Cozy Stripes

Outfit Notes: Sweatshirt-Target // Leggings-Kohls // Necklace-Target clearance // Boots-old

Recently, Simon got some new fall/winter clothes. When I dress him on chilly mornings, I find myself jealous of his selection of baggy, cozy sweatshirts. I kept wishing they were in my size so I could borrow them. Is it wrong to borrow clothes from your child? I think it is supposed to go the other way around. (In middle school I lived in my Dad’s big, baggy flannels, which I wore with my intentionally ripped up jeans.) Thank goodness Simon wears a 3T, so I don;t have to wrestle with that temptation.

Anyway, when I was at Target the other day I spotted this cozy striped top, and I intentionally bought it in a too-big size. I have been living in it ever since. It is so comforting to be completely enveloped in a warm, loose sweatshirt. I am addicted and may be reverting back to my middle-school baggy clothes ways.

Autumn Casual

Sweater: TJ Maxx

I love my skinny jeans, but once in a while it is nice to take a break from them. I recently dusted off this old pair, which is so old that the brand has long worn off of the waistband inside, so I can’t even tell you where they came from. They are well-broken in and comfortable though.

I recently bought this fun sweater at TJ Maxx. The price was right, and I love the mix of polka dots with stripes, navy with yellow. It seems that I have been drawn to yellow lately, since my last two top purchases have both featured the color. I think it is the influence of Fall Trees and their bright leaves.

I am loving the Autumn weather so far. It is cool in the morning, but most days the sun has been out, making it warm enough to go without a jacket. I know this won’t last long so I am soaking it up while I can.

Linked up at:

Mother and Son Style: Fall Plaid

Plaid on me
Plaid on Simon

Long time no post! If you also follow my life blog, you know that we bought a house and moved. Life has been crazy for a little while, but I hope to be here again more frequently.

Fall is in full swing now, and this weekend, Jeramy and I are going away for the weekend to Oktoberfest. Since New England Autumns are fairly unpredictable weather-wise, layering is going to be absolutely necessary. I bought this yellow plaid flannel shirt this week specifically planning to pack it for my trip into the New Hampshire mountains.

Simon acquired his plaid shirt as a gift from his Nana, and we just happened to be both wearing them on the same day when this photo was taken. With his reds and my yellow, we were definitely Autumn appropriate.

It is too bad I didn’t save all of my oversize, plaid, flannel tops from the 90’s!

Double Plaid

I recently wore my thrifted plaid tunic in two different casual ensembles:

Outfit Notes: Cardigan Sweater-Gift // Plaid Tunic-Thrifted // Necklace-Gift // Jeans-Old Navy // Shoes-Monnetonka, at TJ Maxx // Bag-Mexicali Blues

Outfit Notes: Plaid tunic-Thrifted // Denim Skirt-Target, old // Leggings-Target // Shoes-Minnetonka, from TJ Maxx // Bag-Mexicali Blues

The first outfit was for a weekend day, and the second one was actually worn to work at the library. I love this tunic because it is super comfortable. I sometimes worry that it looks a bit like a maternity shirt, because it is so loose and flowy in the waist, but that same “flowy-ness” is also why I like it.

Even though the tunic is plaid, it is black and white so it acts like a neutral to my outfits. I like to add a pop of color with it, as I did with the shoes and necklace here.

See other ways I have remixed this tunic here and here.

(Linked up at The Pleated Poppy)

Finally, A Little Color

(Outfit Notes: Earrings-a gift // Cardigan-a gift…Eddie Bauer brand  //  Blouse-JC Penney, several years old // Cords-Kohls, last year // Booties-TJ Maxx // Belt-came with a tunic from TJ Maxx)

Simon and I went for the first walk in the park of the year today. The sun was shining, but there also happened to be a few snowflakes flying in the air. Not totally Spring yet…but close. I should admit, I wore different boots to the park, because though these booties are cute, they are not comfy for walking, and would get all icky caked in mud. But the rest of the outfit was perfectly functional for a Mother-Son park date. I have to work at the Library later, so the booties will be worn then.

I finally got myself into a bit of color after a long string of monochrome and neutral outfits.  The cardigan is pastel though, and the pants are grey, so not the most colorful ensemble I have ever worn. However, just like this mix of snow and sun we had today, this outfit is a perfect hybrid of Winter warmth and Spring thinking.

Deja Vu

  Hi there! Sorry I haven’t been around here much this winter. The truth is, most of the time I have looked a lot like this:

image credit: Todd Baxter Photography

Bundled up in as many pairs of socks, sweaters, scarves, coats, etc. as I can. I get dressed much more for warmth in the Maine winter, and a lot less for fun. Also, with it getting darker earlier  (though that is improving!), by the time I have a chance to get my husband Jeramy to snap a picture it is too dark outside, and the photo quality inside is terrible. I need to come up with a better method for taking indoor outfit pictures with my tripod during the day while there is still natural light.

Anyway, I am back today to share a recent outfit.

(Outfit Notes: Necklace-Target // Dress: Mexicali Blues// Long-sleeved tee: Target Clearance rack last year// Leggings-Target// Boots-Target clearance over a year ago)

This outfit was worn for Jeramy’s Grandmother’s 75th birthday party. I wanted to wear a dress or skirt for the occasion, and to wear something colorful, but I also wanted to be comfortable and warm. Layering a long-sleeved tee under the dress, and wearing leggings instead of thinner tights with my boots made this work for winter.

You might remember this dress from back in the fall, when I wore it in a black and brown color combo, and styled it very similarly. I own the dress in two colors because I bought the green one, and a friend gifted me the black one. At first I thought about returning one of them, but then I couldn’t decide which one to part with so I kept them both. I still can’t decide which one I like better, but I do seem to have a favorite way of wearing it: over a long-sleeved tee with tights or leggings and boots.

Hopefully it won’t be as long until I am back again.

In Search Of Beige

 

(Outfit Notes: Cardigan-Very old, from Kohls// Blouse-Thrifted for under 8 dollars// Bracelets- A gift// Skirt-Thrifted for 2 dollars// Tights-Kohls// Shoes-Too old to remember)

I wrote in my life blog the other day about a poetry reading I “performed” in over the weekend. As part of this show, we all had to wear black, plus the color of our poem. My poem fell into the ‘works on writing’ category, which were all laminated on sheets of a toasty beige color. Beige is, however, a color I never buy or wear because, well, I am beige. It washes me out. I was very envious of those assigned into the poems on nature category, who all got to wear green.

Determined to make it work however, I set out last week to a local consignment shop that was having a grand reopening sale. I pored through the racks, wishing I could be hunting for any other color, when this funky, ruffly, halter-neck blouse popped out at me. The beige and black swirls were perfect for my color scheme, and the top is also unique enough to be a fun wardrobe piece for dressing up. I tried it on, and lo and behold: it fit. Sold.

The show we put on was a huge success, and as a little bonus, I got a lot of compliments from people on this top, with disbelief when I told them I had thrifted it for cheap.

Black And Brown For Fall

 

(Outfit Notes: Dress-a birthday present from a friend last year// Long Sleeved Tee-Target clearance rack last year// Necklace-a gift from my Oma// Tights-Kohls on sale// Boots-Target clearance last year)

This outfit serves as another example of adding tights and boots to a Summer dress to make it work for Fall. However, I ought to admit that due to the hemline of this skirt being a bit shorter than I am normally comfortable with, I never wear it without something a bit more covering underneath. This summer I wore spandex shorts under it to a concert with bare legs and sandals. Here I have on sweater tights, and I would also do leggings. I usually prefer skirts and dresses to be at least right above my knee, but I loved this dress enough to make the exception. (I own it in two colors!)

This outfit is surprisingly comfortable, and I have worn the same combo a few times now because I like it so much. It serves me for going to work as well as for loafing around the house, playing with my toddler, and folding laundry. I also love combining black and brown when I can, something I used to be too scared to do, and the tones in this dress provide the perfect bridge for black tights to go with brown boots, and for a brown stone bead necklace to lay over a black long-sleeved tee.

I think this just might be my absolute favorite Fall outfit right now. What’s yours?

Dress as a Jumper

(Outfit Notes: Necklace-a gift// Turtleneck-Kohl’s 3 years ago// Dress-Kohl’s this summer// Tights-Kohl’s// Boots-Target clearance last year)

Another way to extend the wearability of Spring and Summer dresses through the colder months is to wear them over the top of long-sleeved shirts. In this case, a sleeveless dress is working as a jumper over a tissue-weight turtleneck. This was my outfit for a day of working at the library.

I was a little unsure about this combo at first, but once I had it all on I liked it enough to post about it despite the terrible photographs. They were taken indoors because the sun had set, with poor lighting, a too cluttered background, and in auto mode with a flash that made me blink…hence the downward gaze in the last photo. Hopefully the appearance of my cute kitty Molly in both full-body shots makes up for it.

My First Foray Into Pattern Mixing

(Outfit Notes: Earrings-a gift from my darling nephews//Top-GAP brand, Thrifted//Belt-Maurices//Skirt-Thrifted//Sandals-Target)

I have seen a lot of other women mix their patterns up a lot lately, and have wanted to try it out. Wearing solids all the time may be safe, but it means clothes with fun design and pattern get worn less, and it hinders wardrobe creativity. I know that when you mix patterns, there are certain guidelines you can follow to make sure it looks like you are dressing on purpose, rather than just throwing things together and appearing a bit clown-like.

I will be figuring this list of guidelines out as I go, but the one I used on this day was to keep my patterns in the same color palette. The blue and white stripes of the shirt match the blue and white colors that are present in the skirt, which pulls the whole thing together. I also wore matching blue earrings, and kept my shoes and belt neutral.

I have to say, I loved this outfit. It was comfortable and fun, and made me feel festive for the Fourth of July celebration we were having.

Do you mix patterns? If so, are there any “rules” you follow?