Jacket Over Dress Formula with All the Summer Blues

Hello, welcome, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

For this week's post, I am styling a lightweight jacket

 over a sleeveless dress

 This combination is a great option for a summer day,

 when you know you are going to be in and out

 of overly air conditioned spaces

Do you have this dilemma where you live?

Today it is humid and steamy,

with a forecast of 7 straight days of rain!

  This is a little unusual for this time of year, for us

  I chose this bright blue three-quarter sleeve blazer

 to wear over a retro 70s look stylized floral print dress

The dress is a true wrap style and the outfit is very classic,

 but the print is a little bit "extra"

 The colors are in shades of blue, violet and white

All week, I will be wearing brights

to cheer me up during the gloomy weather!

☔️🌧️☔️⛈️☔️🌦️☔️

 The jacket can go on and come off, 

as the temperature dictates,

 and I still know I will be presentable

in the dress underneath

I also wore this dress back in the spring on the blog,

for my Easter post, styled with a cardigan over it

Swirling psychedelic print!

My accessories are a bit mid century modern in style,

 in keeping with the retro look print of the dress

Carrying a white boxy handle bag with square closure detail

For jewelry, a white true vintage 1950's

expansion cuff bracelet,

 and silver tone loop design earrings

 Also, a white wired crinkle fabric hair band

All the white details in this outfit! 

White patent leather Mary Jane sling backs to finish the look

In my continuing series of items 

 leaving my closet this spring season,

  I am consigning this white blazer style jacket 

 The jacket is lined, and a heavy cotton duck fabric,

 that is very stiff. It is bright white, and really

 only looks right in the spring and summer,

 but it is too warm and heavy for summers in Maryland

 I purchased this jacket on Poshmark, several years ago

It is a classic, and I love the two large flapped pockets,

and the quality is there, it is from Banana Republic 

This purchase was a lesson for me,

 in the need to get all of the details

 possible before purchasing

 Some things, like fabric weight

 can be a bit difficult to determine in photos

Here is one of the times I wore this jacket,

 over a sporty short sleeve dress in spring 2023

Why not play with your food?

Roger created this impromptu palm tree

 design plate for us with summer fruit-so cute!

Hope you enjoy your week!

 

Red, White and Blue

Hello, and thanks for joining me today

For those of you in the US who celebrate,

 I hope you and your families

 have a very happy Independence Day holiday!🇺🇸

 It is especially nice this year,

 since the 4th falls on a Friday,

 and makes for a long holiday weekend

I'll jump right in with a patriotic outfit this week

 I am wearing a white vintage cap sleeve blouse

 and a white flared knee length eyelet skirt

Layering a royal blue lightweight embroidered blazer on top

Roger and I matching in red, white and blue

Do you like to dress in holiday colors?

Do you have a partner or kids who enjoy color coordinating 

with the family, especially on holidays?

We do!

 

This bag seems so right for summer holidays,

 with it's lunch sack shape

 I think I have carried it now,

 with outfits for all of the summer holidays:

 Memorial day, Independence Day and Labor Day

This was not my intention,

 or even on my mind when I purchased it

Almost all of my red bags, and I have a few ❤️,

since it is a favorite accessory color for me,

are very structured in shape

When I purchased this one,

  I was looking for one with a softer shape,

 and also a little more of a bright cherry red,

and I fell for this one

A few pieces of light jewelry

 on theme for the summer holiday

A silver tone knot bracelet, textured silver tone hoop earrings,

 and my beloved 1940s vintage Lucite tug boat brooch,

 which is a perfect nautical accessory

I went all out matching the color scheme with this outfit,

and am wearing a red, white and blue web belt, as well!

Cherry red Mary Jane sling backs

 to finish this festive look

Here is a close-up of Roger's tie

It is so adorable, printed with the Disney characters

 Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck 

They are riding dirt bikes along a red and white ribbon of road,

 with a starry blue sky in the background

So perfectly for Independence Day! 

Here is an photo from a post from last fall,

titled my Crayola Crayon Box Outfit,

   I am wearing the same royal blue embroidered blazer

   styled differently from today's look

The color and weight is very versatile

and the jacket can be worn

during the spring, summer and autumn

I will return next week with another summer outfit,

and the continuation of my series

 about items leaving my closet this season

I love fresh fruit from the farm market,

it is one of the best things about summer  

and a perfect holiday treat!

 

Hope everyone enjoys their week, and a great weekend

with family and friends!

Florals for Special Occasions

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

We are headed for the end of June already,

 and you know what that means-

it is wedding and graduation season!

 👰‍♀️🤵‍♂️    👨‍🎓👩‍🎓 

I love attending both of these special events,

and was a very proud aunt to see my nephew graduate

from high school earlier this month 

Where have all the years gone?

He is university bound in the fall!

 How about you,

 do you enjoy this season of special events?

There are a lot of possible occasions

 to get dressed up all year around,

but so few events anymore "require" fancy dress

The dress I am wearing today is navy blue chiffon,

with a print of delicate white flowers and green foliage

The fabric is shot through with shimmery,

 silver threads, (although they don't show up well in the photos)

 It has flutter sleeves,

 and an unusual asymmetrical hem with a deep flounce,

details that make it so special!

This dress is not new,

 and I did not buy it with a specific occasion in mind,

but it is perfect for an upcoming semi formal wedding

and the just past graduation

 I was shopping at the Nordstrom Rack 

brick and mortar store (for something else, completely🙄)

 back last fall, and saw this dress 

I loved it, and took it to the dressing room

 to try on, just for fun

I like it on, just as much as I liked it on the hanger,

 but paused because, did I need it?

It is not what I was shopping for,

 and a fancy dress was not even on my list, at the time

I rarely make an impulse purchase,  

but I did this time-completely out of season too,

 so it was on sale and a bargain price!

I rationalized that surely an occasion would turn up,

 and shopping for something for a special occasion 

 in a hurry takes the fun right out of it

 I'm not suggesting you run out and buy a party dress,

 with no idea how it could fit into your life,

but this one was not too far fetched, and worked out for me

It's good to have a few pieces already in your wardrobe

 as a sort of safety net for when

 a special occasion does come up  

I'm glad I bought this dress, even though I did not have the foresight to be thinking of wedding

 and graduation season at the time

I think it is not too fancy, and can be dressed down as well

The dress did not come with a belt,

and I added a chain belt with black satin bow

tied in the back, for the wedding 

This special little bag was a Christmas gift from Roger 

I just love the soft, casual bucket shape, on the dressy purse

  It is covered with silvery studs,

 and is such a fun contradiction

I have chosen it as both a special piece

for a daytime look,

and to carry for a more formal occasion

Wearing shiny silvery jewelry to accessorize this outfit

A rhinestone embellished hair band,

an open design cuff bracelet,

and large vintage silver tone flower shaped earrings,

with faux pearl centers

Ivory woven ankle strap sandals

to finish the outfit

Here is an impulse buy that didn't turn out so well,

and was consigned recently

I bought this dress in a bit of a hurry,

 for a special occasion two  summers ago, in July

It is featured on a post titled "Summer Special Occasions" 

The dress is quite a wash out on me

 It is meant to be a drop waist style,

but the wide elastic back waistband

 kept slipping up to my natural waist line

This makes the dress quite a bit shorter on me

Why, oh why didn't I noticed this in the dressing room

 when I tried it on? 

Usually I walk around a bit, sit down and bend over

when I try clothing on so little issues

 like these reveal themselves

I was rushed on this one and regret it,

 so I don't think it was a very good buy

 I consigned it at a good time though,

 when many people are looking for special occasion wear,

 so I hope someone who it suits better is rocking it now!

 

Some June blooms I picked from the garden,

roses and petunias

Next week I will be back with ideas for 

an Independence Day outfit,

and a continuation of my series on items leaving my closet

Hope you have a fun milestone event of your own,

or one on your calendar to attend this season 

Have a good week ahead!

Soft Pastels for the Summer Solstice

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog today!

In honor of the upcoming summer solstice,

 which is just around the corner on Friday,

 I chose an outfit of soft pastels

Pastel colors are so in keeping with

 the hues in nature during the summer,

so they seem just right to celebrate the season

☀️

Wearing an elbow length sleeve 

cotton and linen blouse in an abstract watercolor print

 This top really covers the pastel range,

with light pink, soft sage green and aqua blue in the print

It has lots of feminine frills,

with a ruffled bib front and more ruffles on the button placket,

but somehow manages to maintain a somewhat tailored look

I paired the blouse with a blush pink skirt

 that has been in my closet for a long time

 After I purchased the skirt, 

I got the sleeveless pleated tank top

that coordinates with it as a matching set

 I sometimes wear the blouse and skirt together,

 but usually with a topper of some sort,

  as the two matching pieces alone together

 are a complete washout on me

How about you, do you like to wear pastel colors?

What's your favorite, if you do?

This summer, even more than usual,

 pastels are so popular, 

 and there is a wide range to chose from 

 

Lots of pink and tiny ruffles!

Coordinating couple!

Roger is wearing an aqua oxford cloth shirt

 that matches the blue in my blouse,

and light gray trousers

Some silvery summery accessories include

a metallic silver belt, silver tone teardrop earrings

 and a silvertone link bracelet,

 with a pave rhinestone heart charm

Carrying a metallic silver clutch

The thing I like about this one is that it is distressed and tonal

It has been in my closet for a long time,

 and I am looking to replace it with something less structured 

There is a lot of metallic out there now,

 but everything seems to be super, super shiny!

 

Nude ankle tie kitten heels to finish the outfit

Here is the 2 piece coordinated set with a cream color blazer

back in spring 2021

I like this ok, and have worn these pieces several times

in a similar way, but

 sometimes it takes a photograph to see a better option

Today, I chose something brighter and clearer on top! 

I will be back next week with another summer outfit,

 and an item from my closet clean out to share

What's blooming in the garden, now?

The Day Lillies are starting to bloom,

so it is time to get out there with the hot pepper spray

to cover the buds before the deer

 notice and nibble every single one!

The deer population is slowly taking over the island

and wreaking havoc with with all of the

neighborhood gardens and flower beds

They sneak out of the marsh 

and graze away after sunset!

🌅🦌🦌🦌

 

   Hope everyone enjoys the first week of summer!

 

Black and White Tropical Print Skirt

Hello, welcome and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Today my challenge is styling a lively black and white

 tropical print faux wrap skirt

The skirt is an interesting mix of a print and it's reverse,

 with a bold diamond motif border 

The tropical print is obviously meant for spring and summer, 

but the bold black and white color scheme

 stumps me a little for the season

I decided to play up the white in the print

 with a short sleeve, safari inspired, lightweight jacket 

I have had this jacket/topper in my wardrobe for a long time

It's a classic and a keeper!

(Time will tell about the skirt)

Are you a fan of the safari inspired look? 

How about tropical prints?

 

The jacket has held up fantastically and still looks like new

 I wear it every summer, some seasons more often than others

 For instance, when puffed sleeves

 or a utilitarian or safari style is trending

 The white color is so much better for me

 than the typical warm neutrals that are most frequently used

 for utilitarian and safari motif styles

Wearing a bright pink sleeveless square neck top underneath for a pop of color

Today, I switched out the sash belt

 that came with the jacket, for a white belt of my own

For a bag, I chose this bright magenta chain strap,

 with a fold over front flap

Keeping it simple with my spring jewelry

Wearing a gold tone reticulated bar collar necklace,

 a crown motif black and gold enamel bracelet

 and irregular shaped pink stone stud earrings

  I wear these bright pink earrings a lot,

 and would like to find more brightly colored earrings

that work for me

 It will be a sad day when these favorites break or get lost-

must put a similar pair on my shopping list!

Shiny white patent leather Mary Jane sling backs to further spring and summer-ize this look

Here is a way back photo of me

 wearing the white safari jacket featured

 in today's post, in an outfit from six years ago, 

in 2019!

In this spot today, here is an item from my wardrobe

 that did not make the cut, in my big closet clean out,  

and was consigned this spring

 It is a classic menswear style shirt

 in a geometric pattern of repeating circles

 in multiple shades of blue and white

 I have worn this shirt quite frequently since I bought it,

 as it fits very well into my color palette

  I am a big fan of blue, especially bright royal!

 I have not worn it much lately though,

 as I have found that I am passing over

 most of my traditional collared shirts for more open necklines

This shirt could be worn in any season,

  I hope someone new will love it and take care of it

 as well as I have over the past seven years

Here is a past wear from spring, 2017

shortly after it entered my wardrobe

This outfit is a great example of why

 I generally hold onto things longer,

and purge more thoughtfully and less often, now

Both the jeans and peep toe platforms

have left my closet, the shoes only last year,

and sure enough, they have rotated back on trend!

Hope you all have a great week!