Winter Wonderland - Week 4

After numerous days of Christmas celebrating, food, presents and visiting with family it is good to be home and ready to start a new year. For the final installment of my Winter Wonderland series, I chose to style a skirt you have seen before in this Piece Perfect post from August. Pleated skirts add a classy vibe to any outfit. Once again I am showing you a casual day to a more dressy night look.

For this casual version I wore a tunic length cowl neck blush colored sweater paired with a brown tweed jacket. I really like the boho meets classic vibe of this whole outfit. The mid calf boots and brown velvet hobo bag add a slouchy sort of charm to the look.

The only jewelry I wore was this simple bead and fringe necklace. Here you can also see some of the detail on the jacket. The tweed has tiny pink spots on it and the piping around the pockets and along the collar and down the front is a blush color as well. It went perfectly with the sweater. 

To change the outfit to fit a more night time date look, I switched out the tweed jacket for a dark gray fly away vest with clear sequins. I swapped my boho bag and boots for gray heels and a gray sparkly clutch.

I changed necklaces too as you can see. I liked the brown color with the burgundy skirt so I opted for a mixed strand of brownish coppery beads linked to a gray chain.

Here are the outfits side by side:

I think what I enjoy most about winter outfits is the fun you can have with textures. Sweaters, jackets, boots, bags, even jewelry have some sort of texture. Combining the smooth, sleek look of the pleated skirt with the soft bulky look of the sweater adds another dimension to the outfit.

Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed the Winter Wonderland series. You can see all the posts in the series by clicking on the older posts arrow below. 

Have a safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2017!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping Options:

Pleated skirt - JC Penney - $24.99

Cowl neck sweater - Dillards - $59.50

Tweed jacket - Lord & Taylor - $74.50 (there are lots of options on ebay and poshmark)

Long vest - Sears - $44.99

Mid calf boots - Kohl's - $69.99

Textured pumps - DSW - $54.95

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. Friday linking up with Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots, and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style.  Saturday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. 

Color Crash Course - Christmas Colors

For as long as I can remember we have associated red and green with Christmas. It probably has something to do with holly, poinsettias, and other traditions passed down through the years. Here is a good website to learn about Christmas traditions, whychristmas.com. Of course I had to take the challenge of coming up with an outfit or two that uses these wonderful colors without looking like a walking version of an ugly Christmas sweater. Here we go.

In the first outfit, I chose to use more green with just a hint of red and a large splash of gold.

For this outfit I wore a green turtleneck sweater. To tone down the "too Christmassy" look, I only used red for my jewelry. I wore gray leggings with my gray ankle boots to elongate my legs, then topped the whole outfit with this gold fringed cape that I got from Chico's. 

Here you can see the necklace and bracelet I chose to bring red into the outfit. The jewelry is not overwhelmingly red, just a few beads here and there mixed in with gold and tan.

Here is a great shot of the fringe on this fun cape. I look a little crazy in this picture. Ha, ha. 

For my next outfit, I decided to use the red for the brighter color and tone down the green.

Again, I wore leggings, this time a blue pair. I kept this outfit even more casual figuring it would be perfect for a Christmas day spent at home. I left the blue and red flannel shirt untucked to give the outfit a very laid back vibe. Instead of a bright Christmas green I opted for an olive colored sweater and an olive necklace.

Can't have casual without a fun pair of sneakers, so it was the navy Keds for this outfit.

Here you have the two outfits side by side.

And just for the sake of being a proud mama, I am including three more pics that I thought were very cool, that my daughter took. 

Let me know what you think of these casual Christmas Day outfits. I always love your feedback.

Next week I will be celebrating with family and will not be posting on Monday and Tuesday. I will finish up this Winter Wonderland series on Thursday the 29th. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. 

Thanks for following my blog!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. 

Shopping Options:

Chicos no longer has this cape, but here is a cute poncho option - Chico's - $59.40

Green Turtleneck - Macy's - $14.99

Red Plaid Shirt - LLBean - $59.00

Olive Duster - Maurice's - $26.40

Winter Wonderland - Week 3

Here we are less than a week away from Christmas! What????? I cannot believe how fast time flies by. When I was playing with my grandson today, I spent a few moments just looking at his cute little face (something we grandmas like to do) and I wondered what happened to that little tiny burrito that I held in my arms six years ago! Time keeps its own pace and doesn't ask how we feel about it, even if we would like it to slow down a little.

This week's day to night outfit revolves around a faux leather pencil skirt. Once again, I reached for the burgundy color to pair with my grays. I just love how these two colors work with one another, almost like a lovely dance with the burgundy confidently taking the lead and the gray coming along for the ride.

For my day look, I chose to style an outfit for work. The look is still casual, but more professional. This would also be a great look for a lunch get together with the hubby or the girlfriends.

Wearing a light gray tunic sweater I wanted to add a little more color by my face so I chose this oblong, multi colored scarf. I love the way the scarf draws in the burgundy of the skirt.

Here is a closer look at the scarf. Try to imagine the look without the scarf and I feel I would be a bit washed out, but adding the scarf and my Mary Kay Mystic Plum lip color adds a wow factor. This close up of the scarf shows you the lovely purple and burgundy tones. I added a brooch to hold the scarf together. A shout out to Jodie of Jodie's Touch of Style for motivating me to get reacquainted with pins and brooches. Another way to add some bling to our outfits.

I added a dark gray clutch that can be used as shoulder bag. It has a chain for a strap so I wouldn't put anything real heavy in it. To keep the look more casual, I wore my gray suede wedge heel ankle boots. 

To transform the look into more of a night time go out on a date look I swapped out the scarf for a chiffon kimono and gold layered necklace. 

Instead of the gray clutch I carried a gold woven one to go with the gold necklace. I also swapped out my casual gray ankle boots for a low heeled black pump.

Here is a back view of the kimono. It has a bit of a hi lo hemline and while for this outfit I wore it more as a jacket, I could see pairing with a belt and leggings for more of a tunic look.....oooo good idea for another post. I really need to write these ideas down when I get inspired or I will forget! 

After my daughter had loaded these pics onto her computer she said she wasn't real happy with our back drop because of the busyness. Now I see what she meant. Too many leaves and branches and lights. Ha, ha. But she's the professional. I still think it looks pretty. 

So here are my two outfits side by side. 

Let me know what you this of these outfits. Do you think the look transitions from day to night? What would you have done differently? I love to hear your comments, because I don't know everything and fashion has so many aspects to it that I don't even think of. So don't be afraid to leave a comment. I appreciate the input. I do respond to all comments and you can just check back on the post later to see what I've said.

Shopping the look:

Faux leather skirt (black - other choices in burgundy available on ebay, etsy, etc.) - Macy's - $59.50

Gray tunic sweater (many sizes in light gray sold out - this is another option) - Macy's - $41.99

Kimono - Essential Apparel - $28.80

Ankle Boots - DSW - $49.95

Clutch - Charming Charlie - $29.00

Necklace - Charming Charlie - $18.00

Monday linking up with Michelle of Michelle's Pa(i)ge and Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb.

Beautiful Blogger Bests - Leopard Print with Maroon/Burgundy

This month the Beautiful Blogger I am sharing is Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots. Jennie is an amazing fashion blogger. I love her sense of style and the fact that she is not afraid to try different looks. Jennie does everything from casual to dressy, boho to edgy. Check out Jennie's About page to learn more about this actual woman, wife, mother to four sons and full time administrative assistant (how does she do it all?). 

If you click on this link Shhh! It's Secret Celebrity, it will take you to the post outfit that I derived my inspiration from. While Jennie was specifically showing off the shoes that were gifted to her from Camtrade Footwear, I just loved the outfit she put together. The mixing of the leopard print sweater with the maroon lace top, the black jeans and the maroon shoes simply called out to me to give it a try. 

Let me preface this by saying, I never knew there were so many variations on the colors we refer to as maroon or burgundy. If you look at Jennie's top in her post, I would say it is more of a maroon, as maroon has more of a purple undertone. In my post I think my top is more red, so I would probably say it is more of a burgundy. Ha, ha. Once again, you can call it whatever you want. 

Here is my outfit. My leopard print cardigan is a button up with 3/4 length sleeves. With the single digit temps we are having here in the Midwest, I will generally wear long sleeves with layers underneath. I might save this sweater for when it warms up again, or wear a long sleeve top underneath and let the longer sleeves show. This is an older pair of black ankle jeans.

Would you say I am doing some print mixing? The pattern on the lace top and the print on the sweater are definitely mixing it up! Print mixing doesn't always have to be pairing different colored prints together. It can also be pairing different textures and patterns together. Why does this work? I think it is due to the fact that the top is one solid color. Try imagining it with a leopard print blouse under a lacy solid color jacket. It still works. I think the black trim on the top also helps pull the two pieces together with the black trim on the cardi. 

In Jennie's post she wears a gold necklace. Gold looks great with both the leopard print and the maroon/burgundy top. 

Here are those shoes again! They just seem to keep popping up in my posts! Ha, ha. I never knew when I tried them on at the thrift store that they were going to be so versatile.

I love the inspiration I receive from following other bloggers. Not only do they inspire me to try new things, but they inspire me to share ideas with you. I hope you will check out Jennie's blog and give her some love! 

Thanks for following along today. I hope you have a great weekend! 

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Shop the Look:

Leopard print cardigan - Target - $13.79

Maroon/burgundy lace top - JC Penney - $14.99

Black ankle pants - Macy's - $23.99

Shoes - DSW - $44.99 or DSW - $49.95

Winter Wonderland - Week 2

This series for the month of December focuses on taking a more casual day time outfit and making it more party ready. Last week my efforts focused on a pair of jeans and a graphic sweatshirt. This week I take the casual day time look up a notch picking pieces I would be more likely to wear to work.

Here I am featuring a piece in the line of the berry or wine color again. Last week it was my shoes and two different jackets. You can see that post here. I love this color paired with gray. I topped the dress pants with a thin long sleeved cowl neck sweater. Over that I layered a holiday sweater that I got last year at Christopher and Banks. 

What drew me to this zip up cardigan was the design on the front. It looks like a winter city scape with pine trees and sparkles which represent the stars in the night sky. It doesn't have to be for Christmas and that is part of why I liked it. I can wear it all winter long.

I carried my berry colored fringe bag and wore a simple silver fringe necklace.  You can also see I kept the look more casual by leaving the cowl sweater untucked.

Here is a close up of the necklace and you can see a little of the detail on the sweater.

For shoes,  I chose my shiny Oxfords. I have worn these shoes to work on several occasions as they look nice, and are quite comfortable. 

To take this look from day to night I made only a few simple changes. First I changed shoes from the Oxford to the higher heeled black ankle boot. 

Sorry that my boots were looking a little less than spiffy! 

I removed the sweater and donned a brocade vest. When I looked at the pictures after my daughter had downloaded them for me, I realized how similar the color scheme was between the vest and sweater. When I first looked at the pictures I couldn't even tell that I had made a change. So maybe next time a different color vest would be better. I don't know, what do you think?

To add to the dressed up look, I accessorized with gold. The gold fringe necklace took the silver one's place and the gold woven bag added some shine to the outfit. In addition I added a front tuck and wore a thin belt with some gold detail. 

When I put these pieces together, I really liked the combination of colors. The gold adds rich detailing when combined with the wine colored pants and gray sweater. 

Once again, here are the outfits side by side. As you can see, just changing a few details can change the attitude of an outfit. The first outfit says, professional, but warm and comfy. The second outfit says festive and rich with textures and colors. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Have a great day!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull. 

Shopping the look:

Pants - Kohl's - $36.99 (skinny ponte pants)

Gray Cardigan - J.Jill - $49.99

Gray Cowl Neck Long Sleeve Tee - Kohl's - $17.99

Brocade vest - Etsy - $25.00

Black oxfords - DSW - $49.94

Black ankle boots - DSW - $59.95

Gold clutch - Charming Charlie - $22.00

Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Tania of 50 is not Old, Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Tif of Bright on a Budget,  and Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style. Saturday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb. 

Awesome Accessories - Boots

Do you ever have one of those days? Or weeks? Or months? Or years? Ha, ha. Where you just feel like, "i'm tired!" Or maybe even like giving up? You feel like you really aren't making a difference and all the work is not worth it! That is how I am feeling this week. Between my daughter's plumbing problems (which turned into two nights of water streaming into her closet), extra running back and forth, working extra hours and various other annoyances that I won't go into, like the fact that I typed this whole post once already and then it all disappeared! Don't you love technology? Ha, ha.

Oh well. Enough of my rant. Just being real here folks. Now onto my blog post.

Let's talk boots! Whether we are talking work boots, rain boots or fashion boots, boots have long had a place in our wardrobes. From farmers to construction workers, to officers in the military to fashionista's and fashion bloggers we all need or want to wear boots at some time or other. Winter is  prime boot season and today I just wanted to share a few of my favorite styles with you.  

These berry colored suede booties are one of my new favorites. Another thrift store find, I love the color, the texture, the height of the heel and added platform under the ball of the foot. They are very easy to walk in and versatile enough to wear with jeans, skirts, dresses, dress pants and leggings. 

This style and the ones following are what we would refer to as ankle boots. They fall just above the ankle and again are versatile enough to wear with many different clothing pieces. Ankle boots come in a variety of fabrics, patterns, and heel heights. They also zip, lace up or just pull on. They are a great staple for any wardrobe, especially for seasonal transition times like fall to winter.

I really like the wedge on this gray suede pair. It is just talk enough to say I have a heel, but super comfortable. I wear these to work and even out for a day of shopping.

This brown pair of boots is what I would call a mid-calf height. I like this height as I can still tuck my pants into them, but then I can also wear leg warmers which can add warmth, color and texture to the outfit. These are super comfy and I love the motorcycle vibe they give off.

The knee-high black boot is one I find myself wearing again and again. I actually have two pairs right now. These which are a typical riding boot and then I have a pair that have a low heel, for a little dressier look. Again, these are very comfy and can be worn in many different ways. 

The only other boot, I have yet to attain is an over-the-knee boot. Maybe for Christmas! If I do get a pair you will be sure to see them in January! 

I hope you enjoyed this post on boots. What height boot is your fave? Be sure to leave me some love in the comments section below or on Facebook. I appreciate your input and support.

Photo credits Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping for Boots:

Dress Bootie - Payless - $22.00 (also this - $25.00)

Wedge heel - Tom's - $69.90

Ankle boot - Steve Madden - $75.00

Mid-calf boot - Rogan's Shoes - $56.24

Riding boots - DSW - $69.95

Winter Wonderland - Week 1

As I begin writing this post, it is 9:30 at night. I usually get started a tiny bit sooner, but my younger daughter had an emergency, so my husband and I, after finishing our dinner out, drove over to her apartment to see if we could help. The cold water supply pipe to her water heater burst! By the time we got there, maintenance was on site vacuuming up gallons of water that had sprayed out in Niagara Falls type form in my daughter's bedroom closet. Obviously, in apartment living these sorts of disasters not only affect you, but your neighbors as well. While maintenance was doing their job of fixing and cleaning, I held the chinchilla who had been doused with cold water. I wrapped the fat little guy up in a blanket and he soon stopped shivering. After the two men left with their huge shop vac, I helped my daughter go through dresser drawers, bags and boxes that had become soaked in the flood. I cannot imagine what people who go through actual flooding feel. This was overwhelming enough!

All that said, it is time for the start of my Winter Wonderland series. When I stared thinking about this, I was envisioning snow as my backdrop, but all I got was gray and drab. A typical midwest winter! Ha, ha. So we did what we could for our photos.

The idea behind this series was to show some of the textures and styles that we often see in the winter months. This being December I also wanted to choose outfits that could be taken from day to night or work to celebrations with just a few minor changes. 

This day time look is all about casual and warm. Rock and Republic skinny jeans, black knee high boots and a black double breasted jacket look sharp and classic. 

To add some fun to my casual outfit, I wore a short sleeve gray tee with a light weight Beatles sweatshirt over top. I added a scarf with some silver threads and my maroon fringe bag. Voila!

Details of scarf.

Details of the bag. You are going to see this color come up again and again in this series. Whatever color you want to call it, burgundy, wine, maroon, it doesn't matter. I think is is a beautiful winter color, so I'll be working it!

In the above photo you get a better look at the jacket buttoned. This is not a jacket I would wear to be warm. It is more like a blazer than an actual coat. However when you layer pieces you can get away with wearing this for a coat. Especially if you are not going to be spending hours outside.

And here is a closer look at the boots. I wore a pair of leg warmers with them as well, just for extra warmth and texture.

For the night version of this casual outfit I swapped out the heavy dark jacket and threw on my faux velvet one. I changed from knee hight boots to maroon heeled booties and changed the fringe bag for one with a bit more shimmer. I was having problems with the heels on these shoes, not only sinking into the ground, but getting attached to leaves. Ha, ha.

Instead of the scarf I wore three silver necklaces, just to add some bling. It is amazing to me how just a little bling or shimmer can take an outfit from casual to dressy.

I was having a hard time standing with these shoes on this ground.....

I had this other longer jacket, so I threw in a picture of that as well. I just wanted to show you different ways you could style the same outfit.

Can you guess which of these three was my favorite? I'd love to hear your favorites in the comments section below.

Thanks for following along. Be sure to check back on Thursday when my Awesome Accessories column will take a look at boots.

Have a great Tuesday.

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping the looks:

Rock & Republic Jeans - Kohl's - $59.99 (on sale)

Double Breasted Blazer - Macy's - $64.99 (this one is velvet)

Beatles shirt - Fab Four Store - $34.99

Black Knee High Boots - DSW - $69.95

Scarf - Charming Charlie - $19.00

Velvet Jacket - ModCloth - $79.99

Suede Heeled Booties - DSW - $49.95

Longer Jacket - Nordstrom - $89.00 (also velvet)

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Wednesday linking up with Allison of Sydney Fashion Hunter, Tania of 50 is not Old, and the Ageless Style Link Up. Friday linking up with JoLynn Shane in the Fashion Friday Link Up Party, Jennie of A Pocketful of Polka Dots,  Nancy of Nancy's Fashion Style, 

Piece Perfect - The Navy Blazer - Part 2

Last month I showed you two ways to wear a navy blazer with a dress and a skirt (click on the words to see that post).

Because I found so many ways to style this navy Ralph Lauren blazer, I felt I needed another post to give it, its due! Today I'll be wearing the blazer with two different pant outfits. As usual I try to do one that is more casual and one that is more dressy.

Casual Look - 

Being a woman of layers, I took advantage of all the pieces I possibly could! I started with a gray tee with bling, put a rusty orange cardi over that, then threw the blazer over the top. I paired the tops with my white/gray snakeskin jeans and a pair of gray, suede mid-calf boots. Finally, I pulled the whole look together with an oblong scarf with similar colors.

You can see how I styled the gray tee, here and the snakeskin jeans, here in previous posts.

I am using my orange bag as well. 

Dressy look -

For my dressier pant look I wore these dark color dress pants. Sometimes they look gray and sometimes they look brown, so I will say they are brownish-gray. I wore my printed pussy bow blouse and threw on some simple, non-colored jewelry. 

There you have it. A good quality, fitted blazer is a must for every woman't wardrobe. Here are this week's outfit's side by side. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing all the ways you can style this versatile piece. A blazer can take your wardrobe from small to large and it can take it from dull to dynamic. Whether the blazer is blue, black, gray or red, it can be a great piece to have in your closet.

Be sure to check back next week for the start of my Winter Wonderland series on Tuesday. 

Have a great weekend!

Photo credit Rebecca Trumbull.

Shopping for Pieces:

Blazer - J.Crew Factory - $79.00

Snakeskin jeans - Macy's - $21.99

Orange cardi - Target - $19.99

Gray Tee - Kohl's - $14.99

Oblong Scarf - Kohl's - $7.99

Gray/brown dress pants - Macy's - $69.99

Printed Pussy Bow Blouse - Lord and Taylor - $40.27 (clearance)