instead of doing a more trend oriented post for this 5th Thursday of the month, I thought I would share one of my favorite summer patterns. Florals, for a long time, were considered a pattern strictly for elderly women, but I have seen a definite move away from ageism and stereotyping to a more all inclusive thinking on patterns and clothing types for all ages. I have seen some rockin’ 70 plus women sporting mini skirts and crop tops and I have also seen some beautiful 20 somethings veering towards a more modest mindset donning floral patterns and midi skirts. I love the diversity of the fashion blogging world, because now almost anything goes.

Florals are everywhere and on everything. While this post is going to show you a few of my specifically summer pieces, I have florals for every season of the year. In fact, some of my favorites are ones in the darker, more brooding colors of fall and winter, but I couldn’t resist showing off a number of my lighter, brighter pieces that work well from spring, into and through summer.

Tees

Both of these tees were thrift store finds. Floral patterns on tees are an easy way to dress up an outfit. Just throw on some jewelry and your choice of bottom in a pair of shorts, jeans or a skirt and you are ready for a summer picnic or lunch with friends. You can find a plethora of floral patterns at thrift stores and whether you like small prints or large, I am sure you’ll find something suitable. I’ll include a few shopping links at the end if you prefer regular retailers as opposed to thrift stores.

Other tops

This babydoll top was a recent purchase at Maurices. I love the pattern, of course, but also the dark teal color and the tiered layers. It hides all my Covid weight gain. Ha, ha. This piece I can definitely wear into fall with a chunky sweater over top.

This sleeveless denim piece was a recent thrift store find. Denim and floral are two of my favorite things, so how could I not scoop up this pretty top?

Jacket

Once again, the combination of denim with floral is the factor that drew me to this thrifted piece. This is another one that will see wear, all year round. Often in the winter I will wear a jacket like this, just as an extra layering piece to keep warm. It will look great with a pale pink turtleneck, cream sweater or light blue long sleeve tee.

Maxi dress

You’ve seen this floral maxi dress make its debut appearance on the blog this past spring. You can see that post here. You really can’t go wrong with a maxi like this. Just throw it on, add a few accessories and maybe a shrug or sweater and you are all set for a date night with the hubby or a stylish outfit to wear to church.

Skirts

I have numerous maxi skirts and quite a few of them have some sort of floral print. I keep telling myself I need to get a few skirts that are just solid colors, but I am always drawn to prints. Both of these skirts are really good in any season. The one on the left is fully lined and the one on the right is LuLaRoe and a medium weight knit, so no need for a slip.

Pants

You can see how I styled these ankle pants on my Instagram post here. I need to think of some other ways to wear these. What would you do with them?

Bags

If you have been following me for a while, you know I love to style an outfit around a bag. The top one is a thrift find and the bottom one is Vera Bradley. I love the color combinations for both of these bags. Do you have a floral print bag?

Shoes

These are the only floral shoes I have, but I would love to get a pair of Keds x Rifle Paper Co sneakers. They have the cutest floral designs. I’ll include a few in the shopping links.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at some of my summer floral pieces. Florals aren’t for everyone, but everyone could certainly wear them. They come in all manner of colors, and sizes, and vary from realistic to abstract. Floral patterns are an easy way to jazz up an outfit and get inspiration for assembling an outfit right from your own closet.

I’m including a few shopping links for all things floral. I hope you enjoy shopping. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Have a lovely weekend. Stay safe and stay healthy.

Kickin' It with Kimonos - Multi-color

Welcome to my Kickin' It with Kimonos series. If you didn’t see the first post last week, be sure to click on the Gray and White Plaid to see how I styled a unique two toned outfit perfect for a summer work look, or a trip to the mall. In this series I am taking a look at a few of the unique, fun kimonos that reside in my closet. While last week’s post featured a more traditional shaped kimono, this week’s piece is truly a ruana, not a kimono. What is the difference? A kimono has a T shape, featuring a more columnar body and sleeves, while a ruana is merely a long, rectangular shaped fabric with an opening in the front and at the sides. Many times ruanas do not have sleeves, but merely hang over your shoulders and arms. Today’s piece is stitched at the sides, creating a type of wide, open sleeve.

I’ve styled this fun, festive ruana on the blog several others times. You can see it styled with blue and red, and also with red and green. It was a treasure find at DSW on the clearance rack, and is Do Everything in Love brand. This is a great name for a clothing brand, because every time you look at the tag it is a reminder to keep our opinions and our emotions in check and to be kind and show love at all times.

I do not wear shorts. I know lots of bloggers talk about body positivity and I think that is a great attitude to have, but there is also the reality of what each of us is comfortable showing off to the general public. In this picture I have on nude support hose. They help keep my legs looking a more uniform color and texture. One of these days I will show you the real me, but for now, if you struggle with varicose veins, I completely understand, especially if they aren’t merely spider veins. Mine are the bulbous, black and blue type. Maybe one day, I won’t care any more, but for now, this is me.

I chose to don shorts in an effort to show you other ways of styling pieces that most people would wear during the hotter, summer months. These are Sonoma brand from Kohl’s and are more of a Bermuda length, which I like. No more hot pants for this girl. Ha, ha. This was a photo from high school, taken with my friend Donna. I’m the one with dark hair and glasses, if you couldn’t tell. Those were definitely short, shorts! Aren’t old pictures fun?

My thrifted Marvel tee was the perfect piece to pair with this ruana. I love the bright colors and while it is cropped, with these higher waisted shorts I didn’t need to worry about my belly showing.

You can also see in the above picture the bright yellow beads I selected to go with the outfit. I didn’t need any jewelry, because there is so much already going on in this outfit. There are times, I just like to embellish, because it is fun.

I went for a larger bag having in mind this would be a good outfit for a day of shopping with a girlfriend. This is my thrifted Simply Vera bag.

My Keds navy and white sneakers seemed to be the perfect choice for this casual summer outfit.

As always, I love to give you a few happy pictures.

In addition, I couldn’t wear a Marvel shirt and not pretend to be a super hero. Ha, ha.

Do you have a bright colored ruana or kimono like this one? Do you like to wear bright colors like this, or are you more a fan of more subdued neutrals and pastels? I hope you enjoyed this post and seeing an old picture from my past.

Thursday, I hope to look at a few of the summer trends. I know summer is half over with, but I am sure we have plenty of warm days left, even well into the fall, and as I have told you before, I don’t worry so much about being trendy when the trends are trending, ha, ha, but just choose what I like and decide when I want to wear it.

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

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Actual Amy - Olive Pants, Graphic Tee and Cropped Denim Jacket

Hi everyone. I wanted to get back to doing my monthly Thursday columns. Every Thursday of the month I have a different column or fashion idea I will be talking about. I will show you outfits that revolve around the theme. Today’s column is called Actual Amy. This is the column where I will talk about outfits, I personally like to wear. We all have our own style. For some women it is classic, for others it is bohemian, and still others have a more eclectic style pulling pieces from all sorts of styles and making them their own. Here is a fun article, 33 Types of Fashion Styles…

I would say I am a little bit eclectic in my style. I like numerous styles and putting them together can be fun. I’m a little bit, Tomboy, Bohemian and Grunge. I also veer towards Casual, Military and possibly Garconne, which seems to be a masculine inspired type of fashion. What kind of style do you like? Do you stick to mainly one style, or do you like to blend multiple different styles? Be sure to leave me your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this post.

These Merona pants were a thrift store find. They are a bit like utility pants with the squared off pockets both on the front and right leg. They are a little tighter than I would like since gaining a few pounds, but I am hanging on to them for the time being.

I like the look of olive with gray, so I chose my thrifted Paris tee. This is a fun graphic and it is so comfortable and cool on these hot summer days.

This distressed, cropped Rue 21 denim jacket is still one of my favorite thrift finds. It just goes with so many outfits. The cropped style has appeal because it doesn’t overwhelm an outfit, like a regular denim jacket might. I have numerous denim jackets and I love them all; just like I love my jeans.

My younger daughter gave me this pretty rose gold locket for Mother’s Day. Rose gold is a lovely hue for jewelry and a change from the typical gold, silver or copper colors. I added this mixed metals bracelet just to jazz things up a bit. I like to wear bracelets when I have a top on with 3/4 length sleeves or shorter.

I found this olive bag when I was digging through some stuff. Once again, I get these thrift finds, I stuff them away and then I forget about them. Ha, ha. Oh, well. It is like discovering something new when they resurface. This is Fossil brand. It is soft and roomy, and can be used as a crossbody bag, so I think this bag and I will be becoming fast friends.

I decided to wear my flat, black gladiator sandals. I like how the black in the tee and the black of the sandals balance the outfit. These are perfect for outfits where you don’t have to spend hours and hours walking, and still want to look summery.

What do you think of this outfit? What style type is your style type? I’d love to hear your thoughts so leave me a comment or two. I try to respond to all of your comments as quickly as possible, but once in a while I get behind and I apologize for that. I always love to hear what you are thinking.

I’ve included a few shopping links for you to look at. I hope you are doing well, staying safe and healthy, but also finding ways to enjoy life. Thanks for following along on the blog. These are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

KIckin' It with Kimonos - Gray and White Plaid

Today, I am beginning a series on wearing kimonos. My kimono collection has grown in size and I really love how they can dress up an outfit and give it a whole different feel and look. The kimono has been around for hundreds of years and were, at one point in time, the traditional garb in Japanese cultures. Today most instances of kimono wear in Japan are for more formal occasions and typically worn by older people as a way to honor others at funerals and weddings. They are also used for cultural festivals and plays.

In the fashion world the pieces we refer to as kimono are only similar to their predecessors in the cut of the fabric. While traditionally the kimono was made of specific types of fabric such as hemp or for more formal occasions, silk, today the kimono is found in all fabrics and sizes. The word itself has come to embrace a much broader meaning and type of piece than what it was traditionally. Now anything we thrown on over a top that is long, flowy and has sleeves we refer to as a kimono, even though some of these pieces are actually more specifically called ponchos, capes, and ruanas.

Today’s look revolves around a kimono I found at Kohl’s online in the clearance section. I didn’t have anything that was plaid, as far as a kimono goes, so I thought it would be a fun addition to my collection.

This piece is shaped more like a traditional kimono, coming down to my knees and sewn in a t-shape with the side seems and attached sleeves. This Apt. 9 kimono is light weight and a bit see through, which is no problem since I am wearing it over other things.

I wanted to keep the look more monochrome, yet when searching for a top to wear, I knew this Wonder Woman tee would be perfect. I found this tee a few years ago when the movie came out and I just love the message. I love words, as you no doubt know since I am a writer, but I like when the words that are being displayed, either on our walls at home, or on our clothing, mean something significant.

You can see the small, red, Wonder Woman insignia at the bottom of the list of words. I pulled out that color by choosing a few red accessories. My necklace and bracelet are both just simple chains of beads. My structured bag was a recent thrift store find. I like the color and the texture and thought it will be a great bag for fall, but why not use it in the summer too?

You’ve seen these Christopher and Banks, pull on, white ankle pants numerous times on the blog. They are a staple in my closet for summer outfits where I want white pants.

I wore my Saucony, gray and white sneakers to complete this casual look.

So what do you think of this outfit? Frankly, right now, with as hot as it has been I have been wearing as few layers as possible. Ha, ha. However, a kimono is a great way to add a layer for those air conditioned places, that we all are not supposed to go to right now! Eye, yie, yie.

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

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Summer Outfit - Faux Lace Dress - Dressy

This week my summer outfit piece is a dress I bought at Kohl’s a while back on the clearance rack. I’ve had it hanging in my closet for a couple of years, I’d say, and it was time to either wear it or get rid of it. I hadn’t even taken the tags off. I’m sort of silly that way. Do you ever buy things and then they hang in your closet and you forget you even had them? I think I get into that dilemma, when I buy things on clearance at the end of a season, then I put them away, because a new season has started and I forget all about them until they are unearthed like some sort of ancient treasure.

This AB Studio dress is really nothing more than a fancy t-shirt dress with a lace pattern on it. It has a zippered back, but I can easily slip it over my head without even undoing the zipper. The other lovely thing about this dress is that it has deep side pockets which aren’t visible at all. I typically would not wear a dress this short, but I thought I would push myself outside my own box. Originally, I thought the dress would be cute with leggings and boots in the colder months. I need to try that too. I decided to wear black hose to cover my veiny legs and to give the outfit a leaner, longer look.

I chose a few pieces of jewelry that I wore to my oldest daughter’s wedding a few years ago. I also used my blingy, silver clutch to make the outfit look more dressy.

I thought my black Clark peep toe shoeties finished out the outfit perfectly, though you could have done black heeled sandals or even a heeled ankle boot.

My post wouldn’t be complete without a silly picture of me. I hope these bring a smile to your faces, because we all need things to keep us smiling these days. In reality, I was trying to adjust my glasses which tend, not only to slide down my nose, but also to be lower on one side than the other. Ha, ha. However, I think this is my stereotypical “librarian” face. Now, we all know that most librarians are very friendly and helpful, but for some reason all the old movies and shows always made them out to be older women with an attitude.

What length of dress do you like to wear? Do you like t-shirt dresses? I love to hear your thoughts.

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

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Summer Outfit - Geometric Maxi Dress - Casual

Tuesday you saw this dress with a pretty, flowy, pink shrug, heeled sandals and gold accessories. Any maxi dress can be dressed up or dressed down. I did a series called Marvelous Maxis, a few summers ago using some of the other maxi dresses in my closet. I tried to think outside the box when it came to styling them. You can see how I styled a plain, black tank dress, that I would typically think of wearing to the beach for a snazzy night on the town. You can also see how I added a dark wash chambray shirt to this multi-print maxi to make it look more casual. Here is one more, a multi print one that I finally let go, styled both casual and dressy. I had to let it go, due to weight gain and I really didn’t like the way the horizontal lines fell. If you are not going to wear it, let it go!

Today’s casual take on the geometric dress from Tuesday is right up my alley. I love the way this all came together and taking this from dressy to casual was so easy.

In case you missed Tuesday’s more dressy post, this geometric maxi dress is Calvin Klein brand and the top part is a simple black tank. All I did to dress it down, was swap out the flowy, pink shrug and add a cute, thrifted, black and white Disney graphic tee. The tank part of the dress and the tee are both light weight enough that combining the two, doesn’t make the outfit seem any warmer. I did the side tie, to make the tee less boxy.

To make the outfit more casual and give it the added summer vibe, I chose a straw bag and a straw sun hat.

Instead of my wedge heeled sandals, I wore a pair of black flat cage sandals. Flat shoes to me, typically seems more casual than heels.

Here are some silly pictures as I tried to mimic Michael Jackson. Ha, ha.

Here are the two outfits side by side. Which one do you like better? Have you every thrown a tee shirt over a maxi dress to give it a different look? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

i hope you enjoyed this week’s summer style feature. You can do this with any maxi dress you have just by changing up your accessories and adding a fancy shrug or a graphic tee.

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

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Summer Outfit - Geometric Maxi Dress - Dressy

Today’s outfit revolves around a maxi dress my mother-in-law passed along to me. She had bought it for herself, but then didn’t really like it as well as she thought. When she showed it to me, and asked if I wanted it, I said sure. I actually wasn’t sure how to style it, or rather, didn’t give it a lot of thought since I haven’t been reaching for my maxi dresses all that often. If it was just me and my hubby and I wasn’t hanging out with a nine year old, I might wear one more frequently, as they are comfortable and a fun way to dress for summer. However, when I started thinking about featuring a few summer outfits for the blog, I wanted to show off this fun maxi dress.

The dress is Calvin Klein brand and features a tank style top attached at the waist to an a-line style skirt featuring a geometric pattern of rectangles and squares. The bottom is fully lined. Macy’s carries a broad line of dresses with all lengths and styles. I’ll include a few shopping links below.

The pink shrug doesn’t match the pink in the dress, but I felt like it worked. This shrug is a thrifted Forever 21 piece. It is sheer and flowy, making it the perfect way to dress up and outfit.

Gold accessories just seem to take the outfit up another notch. My thrifted gold necklace and clutch go with the gold beads and baubles on my wrist.

I do get rather silly when we are taking pictures, especially when we are in a place where other people are around. I already feel silly getting my picture taken, but then if there are people walking by, I feel even sillier. Ha, ha. Anyway, sometimes, my daughter catches me in my shenanigans. I felt like I was up against the firing squad wall. This is another spot at the Toledo Botanical Gardens.

By the time this is posted I will have gotten a much needed hair cut. My ends are looking terrible and I need to get some of the length taken off. Have you been to the hair dresser recently? I know for a lot of people that was one of the first things they did after things started opening back up a bit.

These are a different pair of black wedge sandals, also thrifted, but a brand called Connie.

What did you think of this outfit? Do you like to wear maxi dresses? They are an easy piece to wear and create a whole outfit with only one piece and a few accessories.

I’ve included some shopping links for you to look at. These are affiliate links. If you click on a link, I get a a few cents. All your clicks are appreciated since blogging is a hobby for me, I don’t make money, but it is nice to get a few dollars here and there. All opinions are my own.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Summer Outfit - Leopard Print Skirt - Casual

Hi everyone. How are you doing? I just finished reading an article written by a woman whose whole family contracted COVID. They are all struggling through it. Her husband was in the hospital, but now is home. Both of her kids got it, but they are slowly progressing. She has it as well, but is managing at home with oxygen. I also read another article this morning that yesterday was the highest recorded day of new cases in the US since April. It is very disheartening and discouraging, but it is, what it is. Don’t stop taking precautions. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Okay, enough on that, now time for an outfit.

Tuesday I showed you my thrifted leopard print skirt in a more dressy, work wear friendly style. Today, I am showing off that same skirt, but with a more fun, casual flair.

If you didn’t read the last post, this thrifted skirt is a brand called Who, What, Wear. It is a very light weight material, but it did seem to get full of static when I put it on. I am going to have to see if washing it with fabric softener makes any difference, plus I dried it on the line, since I don’t have a dryer at the moment. As long as the weather is good, I like to hang clothes out in the warmer weather anyway, so I decided I wanted to get the dish washer, which we just replaced last month, paid off, before we purchase a new dryer. The joys of real life. Ha, ha.

I kept the same off white thrifted St. John’s Bay tank top, but swapped out the black polka dot blazer for my thrifted Rue 21 cropped denim jacket. This is one of my favorite thrifted pieces. It is so versatile and I pair it with everything. The fact that it is cropped with 3/4 length sleeves makes it the perfect piece for summer outfits, when you don’t really need a full blown jacket.

I changed my accessories to reflect a more casual vibe. Sometimes it is fun to wear multiple necklaces together, so I wore a gold and cream beaded choker with a longer gold charm pendant necklace.

I chose my thrifted yellow, Elle tote bag because I like the way it went with the skirt and I thought it added another dimension of texture and interest to the outfit.

My Mossimo sneakers were also a thrift find. One of the Goodwill stores I go to has multiple new items from Target. They must be items that are discontinued, but they are brand new with the labels still on. How fun is that! These are not sneakers I would wear for a long day on my feet, but I thought they were fun for occasional wear and for the blog.

What do you think of this casual interpretation for this skirt? Do you think it works? Would you wear a skirt in this way. Leave me your thoughts in the comments. I love to hear your ideas and thoughts.

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

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

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe!

Summer Outfit - Leopard Print Skirt - Dressy

I decided after finishing up my Pantone series, to do a few weeks of summer outfits, using pieces from my closet and showing how to wear them two ways; a dressed up version and a more casual version. Today’s summer piece is a thrifted leopard print, asymmetrical skirt that I scored at a Goodwill back before the pandemic ever hit. This is a Who, What Wear piece, which is typically found at Target.

These photos were taken at the beautiful Botanical Gardens here in Toledo, which are very close by. I tend to forget they are there, which is ridiculous, because they are so nice for walking, taking pictures, clearing your head and they even have a huge playground, which is now reopened. I may have to get my grandson over there on a day when it is not too hot.

Here you can see up close the uneven hem of the skirt. The skirt is very light weight, but unfortunately when I put it on, it became full of static. I ended up putting a slip on, which helped a little bit, but static was still an issue. I guess I need to add fabric softener next time I wash it.

Here is a better view of the skirt from the front.

For more of a dressed up work look, I added my polka dot Black Label -Evan Picone blazer. I have styled this on the blog before. You can see me wearing it with a burgundy tunic dress, a blue maxi dress, and a scarf print blouse. Because I knew we were going to be taking pictures at a location that might not have their bathrooms open yet, I decided to make my changes from dressy to casual as simple as possible so I could just do it at the car. When I was completely done with one outfit my daughter and I would drive back to her house where I would change into the next outfit. Yes, we get creative. Ha ha.

The thrifted, off white, St. John’s Bay tank top, was an easy top to just throw different jackets over without any fuss or muss. You’ll see that in Thursday’s post.

I kept my accessories fairly simple since I had some print mixing going on. My necklace used to belong to my daughter, and when she didn’t want it any more, I grabbed it. I like the ribbons and dangling beads. It makes for a unique piece. I opted for a simple wood bracelet and a off white clutch type cloth bag.

These Kenneth Cole - Reaction - black wedge sandals were also a thrift find and I have used them on the blog before. You can see them worn with two outfits styled around a bag. and an outfit with shorts.

Do you own a leopard print skirt? Is it one you could wear in the summer. I have two other leopard print pencil skirts. One is corduroy and great for cold weather and the other is a more medium weight, so could be worn in any season.

Did you like this outfit? Be sure to check back on Thursday to see how I used this same skirt and tank for a completely casual look.

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

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Pantone Spring/Summer 2020 - Recap

I hope you have enjoyed this Pantone color series. Today I just want to show you a recap where you can see all the outfits in one post. Here we go.

New York Palette

Classic Blue, Chive and Navy Blazer

Faded Denim, Orange Peel and Lark

Sunlight, Flame Scarlet and Ash

Biscay Green, Saffron and Brilliant White

Mosaic Blue, Coral Pink and Brilliant White

Cinnamon Stick, Grape Compote and Navy Blazer

London Palette

Classic Blue, Beetroot Purple and Oyster Mushroom

Flame Orange, Blossom and Cuban Sand

Yellow Iris, Rose Brown and Cuban Sand

Storm, Fiery Red and Blueberry

Blush Beauty, Bossa Nova and Blanc de Blanc

Tanager Turquoise, Heritage Blue and Blanc de Blanc

Which color palette was your favorite? Which outfit did you like the best? I would love to hear your thoughts. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. We will be celebrating Father’s Day with our kids on different days, since schedules wouldn’t allow for everyone getting together. God bless each of you with peace and joy.

All graphics and London color palette photos by Rebecca Trumbull.