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 3 of 7

from the Mr:

"I wasn’t sure if I could recall her ever wearing this belt, so I thought it might be fun to pick an outfit based on a belt rather, than the larger pieces. "

The focal point here is the belt. It came with a plaid patchwork mini skirt I got ages ago (still have it…), and it wraps around my hips twice – don’t think I’m super skinny, the belt is SUPER long. So, I put it on “backwards” and looped it enough so that the plaid patchwork showed, once I half-tucked my merlot v-neck in.

This was a tough day– our sweet Cali girl passed. Now every time I wear something pictured here, I think of her even more than I already do – it's very odd to come home to only one wrinkley pup, when you're used to two.

Do you remember what you wore on important/special occasions or specific days?

I definitely do.

shirt: Target

scarf: gift

belt: American Eagle

jeans: Aéropostale

flats: 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

game day: part 1

A few weeks ago, my friend, Chelsea (her blog here) gave me an idea for a blog post. She told me she struggles to look cute at sporting events, without looking like a hot mess express student wearing a t-shirt turned strapless dress. Not that a t-shirt turned strapless dress is a bad look, but if you're trying to look a bit more mature and classy while watching your favorite team, you're probably looking for some other ideas. 

Here are five warmer-weather looks you could wear to your favorite team's football game this fall.

Look for game day: part 2 later this fall, as the temperatures drop (it will include A LOT more layers).

A graphic tee of your favorite team and white pants. Or try white shorts. I'd wear this to watch the game at a friend's house - I'd probably stay away from tailgates and bleachers in these pants...

A graphic tee, a skirt and some boots. Boots of any kind would do well for tailgating, especially if the parking around the stadium is in fields, rather than on blacktop.

Another skirt, but this one a solid. It also has pockets. 

 

Don't be afraid to layer over your shirt - sometimes it gets cold watching games, and your chambray can act as a light jacket. I probably wouldn't wear flats to tailgate or attend the game in person, but definitely to watch the game with friends at someone's house, or a restaurant.

And if you don't have a graphic tee for your team, fear not! Just wear something that incorporates your team's colors (the Denver Broncos are orange and blue) - that way you're still showing team spirit.

I found my "Broncos Pride" tee at Victoria's Secret - they've got a whole line of apparel for NFL & college teams, as well as stuff for your favorite MLB team (I've got Colorado Rockies yoga pants). 

However, there are plenty of other places to find an outfit for your favorite team. WalMart, Target, the thrift store (sometimes they have the best stuff - I got a t-shirt from the Rockies inaugural season there, 1994, baby!), JCPenney, the team's official website, or make something yourself. In high school, we used to take tees & tanks and paint on names and numbers of the guys on the football and basketball teams.

I'd love to see how you show your team spirit - do you go all out? When my brother played high school football and baseball, I wore lots of too-big sweatshirts and windbreakers in navy blue and forest green (our school colors) with our school logo & mascot emblazoned on them. I'm sure I still have a few of them around...

that being said, I like to think I've matured a bit when it comes to what I wear to sporting events.

Broncos Pride tee: Victoria's Secret 

orange striped tank top: Target

chambray: WalMart

white pants: Old Navy

striped skirt: J. Crew Factory

black skirt: from a friend

gray skirt: from a friend

tassel flats: Target

boots: Steve Madden via DSW

python flats: WalMart

plaid tennis shoes: Coach via DSW

blue scarf: WalMart

how to: mix prints

By now I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of people mixing prints (me: here). You might even be a pro at it yourself. But for those of you that aren’t just yet, here are two (easy) examples of print mixing, just to help you get your toes wet. However, if you’re ready to jump in and rock a head-to-toe print mixed ensemble, please do! And then send me pictures or the link so I can check it out and be impressed with your mad print-mixing skills.

 

 

 

 

 

But for the newbies, a few simple steps…

Step 1

Wear a striped shirt. Or maybe plaid. Or polka dots. Or just a printed shirt.

Step 2

Add a printed scarf in a similar color family (blue floral on blue stripes). Black and white stripes can really go with any floral. A similar color family keeps the prints looking cohesive, not like you got dressed in the dark.

Step 3

Put on pants. Or a skirt. Or some type of bottoms.

Step 4

Maybe add a jacket. Or not.

Step 5

Add accessories and shoes. Or not. Shoes would be another great place to add in some unexpected print mixing – think polka dots, stripes, leopard, plaid, etc. (stick with the same color family, though!)

Step 6 (the most important)

Love on your dogs.

left:

 striped shirt: Old Navy

 floral scarf: Target

jeans: Aéropostale

flats: WalMart

belt: American Eagle

right:

striped cardigan: rue21

floral scarf: thrifted

crochet skirt: Aéropostale

jacket: thrifted

sandals: Shoe Carnival

what I'm not saying

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T wear white after Labor Day. I’m just saying you should style it differently than I did here. I’ve got plans to wear my white jeans with chunky sweaters and boots this fall and winter. However, it was still summer when I wore these two outfits (which is til September 23^rd, so don’t go wishing fall upon us just yet), and it was also Labor Day or earlier. With both of these, I took a monochromatic approach – I’ve been dying to wear white on white all summer.

left:

shirt: Old Navy

scarf: WalMart

shorts: Old Navy

sandals: Born via DSW

right:

shirt: Aéropostale

shorts: Old Navy

shoes: Rocketdog via DSW

coral & olive

This was a Casual Friday outfit worn on the job site (with different shoes, obvi). Nothing crazy - solids, no print mixing, no crazy cuts or styles. But I will say I would have never paired this coral/orange top with olive green pants before I started blogging, so, that's a win. Right?

Hope you've had a nice weekend ;)

shirt: WalMart

olive pants: Aéropostale

sandals: Target