Summer wardrobe

Whew, it's been awhile!  I've backed away from blogging for a bit, and unfortunately, my fashion posts fell by the wayside.  But I wanted to pop back in to share one of my typical summer outfits.  This post was thought of on the fly, so it's complete with segmented I-phone pictures.  You're welcome.

Items Necessary for a Perfect Summer Outfit:

Beanie (a gift):  Summer in Wisconsin means humidity.  Curly hair with humidity means frizz.  To control the masses, and allow you to be in public without taking a shower - a beanie to the rescue!  Cuter than a baseball cap, and less obnoxious than a sunhat, it's an ideal all-season accessory.  

T-shirt (purchased at a concert):  The perfect summer t-shirt is more of a challenge than it appears.  The fabric needs to be lightweight.  It can't be too tight, causing it to cling, but too loose leans towards looking disheveled.  Once found, the perfect summer t-shirt should be treated with the upmost respect and care.

Jean shorts (Goodwill):  Skirts are cuter, but shorts are safer.  No wardrobe mishaps here!

(Iced coffee is always a welcome accessory.)

Shoes (Wal-Mart):  I prefer closed toed shoes.  I've gotten used to them, since I have to wear them for work, but I wear them more frequently outside of work as well.  There's less risk of them slipping off your foot, and typically more support for your sole as well.

What are go-to items in your summer wardrobe?

A Month of Sundays, #1

I'm not one of those skirt-and-blouse type teachers.  Maybe if I taught high school, but as an elementary special education teacher, it's just not worth the risk.  Besides, I'd feel as thought I couldn't get down on the ground and play with my students, or create art projects.

Since my work wardrobe is fairly functional, I break out my skirts and heels whenever I can on the weekends.

Wearing stripes is also not common for me.  I find that you're either a stripes or a polka-dot girl, and you typically don't stray into foreign territory.  Stripes usually seem blocky or sailor-y to me; polka dots mean fun!

Since this shirt was a hand-me-down, I felt braver about venturing into stripes territory, since I wouldn't feel like I "wasted money" if it didn't work out.  Though I have purchased two other striped shirts recently, so we'll see if I can mosey into new territory.

Shirt & shoes:  hand-me-downs

Pants:  Goodwill

Hat & bracelet:  gifts

Yeah, I probably spent a total of five dollars on this outfit.
I have very generous sisters.
Speaking of sisters, my sister took these photos for me.
Thanks, Lyn!

Are you a stripes or a polka-dot girl?

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

What I've Been Wearing: Fall

Shirt & leggings: Kohls

Skirt:  Goodwill

Scarf & hat:  gifts

Shoes (not pictured):  TOMS

On the cusp of winter, I've been looking back, at my outfits from this fall.

These past few months, I've been gravitating towards:

* Not pants.  At some point in October, I decided I was so over pants.  I still wear them to work, and occasionally when tights seem like a feat, but I really made an effort to wear skirts.  They're just more comfortable, less restricting.  Jeans, especially non-stretchy ones, end up bunching up uncomfortably when you're trying to be cozy.  No thanks.

* Neutrals.  I've enjoyed pairing neutrals with a pop of color, or an overall subdued color palette.  In the past, I've written this off as boring.  But, it's more like a challenge.  How can I make this modern?  What will elevate this from boring to classic?  I like adding layers, tights, boots or patterns to make it fresh.

*  These boots, with these leggings.

* Digging deeper into my closet, a.ka. "waiting a really long time to do laundry".  I like watching my favorite items go into the basket, leaving me with my more un-used items.  It's a puzzle, trying to pair items, and mix-and-match things.  It's more of a success when you've pieced together a fun outfits with items you don't normally wear.

What has your fashion looked like this fall?

how to work stripes part 2

more stripes and skirts!
i guess that's my thing?
i don't really know.
well anyways, here's my outfit.

tank top: target

sweater: H&M

skirt: target

i love the little bow deatil on the pockets of this sweater. i don't wear it frequently cause i like big and comfy sweaters more but this outfit needed it. i would have been too cold just wearing that tank top or even just a shirt with my skirt.

this skirt is my new favorite piece of clothing. it's super comfy but still girly and also easy to wear. love it!

matched with the hat below, i would say this outfit will be worn again.

hat: hand-me-down, originally from Forever 21

Color-riffic

Since katie and lyn have both posted about working colors into their outfits, I thought I should chime in.

FACT:  I have only recently been opened up to mixing colors.

Excluding my 90's-era elementary-aged "fashion" (I rocked the oversized sweatshirt like there was no tomorrow), I've stayed within normal color parameters.  I knew what matched and what didn't, and stayed far away from the didn't.  Black and brown, mixing bright colors, even introducing a new color into an outfit:  no. no. no.

Honestly, it was Fall Fashion Week that really helped me explore new fashion choices.  The women who participated were so encouraging, supportive and creative that I felt inspired to make new fashion choices, one of them being colors.

Shirt:  hand-me-down

Skirt:  Forever 21

Leggings:  Kohls

Socks:  Smartwool

Boots:  Merrell, from REI

Hat:  Gift, from Forever 21

As this outfit shows, I'm still fairly moderate with my color mixing.  But only a year or two ago, I would have never thought purple and green would be in my outfit, at the same time!

Have your fashion choices changed in the past few years?