Oct 9, Menswear

Today’s Nordstrom inspired outfit is based on the theme of menswear.

I don’t own any menswear inspired pieces, so my black blazer will have to do. But wouldn’t you agree, it does add instant polish to my outfit!

A black cardigan could have worked, but the blazer adds a layer of sophistication that the cardigan lacks. Replacing the cotton t shirt with a cute striped silk top is also an improvement, and the cropped jeans & slip on driving shoes complete the look.

Jeans- Lucky

Blazer- Nordstrom

Top- Ann Taylor

Shoes- Vince (Nordstrom Rack)

Oct 7, Cozy Sweater

Every Saturday morning I wake up early and plan my meals for the upcoming week. To keep it super easy, I keep a general plan (Asian Monday, Taco Tuesday, Whatever Wednesday, Souper Thursday, Pizza Friday), this helps me plan meals without feeling overwhelmed. Once I’ve figured out what we are going to have I print all the recipes and create a grocery list. Then as soon as my hubby gets up we go out to breakfast and head to the grocery store. We think of it as our weekly date (how romantic!), plus it keeps me organized and is helpful after a long day at school to come home and know exactly what is for dinner that night!

I am sharing this because over the weekend I received a marketing email from Nordstrom with outfit ideas for the week (cozy sweater on Monday, jumpsuit on Tuesday, menswear on Wednesday… and so on) which made me think about how I spend so much time planning my menu- but have never thought to plan my outfits for the week. Below is what Nordstrom sent:

Today’s theme: a cozy sweater.

I’m wearing a color block fuzzy sweater from Nordstrom (old). It’s so comfy and cozy, and perfect for a chilly fall day. I’m going out on a bit of a limb by wearing ripped jeans, hoping the school I’m subbing at today won’t mind. It’s a middle school, so I thought the ripped jeans might be ok?! I sure hope so! As usual, I have tucked my sweater in, just so it doesn’t look like I’m swimming in it! And finally, the black booties are sleeker than the clunky Uggs.

Have a great Monday, and check back tomorrow for another Nordstrom inspired outfit!

Sept 23, Black and White, Day and Night

Today’s outfit is not a before and after, instead it’s a day to night look. I’m teaching school today, and then going to dinner with friends this evening, so I wanted an outfit than can easily transition from one to the other.

I started with black jeans, because they are an easy base for any outfit. Plus, being black they will hide any dirt that I may get on them while at school today.

As most of you know, I rarely wear prints, but every now and then I find one I like such as this cute top with the little hearts. It’s fun and different! For my school outfit, I added a draped cardigan which is comfy and warm. I finished the look with flat black booties since I will be on my feet all day. These are super comfy- and best of all, I can wear socks with them!

For my evening outfit, I will swap out the cardigan for a blazer. I have been seeing a lot of blazers lately on Instagram, but most of them are oversized and more of a throwback to the 80’s. This fitted version is not as trendy, but it is still stylish and adds some polish to my look. To dress it up even more, I replaced the booties with these cute peep toe heels.

Jeans- Gap

Top- Marshalls

Blazer- Nordstrom

Cardigan- Calypso

Booties- Nordstrom Rack

Peep toe Booties- Marshalls

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!

Sept 11, Hostess

I’m titling this post ‘Hostess’ because my before outfit reminds me of something I would have worn back in 1987 when I was a hostess at the Steak and Ale in Kansas City! Those were the days…not!

I love a good pencil skirt, and on certain occasions I will wear mine, but definitely not styled like this! With the starched shirt and black ballet flats, I look too formal. I’m not working in an office, or hostessing at the Steak and Ale, so I need to change this look asap!

Instead of the prim and proper pencil skirt, I have chosen this bamboo skirt from North Face. If you look closely, you can see the hemline is uneven, which gives it some interest. Since it’s bamboo, it is super soft and hangs well, giving a more casual vibe. Instead of the oversize formal button down shirt, I have chosen this cute linen top from Uniqlo. I really like this top- there is something about the shape of it that I love, and it pairs well with everything. To add some spice to the outfit I have chosen my leopard slides and a huge bag for running errands.

Sept 9, Yoga

Today is one of those days where I am getting a lot done around my house, and in a bit I will run some errands and then finish the off with a yoga class. I used to be so religious about going to yoga- and then over the summer I completely stopped. To be honest, I miss it- and am excited to get back into the routine. If the thought of yoga scares you- don’t let it. Honestly, it’s just like stretching and breathing. Something we all probably need to do more of!

Personally, I like Hot Vinyasa flow- but there are lots of different types of yoga. My advice would be to try out as many different types and teachers as you can. When I first started yoga I went to a really weird studio. It was very hippie… we spent the entire session working on 1 pose- it was brutal and not for me. Another class I tried (at a different studio) we sat in a circle and the teacher literally talked to (and with) us for 30 minutes before doing any actual stretching. While I learned a ton from her, it still wasn’t what I was looking for. I have now found a place I love, but it took a while to find what works for me. Don’t give up!

Now, on to my outfit details… The before look is something I used to wear all the time. It’s comfy, warm and easy. But, by just making some minor changes, I can really improve this outfit. Since I am running errands before class, I’d like to look somewhat cute. The cropped leggings are more on trend than the full length ones, and this cute lilac vest over a long sleeve top is an improvement over the boring grey fleece. And since it’s yoga (which is done barefoot), my Birkenstocks make more sense instead of the clunky tennis shoes.

Leggings- Athleta

Top- Marshalls

Vest- Loft

ps- Happy Birthday to my friend Livi. I miss you.. xoxo

Sept 8, Camo Leggings

Today I’m dressing super casual in my camo leggings and a top. I actually went on Instagram for inspiration again, and this time wasn’t very lucky. I found a ton of photos of women posing in camo with their butts, their boobs or their rock hard bellies! Not really what I was looking for…

In my before outfit I tried a black v neck top with the camo leggings. I’m fine with the black, but the length is too short and overall it just seemed a little too dark. I decided to try a white tank instead. I like the contrast of the bright white with the leggings, but this top is also a little short, so I needed to add this grey cardigan to cover my butt! To add a little interest, I threw on a long necklace and my black tennis shoes finish the outfit. Definitely not my favorite outfit of all time, but it’s warm and comfy and will have to do!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Leggings- Nordstrom Rack

Tank- Fabletics

Cardigan- Target

Shoes- Adidas

Sept 4, Striped Camisole

Today’s OOTD is my distressed black jeans paired with a printed camisole. What I want to point out is how in the before photo the camisole has a wide band right around my tummy.

Since this is my ‘problem area’ I really don’t want to wear anything that draws the eye there. So, my solution is to tuck the top in- therefore removing the offending horizontal stripe. By switching from cropped dress pants to distressed jeans I look less dated, and the strappy sandals are an improvement over the ballet flats. Now I’m off to the dentist. Ugh! Wish me luck.

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.

Sept 2, Fall Transition

Happy Labor Day! Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

For today’s outfit I have chosen shorts and a button down plaid blouse. I think this is a good transition outfit because while it’s still warm outside (hence the shorts), I also want to recognize that summer is over and fall is on it’s way. I choose this plaid button down because to me, it is a perfect fall shirt.

But as always, it comes down to the styling. In the before outfit, I have on my denim cut off shorts and Converse All Stars. It’s a super casual, relaxed outfit. But I think it’s a little too casual, so I swapped out the denim shorts for these cute linen ones with the tie belt. Tucking in the shirt defines my waist- which as a result makes my legs look longer. Rolling the sleeves and unbuttoning one button also help make this outfit a little more stylish.

Shirt- Nordstrom

Shorts- American Eagle

Slides- Target