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!

 

Where Did All the "Peach Fuzz" Go?

Hello and welcome!

Thanks for stopping by my blog,

I really appreciate you being here!

Today I am remixing pieces from an outfit

I wore on the blog last June, in a post aptly titled

 "Pantone's Color of the Year: Peach Fuzz"

Here is that outfit

I thought a spring look for today would be a good way

 to revisited this color. Peach Fuzz did not

 fit seamlessly into my wardrobe,

nor was it an overwhelming success

in clothing as last year's Color of the Year choice 

It did catch on quite well in interiors, though

 

Back in 2024, I thought I would try it 

in an inexpensive piece,

to see how well I could work it into my outfits

As it turned out, it was not an easy task!

I have worn the top a number of times,

and would say for sure, I got my money's worth 

The outfits I created with it didn't come easy though,

as it didn't mix and match all that well

with my existing wardrobe

 I wonder how many of you purchased pieces in this color, 

and how well they worked out for you

Any Peach Fuzz in your wardrobe today?

I have seen some variations of this color

cross over from last year, but not a lot

Today's outfit

  This current outfit is similar to the one

 I created last year for the blog,

 using the Peach Fuzz, high neck ribbed tank top 

that I purchased as a trial

 I paired the top both times with a white jacket

 that has a pink and coral vertical stripe pattern

Today, I am styling these two pieces

 with an inverted pleat white denim skirt,

 and different shoes and accessories 

Carrying a wicker and white top handle bag

 with a blue and violet floral print scarf tied to the handle

for a little added color

For jewelry, I chose a silver tone

 vintage scallop shell collar necklace,

 a vintage aqua double row graduated bead bracelet,

 and current aqua enamel flower shaped post earrings

Shiny white patent, fisherman style T-straps

to finish this outfit

 I guess I will keep the Peach Fuzz top 

in my wardrobe for a while longer,

 although I haven't reached for it very often

Nothing has entered my closet 

that screams "pull out that outlier peach top"

Here is a little aside, 

but still on the topic of Pantone's color choices

  I bought a pleated skirt in this year's color,

 "Mocha Mousse", and styled an outfit with it

earlier this spring, (Mocha Mousse, April 7th)

  I have struggled to work this item into outfits, as well

Fortunately, It's not all about the single color of the year

In case you are not fond of it,

or it doesn't really work well for you,

 Pantone picks an array of colors each year

to chose from, and of course

other colors are available, too

We just find an abundance of the chosen ones

for any given year

 Also, Pantone is not the only driver of what colors we see

 in the retail shops and online marketplaces

There is also the Worth Global Style Network and Coloro

These companies have picked a hue they call Luminous Blue

that looks like a beautiful bright royal-ish shade

for next year-I am all in for this one! 💙💙💙

 

     Since most of my wardrobe consists of cool colors,

with lots of bright shades, the last two Pantone choices

have been a stretch for me to incorporate

But it's been fun to give it a try,

I like the stretch and to try what's new especially in colors

Anyway, if you are interested, I am continuing to show

  what is leaving my closet this spring in this space

 Here is an item most of you will probably think

  is a very unlikely item to edit because it is a basic piece,

supposedly every woman needs in her closet

(I guess I am atypical 🙃)

 It is a quintessential classic white

 long sleeve button down shirt

 This one is from Vineyard Vines,

 with a blue and white gingham check

 button placket and sleeve cuffs

When I purchased it, I thought it was an essential,

 and a very sensible buy. I pictured it's possibilities,

 but it languished in my closet

The shirt is made from a very substantial cotton fabric,

 and the button-down collar is very stiff

 I do occasionally wear a button down,

 but generally chose a softer fabric

The stiffness, thickness and boxiness of this shirt

 just did not work well on my petite body 

Someone new is loving it already,

 because the day I brought it into the consignment shop

 it sold before I even left, so I know it has a happy home!

Me in the shirt in spring 2021,

shortly after I purchased it

Honestly, I have not worn it more than a handful of times since 

I know it will get more love in it's new home!

Hope you enjoyed this post and have a wonderful week!