A Little Bit Western for My Birthday

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog today

Celebrating another trip around the Sun this week,

 as my birthday was December 1st 🥳

I thought I would go into my next year with 

a bit of a fashion stretch,

wearing a look that I rarely dabble into,

 which is western wear

 Western wear is a big returning trend

 this fall and winter season,

 especially denim skirts, denim dresses, western boots,

and or course fringe!

So why not give it a try

Are you already a fan of western wear?

If not, are you likely to give it a try this season

 since it is so popular, presently?

The pieces I am wearing today 

were already in my wardrobe,

 I just mixed them together to give the look

a bit of a western flair

 Although I don't have much western wear in my wardrobe,

  I do have a few pieces

 that can lean an outfit in that direction,

and this is what I came up with

A dark wash denim jumper dress

 with a wide full skirt and slightly high low hem

 This dress has lots of gold thread topstitching 

common in a lot of denim,

 and copper buttons down the front

 For this wear, I am layering a long sleeve white blouse

 with embroidered red hearts under the dress

 Adding in one of my favorite motifs 

to make it me ❤️

Most of us have some pieces

to put together a western look, 

because who doesn't have a denim skirt, denim jeans

 or maybe a plaid shirt in their closet?

Here's a picture of Roger and I 

matching in our (semi-western) wear

 Roger's shirt is actually a retro piece

 in red and tan paisley from the Gap from the '90s, 

and he is wearing it with Levi's and brogues

 (Roger is not too fond of boots)

Carrying one of my favorite bags,

 a quilted heart in bright cherry red

A few more accessories in my favorite color-

 a wired crinkle fabric hair band from the '80s,

 an expansion bracelet from the '50s,

 and enamel dot earrings from the aughts-

 what a mix!

Natural leather short boots with a curved top,

 brass studs, and a stacked heel

 to further westernize this outfit

Here is a Dooney & Bourke bag for my consignment shop

I have had this one for years

When I bought it,

 I thought I could match some shoes with the leather accent

 trim on the bag

The color of the bag proper,

 is a very strange neutral taupe-ish grey

  I haven't worn the bag much over the years,

 It has been frequently passed over,

and it didn't seem to add anything special to

any of my outfits

The following photo is from winter, 2019

  Wearing all the brown tones in this outfit!

I am currently contemplating consigning

 the suede skirt as well

 It is real suede and lined,

 and very stiff and heavy to wear

But, with the current popularity of suede,

I think someone else is going to absolutely love it!

The skirt is a really nice piece of nostalgia too,

 from the 90s from the Gap like roger's shirt

 I must have been trying to wrangle up

all the things I could find that were brown toned

 to go with the skirt,

 because there is very little brown in my closet,

and it is an unusual color for me to wear

This outfit would be just right for this fall season though,

because it is incorporating two current trends at once-

 the brown tones and suede

Hope you all have a great week!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog!

 I hope you are all having a great Thanksgiving week

 in the company of family and friends!

If you will be traveling for the holiday, enjoy and stay safe

I chose this outfit for today for it's upbeat vibe

 I have been seeing a lot of intarsia knit sweaters

 pop up this season, 

many adorned with the cutest critters!

 I could not resist this adorable puppy print,

 and I think it will put a smile on many faces

 Wearing the navy blue pullover with an old favorite

 navy blue, knee length flared skirt 

Roger is joining me today in a coordinating outfit

 of maroon and navy blue,

 with the most darling Mickey Mouse tie

It's animal motif day!

The many faces of Mickey on Roger's colorful tie,

most of them happy!

Double and triple belts,

 and belts that wrap around the waist and hips more than once were all the rage on the runway this fall season

So far, I have not really seen this trend picked up too much IRL, although I have seen some examples on social media

I thought I would try this trend out on this outfit

 I am wearing a brown leather, silver studded double wrap belt 

The belt is not new, but the style has come around again

This one has been in my closet for a very long time 

 I held on to it because it is unusual 

I think it is from the 90s, and 20 plus years old-

 leather holds up!

 I chose this small tonal red tooled cross body bag,

just large enough for my essentials

For jewelry I went with a simple silver tone love knot bracelet,

 and textured hoop earrings

 Also a taupe top knot hair band

A few more accessories include

 a dark red wired multi-purpose scarf/hairband,

(These are so much fun to play with!)

 And here's a close up of the belt

To finish the outfit and add a bit more color,

I chose dark red classic block heel sling back pumps

Roger enjoys baking,

 and made yummy home made pumpkin muffins

for a special holiday week treat! 

A little Autumnal decor for the table

Hope you all have wonderful week and holiday!

 

 

Lace Dress in Autumnal Wine

 

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog today

The holiday season is fast approaching

and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, already!

Time seems to speed up, as the year comes to an end

 I like to be prepared, and plan some outfits

 for upcoming holiday events in advance

How about you?

Are you a pre-planner, or do you just know

 you can pull together

 the perfect outfit for whatever the occasion?

For me, it is good to check the closet for possibilities,

 to see if I am going to need anything special

This way, I am not as likely to be surprised

to find a hole in my wardrobe, at the last minute,

and impulse buy 

Last minute shopping for an outfit,

 of even a piece of an outfit, can be stressful,

especially at this time of year,

whenall eyes are on finding the perfect

 gift for others on my list!

I think this dress is just right for a get together

 during the holiday season

It is a rich wine color,

 which is a hue I associate with this time of year

 The dress is made of lace, and is completely lined

 with the same color fabric as the lace,

except for the sleeves, which are sheer

 The lace makes this dress special

I have had it for a couple of years,

but lace has re-emerged in a big way 

 for this fall and winter-so right on trend!

 I think the shirt waist style makes the dress not too fancy,

 so it has multiple styling possibilities

The bag I am carrying has been a little dream for years!

 It is very simple, and has been a go-to for me,

 in a metallic bronze color 

It is not too dark, so I use it all year round

It seems to blend in seamlessly with so many outfits,

dressy or casual, when nothing else seems to work

Subtle metallics can be magical!

 

The bag came with two straps, a short handle bag strap,

that could also be attached with both ends

on the same side, creating a wristlet,

 and a longer shoulder bag length strap

 Today I am carrying it without any of the straps,

as a clutch

It is a basic that I have had for a long time,

that has just turned out to be so much more versatile

 than I thought it would be-

I love it when this happens!

 Fortunately, it is well made of leather,

 and the metallic shows no signs of wear,

 after years of light use 

For jewelry I choose my large gold tone

 heart shaped post earrings,

 and a substantial asymmetrical bangle bracelet

 Other accessories for this outfit

 include a thin wine color reptile embossed belt,

to add some shape, since the dress is kind of boxy,

 and a gold beaded hairband

To lighten up the dark wine color a little bit, 

I chose my "I love you" conversation heart silk scarf, 

to wear around my neck,

in shades of pink and yellow with wine color lettering

Matchy wine asymmetrical strap heels to finish the look

Here is another item leaving my closet,

 with my fall and winter consignment

 It is an interesting piece (for someone else)

 It is a waterfall cardigan with black knit sleeves and back,

 and a black and white geometric printed chiffon front

  I purchased this back when waterfall cardigans were trending The style is very versatile, and has multiple styling options

  This is one of the few waterfall style

 tops or sweaters I purchased,

as I never really wore them very well

 It has hung around in my closet for years,

I think since 2018, and never got much wear

  I got creative with it and styled it several different ways,

 as well as hanging loose

I belted it and tied it,

but it was always a little swamping on me,

so off it goes to another creative soul

with different ideas for styling it!

Wearing the open waterfall cardigan

tied at the waist over a column of rust

back in the autumn of 2019

Here is a little seasonal porch decor-

Rusty tone mums for a change,

 and multi-colored gourds  

Hope you all enjoy your week! 

Sweater Dresses for Fall

 Hello, and thanks for stopping by!

Today, a decided on a sweater dress

 to showcase here on the blog

I am seeing a lot of sweater dresses

 in the shops and on social media this season,

 and more knits of all kinds, than even

Fall is generally the time of year for these,

but this year there seems to be an explosion of them!

Body con ribbed knit midi and maxi dresses,

as well as mini's that look like

 elongated chunky jumpers are everywhere

I may succumb to a long straight knit dress eventually,

but the knee length and flared skirt

on my green one today, is much more my style

It is a light heather green color,

 and is very soft and cozy

It has a faux wrap bodice and a sweet ruffled hem

It seems just right for a chilly November day

 

I usually get out my knit sweater dresses

 and wool items later in the season

 Generally too late, actually!

It seems January is the time to start wearing them,

when the weather here is the coldest

Funny thing is, this is about the time

   I am starting to dream of spring,

and am tired of looking at,

 and wearing my cold weather clothes-lol!

This year, I decided to sort through

 and get the winter knits and wools out to wear

 earlier in the season, to see how that goes

How about you, do you start pulling out your woolies,

and relish wearing your boots and bulky sweaters

at the first hint of fall?

I 

For a bag with this outfit, 

I chose a light tan quilted half moon style

 The short, chunky gold tone chain handle is tucked inside,

and I'm carrying it as a clutch today

 

For jewelry, I am wearing some pieces that I don't wear often

A bracelet that is a triple strand of faux black pearls,

 and a distressed metal bib statement necklace

 The necklace has organic,

 circular shaped discs interlocked together

Maybe I will wear these more in the coming months,

as both pieces seem wintery to me

 

A few more accessories,

wearing the sash tie belt that came with the dress in my hair,

and a green pony hair belt

Classic light tan with black toe cap sling back

block heels to finish the look

This is one of those pairs of great fitting shoes (for me)

that I wish I could go back and buy in all the colors!

I have similar styles, but have yet to find one

 that fits my foot, and the straps stay in place as well as these

Another sweater dress in my wardrobe 

that I wore during the winter of 2022 on the blog

 It looks black in the indoor photo,

 but it is actually a dark bluish purple

and has a subtle metallic thread

running through the knit

In sorting through my winter things,

 this skirt is one of the pieces that will be leaving my closet,

 with my fall appointment at the consignment shop

Here I am wearing the skirt way back in 2019,

shortly after I purchased it

 My hair is extremely short! As short as it has ever been.

 I had just gotten a new hair stylist and she did not follow  directions, or my photo

(I did not go back to her again)

Anyway, I think I will be consigning several

 of my heavier, wool skirts and other wool items,

 like this one, as I rarely wear them

  I am more inclined to layer for warmth these days

 Wool is a great natural fabric, but I have to layer underneath  For instance, a slip with a skirt, or a blouse under a sweater

  I cannot wear wool against my skin-too itchy and irritating!

I do like the interesting draping detail at the waist

on this piece, though

Fall is definitely in the air!

Mums-every time I will ponder,

and end up picking the yellow ones

Hope everyone has a good week

I know many of you are gearing up 

 for the upcoming holiday season

It will be a difficult one for some

I hope none of my blogging friends

are in need this holiday season

We plan a smaller Thanksgiving celebration

 this year, and have decided not to travel

I hope there is improvement for all

by the Christmas holidays!