number 5 of 7

from the Mr:

"I chose this one as my tough pick. I know that she likes the skirt, but it seems that every time she tries it on, it’s accompanied by 20+ tops. She tests out each one to end up not wearing the skirt because she can’t decide what she likes with it. So I forced the decision a bit."

Aaah yes, the infamous sequin skirt. Let me provide you a little back-story for this sparkley garment:

I found it at Kohl’s about a year and a half ago. It’s by Lauren Conrad, it was on the clearance rack, I had coupons AND Kohl’s cash - I think I ended up paying less than $10 for this sequined skirt. I envisioned myself wearing it and receiving loads of compliments. 

Imagine my surprise when I wore it for the first time outside my house and outside the Kohl's dressing room – the waist is VERY…odd. As in, I’m not sure if it should sit on my hips or my waist. It doesn’t fit quite right on either location, and bunches a bit, making me look like I have a bit of a abdominal pooch, which is something I work very hard to avoid. I’ve tried belting it, tucking in a shirt, not tucking in a shirt, wearing a chambray (the fail-safe clothing item), denim jackets, t-shirts, chiffon blouses, the works.

So, due to the awkward fit of this fancy skirt, it sits in my closet until I get in the mood to get rid of clothes. The Mr. says to toss it every single time, but the best friend says “Keep it! It’s a sequined skirt!” so I do. And then spend many sleepless nights dreaming up ways to wear this rose-gold sequin wonder.

Enter Pinterest – a sequin skirt and a chunky cream sweater. Not just for a holiday gathering, but also for looking fabulous. So, THAT became my plan. Wait til winter, pair it with a cream chunky cable knit sweater, tights, and boots, or fancy shoes, and pat myself on the back for FINALLY figuring out a way to wear this enigmatic piece of clothing.

And then the Mr. went and picked it for me to wear as part of this style challenge (like I knew, deep down, that he would). So, I kept it simple and went with a half-tucked gray v-neck tee and nude sandals. Nothing fancy, not my best ensemble, but I think it looks ok.

Any other ideas?? I’m almost desperate. I want to keep it in my closet forever (rose-gold sequins. duh.), but have a hard time justifying something I just can’t figure out how to style and wear…why are these silly cirlces of sparkliness so hard to wear?!

Dad & I at a local brewery before our half-marathon

my Mr. and I at the same brewery as above, from my Instagram

shirt: Target

statement necklace: WalMart

skirt: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

sandals: WalMart

number 2 of 7

from the Mr:
"I chose this shirt simply because I like it. I like the different collar style and I am a big fan of Annie wearing white. Annie is a big fan of blue so I figured it was a win-win."

This shirt was easy to style. It reminds me of a pretty Greek village, right on the coast, with white buildings, blue roofs & doors – Santorini-esque. And while that’s somewhere I’d love to be, I don’t live on the coast, or in Europe, or in a white house with a blue roof, so I wore my blue & white button up with mint jeans for a “refreshing” look, just in time to say goodbye to summer and welcome fall (why didn’t my brain create this outfit when it was HOT this summer??).

shirt: Aéropostale

mint jeans: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

belt: American Eagle

sandals: WalMart

chambray and white jeans x2

 

 

 

 

 

Without realizing it, I wore a chambray and white jeans twice, exactly one week apart. The first with a lighter chambray, the second with a darker chambray and new floral scarf. I mean…if you love chambray like I do, then you should pair it with everything. And often.

left:

chambray: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

white jeans: Old Navy

sandals: Target

right:

chambray: thrifted

scarf: Target

white jeans: Old Navy

red wedges: thrifted

shifting

The entire day I wore this, I kept getting told that I looked 

“Bright! And spring-ey!”

which is normally a look I very much enjoy. But lately I find myself more drawn to neutrals and clothes that aren’t quite as “loud.” Not that I think my love for neon will ever go away, but I recently went through my closet (again), and comparing what I got rid of (lots of brights) to what is remaining in my closet (neutrals and solids), is almost comical. However, a friend of mine is very into brights lately, so she benefitted from my purge. What’s funny is that we used to be on opposite ends of that spectrum – me into brights and prints, and her more into neutrals and solids. And now, we’ve done a complete 180. However, both of these items made the cut, so, I’m not completely on the dark side. 

Yet…

blouse: J. Crew Factory

mint skinnies: Lauren Conrad via Kohl’s

sandals: Target

me and tim

After my Dad and I ran the 10k Saturday morning, D and I headed up to Cheyenne, Wyoming to see Tim McGraw perform at Cheyenne Frontier Days. We lucked out with tickets - one of D's friends had purchased them, but wasn't able to make the concert. So, he sent them to us. And I got to see Tim.

*swoon*

The opening acts were Cassadee Pope and Kip Moore - both put on a really good show. And before Tim performed, the organizers of the rodeo announced the headlining acts for next year's show: Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban. You better believe I'm gonna try to get my hands on some Miranda tickets.

from Instagram. D is not a huge country music fan, but he's coming around. We saw Kacey Musgraves, the Eli Young Band, Eric Church and Kenny Chesney last summer and he even admitted it was a good show.

I had planned to wear a skirt, but the weather was calling for rain (and when it rains in Colorado and/or Wyoming, it's cold). Turns out, it was hot and humid. Blegh. Regardless, I got to see Tim and sway along to "Red Ragtop", "Just to See You Smile" and some new songs, like "Back at Mama's," and "Overrated."

shirt: from a friend (Lauren Conrad via Kohl's)

jeans: Aéropostale

boots: Steve Madden via DSW

beer: Blue Moon ;)

brights. done right.

These colors are something I would have NEVER thought to pair together. I can't quite remember how they both ended up on my body on the same day - maybe it was dark in my closet? Maybe I felt like wearing bright colors all at once? Maybe I remember coloring with purple and green crayons all throughout elementary school? But I do know that later in the day, or possibly the next day, I saw someone on Instagram wearing a purpley shirt with minty-green pants, so I thought "Hey, it ain't so bad! I might be on to something here..."

So, as newly minted expert on wearing brights together, don't feel like you have to wear neutrals on top with bright pants - you can wear brights, prints, stripes, pineapples, lace, a bikini top, a neon construction vest - whatever you want. And when someone tells you it looks great, just smile and say "Oh thank you!"

Oh oh, and the Broncos have another pre-season game today! I got a new Broncos t-shirt last week that I'm dying to wear. Not that I'm a die-hard football fan, but it is neat when your team makes it to the Super Bowl. It is NOT neat when they lose...

shirt: Kohl's

pants: from a friend

shoes: Payless

harry potta' foreva'

If you follow me on Instagram (if you're not, you should: @sweetbananie), you probably saw that I did some Harry Potter trivia a few weeks ago.

I LOVE Harry Potter.

lovelovelove.

I think J.K. Rowling is a literary GENIUS.

So, I met up with a friend at a local brewery, and we nerded out and answered questions about our favorite book series. The trivia was surprisingly hard, even for die-hard fans like us. We didn't win, but we got to talk HP without other people rolling their eyes or making fun of us, so I'd call it a good time.

And here's what I wore to nerd out and then out for drinks after. Don't worry - I didn't wear the wand and glasses (above) once trivia was done

...or did I?

dress: from a friend (via Urban Outfitters)

shoes: Rocketdog via DSW

purse: Kohl's

Minted

I don’t know what it is about my mint jeans, but every time I wear them, without fail, I spill something on them.

Coffee.

Lunch.

Bug guts.

Margarita.

They’re almost as much of a magnet for spills and stains as white pants.

Or maybe I just notice stains more on these pastel pants than, say, dark wash jeans.

Whatever the case may be, I wore this outfit.

I wore it to work. I wore it to a jobsite.

I wore it to see a friend. Wore it all day long.

Have I mentioned before that I really like this top from Eddie Bauer? I have the same one in purple, and I can’t help but wish the store had had 18 more colors to choose from…probably would have bought them all…

shirt: Eddie Bauer

pants: Lauren Conrad via Kohl’s

sandals: WalMart

Mr. Picks Mondays: Chambray Away

The chambray shirtdress makes another appearance. This was the day after we drove* back from a wedding in Missouri (most of the day was spent crossing Kansas - I cheered when my beautiful mountains came into view), so a one-stop-shop to get dressed was pretty great.

Dress and bright shoes – done.

Count it.

And I just got back from another trip yesterday, so a short post it is (I spent the 4th in Florida with my family and good friends - got the sunburn to prove it).

dress: Kohl’s

sandals: Target

*btw, I finished 3 books on the way to and from the wedding – thank you, Dramamine II!