Putting it all together

I love putting outfits together. It genuinely energizes me. The best analogy I can come up with, is to compare it to cooking. Some people love to open a fridge or pantry, look at all the ingredients and whip them up into wonderful, delicious combinations. Clothes are my ingredients. I love to experiment, mix and match, and create. I am terrible with actual ingredients. 

I felt like I nailed it the other day. This was a new mix for me out of things I have had in my closet for awhile. I had thought about throwing on a navy or denim jacket over the dress, but I still thought it was missing some flavor. Turns out it was mustard! Too much with the food analogy? 

navy and white polka-dot belted shirt dress

red patent leather shoes
mustard yellow cardigan with gold trim
animal print purse (not pictured) - I couldn't figure out how to hold it and look normal taking my selfie.

When adding or mixing colors, I usually start with the main color of the item I want to wear - for example - navy dress. Then I think about where I can add colors - shoes, purse, scarf, sweater, jacket, jewelry. I add one piece/color at a time until I feel like the look is complete. Colors don't have to match - just coordinate. Get rid of any color 'rules' in your head. 

Here are a few outfits I pulled from my closet to try and show you want I mean. Fall and Winter make it super easy to add color with a scarf or jacket. 

Fancy Pants

It's Party Time!! This time of year seems to be filled with 'events' that require festive attire - ya know a little more snazzy than business casual or church. 

Last weekend Jason and I went to a Dinner/Auction for our kids' school. I knew right away that I would wear my Fancy Pants! These are sequin pants/jeans/leggings that I bought from The Limited 2 years ago. I saw them and knew I had to have them. Do you every look at something and immediately know, "that looks like something I would wear" ?  (This is a good way to learn your style, see what types of clothes you are drawn to almost without thinking). Anyway I loved these pants, but wasn't sure I would wear them enough - see $5 rule. So I left without them, couldn't stop thinking about them and went back the next day and bought them. I have gotten so much use out of these pants!

Not only are these pants a fun alternative to the LBD, I feel awesome whenever I wear them. So that is really my point in this post - have something in your wardrobe that you know makes you feel great whenever you wear it. It lifts your mood whenever you put it on. It feels inherently "you".

They don't seem to carry them at The Limited this year, but a quick internet search lead me to two pair. First from Bloomingdales here. 

And these from H&M come in gold and silver - I love the gold ones.

And here is me not looking as happy as I feel when I wear these pants. We were rushing out the door for the Auction and I really wanted to get a good photo, but it was dark outside. So hopefully you get the gist. 

Fashion and Style

"Fashion is about dressing according to what is fashionable. Style is more about being yourself." - Oscar de la Renta

I heard this quote of his last week when the media was covering his passing and celebrating what an extraordinary influence he was on the fashion industry.

This describes exactly how I feel about style! My reason for sharing my style through this blog is because it's fun. It might serve as an inspiration for someone else to use clothes or style to make themselves feel good, or make a statement, or just help get dressed in the morning. My plan is not to tell others what they should or shouldn't do. Of course I'm always happy to offer my opinion :) 

I went shopping today - lured out by some coupons, some sales and one specific mission. I walked around for the longest time looking around and not liking anything! I get very frustrated when this happens. Sometimes I find this happens because i realize I don't NEED anything. And then I leave. BUT, I just happened to come upon this gem of a sweater and my hope was restored. I loved it the minute I saw it. I hemmed and hawed for a brief moment while I heard my brother in my head asking me 'why are you wearing a blanket'? - but I didn't care, I still love it. And it happened to go great with what I was wearing. So the kids and I hoped out at this pretty little scene and snapped a pic.

Sweater - Sun & Shadow at Nordstrom
Tunic - Plieone 
Jeans - from my favoite list
Boots - Minnetonka - mentioned here and I love them!

I happened to already be wearing the Minnetonka boots when I bought the sweater, and part of me thinks together with the sweater it is a little much with the western theme. But sometimes you just go for it anyway.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Since it has been raining here ALL day and for days at a time, I figured I would post about my favorite rain-wear and other rain essentials. My must have for rain is Hunter Boots! 

Like most large purchases, I lamented over these for a couple seasons. I told myself that I didn't go out in the rain that much. But once I decided to bite the bullet and buy them, I wear them ALL the time. You do not have to get the Hunter brand, but I intend to keep these forever, so I chose to invest a bit. Special note on the investment, I cheated and bought the children's boots that are half the price of the adult version. I'm a women's size 6, and I ordered these in a size 5 and have I lots of room for layers and boot socks - which I highly recommend - like these.

I wear them with jeans, leggings, cords, skirts - anything really, if it is raining. For you true city dwellers who walk to work, I can't imagine not having these.  One very important thing to note - I wear these with fleece boot socks in chilly weather, but a snow boot they are not! The rubber gets super cold and then freezes your feet - I learned that the hard way. Since I heard it might be another frigid winter, check back for my fav snow boots, as soon as I find them. 

It can feel challenging to put together an outfit when it is raining. I won't even go into the hair issues when its raining!!! But it definitely presents an outfit challenge. There are certain pants, shoes, jackets that you just can't wear in the rain.  So I tend to go for the basics in dark colors so water spots don't show, and then pair with a fun trench and fun umbrella! I have a trench very similar to this - Macy's Jessica Simpson - I love the sheen. And of course a leopard umbrella. Quick note on the trench - if budget is not an issue I would have a standard issue black or khaki trench and a fun print or bright color for spring, but if you have to pick one, go for one you can wear all the time with anything. 

Here is what I decided to wear tonight - out to dinner with friends, in the rain. I know I just spent paragraphs talking about the Hunters - but I'm in black booties here. I know I won't have to walk much and these shoes can take the rain. Instead of my trench, I chose my faux leather jacket - polyurethane is quite waterproof. And a scarf to take the chill off. I am out of practice with my modeling - this will have to do. 

Packing - 15 days in Spain

This post was inspired by the 'packing consultation' I had with my Mom, who is going to Spain for 15 days. She is a serial over-packer and for this 15 day trip, she is only allowed to bring 1 20 inch carry-on, and a purse.  Most people hate packing, but I thoroughly enjoy it, as I shared in this post - Tetris with clothes. 

A few things we considered before we started - weather and activities. The weather will reach highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s and they will often be on the go all day with no time to change clothes for evenings. Knowing this, my strategy was to pack lightweight layers that were interchangeable with each other.

We started at the bottom. We knew she would only be bringing 2 pair of shoes, both black. A sporty, walking shoe that would replace a sneaker, and another black patent loafer that could dress things up a bit. 

Next, we chose pants 1 black, 1 navy, 1 dark wash jean, and 1 charcoal jean (later we added a colored jean for some variety). We included a black and white printed skirt for dressier evenings. Then I started picking tops from her closet that were lightweight, layer-able, and preferably wrinkle-resistant - 9 tops in all. All tops could be worn with any of the 4 neutral pants, and half of the tops could be paired with the colored jeans. Finally we picked 3 blazers/jackets, 1 cardigan sweater and 3 scarfs. I lined everything up using a rolling rack, building and eliminating as we went - you could also lay it all out on your bed. Then I put together 13 outfits pictured below.

5 Bottoms: Dark Wash Jean, Charcoal Jean, Black Pants, Navy Pants, Black/White Skirt
9 Tops    Solids: Red Ruffle Tank, Royal 3/4 Sleeve Blouse, Light Pink Blouse
             Textures: Cream Lace Top, Purple with Purple Polka Dots
             Prints: Floral Blouse, Paisley Blouse, Black Stripe T/Flower, Black/White Print
3 Jackets: Denim Jacket, Black Knit Moto Jacket, Cream/Gold/Silver Boucle Jacket 
3 Scarfs: Global Print, Solid Purple, Solid Dark Pink

Below you see I fit it ALL of the items above into the 20 inch suitcase, except for the travel outfit (striped flower t, black cardigan, dark wash jeans and 1 pair shoes). I rolled the 4 pair of pants and lined them in a row across, and then I squeezed in as many rolled tops in a row across just like the pants. Photo 2 shows another layer of tops rolled and laid across the bottom layer, and the opposite side of the suitcase shows jackets and shoes. Plenty of room for toiletries. 

A few side notes.....

- Finding comfortable shoes to walk around in all day proved to be the most difficult part of this. Thank goodness for Zappos and Nordstrom - free shipping, free returns.

- We ended up removing the Black Knit Moto jacket because the forecast was even warmer than expected

- We didn't discuss jewelry, but I suggest pick either gold or silver or if you has a piece that has both - perfect!1 or 2 necklaces at the most and 1 or 2 pair of earings - an everyday and a dressy maybe.

- The 1 purse was a small, gunmetal cross-body purse 

- If this were me packing, I would have thrown in 2 knit dresses.

- My Dad was ridiculously EASY to pack for. 1 Black Jeans, 1 Dark Wash Jeans, 1 khaki pair if pants, 2 long sleeve woven shirts, 6 polo shirts, 1 jacket/activewear piece and 2 pair of shoes. 

- I fully expect my Mom to throw in a few random things at the end just because she has room

Coming soon - I helped a family of 5 pack for 2 weeks in Italy!! 

The $5 Rule

There was an article in the WSJ this morning about the current shift in shopping for few items, but spending more money on key pieces. Quality vs. Quantity. I thought that was just something that was happening to me as I grew up, apparently I'm not the only one.  

Then I got to thinking about how I choose what items to spend more money on, and the arbitrary 'rules' I use for purchasing. For example I don't like to by tops over $40, pants must be under $80 - I'm talking "trousers" here, work pants, but denim is a whole other story. I've been contemplating some 3 digit denim for almost a week now. Don't judge. I'm working on a whole post about denim varieties and the necessity of said varieties - if only for my husband to read and maybe understand. 

So, I was brought back to something a customer shared with me years ago (I have no idea if she was the originator of this rule, this is just where I heard it). She used a rule of $5. An item needed to be worth $5 per wear. So if you bought a $20 top, as long as you wore it 4 times, it was money well spent. I actually find this to be pretty helpful. It helps justify those 3 digit jeans - I will totally wear them 40 times a year - AND since I keep most of my jeans for-ev-er it is fine -right? 

One area where I can't use my rule is the purse. I can't seem to invest in a purse - even though it is something you carry/use everyday, I can't get the $5 rule to work. I always think I want to buy one, but I just can't. No judging here - just sharing a oddity in my arbitrary shopping rules. 

Something else that came to mind here is DON'T buy something just because it is a good deal. I used to fall for this a lot. OR I would buy something just because it was a brand name and I found it at Marshalls for really cheap, and then I would be so made I wasted money on something I didn't really like. 

But my point is, if you are going to invest in a few key pieces, make sure it is something you LOVE, that it fits, and that you will wear it often.

I would love to hear what you all splurge and save one. 

And just so this post isn't totally boring, I have a funny story about fringe. I mentioned here that I thought 'western wear' - or at least fringe -  was a trend for fall. I thought I would grab onto this trend with both feet and ordered these boots. I was going to make them the replacement for my fake-uggs (I could have used my $5 rule for real ones several years ago, but instead bought cheap ones every year or two from Target - I kept thinking they were going out of style the next year.) Anyway - here are the boots I ordered. Minnetonka 3-Layer Fringe boots.

Adorable right? I thought so. Or maybe you hate them. But I was convinced I could totally pull them off. Weeelllll, they make the most annoying swoosh, swoosh, swoosh noise when you walk. You think corduroys or wind pants are bad? (are they actually called wind pants? you know what I mean)  I was laughing out loud walking around my room. Just for fun I super-seriously asked my husband if he liked them - he replied "ridiculous". Which almost made me want to keep them :)

So I have ordered these to squash both my Minnetonka craving and my fringe craving. We'll see if they are a keeper. A little fringe goes a long way. 

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Long Time, No Blog

Oh I can't believe it has been such a long time! I have several excuses and places to lay the blame, but really I blame the HEAT!  It is 100 degrees with 90% humidity here and I don't care how much you love clothes, almost nothing is fun to put on but a swimsuit. That combined with the fact that at this point of the season I am generally bored of most of my summer clothes. I'm looking forward to fall fashion and all we have here is heat. 

Sooooo I have been perusing some of my favorite sources to see what is coming up for the fall. And you'll be happy to hear everything is in style! I'm only half kidding. Depending on what add, magazine, website, store you see, you might see totally different things labeled as THE trend for fall. As always I will say, choose what speaks to, fits your 'style' and flatters your figure. 

Here is my interpretation on some of the things you might see this fall - in no particular order...
1. High-er rise jeans. I talked about this a bit in this early post, but you will see high rise and mid rise more and more. I am a fan of this as it manages the muffin top and accentuates your waist. Make sure to check out your butt - my fear of the high-waist is the long, flat butt we all know from 'mom jean's - avoid. And I'll make a 1A here - denim - colored, distressed, skinnies still in but I have an odd sense other shapes will be inching back. 
2. Leather, faux leather, vegan leather - whatever you want to call it. It looks like leather and there is a lot of it. Most of it seems to be black - biker, rocker, moto chick.
3. Grey - love. I feel the same way about grey as I do about navy - I love to use them instead of black. 
4. Animal prints - many of you who know me, know I have been a fan of leopard print for at least 20 years - and it isn't going anywhere. 
5. Western Wear - I'm not sure this one has legs. I feel like I see it more in accessories  - cowboy boots and purses with fringe are my favs so far. Maybe I'm making this up. 
6. Cozy fabric
7. Graphic, colorful, global prints 

I don't know that I would call this a trend, but I am obsessed with jackets, blazers and coats. They are one of my favorite things about fall and winter. Jeans, boots, sweater and a fitted coat or blazer - yum. 

Here is what people who actually have a job in fashion say is on trend for fall
Elle

All right, a lot of text, no photos and some ideas you might not like, but I'm back! I should be back to posting more often these days. 

Happy Heat Wave.