Between the Lines: Week 2 and My Casual Vibe

April 26, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Women's Fashion, Casual dressing

Be sure to read to the bottom of this post for week two of the Between the Lines Series on women bloggers over 50.

Over the weekend I packed up a bunch of bags and headed down to my daughter's apartment to do a quickie photo shoot. I stopped at my younger daughter's first to get my make up done, then drove another 25 minutes to connect up with the other daughter. This was the outfit I wore that day, as we were going to go to lunch and a movie after the shoot.

Photo Credit Rebecca Trumbull, Make Up Rachel Christensen

I love my jeans. They are my go to for casual and even sometimes for dressy. These are Rock and Republic brand from Kohl's. They are now my faves. They are more expensive, by my thrift store spending standards, but they are worth it. The tee shirt is older and probably from Kohl's as well and so is the cardi. I like the fly away style of the cardi and it is the perfect weight for spring and summer. You can't see my necklace real well, but it is a long silver chain with a teal colored stone hanging on the end. Once again, I'm in my comfy, but sparkly Keds.

I wanted to show a dressier way to wear jeans, so I put this Vera Wang dress over the top. This was a last minute thought, so I would have dressed it up with other jewelry and maybe a pair of heels. I wore my sparkly thong sandals that I got last year. I also would have added a bag and maybe a shrug or scarf with white or purple to tie in with the flowers on the dress.

This was a last minute idea, so I'm not sure how I feel about it. What do you think? Jeans with a dress? Who knows maybe I'll start a new trend. I can remember when I was in elementary school my mother always wanted me to wear dresses to school, even through our Buffalo, NY winters. But, she would let me wear pants underneath to ride the bus or to go out for recess. You never know the pants with dress trend may come back. Ha, ha.

Shop A Similar Look:

Fly Away Cardi - J.Jill - $49.99

Jeans - Kohl's - $59.99

Tee - Talbots - $44.50

Pendant - Macy's - $32.00

Dress - Dressbarn - $49.50

Sneakers - Kohl's - $44.99

Sandals - Kohl's - $16.99

I hope you enjoyed my casual outfits. Click on the link below to see our next ten featured bloggers over 50.

I linked up with Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish and with Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb with High Latitude Style Top of the World Style Party and with Jo-Lynne at Fashion Friday.

Between the Lines - Stylin' Granny Mama

April 19, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Blogging, Layering, Spring Colors, Women's Fashion

Please read to the end of this post for a new series started by Katie at Katherine's Corners.com called Between the Lines.

Today's post is a typical day in the life of me. I work at a university bookstore as an assistant manager. The way we are able to dress for this job is anything from fancy to casual. I usually go for dressy casual as my job not only involves computer work and scheduling, but book slamming as well. Book slamming is the term I made up for unboxing and shelving textbooks. If you have any experience with textbooks you know they are often heavy and come in boxes sometimes covered in dirt and grease.

On this particular day I opted for a chambray shirt as a jacket worn open over a monochrome peach echo top and pants. The top is a shade lighter than the pants, but it still works. The scarf I purchased from The Jacket Society. All of their items are made right here in the USA. Be sure to check out their site. I bought two of their scarves and they are just beautiful.

My pictures on my cheapy flip phone do not do justice to the intricate beauty of this simple scarf. The open weave and the subtle silver threads give it a shimmery appearance. I can't wait to wear it with other summer outfits.

I finished off my work outfit with my comfy gray Keds with silver bling. A perfect match with my shimmery scarf. Below you can shop some similar styles.

Shop the Look

Chambray Shirt - Kohl's - $19.99

Peach Tee - Kohl's - $8.99, Nordstrom - $26.00

Peach Echo Pants - Christopher and Banks - $59.95

Scarf - The Jacket Society - $19.00

Gray Sneakers - Kohl's - $49.99

This week in addition to my regular fashion post I wanted to introduce you to a ten week series started by Katie at Katherine's Corner.com. The series titled, Between the Lines will be featured every Tuesday and centers on bloggers over 50. Being over 50 and starting a blog has been challenging. Technology has never been easy for me. I much more enjoy the written word on a paper page than a digital image on a computer screen. However, I think learning and adapting are very important characteristics to have, especially as we age. How many times have we heard the phrase, "They are so set in their ways!" Well, I don't want to be accused of that, so I thought that blogging would not only be a way to learn and grow, but to force me to write more and dabble with the world of fashion. In addition to that I wanted to be a source of encouragement and inspiration to women of all ages. I hope you will join us and visit the bloggers that are featured each week. You might find a few you want to follow on a regular basis. If you do, just hit their subscribe button and you'll get emails every time they feature a new post. I'm very thankful to Katie for all her hard work putting this together! Just click on the image below to see this week's featured bloggers.

Today I also linked up with Jess from Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for Turning Heads Tuesday. Friday I linked up with Jo-Lynne Shane and Jennie from A Pocket Full of Polka Dots.

Spring Colors: Lilac Gray and Peach Echo

April 12, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Layering, Spring Colors, Women's Fashion

This is the final installment in my Spring Color series using the Pantone 2016 Spring color palette. I decided to get brave and do a bit of pattern mixing with this outfit. The open front cardigan is black with a lilac gray pattern. Seeing as I got this at a thrift store, I was excited that it had that color and matched the Pantone Lilac Gray perfectly.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Trumbull, Makeup by Rachel Christensen

The sleeveless blouse I got two years ago at J.C. Penney. The peach echo elephants are outlined with a lilac gray, bringing the two pieces together. The lilac gray bag, also from Penney's shines with gold chain on the handles, which also matches the gold buttons on the blouse.

I added a pair of black leggings, an orange/peach long necklace which I looped twice to make it shorter, and a pair of gray swede booties from the clearance rack at DSW.

The outfit is comfy, casual but dressy and the layers are light, making it a great combination for a spring day or a summer evening. It also might look great with a belt around the cardi and the blouse accentuating the waist for a different look.

Shop the Look (similar pieces):

Printed Open Front Cardi - Kohl's -$49.00; Macy's - $44.99

Blouse - Kohl's - $24.99; Chico's - $65.00

Black Leggings - Kohl's - $38.00

Gray Booties - DSW - $119.95; $49.95

Bag - J.C.Penney - $59.40; Kohl's - $39.99

Necklace - Impressions Online Boutique - $24.00; Chico's - $49.00

Seeing as I am still new to this blogging game, I want to apologize if my selections do not do justice to the original outfit. Many of my clothes are bought from thrift stores and I try to find pieces that will give you the same look even though they are different. Also, I encourage you to find inspiration in my outfits, rather than copying a specific look. If you have certain stores you like to shop at, peruse their racks and online sights for similar items. Instead of a printed open front cardi, maybe you find a solid steel gray button up cardi that you love. The point is to find your fashion "real" look. That look that makes you feel confident and special. I am here to give you ideas, to inspire you to be beautiful and unique, not make you a carbon copy of me. Please don't do that, one of me is enough! Ha, ha.

Next week will be little different as my photographer/daughter is not always available to take my pics, so you might be getting a little lower quality photos, but my goal is the same, to encourage you to feel and dress like the actual woman you are. Until next time!

Today I am linking up with Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for Turning Heads Tuesday.

All Photos by Rebecca Trumbull, Makeup by Rachel Christensen

Spring Colors: Fiesta Red, Limpet Shell and Iced Coffee

April 05, 2016 by Amy Christensen in Dressing After 50, Layering, organization, Spring Colors, Women's Fashion

Today's outfit combines the sass of Fiesta along with the beachy vibe of Limpet Shell. Add to the mix a cup of Iced Coffee and we are ready for a lunch date with girlfriends or and evening out with the hubby. Again, my outfit choices may not exactly match the Pantone colors, but colors are meant to give you ideas on how to mix and match outfits, so perfect matches are not necessary.

I don't wear a significant amount of red, but I really liked this top. It could be worn long or, as I did, it can be tied at the waist for a casual shorter look. Here is a possible substitute at Kohl's.

You can see below that I styled the outfit with ankle boots, a bag that could be used as a cross body or a clutch and a statement necklace that layered Limpet Shell, cream and Rose Quartz beads for an eye catching look.

I love the Limpet Shell cardigan which I bought on clearance at Kohl's. It will be a great sweater for spring and summer. Oh, by the way, that is my husband having a junior high photobombing moment from inside the door. He's silly! Click on the links below for similar pieces for this outfit. These are not the exact same pieces and colors and sizing will vary.

Shop the Look:

Blouse - Kohl's - $29.99

Palazzo Pants - Target - $19.99

Cardigan - Target - $19.99

Boots - DSW - $34.94

Clutch - Kohl's - $54.99

Necklace - Kohl's - $18.20

Closet Clean Out - Tip 6: Shoes and Bags

The final installment in our closet clean out series has to do with corralling our shoes and bags. I know some of you out there have a strong psychological draw to purses and shoes. Would you call it an addiction? I have a shopping problem, but not as much for shoes and purses. That doesn't mean I don't have my share of shoes and bags. It is rather silly. I mean how many bags do we need to carry at one time, or are you really going to spend the time switching out purses every time you want a different look? I know women do. As far as shoes, well, how many feet do you have? Last time I looked I had two! Still, we are women and we have lots of shoes and bags, so the following are a few suggestions for organizing those items.

This is a nifty little bin and it holds plenty of pairs of shoes. This one has a number of my summer sandals, flip flops and sneakers. No, it doesn't look pretty, but it keeps them off the floor. These from Walmart are similar. The picture below shows what the bins look like stacked in my closet. Sorry for the poor phone photography!

There are also shoe boxes that can be bought at the store. I'm cheap so I use this:

These aren't as pretty and you can't see what's inside, but I really only use these for the shoes that are not part of the current season. I just stack them on top of each other in my closet. Often, I can get more than one pair of shoes in a box. Now boots are a different issue and right now I don't have a plan....maybe more on that next fall!

As for my bags and purses, most of them lay flat in my closet, but I don't have anything real expensive. If you are a Coach purse kind of girl, you'll need a better way of storing your bags to keep them in pristine condition. Here is an idea I thought of today.

A simple over the door hook can solve some of those bag storage problems. This would be good for bags you are currently using. Here are several possibilities from Walmart: multiple hooks and individual hooks.

There are so many ways to organize and store things. I hope that you enjoyed my Closet Clean Out tips and I would love to hear how you might have been inspired to organize and clean your closet. Let me know your stories and ideas in the comments section below.

Have a great day and keep stylin'!

Today I linked up with Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish.