Winter wear: Suede and Faux Suede

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Suede and faux suede are great choices for fabrics to wear in the depths of winter,

 so I chose these textiles as the topic of today's post

 Do you know that faux suede is a synthetic micro fiber fabric

 that was invented as an alternative to suede in the 1970's?

Faux suede can be lighter and easier to work with for clothing than genuine suede,

and was made hugely popular by the designer Halston,

 who used it frequently in his creations throughout the 1970's

Faux suede comes in different weights, making it versatile and wearable during most seasons, 

 but you usually see it mostly used in the fall and winter. It has a nappy texture 

 and is a natural with heavier cold weather clothes

 It looks great with bulky sweater knits, denim, 

leather and of course, genuine suede

Faux suede have lots of uses, aside from clothing

and the textile has really boomed since it's discovery

and is now a favorite upholstery fabric, too. 

Anyway, for this post I am featuring both faux and genuine suede pieces from my closet 

First, a classic style faux suede blazer

 The deep turquoise color of this jacket is a bit unusual for the fabric,

as a lot of faux suede is dyed in natural earth tones 

I paired this bright, cheerful jacket with black and white for this wear,

with a high contrast black and white lace blouse underneath 

and straight leg, high waisted black denim jeans   

Can't we all use a pop of color in winter?

Carrying a black and white heart and dot print pleated fabric clutch bag

with a black belt and hairband to accessorize 

I chose minimal, sculptural silver tone jewelry to complement this outfit

A hinged sphere design bracelet and vintage stylized starburst or wreath shaped earrings 

More faux suede in a pair of black block heel tassel loafers

This net wintery outfit features both faux and genuine suede in one look!

The drapey open topper in a natural tan color is faux suede, detailed with a wide shawl collar

Worn with a vintage rusty red straight skirt with a front slit

This skirt rarely comes out of the closet

Although I like the skirt, it is very thick and heavy and I feel it is just too weighty for me 

  

Carrying a cream satchel bag 

The best part of the outfit is this vintage 1970's leather band bracelet,

with the "The Who" stamped into it

This style of bracelet was wildly popular in the 70's

not just stamped with the names of rock bands,

but with other sometimes painted motifs like flowers, as well 

I purchased this from a retro shop for a 70's themed party, some years ago

I wonder who originally bought this, and if it was band merchandise 

sold at a concert? Fun to speculate! 

Also wearing chunky silver tone textured hoop earrings

  

To finish the look,

supremely comfortable brown buckle and stud detail clogs 

The same ultra suede jacket worn back in 2019

I think I like this version better and I still have all the pieces

so I think I might recreate it

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

 

What Would Winter Be Without Plaid?

Hello everyone, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

It's hard to imagine winter without plaid

There is so very much to choose from!

 From brightly colored to subdued patterns, large to small,

 on any garment you can imagine

There is the classic plaid shirt of course, and so much more

Plaid variations are on jackets, pants, skirts, coats, scarves-

you name it and it's been plaid-ed!

Wool and flannel plaid patterns remain cold weather favorites year after year

This week I am shopping my closet and styling a couple of very different plaid skirts

First, a wool windowpane plaid knee length skirt in bright teal, 

 with black, white and grey in the pattern

Worn with a white button up under a black "V" neck pullover

for a classic look

I gave this outfit a bit of a 60's mod twist with a silver metallic buckle detail handle bag

and grey herringbone pattern tights

For jewelry, I picked out a few streamlined pieces  

Turquoise triangular stud earrings with a hammered silver tone collar necklace,

and modern design orb hinged bracelet

Black low wedge heel tassel loafers to finish the look

Another plaid skirt I shopped my closet for to make this outfit

This one is a very full midi length, with the plaid cut on the bias

The colors are neutral in black, grey and ivory

Worn with an ivory cropped crew neck pullover

in a fancy crochet knit  

A few pops of color in my jewelry:

Red heart hand crafted earrings, mixed metal chain necklace

the peace ☮️ symbol red leather wrap bracelet

Carrying an ivory satchel bag

Boots seemed to suit the outfit,

so I pulled out these low heel equestrian style knee high pair

that haven't been shown much love this season

Flashback to an outfit with a pair of

herringbone plaid ankle cropped trousers from winter 2019

I'll have to find a nice way to style this little 70's vintage blue plaid fabric bag

It's so cute, and doesn't get off the shelf often enough

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

 

Barbiecore-All the Pink!

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

All of the shades of pink are trending this season-

from the palest pastel to the new color of the year-Viva Magenta

 The Barbiecore movement is going strong!

 I am already a big fan of the color pink, so this is a trend that I am happy to embrace

I have a lot of pink in my wardrobe,

but late fall into winter is not the time of year I usually wear it much,

This year, though-it's a yes! 

Today I am featuring two looks featuring shades of pink

 

My first outfit is comprised of a two tone pink ribbed knit cropped cardigan

I can easily see this sweater reimagined for spring, too 

I layered the sweater over a navy blue tank with a skirt with large silver tone metal grommets

The skirt is a bit difficult to style, because it is such a bold design,

and a lot of the tops I try pairing it with just don't stand up to it

I think the skirt has met it's match with this unusual, mod design sweater

BTW, the grommets are only on the front,

sitting on them would be pretty uncomfortable!  

 

 

Blingy metallics have been making a big comeback for day and night

so I thought this shiny silver 60's style bag 

with it's circular buckle complemented the outfit well-

sort of futuristic!

I accessorized with clean shapes-a modern hinged collar statement necklace,

sphere design bracelet and bright pink irregular stone earrings

Navy blue block heel embossed slingbacks to finish the outfit

Another outfit featuring the color pink!

A bright pink straight skirt, paired with black and white

I'm sticking loosely to a retro modern theme this week for both of these outfits

Pairing the skirt with a cropped cardigan in a swirling psychedelic black and white print

over a white tank top

The bag is vintage from the 60's-

it's one of my favorites that I choose a lot

I like the supple leather and sleek design with curved handles

and silver tone geometric shaped hardware details

I chose a swirly abstract motif bracelet and earrings and a collar necklace

in silver tone for my jewelry to complement the wild sweater design

Low heeled black leather pumps with wide curved instep strap

to complete the look

An outfit with a raspberry pink dress from 2019

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

 

Sweater Weather

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog!

The temperatures have not taken a major nose dive yet,

 which is not bad, considering it is January

It's definitely time to start pulling out and wearing those soft and fluffy layers, though!

For this post I am styling two pullover sweaters,

 in colors that are trending big this fall

First, a rich, saturated royal blue V neck pullover, in a soft ribbed knit

I love this vibrant shade of blue!

 I have several other pieces I have collected

over the past few years, in my wardrobe in solids and in prints 

Bright blue is a favorite color for me to wear

  I am glad to see it trending again,

because that means there are a lot of options to chose from in the shops

Pairing the sweater with a black and white herringbone pattern knit skirt

with a sassy front zipper 

 

Carrying this cute silver metallic handle bag,

detailed with a large decorative buckle-so retro 1960's! 

I chose silver tone jewelry to complement the bag

A DIY horse head pendant necklace,

a large, bold mesh hinged bracelet

and 1960's stylized flower (or wreath) design earrings 

Tying a black and white scarf with a multi size polka dot print in my badly behaving hair

Black block heel square toe loafers to finish the look 

My next outfit is built around a forrest green

 sweater in a super soft and light knit, with lace up detail 

Wearing it with a tonal blue striped top underneath 

One of my go-to pairs of denim jeans this fall has been this  

 full length boot cut style with a moderately high waist in a dark wash

There are so many pant silhouettes trending this season, it is mind boggling!

I am happy to have some dependable classic cuts I can count on, for now

This little two tone bag is new this fall

It has a versatile, adjustable top handle to cross body strap 

I like the modified satchel style and small size so much

  I think the brown leather and wheat color textile combination 

will be very versatile though the seasons-we'll see! 

I took a chance and ordered this bag online

It's by Nine West, and I am happily surprised

that I like it as much in person as I did in the pictures on the computer- 

it's always a gamble!

Accessorizing with a multi color leather belt and simple gold tone jewelry

A collar necklace in alternating distressed and shiny curved links, and small hoop earrings

Perforated neutral bone color stacked heel slides to finish the outfit

Sparkly, fuzzy Pullover sweater from 2018

Unfortunate, this one is gone from my wardrobe,

it did not do well in the wash

Hope everyone enjoys their week!