Chocolate Brown with a Pop of Color

Hello, and welcome!

 Thanks for taking a moment to stop by my blog today

All of the brown tones are trending like mad this year,

thanks to Mocha Mousse being named

color of the year by Pantone

This really put brown back on the map 

after a fairly long hiatus!

Have you purchased any brown pieces this season,

 or are you wearing some neglected things in your wardrobe?

I have not seen one color

 so completely take over for many seasons-

brown is everywhere!

🤎🟤 🟫 🐻

I have been putting the few brown pieces

 I already have in my closet into rotation,

and this chocolate brown skirt is one of them

This outfit formula is an infinitely variable go-to for me, 

all year round, but especially for fall

 A jacket or sweater, layered over a blouse or top,

 with a skirt or trousers

Today I am wearing a beige cropped weskit style jacket

with a dark brown sleeveless top underneath,

paired with a chocolate brown button front knee length skirt

The jacket is structured and somewhat fitted,

 going along with the current revival

 of the eighties nipped in at the waist silhouette

A professional combination that never fails!

Just adding a few key accessories can make it special

I chose, an unusual bag

 to add interest to this basic combination

The bag is decorated in various shades

 of blue and green applied strips,

 with a square gold tone handle 

For jewelry I chose an enamel

  teal green color hummingbird in flight brooch,

 It is decorated with aqua rhinestones 

Other jewelry is a gold tone bar hinged bracelet,

 and cushion fossil post earrings dyed blue-green

  A long rectangular soft teal scarf is

knotted around my neck and tucked into the jacket

For shoes, I chose my reptile embossed

 Mary Jane sling backs, with contrasting tan trim

 I have had these for a long time,

and wore them frequently when I first bought them,

 and then rarely for a while

 Now they are back in style, and rotation!

I also styled a chocolate brown skirt

earlier this season,

 back in September with a short sleeve sweater,  

for a post titled "Classic Sweater Girl" 

These are two different skirts,

 they look more similar than they really are in the photos

 Both are button front styles, this one is linen,

 and the one I'm wearing today is a rayon blend

Funny how the linen one lived in my summer wardrobe,

 and the rayon one, with my fall and winter clothes

What do you think?

Maybe I don't really need them both!

  

A lesser worn skirt that is leaving my closet

in my fall/winter closet cull,

 is this wool plaid midi

You know I love a swingy, full skirt,

 but this one is a lot of skirt to handle!

  It is lined, which is good for wool, but heavy to wear

  I am ousting it, along with some other wool things

in my winter wardrobe for lack of versatility,

 that I can really only wear a small part 

of the winter season

A photo from a post 

of me wearing the skirt in the winter of 2022

This must have been a really freezing cold day,

because I am wearing boots, which is a rarity!

 Hope everyone has a good week!

 

Orange and Black and White Checks for Halloween

Hello, and welcome to my blog

I hope everyone is enjoying Halloween week!

🎃👻🎃👻🎃

I chose my outfit today loosely on theme for the holiday,

in a shade of orange, with some black 

This outfit is another in my continuing quest

 to cover all the bases,

 and dress in accordance with current,

 erratic weather changes

 It has been quite warm and wonderful one day,

 (or part of the day),

 and cool and cloudy or rainy the next

Today seemed to demand a layer,

 so this is the look I came up with

What are your solutions

 for changeable bridge season weather? 

 I chose this black and white check print dress

 It is a medium weight knit and is pretty season-less

  Also, it is in one of my go-to styles to wear, fit and flare 

 Layering an orange coral cropped open cardigan

over the dress today

Everything cropped is co-existing this season

with what seems like everything else!

Have you noticed there are a lot of influences

and different silhouettes happening

in a hodge hodge this season?

I'm seeing and hearing:

 ⭐️The classics are back (think polished and preppy),

and oh my gosh the cardigans-

they are everywhere like never before!

⭐️Eighties influences are big (very maximalist)

⭐️Belts are even bigger, emphasizing the waist 

⭐️Western wear is very influential this season,

especially denim dresses and skirts

⭐️Color trends are both bold statement colors,

and warm, rich neutrals, including brown, of course

⭐️Oh, and suede is the textile of the season

Am I missing anything?

I'm sure I am...😵‍💫 

Carrying a vintage black leather structured handle bag,

 with unusual rectangular, silver tone hardware

Although large, soft, slouchy bags

are trending this season,

I will likely be skipping this trend

unless I find one that works for my small frame

Oversized and slouchy is for those who can pull it off,

and most of the time, that is not me

More and more I am

carefully picking and choosing from current trends

 to find what suits me best

 I chose silver tone jewelry for this outfit,

since the bag hardware is silver tone,

and a special feature

 Wearing a hinged bar bracelet,

 and teardrop post earrings

Another accessory is a black and white polka dot scarf

(ignore the black sash, it was too much and I took it off!) 

For shoes, I am wearing this jaunty pair of two-tone,

 low block heel spectators

 They have a black and white cross hatched design 

 with black toe caps

Sling backs are a trend I can get behind with fervor

as they have already been a favorite of mine for years!

This is going on, but not in full force yet!

Only a few trees are starting to drop their leaves, so far

October 26th was Roger's birthday,

so I baked him double dark chocolate

brownie cupcakes,

with dark chocolate fudge icing-

he is a BIG chocolate lover! 🍫

🧁🎈🎉🎂🎁🎈🥳

Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Thanks for joining me-

hope you have a wonderful week!

Burgundy and Grey Color Scheme for a Change in the Weather

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

The weather is cooling down, and all around me,

seasonal changes are becoming more apparent

🍂🎃🍁

An autumnal vibe is in the air, for sure

It's high time for me to get serious about changing

 to my fall and winter wardrobe!

For today's outfit I chose some darker fall colors-

 a gray and white woven vest with black piping,

 over a white ruffled blouse with elbow length sleeves

I wore this blouse back in the summer, under a floral dress

in a post titled "Ruffles and Flowers for Summer",

so it is more of an all year round piece 

My midi length skirt is burgundy color with three swishy, gathered tiers

Burgundy is a close cousin to brown,

and is trending again this fall

along with all the shades of red and purple,

so it seems a good time to style it

Seems my subconscious mind has been on Halloween,

 as my outfits have been a bit costume-y, lately

 Two weeks ago, I wore a bit of a milk maid look,

 this week, my outfit turned out looking

 a little like I am channelling Mary Poppins

Maybe a slightly swashbuckling looking MP!

Are you ready for Halloween?

Will you be going to any costume parties,

or getting dressed up in a full-on costume?

I know some people just love this fun holiday,

 and start preparing their costume months in advance

We will be going to our community's

annual party and handing out treats in costume! 

Roger is getting in the fall spirit, 

and matching my color scheme today

  He is wearing a burgundy and gray

 argyle sweater vest, and gray trousers

 Argyle is a great print to get the autumn vibes rolling!

I picked this cute vintage

 tapestry print handle bag from the 1960's,

to complement the colors of my outfit

For jewelry, I chose a DIY horse head pendant,

  a chunky, wavy, open design silver tone cuff bracelet,

 and textured hoop earrings

Have you noticed a lot of figural animal prints

this season?

 I have been seeing lots of cute and cuddly critters,

 on sweaters especially, 

but also on all types of clothing and accessories

 I love this trend and am very tempted!

These burgundy patent T-straps with a low conical heel

 seem the perfect shoe for this outfit

I have had these in my wardrobe for a long time,

gathering dust for the past few years

I am glad I kept them!

  I have started wearing them more often recently,

 as the color burgundy has come back into fashion 

Here is an outfit with a similar color way,

 from an autumn past, 2022

A pair of shoes that are leaving my closet

 with my fall purge are the heels pictured below

 They are black and white micro striped pony hair Mary Janes Although I love them, 

like the pair of heels I featured for consignment

 a few weeks ago, 

 my back knows very well when the heels are too high

 My back says no so I obey, and my higher heels are being purged from my wardrobe

The photo below with me wearing these shoes

was taken for a Valentine's Day post

 in February, 2020

 

Last days to visit the beach, this year,

it is getting too chilly!

🐚🍁🍂🍁🐚

Some seasonal outdoor decor

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

 

Mocha Mousse for Fall

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog today!

In a loose, general way, I like to dress in flow

 with the colors present in nature for each season

 Autumn is the most challenging season for me

 As much as I love the beautiful rich colors of fall, 

the warm, muted shades do not look well on me

Two of my work arounds

 to integrate some fall color into my wardrobe,

 are to wear a color that is more in my palette

 near my face, and to wear the autumnal shades 

 on the bottom half of my outfit

This look features a brown pleated midi skirt

I styled it for spring, back in April,

in a post titled "Mocha Mousse"

Today I am styling the color for fall,

with a red short sleeve sweater with a polo collar,

and an ivory ribbed sleeveless sweater layered underneath

 I wear brown so infrequently

that not much in my closet blends with this skirt,

but since brown is THE trending color this fall,

I have pulled every brown thing out of my wardrobe,

 to see how I can work with it!

This is the only brown item I have purchased all season

It was a fun and challenging stretch,

 but I don't see brown becoming my new black!

 

Carrying my two tone handle bag

 in brown leather and tan fabric,

 with bold gold hardware

I thought this bag would be very versatile,

 and I would use it a lot, especially in the cooler months,

when I purchased it two years ago

It just has that autumn look and feel about it

 I have found that I do not use it very often 

 I guess it would be very useful, in someone else's wardrobe!

I will keep trying, though

 A pair of shoes in this tone of brown

 would look nice with this bag,

and be a good contrast with the mostly cooler

 tones in my wardrobe-

I just have to find them!

 

A few more accessories that really are very versatile, 

are a lovely silk square scarf in ivory

 and an unusual woven belt

The belt has three different shades of brown-

it has to go with something!

Belts are a hot trending item this season

I wear them a lot anyway,

but for those of you who don't-

now is the time to experiment

Almost everyone has a neglected assortment

 of belts in their wardrobe from passed seasons

that you can get creative with!

 

 For jewelry, I chose gold tone to go with the bag hardware

 A wrap collar necklace, a bar bracelet, and a pair of square round stud earrings

I pulled these T straps out of the back of my closet

 I don't wear these very often, but when you need them,

 you need them!

 They are so unusual and make such a statement

 They are bronze metallic with studded wing tips,

 and an unusual shaped wedge heel

 Continuing my closet clean out...

I don't wear booties or boots of any kind very often,

 and have very few pairs 

This is the only pair that is leaving my closet, now

 They are very cute in pony hair with a cheetah print,

 and triple black straps, but as you can see they are flat,

 so bye-bye to them to someone who can wear

 them more easily than me

All of the animal prints are trending this season,

and these are very comfortable,

 aside from being too flat for me,

  I think someone will snap them right up

and give them a good home!

A picture of me wearing the booties in the autumn on 2019

shortly after their purchase

As you can see, I was employing my trick 

of wearing the autumnal rust on the bottom half of 

of my outfit here, too!

Some gorgeous fall foliage is starting to show up in the area!

Hope you all enjoy your week!