Oct 22, Camo Leggings

Sticking with my theme from last week, I’m doing another camo Tuesday. This time I’m wearing my camo leggings- paired with a black top.

The problem with the ‘before’ look is that I have paired the leggings with a long sleeve collared shirt. Not only is the shirt too short to wear with leggings, but this combo is strange. And honestly, in my opinion, this type of shirt is not stylish at all, the only reason I still own it is for that rare day that I may go play golf and need a collared shirt. Otherwise, I’d get rid of it! In fact… maybe I will!

A much cuter option is this black sweater from Evereve (old). I like the balance of a bit roomier top with the slim leggings. Plus, this sweater has a cute lace and silk trim built in, so it looks like I’ve layered it over a camisole. It adds enough length to the sweater to cover my butt, so it’s perfect for wearing with leggings. And since I’m going to work, and not the gym, I think the booties are a better/ dressier choice than the black tennis shoes.

Sweater- Evereve

Leggings- Nordstrom Rack

Booties- Nordstrom Rack

April 11, Rainy Day

My daughter and I are on Spring Break touring colleges, and today it’s supposed to be cold and rainy, so luckily I packed a sweater and my cute Burberry raincoat.

This raincoat was another purchase by my hubby (it was a birthday gift years ago.) I live in Seattle where a stylish raincoat is an absolute essential. If you don’t have one, consider treating yourself. It doesn’t have to be super expensive, but it should be something that has a little style to it. I see so many people in the Pacific Northwest wearing North Face black jackets (which I love), but it’s also nice to have a stylish raincoat. Plus, just looking at the photo above, it’s such an improvement over the big, bulky black jacket I have on.

The Burberry coat nips in at the waist, which gives me a little shape, plus the cute signature Burberry plaid peeking out at the cuffs adds some major style to the look. I’ve paired it with a cream colored sweater that I have (of course) tucked in. I packed 3 pairs jeans for my week long trip; the black ones from the plane, the light ones that I wore on Tuesday and these dark ones by Paige. A darker denim is a little dressier, and these will be perfect if we go out for a nice dinner. For my feet, I am wearing my cute black booties instead of my ugly Uggs. While I love those Uggs for warmth and comfort, they aren’t adding anything to the outfit.

Jeans- Nordstrom

Sweater- OC Style

Raincoat- Nordstrom

Booties- Kenneth Cole, Nordstrom Rack

April 9, Patterned T Shirt

Sometimes I feel like I say the same thing over and over again (kind of like parenting, am I right?) but ladies, if you are still wearing oversize t shirts from college (like the one below), it’s time to get rid of it!

Try a cute printed t shirt instead. You will still be comfortable, but much more stylish. I like this one because the print is something different for me, and of course I always love black and white! By changing out the t shirt, tucking it in, adding a belt and swapping out the clunky tennis shoes for black booties, I now have a cute and stylish look. And, if it get’s chilly on our college tour today- I will throw on a black bomber jacket to keep warm.

Shirt- TJ Maxx

Jeans- Joe’s, Nordstrom Rack

Bomber- H&M

Booties- Nordstrom Rack

Feb 28, Geometric Skirt

In today’s before look I paired this cute geometric print skirt with this giant sweater. I LOVE this sweater, just not with the skirt. Since the skirt is so voluminous, I need something fitting on top. This sleek black turtleneck is perfect- it balances out the top and bottom. Adding this cute necklace gives the outfit a little color and I completed the look with these black booties.

I bought this skirt years ago at Target, and I love it because the waistband is elastic, and so it’s super comfy. The length is good for me (not too short) and the black and white make it easy to pair with anything. It would be fun to try a colorful top with it, but today I’m playing it safe and sticking to black and white.

True confession here- I am not really wearing this outfit today. I actually have a tennis match, so I’ll be wearing a tennis skirt and hopefully kicking some ass on the court! But… since you probably don’t want to see me in my tennis skirt (those things are SHORT!) I decided to show a different outfit.

Skirt- Target

Turtleneck- Nordstrom Rack

Booties- Born, Nordstrom

Jan 17th, Three for Thursday

Hello Friends! I’m having a little procedure today on my back*- so I’m not able to show you what I am wearing (besides, hospital gowns are so last year!).

Instead I decided to show my favorite dress worn 10 different ways. Looking back through some old pictures really showed me how versatile this dress is! If you think about it in terms of cost per wear- this dress cost around $150 (I think- I bought it so long ago I honestly can’t remember). If I’ve worn it  10 times- then my cost per wear is only $15. What a bargain!

*If you were wondering…I am having an epidural to block the pain in my back.

Jan 14th, Cargo Style

 If you are a long time reader you’ll remember that a while back I was on the hunt for some skinny cargos. My sister ended up finding these for me- they are Michael Kors (did you know he had a clothing line in addition to purses and shoes?!).

I really love these pants- they are exactly what I was looking for- soft cotton, enough stretch that I can actually move in them, and I love the skinny style.

Now my only problem is what to wear them with?!

Today I decided to go with a blue open knit sweater. Like the pants, this sweater is super soft- and the long length is perfect for skinny pants (read: my bum is covered). It’s really hard to see in the photos- but this sweater actually has a cute striped pattern to it. I tried to take a close up photo- but it didn’t translate very well (sorry!).  For my shoes I opted for my black wedge booties*. And to finish the whole look off, I chose this Stella and Dot necklace.

I think this a much better outfit than the one on the right- the short cardigan is too plain on it’s own- and the length doesn’t work with the skinny cargos (absolutely no bum coverage here). The black sneakers are also a distraction- they seem dated and frumpy.

Kind of a weird pose, but I wanted you to see the cute slit on the sides!

I tried to take a close up so you could see the subtle pattern.

Sweater: Banana Republic, Pants: Michael Kors, Necklace: Stella and Dot, Shoes: DSW

*Full disclosure- I’m actually working from home today- so I’m not wearing these heels around the house. I have on my comfy Birkenstocks- but I know you don’t want to see those! 🙂

Oct 3rd, My Perfect Dress

I’ve blogged about this dress before- here, here and here. And today it’s back!

I’m sorry for repeating myself, but this honestly is one of my favorite dresses I’ve even worn… and I know I’ve said this before, but I think it’s because it has long sleeves! They are so warm!

However, this dress isn’t enough on it’s own.. it need a little something.

Today I’ve paired it with my black leggings and my cargo jacket. I added a skinny belt and a necklace- and then for my feet I have on my new black booties!

Let me tell you about these booties.

I get letters from readers- all the time- about how their feet are cold, or how my ballet flats aren’t practical in their climate- or they can’t do heels- and I get it! In my rainy climate they aren’t ideal either. So, I’ve been looking for an alternative- and I think I have found a winner!

Introducing the black cowboy mini… (not sure if that’s really what you call it) but these little cuties are perfect! The flat heel is ideal for being on your feet all day, I can wear them with socks (no cold toes here), and the black goes with everything. The best part- I got them at DSW for less that $65. Yep, it’s true. You can thank me later…

Linking with The Pleated Poppy… check it out for lots of inspiration!

Dress: Nordstrom (Michael Kors), Jacket: Marshalls, Booties: DSW, Leggings: Nordstrom, Necklace: Forever 21

May 23rd, Homesick

Today I’m feeling a little homesick for the midwest. Even though I haven’t lived there in 18 years,  I still miss their gorgeous spring/ summer weather.

Adding to my gloom is the fact it’s my nephew’s last day of school today- which means his summer starts tomorrow.

Meanwhile, here in the cold and rainy Northwest, we still have a full month of school left. ARGH!

Can you blame me for being depressed?

Anyhoo… my outfit today is based on my cargos. (By the way, I keep the pair on the right in my closet purely for comparison). The loose baggy fit makes them really comfy pants, but they are not flattering at all!

To improve the look I have swapped them out for my skinny cargos. I’ve also switched out the plain boring shoes for these booties. Now, most people in the country are probably wearing sandals today. BUT, if you live in a climate like mine- it’s too darn cold for sandals- hence the booties (with socks)!

I have paired my cargos with a white tank and a purple open cardigan. I’m showing a close up below so you can really see the color and the texture of this sweater. It’s pretty cool. Also, it’s a small detail, but on the right I have on a plain tank, and on the left I’ve switched it up for a tank with a cute little sheer panel and ruffle at the top. Small details like this make a big difference. Of course, to top it all off- I’ve added a necklace.

Enjoy your day… I’m going to try to enjoy mine. By the way, if you’re looking for summer looks- check out The Pleated Poppy. I bet there’s a bunch of cute (and summery) outfits over there…

Also, I apologize for the quality of these photos. The auto focus seems to not be working. Not sure why?!

The little ruffle at the top of this tank makes it interesting.

Purple and army green are a cool color combination!

Pants: Michael Kors, Tank: Express, Cardigan: Nordstrom, Necklace: H&M, Booties: DSW

March 6th, Stumped!

For the first time since I started this blog, I am completely stumped on what to wear.

For some reason, I stand in my closet and stare at my clothes and can’t seem to put together a single outfit that you all haven’t already seen.

Luckily, my sisters are coming out for a visit next week and we’ll do lots of shopping. We also have some fun blog posts planned- so be sure to tune in next week to see what we are up to!

That being said, I’m sorry if today’s outfit is another bust (yesterday’s was a toss up- but I do agree with most of you that the length on my dress was too long and the sleeves were funky. I still love the color though!).

On to today…

When I first bought these grey skinny cords I thought I’d wear them all the time, then I got home and looked in my closet and couldn’t figure out what the heck to pair them with.

The grey threw me off a bit and I wasn’t sure what colors would work as tops so I would only wear them with white or black shirts.

I’ve finally decided that the grey is basically a neutral and can be paired with anything, so I decided to try this cranberry colored faux silk blouse. It’s loose, flowy, and very on trend right now. The loose fit of the top is a better look than the tight white shirt above right.

It’s a pretty simple outfit, not much to it, but I like the way it looks effortless and carefree (I can assure you it was anything but effortless- this took me about 45 minutes to come up with, it’s that bad. I guess it’s a bit like writers block, huh?

The loose top is balanced out with the skinny bottom. The necklace adds a final touch to show I put some effort into my look.

Pants: Banana Republic, Top: H&M, Shoes: DSW, Necklace: Forever 21

Feb 3rd, Black and Tan

With the high neckline and plain pants, this outfit is boring!

I am wearing such a simple outfit today (khaki and black) that I almost didn’t post it- but I wanted to show that black and tan doesn’t have to be boring, especially when paired with a gorgeous necklace. This pendant, with it’s vibrant green color, draws the eye immediately to it.

It is from one of my absolute favorite jewelry lines, Stella and Dot*, which my friend Carrie happens to represent.

Every girl needs a statement necklace- and I think this is a perfect addition to this otherwise plain outfit.

Paired with my cargos and a black tank and a black cardigan, it makes for a stylish, yet very easy outfit.

I never would have worn black on black, but I think this works.

Love this bold statement piece!

*Stella & Dot is found only through Trunk Shows or Carrie’s personal website.  Book a Trunk Show with Carrie and  receive $50 in additional Hostess Rewards!

Pants: Louis Permilia, Top: Nordstrom, Tank: Gap, Boots: DSW, Necklace: Stella and Dot

I am not being compensated for this post.