Oct 24, Chunky Sweater

Today’s outfit is a pretty purple sweater I bought last winter. I’ve noticed that sweaters this season have a lot of detail to them, and this sweater is no exception. See below for a closer look!

In my before outfit I’m wearing black jeans (which are perfectly fine), but to add a little spice I decided to wear my distressed ones instead. I also have on my giant cozy fleece in my before look. Now, to be perfectly honest- I LOVE this fleece. I wear it around the house all the time. It’s so warm… but for out in public, I can do better.

This sweater is a lot cuter. It has a great knit pattern, the color is really pretty, and I like that it is sort of cropped, which makes my legs look longer! See below for a better look.

Gotta run! I’m taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island today for a tennis match, so full disclosure, I’m not actually wearing this outfit today. I wore it last weekend! 🙂

Oct 18, 6 Ways to Wear a Graphic T Shirt

For my final day in my ‘theme week’ I have chosen to show a graphic t shirt worn 6 different ways! This was actually a lot of fun for me- because up until a year ago I would have NEVER worn a graphic t shirt anywhere but to bed! But I’ve been inspired by all the fashion posts on Instagram. I see women of all ages rocking a graphic t and looking super stylish! So here goes my take on how to wear a graphic t shirt!

1. Distressed jeans/ Free People Blazer/ Black Booties
2. Black distressed jeans/ Faux fur vest/ Paul Green flats
3. White distressed jeans/ grey and white shrug sweater, grey booties
4. Black pencil skirt/ denim jacket, leopard flats
5. Dark skinny jeans, off white blazer, pointy toe heels
6. Wide leg jeans, casual grey cardigan, loafers

Now I need to decide which I like best! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

By the way, this cute T shirt is from Target!!

Sept 14, Waffle Top

I first noticed the waffle top last winter and knew I wanted one. They are comfy, casual and inexpensive- so really- in my opinion, the perfect top!

But, as usual, it all comes down to the styling. The shirt with just a pair of dark jeans looks a little blah. To improve my outfit I changed into cropped faded jeans- which are perfect for the weekend. I then added a black vest, both for warmth and style. Push up the sleeves, do the half tuck, add a belt and finish it all off with cute leopard slides, and now I have a cute outfit perfect for whatever is in store… unless it starts raining- and in that case will have to replace the slides with rain boots.

The jeans, top and vest are all from Nordstrom Rack and the shoes are from Marshalls. Belt is Target.

Sept 10, Fall Y’all

It’s Fall, Y’all! We have been having the weirdest weather the last few days. Normally September is still warm and sunny for us in the PNW, but lately it’s felt a lot more like fall. We’ve had crazy rain, wind and overall dreary weather. Perfect for breaking out my flannel shirt!

In the before photo I paired this cute windowpane flannel shirt from Old Navy (old) with grey jeans and grey orthopedic shoes. I think this look is just blah. It’s too boring and predictable. To change it up a bit, I have chosen my distressed skinny jeans and slip on tennis shoes from Dr. Scholl’s. I like how the color of the shoes matches the shirt, and how the blue distressed denim gives a super casual, relaxed vibe to the outfit. Rolling the sleeves and loosely tucking the shirt add to the casual look.

Sept 6, Inspiration

One of the reasons I started this blog back in 2011 was I wanted to find ideas on how to put outfits together. I have a closet full of clothes, yet sometimes don’t know what to wear! It’s been fun discovering people with similar interests and style- and I’ve been inspired by many of them. One of those is someone I found recently over on Instagram, a teacher from Wisconsin called @Madstylestudio. She has such an effortless, casual look that I love! Today’s outfit is inspired by her outfit from yesterday!

Here is what she wore:

Straight leg jeans and a floral top. So simple, yet stylish! So… that got me to thinking about my own floral top- and decided to try it paired with 3 different bottoms.

First I tried my wide leg Levi jeans. I love the washed denim look, and I think this is cute- but I wish the jeans didn’t flare out so much at the bottom. A straighter leg would be cuter. On that note, next I tried my straight leg Lucky jeans. I definitely like this look more- but wish the jeans had a more faded, worn look like @madstylestudio

Finally, just for fun, I decided to try my new joggers. While these don’t make my legs look skinny (in fact, the opposite), I absolutely LOVE the comfort and ease of wearing them. Plus, I think it’s a fun and different look than blue jeans. The grayish color in the floral top goes well with the pants- and gives me a casual, relaxed outfit.

So thank you, @madstylestudio for inspiring me. You rock! And if you don’t currently follow her, I suggest you get yourself on over to Instagram and look her up. And let me know who else you follow! I’m always looking for more inspiration.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Sept 3, Wearing White? Gasp!

I know what you’e thinking, ‘she’s wearing white after Labor Day! Gasp!’ but honestly, I think that’s a silly old rule that I refuse to follow. So there! Take that Fashion Gods~ I’m a rebel! Hah!

In my before look I have paired an orange Lululemon top with white jeans. While I love this Lulu top for working out, I don’t like it as an outfit. Mostly because it’s so clingy and shows everything. I also just think there is something sort of weird about wearing a workout top as a real life top…maybe that’s just me?

I also don’t love the full length jeans. I think they look dated and frumpy. The Birkenstocks aren’t helping!

So… instead I will wear this rayon orange top instead. The fit is much better (no clinging) and the pattern is different and fun. I also prefer these distressed jeans. The cropped hemline makes them more current and the cute neutral shoe also elevates the look.

August 29, Back to School Shopping

I took my daughter back to school shopping today. Yes, I know- most of the country is already back at school, but in the PNW we wait until after Labor Day to start, so we still have a few more days of summer. Yeah!

I knew I wanted to wear jeans because I am always cold in the mall, and I decided to keep it simple and classic by pairing my jeans with a white button down. However- comparing the two looks above, you can see that in order for this to be a cute outfit, I need to make a few changes.

Instead of the dark straight leg jeans, I decided to go with distressed skinnies from Nordstrom (7 for all Mankind). Since a button down is a little dressy, the distressed jeans balance it out by being super casual. To keep from looking like I’m wearing my husband’s dress shirt (which I am in the before photo), I swapped out this thick starched shirt for a much thinner, casual one from Nordstrom (Treasure and Bond). Then I rolled the sleeves and unbuttoned a few buttons. To add some interest, I choose my leopard belt from Target and added a white cuff bracelet. My leather braided sandals completed the outfit.

August 23, Spirit Wear

I just got home from dropping my son off for his freshman year of college, (sniff!) so now I feel like I can officially wear TCU spirit wear!

The last night I was in Fort Worth a group of Washington parents got together to go out for dinner after moving the kids in all day. This is not actually what I wore, but I thought I’d show it as a cute example of how to wear spirit wear.

In the outfit on the left the baggy grey pants are too long and I don’t care for the 2 shades of grey. My Birkenstocks, while comfy, aren’t adding any style to the look. On the right, I have replaced the baggy pants with my distressed skinny white cropped jeans. I’ve tucked the front of my t shirt in and added a belt for polish. My neutral sandals with a block heel add some height and style to this otherwise super casual look.

And what’s that, you ask, on my shirt? Why it’s a Hornfrog! Not sure I’ll ever get used to saying ‘go Hornfrogs’, but I’ll try! 🙂

August 4, White Tank

Today I am showing how versatile something as simple as a plain white tank can be. This tank is from Uniqlo*, which is one of my favorite stores for basic items.

If you’ve got one last vacation planned this summer, packing a white tank is a must. Throw it in the suitcase with some shorts, a patterned skirt , a maxi dress or even white jeans and you’ve got 4 easy, effortless looks. Which one is your favorite?

Shorts- Athleta, Shoes- Target

Skirt- Target, Shoes- Lucky Brand

Jeans- H & M, Shoes- Naot, Purse- I bought this in Italy 20 years ago!

Dress- Gap, Flip Flops- Havianas

*I tried to find the tank from Uniqlo to link, but couldn’t find one. Here is a link to a cute one from Target instead.

July 27, Coffee Date

I had a coffee date this morning with a friend who I haven’t seen all summer. It was great to catch up with her and a good reminder that I often get so busy that I forget (or don’t take the time) to nurture friendships. Gotta get better about that!

It’s a lot cooler here today, so I wore jeans and a cotton top, but my dark jeans and plain grey t shirt on the left look frumpy. The cropped and lightly distressed jeans on the right are an improvement. The sleeveless, v neck grey t shirt is more stylish than an oversize t shirt from my husband’s closet! The silver bracelets and cute sandals add some interest to the simple look.

Another outfit idea with this top is to pair it with black joggers- see below.

This is a super casual and comfy outfit that I love! If it’s chilly I can throw on a denim jacket!

T shirt- Madewell

Jeans- Joe’s

Joggers- Fabletics

Sandals- Lucky Brand