Monday, July 28, 2025

Watermelon Dress


Hello, welcome to my blog, 
and thanks so much for joining me!

Today, I decided to dress
 in the color watermelon-a little tribute to summer!

Every summer I look forward 
to the fresh local, seasonal fruit
available at the farmers' market
July is the best time ever for delicious
 ripe watermelon 🍉
 I love it, but recently I have discovered
 an allergy to one of it's ingredients-bummer!
At least I can still enjoy the rest
 🍑🍒🫐🍓

What is your favorite summer fruit or veggie?

The dress in my outfit today
is a classic and straightforward style,
a sleeveless fit and flare 
 with a V neckline and sash tie belt
The special part about it is the color-
It is a bright, practically neon watermelon hue!





Today I am wearing the dress
under a cropped, white lace topper


Carrying a special aqua color velvet bucket bag,
 with a fold over top that looks a bit like
 a picnic or lunch box
I love this vintage bag from the 1950's 
Although it doesn't get a lot of wear,
 I like to admire how sweet and fun it is
I would love to have a glimpse of it's life
 before it wound up in my closet!


 I chose some light and cool silver tone jewelry
to complement this look
A twisted pavé decorated necklace,
 and open cuff bracelet
I wear this bracelet a lot during the summer, especially
 I'm not sure what it is about it that I love so much!
It is shimmery and a substantial size,
but a very light and open design
 For earrings, turquoise colored posts
 with irregular shaped stones
to mimic the color of my bag


For shoes to finish this outfit,
 a pair of nude sling backs
 with metal decoration


Roger is joining me today
with a coordinating outfit
I realized when I loaded this picture
 his paisley tie was not visible at all...



so here is another




 

Although not a match,
 (surprisingly, no watermelon colored tie in his collection),
 a very nice blend
with orange, red, blue and white


There are not many items of clothing 
in my closet in the color watermelon,
but quite a bit of the similar color coral
Here is an outfit with a coral color jacket  
from summer 2020 that I still wear and enjoy



And here is the white lace cropped topper
worn over a different dress,
 an aqua butterfly print, from summer, 2023




I'll be back next week with another summer outfit
 and an item leaving my closet,
from my long overdue purge!

Hope you all have a great week,
appreciating all of your favorite summer pastimes!

☀️ 🏖️ 🛶 🌊 ⛵️☀️













 

Monday, July 21, 2025

Pastel Geometric Print

 Hello, welcome and thanks for stopping by my blog!

I chose this outfit for today's post,
 because it seems like such a good example
 of how a dress in a basic silhouette
 can really be ramped up when done in a print!
Plus, a one and done dress
is perfect for the hot summer season



This dress has a simple shape,
with a mock neckline, puffed elbow length sleeves
and a cool side slit on the skirt
The wild and wacky multi-colored
  geometric print makes it special
I was attracted to the fun color palette, 
 with turquoise and aqua, purple and violet, 
along shades of orange and pink-
sort of an extended orange and blue
 complementary color mix!

  This design is a little "extra"
even for me, the lover of geometric prints!

Are you a fan prints, in general?
How about geometrics? 



 Imagining this dress in a solid color,
 It would be a perfect backdrop
 for making special accessories pop


The dress was a bit of a challenge to style,
 since the pattern is so busy,
 so I chose a neutral light tan bag
 Interestingly, the half moon shape and box quilting
 echo the curves and rectangles of the dress


I chose a few simple accessories
 in a color that blends with the dress' palette
A wide cuff bracelet with a turquoise color stone,
   and stud earrings with irregular shaped
blue-green stones
Also wearing a top knot taupe headband



I used my jewelry
 and this turquoise scarf as a waist tie
 to pull out one unifying color


Wearing natural tan woven sandals 
with two straps, one clear plastic,
 and block heels to finish the look

Raffia has been especially big this spring and summer
 It seems a natural fit with all of the shades of brown
and neutrals tones that are currently trending,
plus it goes with brights and pastels-
everything summery, really!
   



Here is a previous outfit from May 2023,
that also has an unusual pastel color and pattern mix
It is a vintage 1950's gathered skirt in a pink, aqua, and
 citrus yellow print, with a black and white
graphic background-
love an interesting color combo!







In my continuing series of what has been purged
  in my big spring and summer clean out,
here's something leaving my closet
 This white blouse has such pretty details,
with dainty rows of pin tucks down the front


  I have not worn it often, mostly on hot summer days
I looked back to see if I could find
 a picture of me wearing this blouse in a blog post
 but I could not locate a one,
so clearly, not a favorite 

I love the sweet details,
 but it is not a very good silhouette for me
 Anything that has dolman sleeves looks droopy on me,
  because I have narrow shoulders and a small bust
The blouse is very cool and comfortable
 in the hot summer months, though
 due to the lovely lightweight rayon fabric
  I hope someone whose body shape it flatters
  picks it up from the consignment shop
 and starts enjoying it this summer!

Pink and purple Petunias
 are a favorite summer flower
they just keep blossoming and getting better
as the summer goes on

🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜🩷💜



I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!















Monday, July 14, 2025

Asymmetry

Hello, and welcome to my blog-
thank you for stopping by today! 

I have a fondness for quirky asymmetrical styles
There are a number of skirts, dresses and tops 
with high-low and asymmetrical hems
 that stay in my closet regardless of trends
 This post is dedicated to one of the wonky hem skirts  
that I have been wearing recently




Do you wear asymmetrical hem tops or bottoms,
or do you prefer a straight hemline?

I find the one type of hemline that always
looks strange on me, is the one that is long on both sides
and short in the middle
This hem style was wildly popular for a long time,
I see it in both tops, skirts and dresses
It looks great on some women
Maybe the length(s) have to be just right,
or the rest of the outfit needs to be proportioned perfectly
I tis a mystery, because in always looks odd on me

Anyway, the asymmetrical skirt I am wearing today
is not that style




The hem goes from knee length on one side,
 to midi length on the other,
and has a deep ruffle at the bottom
It is covered in an abstract geometric, stylized print,
  in a complementary range of colors, including
 peach, dark orange, slate blue, lavender and ivory
I wore it today with a simple slate blue V neck top,
since there is so much interest in the skirt

I have worn this skirt styled differently, in the fall, 
 also, as the print includes an autumnal rusty orange
There is a photo of the autumn version further down the page 

Carrying a faux suede bucket bag
 in a yummy peach color
 It's a great pastel for spring and summer


Here are the accessories and jewelry in this outfit
Wearing a blue and white polka dot neck scarf,
 taupe top knot hairband,
 and blue reptile embossed belt 
The belt is a miraculous match for the outfit, by chance,
bought at very different times
Isn't this type of Kismet a wonderful wardrobe surprise?
 
For jewelry, a bold oval stone bracelet,
and large silver tone hoop earrings


Buff color dip front low cowgirl boots to finish the outfit 
This is the only way I can wear low in the front,
and higher on the sides-it boots!



Previous wear of the asymmetrical skirt,
from last October in my post titled "Autumn Palette"


Here is a skirt that I have let go of,
in my continuing series
 of what has left my closet this season



 It is a midi slip style skirt in a tiny ditzy floral print
 I ordered it online, and though the fit was fine,
 the colors looked more vibrant than in person,
 and it just seems kind of muddy 
The background is gray, and the little flowers
 are mauve, pale pink, and white
 Each time I try to style it, it just comes out dull,
 and a bit if a washout on me
 I think it will be perfect on someone who looks
 good in these muted tones
I definitely struggled with styling this one,
 and although it was not very expensive, 
I did not get a very good cost per wear
 
Best to bid it farewell,
 so it is not another thing that just takes up space 
 in my wardrobe, and gets passed by time and again
 Live and learn

Here is one of the few times I wore it,
 last spring, in March 2024



Hope you all enjoy your week!









Monday, July 7, 2025

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!