Oct 23, Jogger Inspiration

No time for a before and after post this morning, I am running late and need to get out the door- but I wanted to quickly show my outfit that was inspired by @CBStyled over on Instagram. She did a cute post yesterday showing how to wear joggers 13 different ways- and they were all adorable! As you know, I love my joggers- they are seriously the most comfortable pant on earth, so I was excited to see her post and find some cute ideas. Below is my quick take on building an outfit around my grey joggers from Target. I added a cropped knit sweater (Vince) and then threw on a scarf to tie the colors together. For my feet I am wearing wedge heel booties from J Crew that I have had for years. Gotta run, sorry for the quickie!

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

Sept 20, School Spirit

There are some days when I am excited to share what I’m wearing, and then there are days like today where I struggle. The issue for me is that I have a really hard time figuring out what to wear to the high school football game tonight. I know that sounds silly, but since I am always cold, the idea of having to dress in an outfit that can withstand sitting outside for 3 hours freaks me out a bit.

In my before photo I am wearing cropped jeans, a spirt wear shirt from my daughter’s high school and tennis shoes. Really bright tennis shoes. This outfit is one that I see women in all the time. And while I totally get it, it’s a quick and easy outfit that shows school spirit, it’s just not very cute (or warm!). So, to fix this look I have replaced the t shirt with a sweater in the same deep red that is our school color. I’ll be much warmer in the sweater, and the fun ruffle sleeves add some interest. To bring in even more interest, I have added a leopard belt. The pointy toed shoes are a huge improvement over the bright tennis shoes. And even though it is supposed to be around 60 degrees tonight, I will also bring a jacket and a stadium seat. If you attend a lot of outdoor sporting events, I highly recommend buying a stadium seat. They really come in handy and are much warmer than cold metal bleachers! 🙂

My sweater is old, from Nordstrom. My jeans, shoes and belt are all Target!

June 6, Sweatshirt

My daughter is mad at me because the sweatshirt in the before picture is hers, and truthfully, on a 16 year old paired with leggings, this oversize sweatshirt is adorable. On me, not so much!

It’s especially bad when worn with ankle socks and dorky tennis shoes! I know better than to wear this, but I wanted to show actual looks that I see people wearing.

My after outfit is still super casual, super comfy, but a little more stylish (if you can call ripped jeans and a sweatshirt stylish?!) But, the slimmer sweatshirt, with a cuter neckline and sporty black tennis shoes* are definitely an improvement.

Jeans- Target

Shoes- Adidas

Sweatshirt- old!

*and Kelly D, this post is for you!

April 29, Spring Sweater

Spring in the PNW is a tricky thing. Our mornings start off very cold- and it takes most of the day to finally reach a comfortable temperature. That’s why I love a good spring sweater.

For my outfit today I’ve chosen a knit sweater and paired it with distressed jeans and slip on tennis shoes. This cream sweater doesn’t scream winter (as some sweaters do), and the cropped jeans help keep this outfit from looking too wintery.

In my before photo the distressed jeans are rolled too short which looks super awkward. The blue tennis shoes are not cute and the shapeless cream t shirt doesn’t do much for me. The outfit on the right is almost the same idea- just with subtle changes to make it more stylish.

This sweater is Vince and I bought it at Nordstrom Rack. I love it’s simplicity and classic style.

Jeans- Target, old but here are a similar pair!

Sweater- Vince, Nordstrom Rack, old- but here is a similar one!

Shoes- Dr. Scholl’s, TJ Maxx

April 15, Color!

After a week of grey, black and army green- I decided I needed some color! Plus, I’m still feeling really exhausted from my trip and just need something super easy to wear to school today. Jeans and a sweatshirt is as easy as it gets!

I chose this bright pink/ purple sweatshirt and my cropped wide leg jeans. The sweatshirt on the right is a big improvement over the fleece in the before picture. My motto is that fleece is only for hiking, camping or anytime you are going to be outside and it is freezing cold. In my opinion, it is not a very fashionable look- but very practical for keeping warm!

Now, to be honest, I’m struggling a bit with my shoe choice. I know anything will be better than the grey orthopedic shoes on the left, but I’m not sure about the slip on loafers. They feel a little dressy with a sweatshirt. I think I will wear my white Superga tennis shoes instead- go for a more sporty look.

I also want to comment on wide leg jeans- be really careful that they don’t make you look wide all over. I tried some on at Target the other day- and the cut was so wide through the entire leg that they made me look enormous. This pair is nice because while lower part is wide, it is still fitted through the thigh. Also, if you are petite, try a heel or a wedge shoe. I’m 5’5, so I should be ok with a flat shoe.

Ok, gotta run and get to school. Monday after Spring Break is HARD!!!

Jeans- Eddie Bauer

Sweatshirt- Target

Shoes- Vince, Nordstrom Rack

March 11, Color Block Sweater

Happy Monday! Today’s OOTD is this cute color block sweater with the surprise in back. It’s blue & grey in front, cream & red in back! Who would have guessed?!

In today’s before look, I paired the sweater with grey jeans- thinking the sweater has grey, so grey jeans would be cute, right? Not so much. So then I tried my cream jeans- and I really like the contrast of the blue and grey on top and the cream on bottom. To define my waist, I did the famous ‘half tuck’ and added a cute belt. I then swapped out the ugly grey shoes for my cute brown booties. Small changes = Big improvement!

I love the length of the sweater in the back- covers my butt.

Sweater- OC Style

Jeans- J Brand, Nordstrom

Booties- Sam Edelman, Nordstrom Rack

Feb 12, Bundled Up

Ok Mother Nature, enough with the snow already! I’ve been trapped in my house for 4 days and need to get out! So, I’ll put on my snow boots, some jeans, a big black sweater and my black down coat- and I’m off (to shovel snow).

Problem is, in the before picture, the jeans are way to baggy, my coat is way to bulky and my overall look is messy!

So, I changed out the giant jeans for skinny ones, put on a longer and less puffy down coat (from Uniqlo) and added this cute Burberry knockoff scarf to break up all the black, and now I am good to go.

Let’s talk quickly about these jeans. They are made by Paige- and I got them at Nordstrom Rack, so didn’t pay full price. I LOVE these jeans. First of all, I love the dark wash. Secondly, they are high waisted, which means they sit above my hips and on my natural waist. To me, this is so much more comfortable than the low rise ones. And last, they are made with 54% rayon, 23% cotton, 22% polyester and 1% spandex, which makes them super stretchy and comfy, but not in the way where by the end of the day they are 2 sizes bigger (I hate that!). These honestly feel like sweatpants, they are that comfy. I remember back in college (in the 90’s) my friend Jo Marie used to sleep in her jeans and I couldn’t imagine doing that… but these jeans- I could sleep in!

Did you know I’m also on Pinterest? Click the link at the top of the page and come follow me for outfit inspiration!

And, feel free to leave a comment here to let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers- it honestly makes my day! 🙂

Boots- Sorel

Sweater- Free Press, Nordstrom Rack 

Jeans- Paige, Nordstrom Rack

Down Coat- Uniqlo 

Scarf- so old I honestly don’t remember where this came from!

Feb 2nd, Weekend Wear

Has this seemed like the longest week ever? It sure has to me. I traveled last weekend- and it literally took me until Wednesday to catch up on my sleep. I don’t know how people travel for work every week.

Today’s look is a great, easy weekend staple- leggings and a sweater. In my ‘before’ look my sweater (which I LOVE by the way) is too short for leggings. Also, my grey Uggs make my feet look clunky.

In my ‘after’ look, I have a striped sweater that is longer and covers me up more. I love this sweater because of the cute different stripe patterns  (the sleeves, the sides and the front are all different). Not sure if you’ve noticed this about me yet, but I wear very few patterns. But stripes- oh yeah! I LOVE strips and can’t get enough of them.

The black tennis shoes take the attention away from my feet- and the continual black makes my legs look longer.

This is cute, casual and cozy! Perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Leggings- Athleta

Sweater- OC Style

Shoes- Adidas (Nordstrom Rack)

Feb 15th, Cargos

 I’ve been searching everywhere for some skinny cargos- and have been unable to find any.

In the meantime I am stuck with these baggy ones. I actually love these though- because they feel like pajama bottoms!

I’m showing how paired with a plain black tank (even though I really love this tank) is not very exciting.

On the left I have rolled the hemline of my pants, switched out these awful flip flops for cute red flats and then added this fun shirt I picked up at Target the other day.

I know I swore off buying cheapy clothing, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

I like the neckline of this top- the deep V  is flattering, and love the pattern (which for you regular readers know I NEVER wear pattern!).

Now if only I could find the perfect skinny cargo. Anyone?

I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday at the Pleated Poppy. Be sure to check them out too!

I like the loose, flowy style of this shirt- perfect for hiding a not so perfect tummy!

You could wear this top with jeans instead.

It even looks cute with my white jeans.