30 for 30: day 13 + day 14

And here we are at Friday. Finally! Two outfits to share today, in honor of this special occasion (it's almost the weekend).

I happened to wear this skirt two days in a row, and with a button-up both times.

Boring, or incredibly original and unexpected?

day 13

leopard print button-up: WalMart

skirt: from a friend

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

linking up this statement piece of a shirt for the Trend Spin Link Up

day 14

  

black & white buffalo plaid button-up: Old Navy

black skirt: from a friend

black pointy toe flats: Target

faux leather jacket: c/o Aéropostale

monday does it again

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, or a tugboat tooting my own horn, or Kanye singing his own praises, this outfit is another one that just came another in the early morning (yesterday did, as well). This look has a few different elements that, when combined, form a cohesive (and dare I say, classy?) look.

First up is the colorblocking with the navy top half, and the wine-colored pencil skirt. Colorblocking works best when the 2 colors are of the same saturation, or level, of color. So, a deep wine color, and a rich navy blue work here. Or a deep emerald with another equally deep and rich jewel-tones (see some of my past not-so-great colorblocking looks over here...).

Next is the monochromatic layers up top - the navy blue button-up under the navy blue vest.

The third is tying together the boots with the necklace and scarf. Cognac meets brown paisley and brown + gold - not matchy-matchy, yet coordinating and pulled together. And lastly, I wore a necklace under the scarf so that if/when I took off the scarf and vest (which I did), my outfit would still look complete, and not like it was missing some element.

button-up shirt: thrifted (J. Crew)

vest: Old Navy

scarf: gift

necklace: Target

pencil skirt: J. Crew Factory

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

C to D

And here we go, from C to D (A to B here, and B to C here).

C was pedicures and lunch, and D was dinner at a steakhouse.

the most handsome pup in the world. besides his handsome brother...

The above outfit featured an embroidered tank top under a white button-up shirt, a fun scarf, skinnies, and neon sandals. Perfect for an unseasonably warm winter Saturday - I took off the scarf and button-up at least a few times each. It helps to have layers to keep me cool, hot, and comfortable.

And for dinner, I abandoned the button-up shirt and scarf, added a light blue cardigan, faux leather jacket and booties. I kept the embroidered tank top and skinnies the same, allowing me to change from one event to the next in (almost) record time.

embroidered tank top: from a friend

skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

button up: GAP

scarf: gift (Old Navy)

sandals: Target

cardigan; Eddie Bauer

faux leather jacket: Target

booties: Old Navy

monday, monday

A two-fer today, on this snowy and cold Monday morning. Because if TWO outfits in ONE post doesn't put a smile on your face on a February Monday morning, then I don't know what will.

These pictures turned out quite blue, but I think you get the general idea: new plaid button up, navy blue pants, and ankle booties. Pretty simple, but incredibly functional.

And then this more elaborate and layered look. There's a v-neck tee under that black chambray, covered with a navy down vest, ponte knit faux leather stripe leggings, regular socks, fleece boot socks over the regular socks, SOREL snow boots, a gray infinity scarf, new ski jacket, then a Colorado flag knitted headband on top of everything.

Whew.

Lots of layers. But that's what you do when walking around a cute mountain town, checking out ice sculptures, drinking hot toddies, and wishing to move to said cute mountain town and be a ski bum.

I've mentioned before that I used to never wear black and navy together, but I've changed my way of thinking (and maybe become more chic in the process?), and I LOVE how this outfit came together. Perfectly comfy-casual, layered, dark and interesting, yet nice and warm, and to me, the epitome of "Colorado style."

similar plaid button up: c/o Aéropostale

navy skinnies: Target

ankle booties: Old Navy

black chambray: Old Navy

navy down vest: Old Navy

gray infinity scarf: c/o Aéropostale

ski jacket: Anakie

faux leather stripe leggings: c/o Aéropostale

snow boots: SOREL via JAX

Colorado flag headband: Akinz Boardwear

Aéro - plaid, leather, leopard & bows

I did some shopping recently at Aéropostale, and got some new goodies - a few that I've had on my list for quite some time. Keep reading to see what I found, and why I love it.

The first is this plaid button-up. You know me - I love me a good button-up shirt. And in a color scheme I don't already have. Online I can't find this blue/red plaid, but here is the shirt's twin, in blue:

Long Sleeve Double Cloth Plaid Woven Shirt.

Next is this cute black skirt from Aéro's Bethany Mota line. It's a full skirt, with a cute, yet understated bow at the waist. I wear it at my actual waist - right around my belly button, and it hits a few inches above my knees (look for an outfit post featuring this skirt soon!).

some similar skirts:

Solid Pucker Skirt / Chevron Jacquard Pleated Skirt

Solid Diamond Lace Skirt / Pleated Uniform Skirt

I also found leopard print flats - the ones I've been wearing since my days of working retail were looking pretty rough. We're talking holes in the soles and torn leopard... so, needless to say, I've been on the hunt for new leopard print flats. And I found some! AND, they're very light and incredibly comfortable on my tender, prone-to-blister feet.

similar: Pointed Flat / DV8 By Dolce Vita Scrunchie Ballet Flat 

And this jacket. This jacket is what faux leather jacket dreams are made of. I purchased a black faux leather jacket this summer from Target and got TONS of wear out of it this fall, so I added a brown one to my closet wish-list. This jacket was the first thing I saw when I walked into Aéropostale a few weeks back, and I knew immediately that'd found THE ONE (I opted for one size larger than I normally would, so that I could comfortably wear a sweater or long sleeves underneath it, to maximize all the ways I could wear it).

exact: Classic Faux Leather Jacket

Here's everything. I've gotten the most wear (so far) out of the jacket - it's been on repeat on the sunny days we've had the past few weeks. But don't you worry - we're back to snow and freezing temperatures, though...

indigo pants + sweater #30

It's tough to see, but I'm wearing a pink button up shirt under that white cable knit sweater. And these pants. Let's talk about these pants for a hot minute.

They're navy blue.

They're skinnies.

They're stretchy.

They fit like a glove.

All of the above are good things,

BUT...

They're also some special indigo dye, and they have been rubbing off on whatever I wear them with. By the end of the day, this sweater was turning a wee bit blue on the sleeves and around my waist/hips. So, that's frustrating. However, I'm supposed to wash them by themselves the first few times, then I should be ok. 

We'll see.

The price of fashion, my friends.

The things I do for the pants I love.

button up: Eddie Bauer

sweater: Old Navy

scarf: gift

pants: target

boots: Nordstrom

the sweater saga, part 6 + sweater #21

previously, the sweater saga...

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5

Picking up where I left off yesterday...

I'm finding it refreshing to have a few dresses that look great, no matter what, and are basic enough to be styled in an infinite number of ways, as opposed to 20+ dresses that are each "ho-hum" and don't do much for me. Or a closet full of pieces that are "meh," instead of a smaller collection (perhaps a capsule wardrobe?) of knock-out pieces that get worn every day.

I've become a lot more open and willing to wear my "special" and favorite pieces more often. There’s no point in having a great fitting skirt, if it only gets worn once or twice a year for special occasions.

Instead, shouldn't I make an effort to look nice and presentable and my best every day? Or at least most days of the week, instead of once or twice a quarter? I've gotten rid of lots of cheap jewelry (not all, but lots), and enjoy wearing my diamond studs from my parents day after day (they really go with e'er'thang).

At times, it's hard for me to choke down the cost of something nice - like my Frye boots, but, they'll last forever and I love them. They go with everything, and I find myself dressing them up, down, and casually. The only time I don't wear them is when the snow or precipitation stands a good chance of ruining them. 

still to be continued....

button up: from a friend (American Eagle)

sweatshirt: Old Navy

statement necklace: WalMart

skirt: J. Crew Factory

booties: Old Navy