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Showing posts with label statement necklace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label statement necklace. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

wine and a pretty dress + sweater #27



Sir Olaf.
love love love.

This ensemble (sweater 27) went to a friend's house for wine and tasty little morsels. So, wine, a new Lilly Pulitzer dress, and my sweet new pup. Oh oh, and a statement necklace + ankle booties.


dress: Lilly Pulitzer
cardigan: Banana Republic
booties: Old Navy

Monday, January 26, 2015

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

Sunday, January 18, 2015

the sweater saga, part 4 + sweater #13





of my Sweater Saga

So maybe I've got a backwards American dream - I don't want a bigger house, I don't want a bigger car, or a bigger yard, or a bigger kitchen, or even a much bigger closet space.

We purchased a new (to us) car about a year ago, and we had a discussion about a 10% car - we shouldn't buy a car for specific functions that we will only do about 10% of the time (i.e. driving to the mountains, hauling, home improvement projects). That led us to my little Saab sedan. In the past year, there have been 2, maybe 3 times, where I've said "I wish I had a bigger car, like an SUV or truck, for this." One was getting beadboard home from The Home Depot, another was driving in the snow - specifically getting over a small drift in the road. Turns out, my little car does great in the snow, but lacks clearance. But if the weather and roads are that bad, I probably don't need to be going anywhere, anyways.

I've started applying the 10% idea in a lot of other areas: recently, my in-laws came up for a belated Christmas celebration and we broke out our electric turkey roaster, making the total number of times we've used it 3. For us, that's a 10% appliance. It’s nice to have, but rarely gets used in my kitchen.

We don't even inhabit all of our house - with extra bedrooms, an extra bathroom and a half, and a basement and garage, we've furnished spaces. Sometimes I think our house is a 10% house, at least for now. 

to be continued...again...


shirt: Ann Taylor
sweater: thrifted (GAP)
velvet pants: J. Crew Factory
necklace: WalMart
boots: c/o AĆ©ropostale

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

black, purple & gray



  

Again with the dark colors. It's just so easy to wear darks in the winter. Especially gray - one of my favorites. I added some color and texture with my tights, and a bit more with my necklace and boots. I tend to like to wear basic pieces, and then throw in a little something different - like purple patterned tights, or a bright necklace, or...both?

Merry Christmas Eve eve!


sweater: thrifted (J. Crew)
necklace: Kohl's
skirt: from a friend
tights: I don't remember...
boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

brunching & accessorizing






This outfit was just about perfect for brunching. The button-up shirt and stretchy skinnies allowed for maximum food intake, with minimal discomfort. And the plaid on the shirt helped to camouflage any food or beverage spills that might have happened...

The oxfords are borrowed from a friend (I've been trying to steal this pair from her for over a year, but she just. won't. hand them over). I added a sparkly statement necklace to glam up the plaid, and threw an old seashell clip in my hair. I belted my pants and half-tucked my shirt - it's a completely different look untucked, try it sometime. And the little teal clutch matched my shirt just perfectly.

Until I started this blog, I would have never:

1) worn these shoes and this belt together (they don't match)
2) worn this clip with this jewelry (they're different vibes)
3) mixed a sparkly statement necklace with dainty gold bracelets (they don't match)
4) worn pants other than jeans or dress pants (jeans were truly my comfort zone)
5) worn a sparkly statement necklace to dress up plaid (shouldn't your whole outfit just be the same aesthetic - dressy? casual? sporty? etc.?)

Look how far I've come! All with a little courage, time, guts, inspiration, and accessories :)


shirt & pants & clutch: AĆ©ropostale
necklace: WalMart
belt: American Eagle
shoes: Frye (borrowed from a friend

Thursday, September 11, 2014

dresses x3




I picked up this gray striped t-shirt dress recently, and I’m disappointed I didn’t find it sooner. It’s so simple, and I can play almost any color scheme off of it.
Brights? Sure.
Neon. Why not?
Neutrals (my new fave)? Absolutely.
Did I mention it’s comfortable? And soft? And striped? Oh, and it’s gray.
*swoon*

dress: WalMart
statement necklace: WalMart
shoes: Nordstrom




This navy blue dress is a favorite around here. Last time, I took a patriotic turn. This time a green and brown approach. Nothing TOO terribly exciting, but a little different. And a belt at the waist makes it feel a bit more put together than say, a plain blue dress with no accessories.

dress: thrifted
belt: reallyyyy old
shoes: Rocketdog via DSW




And here’s the blue striped peplum dress. Feels like I can wear any color belt with it and immediately look put together (it helps that I don’t have TOO many belts that would look funny with it). Oh, and this belt just happened to go with my bright red wedges. Funny how that happens…

dress: Target
belt: thrifted
wedges: thrifted (ELLE)

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Summer LBDs: Dress #1






I realized recently that I'd worn 4 black dresses, almost right in a row. For different occasions, of course (work, a rehearsal dinner, and a wedding), but different little black dresses, all right in a row, all in the span of a few days. So, I decided to post them all here, right in a row, and give you some ideas for different ways to wear LBDs in the summer.

You've heard that LBDs are versatile - and they are. But the truth is, you can never have enough. The day I came home with this dress, I came home with 2 other black dresses. All different. This one obviously is more of a looser fitting shift with a ruffle, the other is a cross between a shift dress and a t-shirt dress, and the other is this black maxi you've seen several times already. So, of course I needed them all. And I've worn them each several times already. So, when your shopping partner asks if you "REALLY NEED" all the black dresses, your response should always be "Of course I do!" ;)


dress: Old Navy
necklace: WalMart
shoes: Target

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Spirit Animal



I know croakies don't really match my outfit, but I love those things. they keep your sunglasses RIGHT there. I'm expanding my collection - next up: monogrammed croakies


This outfit is an oldie, as well. I wore it on a day when we had a nice little taste of spring. The sun was out, it was warm, and the wind was delightfully absent. I met the Mr. and a friend for dinner and drinks after work, and we sat on a patio while we enjoyed our vittles.

I don't consider myself outdoors-y, or "one with nature," but there's something about being able to be outside and NOT freeze, when all winter you've been cooped up inside, trying to stay warm. I know some people hate the heat, but I would so much rather be hot than cold. Bring on the heat, the sunshine, the shorts and the sandals. 
Summer is my spirit animal ;)

top: American Eagle
skirt: thrifted
shoes: WalMart
necklace: Old Navy
bag: gift

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

It's Still Winter. And I'm Still Layering.

 

 

 


 



Even though it was sunny and in the 50s today, I know there are still several more snow storms headed my way. So, even though the calendar says it's spring, I know that Mother Nature says it's still winter (instead of "Winter is coming" think of it as "Winter is still here. Foreverrrrr."). So, two more layered sweater looks. Aaaand, my wrinkled pups. Or, their backsides, anyways :)

I've got to scoot to bed (this girl is tired since she's been RUNNING again!), so I'll link up my outfits later, since I KNOW you're just dying to know where I got everything so you can go out and buy out the EXACT same things and we can be twinsies & besties.

Tootles!



later...



SHOP THE LOOK...OR SOMETHING SIMILAR

on the left:
pea coat: Old Navy similar below
shirt: Old Navy similar below
sweater: Old Navy similar below
jeans: from a friend (Abercrombie)
booties: Old Navy similar below

on the right:
shirt: Akinz Boardwear similar below
sweater: thrifted (J CREW) similar below
jeans: AĆ©ropostale exact in link
flats: WalMart similar below