eye-popping blue + sweater #6

This “skirt” is really a dress – I’m really trying to get more wear out of my (summer) dresses by layering and adding tights. I know I could always wear a black cardigan over a dress, but that feels a little too easy to do all the time, so I tried this dress on with most of the pullover sweaters in my closet. There just so happens to be teeny bits of blue in this floral print, so this eye-popping-blue v-neck was the clear winner.

And now, an explanation for featuring my sweater "collection" this month...

A few weeks ago, I counted how many sweaters I had, and I had about 26. Couple that with my attempt to come up with my own style/blog challenge, and I came up with the idea to wear a sweater every day in January. I purchased one more sweater, and have a few nicer sweatshirts, plus a few sweater dresses/skirts, bringing the total to 31.

And there's 31 days in January, soooo

I figured January is as good a month as any to wear sweaters - it'll obviously be too warm in the summer, and the fall and spring in Colorado can be hit or miss (60 degrees or -20). But January is pretty consistently cold, and so, a sweater a day in January was born!

dress: c/o Aéropostale

sweater: GAP

scarf: gift

tights: Old Navy

boots: c/o Aéropostale

jewel tones

All the shades of blue and green. I really like how this came together - I didn’t anticipate liking it so much, but, I did! The color of these pants seems more spring/summer to me (like grass green), but when paired with darker tones, the grassy-ness is toned down significantly. And normally I wouldn’t pair an open knit cardigan with a heavy knitted scarf, but

(1) emerald green just happened to look great with the blue of my shirt and the green of my pants,

and

(2) I needed a warmer scarf.

Ever pair solid jewel tones together? I might try it for New Year's Even, instead of opting for sequins...

shirt: Target

sweater: Hollister via Plato's Closet

scarf: thrifted

pants: from a friend (Urban Outfitters)

flats: Target

backwards

So, I wore this dress backwards. The last time I wore it on the blog was here, and you can see the neckline is NOT a deep v-neck. But I really wanted to wear this dress for work, and I didn't think an open back would go over well. So I flipped it around and wore a light blue tank underneath. Can't wait to wear it again (without tights!) while it's still warm enough.

And apparently, my Mama's best friend's Mom (tracking?) wore her dress backwards at my Mama's best friend's wedding and she looked great. Nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks things can be wore backwards. Or inside out. Or upside down.

dress: Nordstrom

tank: Gap

belt: Target

shoes: RocketDog via DSW

black and blue

Looks like I've worn this exact same look before (here - this past winter). But with different shoes.

Guess I liked it so much I had to repeat it...

or I can't figure out what else to wear this top with. The fit is boxy, so just any bottoms won't do.

*sigh*

Any ideas?

shirt: Ann Taylor

pants: Aéropostale

wedges: Target

Creativity as a Muscle

The pieces for this outfit just came together, and I have to say, I really love the result. The more I wear this skirt, the more ideas I can come up with for it - creativity at its finest. Don't they say creativity is a muscle? And the more you use it, the better it gets? Truer words have never been spoken, my friends.

I picked up these shades before I went to Florida for the 4th of July. Festive, no? Needless to say, I love America - if you didn't already know...

shirt: Old Navy

skirt: J. Crew Factory

shoes: Old Navy

necklace: Old Navy

sunglasses: WalMart

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

Dressing for America's Birthday, Part I

Since this Friday is the 4^th of July / America’s Birthday / Independence Day / one of the best days of the year, I thought I’d share at least TWO patriotic / festive outfit ideas with y’all (one today, and anothertomorrow). And I thought I’d share them early for two reasons:

1) So you have time to go shopping for your festive gear if you are lacking in that department.

2) I plan to be on a boat or on the beach (or both!) for the 4^th in a festive bikini with one of my best friends and family, so, there won’t really be much of an outfit to share…Of course, I’ll be Instagramming & Tweeting pics of boating, day drinking, floating, beaching, frolicking, celebrating, and general debauchery.

Up first, a layered look. White pants, a festive burnout tank with stars (so. much. glitter. everywhere), and a chambray thrown over the top. I went with metallic sandals to tie in the stars in my shirt, but I was this close to wearing red wedges. Obviously, comfort won out – as it typically does for me...

Check out last year’s festive 4^th of July get-ups: here and here

star tank: WalMart

chambray: thrifted

pants: Old Navy

Cleopatra sandals: Target

Mr. Picks Mondays: Peppy in Peplum

The Mr. selected this striped blue peplum dress for me to wear (apparently he prefers that I wear blue striped dresses). This dress came with a skinny yellow belt, but in an effort to be more creative and not wear it EXACTLY as prescribed, I went with a brown belt and sandals, and mint jewelry. 

Peplum is great for many things - it’s sweet, a wee bit flirty, and expertly hides the evidence of a few too many breakfast burritos that one may or may not consume...

dress: Target

belt: thrifted

Cleopatra sandals: consignment shop (Candie’s via Kohl’s)

A Smidge Different

I got this new button-up from Aéropostale. It's so lightweight, and it's a button-up (we all know I LOVE a good button-up), but it's just a smidge different from the other ones residing in my closet - the collar is less pronounced. I think this gives the whole shirt a bit of a boho vibe. And while I intend to wear it all summer, I'm sure you'll see me carry it into fall/winter, as well!

shirt: Aéropostale

jeans: GAP Outlet

flats: thrifted

Mr. Picks Mondays: So Chill

I scooped up this little dress when there was still snow on the ground. I liked it, didn't love it, but for only a few bucks, I figured I could wear it once or twice and call it good. I wasn't expecting to love it so. dang. much.

The Mr. picked it out, and I was a bit hesitant at first - not sure why, maybe it's the change in pattern right around my hips/thighs? But the length and wide shoulders make it perfect for work, it's got low-maintenance-wearability [<-- is that a thing?] (no ironing!), light and flowy, kept me cool, and, I hate to brag, but I think the color made my eyes POP! And not to mention, I received plenty of compliments on it during the course of the day. It transitioned easily from work to celebratory drinks and dinner with a friend who got a big kid job, and did I mention I was incredibly comfortable all day? 

Last summer I wore lots of pants and capris, and I was so uncomfortable most of the time.

it. was. so. hot. 

So far this spring/summer, I'm more interested in comfort, and as such, I've been wearing more skirts and dresses. And I've been significantly cooler (so far!) :)

dress: WalMart

denim jacket: from a friend (Old Navy Outlet)

sandals: Born via DSW