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! 🙂

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!

July 21, Sunset Sail

My hubby and I are continuing to embrace our kid free weekend by going out on a sunset sail tonight in Puget Sound. Below is what I will be wearing.

It’s going to be hot, so I will wear shorts. I chose these cute madras plaid shorts from Old Navy (old). They are a good length, and the pattern is fun and preppy! And wouldn’t you agree they are much better than the sweatpants shorts on the left? These comfy shorts are great pj’s, but not very stylish.

Sometimes when out on the water it can get chilly, so I will want a sweater. In the photo on the left, I have on one of my favorite Vince sweaters, but for a summer outfit, it isn’t working. I’ll replace it with this cream v neck with the sleeves pushed up. This sweater has a fun texture, and it a lot lighter weight than the heavy knit one on the left.

As for my feet, I love these Mia sandals. The rubber sole is so comfy, and the brown goes with everything! And they are much cuter than my ugly Birks.

Shorts- Old Navy (old)

Sweater- I bought this years ago at a swim suit shop in Palm Desert

Sandals- Mia, bought at TJ Maxx

July 9, Comfy Sweater

I’ve been back in town for 2 days now- and have been busy working around my house, and not getting dressed in anything cute (hence no posts lately) but I had to go to the grocery store yesterday and below (on the left) is what I wore. Seriously. It’s like Everyday Mom Style revealed! YIKES!

Luckily I didn’t see anyone I knew, phew! But as I was walking out of the store, I did see a very glamorous (super tall, skinny and gorgeous) gal in black cropped leggings, a black top and then a white fur shrug draped over her shoulders. I know it sounds weird, but it was SO COOL looking and stylish. I literally thought to myself ‘what the heck am I doing writing fashion advice looking like this- when there are people like her walking around?’ She was the epitome of style. And I was the epitome of a frumpy mom.

So… instead of my frumpy outfit, today I am trying to put a little more style back into my life with my grey joggers (have I mentioned how much I love these pants) and an off the shoulder comfy sweater. I’m wearing a cute purple bralette under the sweater, which adds a little sas to the look. For my feet, I’m just wearing flip flops (which I never do), but I like the way they look with this casual outfit.

Joggers- Target

Sweater- OC Style

Flip Flops- Havaianas

March 4, Stripes

Today’s OOTD is this cute striped sweater from OC Style, a local (Seattle suburb) based in home boutique. I love this sweater because I am always a fan of stripes- and this one is soft and cozy in addition to being cute.

In the before picture I paired it with jeans that are too baggy at the knee- and tall boots. Personally, I don’t like tall boots, unless I’m wearing them with a dress, or maybe leggings, I feel like they cut my legs in half making them look short.

In my after look I have replaced the baggy jeans with these dark skinny Paige ones. I also replaced the tall boots with short booties (Sam Edelman), and the half tuck eliminates the straight line across my tummy- which gives visual interest.

Shop OC Style! Love the yellow stripes detail on just one sleeve and at the neckline.

Paige jeans from Nordstrom Rack

March 1, Ruffle Sleeves

This gorgeous burgundy sweater with ruffle sleeves is a perfect choice for my outfit today (OOTD). I’m teaching school then heading to a Happy Hour after work, so I wanted to wear something sort of dressy, but also comfy and warm.

I started with my black jeans and sweater. As you can see in the before photo- the outfit is a little plain and not very exciting. So, I rolled the hems of my jeans and added cute leopard flats. These shoes are a great way to add pattern and style to an otherwise plain outfit. I also pushed up the sleeves on the sweater a bit, added a belt, did the half tuck and threw on a necklace.

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Hope you have a great weekend. See you tomorrow! 🙂

PS- check out my month in review to see all of February’s outfits at a glance. It’s at the top of the page!

Jeans- Gap

Sweater- Nordstrom

Shoes- Sam Edelman, Nordstrom

Necklace- Stella and Dot

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 11, Fuzzy Sweater

You guys, this is the FUZZIEST sweater I’ve ever owned. My sweet hubby bought this for me for my birthday and it came that way (maybe that’s the look?).  I love the color block design, but truth be told, it’s almost too fuzzy! But, it’s super warm and cozy, and on this snowy day it’s perfect.

In my before photo, I look huge! Clunky Uggs + baggy jeans+ huge sweater = unflattering look.

In my after picture, I have replaced the sloppy jeans with skinny ones, changed out my shoes for cute booties and did the half tuck to define my waist. Small changes = big difference.

One thing that I wanted to share was this awesome little tool that I use called a sweater stone. You can get these at Nordstrom, and they work wonders at removing the pilling that so often happens on sweaters (although maybe not so much in this sweater’s case!)

Don’t forget, you can follow me on Instagram to see my daily posts, just click the link above!

Sweater- Nordstrom

Booties- Sam Edelman, (these are close) Nordstrom Rack

Jeans- Gap 

Sweater Stone- Nordstrom

Feb 8, Snowmageddon

As I mentioned earlier in the week, we had a snowstorm and got about 9 inches- causing all sorts of messes.  For those of you who’ve never been to Seattle, its VERY hilly and people do not have any idea how to drive in the snow.

Unfortunately, the weather experts are predicting an even bigger storm to hit this afternoon. They are calling it Snowmageddon! UGH!

Yet, I still have to go to work today (have I mentioned I’m a substitute teacher?), so I must get dressed in my warmest clothes. I started with jeans, a flannel and my Uggs. Yes, those Uggs are ugly- but boy are they warm!

Problem is, the jeans on the left are a straight leg cut- and if you look closely, you can see how they bag and gather at the knees and ankles.  The loose fitting flannel, while incredibly warm, is not flattering and a little boxy..

So… to change it up a bit, I switched to a skinny jean. These are made by Good American, and they have a ton of stretch in them which makes them super comfortable. While there is a tiny bit of gathering around the knees, I still think the skinny cut is better.

I then added a cream knit sweater over the flannel shirt. This sweater is Vince, which I love, but is very expensive. I bought it at Nordstrom Rack, and it’s one of my favorites. I think it’s cute with the tails of the flannel peeking out. They add a bit of color and variety. I also stacked a few bracelets, just because I’m trying to be more stylish!

All in all, this is a super warm outfit for a VERY cold winter’s day.

Stay warm and safe friends!

Flannel- Uniqlo

Jeans- Good American

Sweater- Vince

 

 

Feb 7, Black and Grey

A reader wrote to me that she doesn’t like wearing black- because it’s so dreary, and I agree with her that it can be depressing, but I think it can also be really chic.

In my outfit today I have replaced the boring grey fleece on the left with this gorgeous grey sweater from Zara. My 17 year old son bought this for me for Christmas a few years ago, how cute is that?! One thing I love about this sweater is that it is a very thin- almost like a t shirt, but warmer. It also has great detailing on the sides- see below in the photo.

Living in the Pacific Northwest people tend to wear a lot of fleece. And I get it, fleece is warm, but unless you are out hiking or skiing, I say skip the fleece. A nice sweater is much more stylish.

I also changed up the look by rolling the hems of my jeans, showing just a peek of skin. I also replaced my black booties with the grey suede ones from Paul Green. These boots were expensive, but worth every penny. My feet hurt ALL THE TIME, so these well made boots are amazingly comfortable and I can wear them all day.

To finish the outfit, I added a cute necklace for interest and a belt- revealed by the infamous half tuck!

To me, this is a chic look. It’s easy, effortless, yet stylish.

Jeans- Gap

Boots- Paul Grey, Nordstrom

Sweater- Zara

Belt- Nordstrom Rack

Necklace- so old I can’t remember!