Orange Top and Leopard Print

I like to wear jeans on Fridays when I don't have any client appointments.  I still need to look put together though as a courtesy to others in the office who do have clients coming in.  In outfits like these though, if I'm sitting behind a desk, no one even knows that I'm in jeans. These jeans came from my first trunk club (Trunk Club and jeans reviewed here). They are from AG, and I could wear them every day.  They were an investment, but they are so soft and stretchy, and in this dark wash and straight cut they are classic enough for business casual days.

 

This is my favorite orange silk top (previously styled here, and here) by Joie, again!  It's been such a fun addition to my wardrobe this fall.  I paired it this time with this cute black blazer. You can't tell in the pictures but it has a subtle snake print design that gives it a little more somethin' somethin'.  I wore my animal print heels and matching belt, and carried my Celine Nano with orange sides, for a great fall vibe.

 

Recreate the look:

Blazer: mine is old from Tahari, but this one is similar

Top: mine is Joie, here's a similar one also by Joie but with buttons

Jeans: mine are from AG, similar AG jeans from Nordstrom

Belt: similar from The Limited

Shoes: mine are old from Michael Kors, here's his current version

Purse: Celine Nano, this one is a pre-owned one that's brown and black

When I got home I changed for dinner. I switched out the blazer for a cardigan and my leopard heels for my leopard wedges (previously reviewed here). I even threw on this little leopard scarf for fun.  I'm always amazed at how just a few subtle changes can change the whole vibe of an outfit.

Recreate the look:

Scarf: mine is so old, here's a really cute one

Cardigan: mine is old from Marshall's, similar 

Top: mine is Joie, here's a similar one also by Joie but with buttons

Jeans: mine are from AG, similar AG jeans from Nordstrom

Belt: similar from The Limited

Shoes: exact Vionic wedges in leopard print for $45

Purse: Celine Nano, this one is a pre-owned one that's brown and black

 

I use affiliate links in this blog. That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything. I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun. All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Many thanks!

Errand Day

My weekends are always full of running errands. As I'm writing this I'm sitting at the auto place hoping my leaky tire can be fixed and doesn't need to be replaced. It's another 100 degree day, and I really feel it when I'm getting in and out of the car all day. It's tempting to wear shorts and t-shirts on days like this, but then I hear Stacy London (do you remember that show, "What Not to Wear"?) in my head telling me you can be cool and comfortable and still look put together.

I also hear my mother telling me to "dress nicely, because people treat you better when you look nice." Which is true, the auto repair guy just gave me a cold bottle of water.  So, I'm still wearing shorts to be cool and comfortable, but they are a tailored pair with a flat front and a breezy tropical pattern. Instead of tennis shoes I'm in cute gold wedges (styled before here, and Deborah from Fabulous After 40 just did a great post about metallic sandals) that are still comfortable, and even cooler than tennis shoes. I swapped a t-shirt (to be honest I did look for my red t-shirt but it is in the wash) for a short sleeved blouse, that I usually classify as work wear. My matching cross body purse, and a statement necklace in a neutral color finishes the look. I'm cool and comfortable, and if I happen to run into a client I won't have to duck or hide! Stacy London and my mom would be so proud.

Shorts - White House Black Market 

Blouse - The Limited

Gold Wedges - Fergalicious by Fergie 

Cross body - Kate Spade

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

White capris and gold wedges

Here's a quick casual summer outfit. These are my Lucky Brand white jeans. They are ankle length but I rolled them up for a Capri length. I topped with this blue and white striped tunic that I got on Amazon, and these cute gold wedges. 

I got the wedges at DSW a year or two ago; they're Fergalicius by Fergie. I've worn them a lot this summer. They are a soft gold, and they go with everything. 

 

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

Minimalist Shinimalist!

There's been a real trend towards minimalism in the last few years. Fashion blogs and Pinterest are littered with how to create a Causal Wardrobe, or as some like to claim, how to dress like a French woman.

Then there's Marie Kondo's New York Times best seller that espouses that if you get rid of everything that doesn't spark joy in your life you will free yourself and only greatness will follow.

I've read numerous flow charts to help you decide what to keep and what to ditch. I've tried the system of turning all of your hangers backwards, the hang them back up normally after you wear something and after 6 month you'll be able easily identify what you haven't worn and get rid of it.

I've tried all of these ideas. In January after reading Kondo's book I did a big purge and took six bags to Good Will.  But I still have so many clothes.  When I started using my Stylebook Closet App, and it gave me an actual count of everything in my closet and the combined value...holy cow! 

I really started to weigh on me. The volume of my possessions was making me a little depressed. I started obsessing a little bit about it. Am I too materialistic? Am I a shopaholic? Am I hoarder? 

What is a reasonable amount of clothes to have anyway? Looking at my statistics in my closet app I have 502 items logged. And that's not everything, but it does include bags, shoes, necklaces, belts, and scarves. 

I've been using the app for 2 months. I haven't repeated a work outfit once, and I've only repeated a casual outfit once. Out of my 502 items, I still haven't worn 204 items after 2 months. About 65 of that 204 are winter items, so that doesn't really count. So, I have about 150 items still to wear.  That will probably still take me at least 2 more months to wear everything in season in my closet.

With those 502 items I've created 665 outfits so far, without much effort. If I really tried I could probably get up to 1000 unique outfits. And I'm not splitting hairs here and counting an outfit with different shoes or a different necklace as a different outfit. These are distinctively different outfits.

There's only 365 days in the year, though. I could go over 2 years without ever wearing the same outfit! My mom would say that's obscene (that's also how she describes our Christmases with 100's of presents, hmm maybe my comfort with excess stems from that!)! 

Anyway, I was lamenting to my coworker today about how I need to get rid of half my wardrobe because I have too much and she said, "Who cares?" I thought about that for a moment, and you know what, she's right! Who cares? 

I have the space for my stuff. I don't go into debt buying things. I wear my stuff. Why does it matter that I have too much, and who's to say what too much is anyway? I'm sure it's less than any of the Kardashions!

When I got home I changed out of my work clothes and into errond clothes as I do everyday. I created a new outfit combination that utilized 2 items from my never worn list, and a great pair of wedges that I've owned for years, but have also gone years with never wearing. If I'd had followed all that minimalist advice I would have gotten rid of these shoes years ago. Instead they were the perfect shoes for my outfit today and that brought me joy! 

 

Casual Friday

This denim pencil skirt from White House Black Market has become a workhorse in my wardrobe.  When I bought it I though it would just be a weekend skirt, but styled correctly, it looks professional enough that I can wear it to work on Fridays too.  The a dark wash, pencil skirt style, and small slit in the front all help elevate it to work appropriate. The denim has a lot of stretch in it so it's comfortable all day long also.

I've paired it with this white and beige chevron stripe blouse by Laundry, and this orange J Crew collarless blazer. I've accessorized with my Celine Micro Luggage bag, Hermes belt, and these navy suede Stuart Weitzman wedges.

I kept seeing these navy wedges on Princess Kate and after a little research (Kate's favorite shoes) I was able to find them.  They are my first pair of shoes in this brand.  I originally bought them in my usual size 7M, but they were too long and narrow. I exchanged them for a 6.5 wide and they fit well. I've since read reviews that this brand tends to run narrow. They took a couple of wears to break in, the outside edge of the shoe rubbed against the top of my foot, but I now wear them without any trouble.

Happy Friday!