Dark florals and Denim for the Autumnal Equinox

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

It is hard to believe the autumnal equinox is upon us,

and it is officially the first week of fall, already!

🍂🍁🍂🍁

Not a leaf has changed color,

or fallen from a tree where I live yet,

but it is coming soon 

 It seems a good time for a wardrobe nod

 to the seasonal change,

 and start weaving a few darker colors

and a bit of a fall vibe into my outfits!

Today, I chose a blouse with a

 small multicolor floral print on a red background

So glad the time of the "floral police" has long ago past,

keeping most floral prints only appropriate

 for our spring and summer wardrobes

The dark floral print blouse I am wearing

 has long sleeves and a ruffled tie neckline

 I paired the blouse with a dark wash,

 high waisted denim skirt

This skirt was mined from my closet,

but denim skirts of all lengths are trending this season,

so there is a lot in the shops to choose from

It is a big season for all denim,

as western wear is also trending

Denim skirts, dresses, jackets, vests, 

and of course jeans, are all in it together

Plus, I have been seeing a revival of denim on denim, as well-

it is a great time for denim lovers!

Are you a denim fan?

This is a very easy trend for everyone to follow,

if you choose to

 I bet most of you have some denim pieces

just waiting in your closet for the temperature to drop,

and your creativity to kick in

so you can start wearing them again!

It will be a few weeks before I switch out my

  fall and winter wardrobe in earnest,

the coats and woolies are still in storage

Sometimes I have to backtrack a bit,

during this changeable weather time of year, 

so I keep some transitional pieces available all year round

 Do you have enough closet and storage space

 to keep your entire wardrobe at hand all year round?

 If you live in a climate without four distinct seasons,

you might not need to go through the twice yearly routine

of the closet change out

I kind of enjoy the ritual of it,

 it gets me in the spirit of the new season,

and it is fun to open the boxes and discover

 my favorite pieces all over again

Also, sometimes it is surprising to see 

items I completely forgot about 

(Not saying I wouldn't love to have a giant walk in closet,

 though, to have everything at my fingertips all the time!)

Carrying my red drawstring pouch,

 I use this bag all year round

The red belt really adds a special touch

 to this simple outfit, I think

 I chose just a few pieces of jewelry,

to accessorize this outfit

 My rounded square silver tone stud earrings,

 and a silver tone multi band, open cuff bracelet

The current trend is for big, bold,

chunky eighties inspired jewelry 

That sounds like fun,

 I will be rotating my statement jewelry pieces

 forward this season!

 

Navy blue embossed, block heel sling backs

 to finish the outfit

I bought the denim skirt in this post, way back in 2017

 Below was one of it's first wears, for a Valentine's Day post

 I have several denim skirts, and to be honest,

 this one is not my favorite

 It is very stiff. Maybe a few more turns

 through the wash would help!

 The skirt has been in the giveaway box a couple of times

 only to be retrieved,

 as I get just the right inspiration to wear it again, 

so I guess it stays!

Below, a pair of mules leaving my closet

 for my fall consignment

 The heel is just too high for comfort anymore

I like them and have worn them quite a bit,

and they are still in great condition

Suede is very popular this season,

so I think someone will snap them up right away!

On my feet in 2020

Hope you all enjoy 

this first official week of fall!

Spot On Polka Dots for Fall

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Polka dots are timeless,  

and such a fun and cheerful print

They can also be elegant and sophisticated,

depending on how the print is used

So very versatile!

 However, heading into the fall season,

polka dots are not usually the first pattern on our mind

We frequently leave the happy dots behind,

 in the spring and summer months

But not this year!

Polka dots are remaining a big trend for fall and winter 

The designer collections are full

 of polka dots and spots on the runways

 Some of the renditions I am currently seeing 

 are big and bold, and tend to be monochrome prints,

but all polka dots are welcome!

 

Are you a fan of polka dots?

 Do you have any pieces in your closet

 that you could adapt for fall? 

 

I purchased this two-piece coordinate set last year,

 and it fits right into the trend for this fall

The top is camp shirt style,

  a short sleeve button down with a spread collar

It is a white polka dot print on a navy blue background

The coordinating skirt paired with it is midi length,

 in a combination of 

the white dot on a navy background,

 with an asymmetrical yolk of it's opposite, navy on white

This set has a bit of a nostalgic, retro look to it,

 as do quite a few of the other pieces,

 I have been seeing recently

No polka dots on Roger today,

 but he is joining my in coordinating colors

  He is wearing a red knit polo shirt,

 and navy blue trousers

 One day, I will ask Roger to pick out

 his favorite outfit to wear,

 and try to coordinate with him

That will definitely be blog worthy!

Romanticizing the polka dots today,

 with my red quilted heart-shaped bag

Wearing gold tone jewelry

 Large heart-shaped post earrings,

 a hefty chain necklace,

 and a vintage 1950s expandable bracelet

I love these cherry red Mary Jane sling backs-

 seems like they were made for me!

 They are super comfortable to wear, too

My series highlighting 

 items leaving my closet this fall,

will be back next week,

starting with shoes 👠

Hope everyone has a fun and cheerful week!

 

 

What's on Trend for Fall-The Classics!

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

Today I am wearing classic separates,

and like last week's outfit,

they could really be styled for any season

These pieces are perfect for the bridge season weather

Shades of blue and brown

 have been trending all summer long,

and will continue to be big influences through

 the fall and winter

  It will be interesting to see

what women will actually be wearing this fall 

If you like to follow trends,

there are many "new" trends

 that you will likely be able to shop your closet for,

 if you desire, as there is a lot of recycling

of classic influences

My entire outfit was shopped from my closet

 For this simple transition look,

 I decided to combine the two trending colors

What do you think about this combination?

Would you wear brown and blue together? 

Short sleeve cropped crewneck

sweaters in all weights and weaves

have made a comeback over the past few seasons,

and their popularity seems to have exploded this fall!

I see them everywhere, online and in the shops

These sweaters are very easy to wear and style,  

  in both pullover and cardigan styles

 I bought this light weight, flat weave one last year

I like the color, and it's versatility for layering,

although I am wearing it on it's own, today

I usually wear the button front skirt

 pictured here in the early fall,

as it has a foot in both seasons-

linen for summer and dark chocolate brown for fall!

A nod to the coming of autumn

with darker toned accessories

 This fun, hand crafted cigar box purse is decorated

 with a brown and beige embossed snake print

For jewelry, I stuck with the classics

to complement the outfit

Gold tone hefty half-hoop post earrings,

and a simple twist bangle bracelet

For a little fun and personality, I added a vintage carved

 and painted wooden lamb brooch from the 1940's-so cute!

An accessory that was very popular

 during the sweater girl era

 of the late 40s and early 50s,

is a form fitting sweater knit and a scarf

Scarves are classics and forever,

but have become especially popular again

for the past several years, too

This season I have been seeing them

 on the runways as waist-cinching sashes,

 as well as being shown often

in outfits as neck scarves

 This adorable vintage scarf from the 1940's

 is one of my favorites in a blue and brown plaid

 with playful puppies!

There are lots of gloriously printed new scarves

to purchase or find second hand

and a scarf can really add a special spark

 to an otherwise ordinary outfit!

 Wearing my brown and tan reptile embossed,

 Mary Jane sling backs as they fit the theme

or this outfit nicely 

Here is a previous wear of the brown skirt,

way before the color exploded 

on to the trend scene

 this blog photo is from the fall of 2021!

This Thursday, is Patriot Day,

commemorating the terrorist attack

on the US on September 11th, 2001

Please take a moment to remember

the victims killed and the brave responders

who lost there lives during this tragedy

Many heartfelt blessings to the survivors

and there families   

Hope everyone is enjoying nice weather

 and has a good week

Asymmetry and Texture

Hello, and welcome to my blog

I hope everyone had a happy Labor Day Holiday Celebration! 

Summer is winding to a close, but as usual,

 I am not quite ready to start dressing for full-on fall

 

 September is one of my favorite months,

  weather wise, where I currently live, in coastal Maryland 

There is only the slightest hint of the coming fall in the air,

and the weather is just perfect!

The heat and humidity of August is behind us,

and I am looking forward to the glorious,

 temperate weather that follows

There are plenty of hints that autumn

 is on the horizon in retail-land, though

I noticed the Halloween decor is out in full force, already!

 

How about you?

 Are you ready to make the shift to autumn?

Today, I am styling an outfit that spans the seasons

 With a layer here, and a tweak there,

 it could be worn almost any time of year

I chose a white pucker textured tee shirt top,

 with a long denim skirt

The skirt has an unusual asymmetrical waistband

 and a side-front slit at the hem, for ease of movement

Denim always makes a return in the fall,

but this year it is trending big, especially denim skirts,

along with western wear, in general

I imagine you already have a few pieces of denim in your closet

to participate in this trend without buying a thing,

if you desire!

Carrying one of my larger satchel bags,

 this one is red, (no surprise, here)

with big silver tone buckle hardware

 on the handles

Wearing a silk square scarf in a riot of bright colors,

  in an abstract floral pattern around my neck

I went with silver tone jewelry

 since the hardware on the bag is so large and noticeable

Wearing a hammered cuff bracelet,

 back to front post earrings with quartz stones,

 and a cute 1960s vintage cat pendant

 (which is actually pewter)

For shoes, I chose faux suede cognac woven slides

Here is a denim skirt that I purged 

from my closet last year, and wonder why

It is a knee length, straight dark wash denim- 

 a classic that never goes out of style

What was I thinking?

This outfit is from autumn 2022,

and knee length pencil skirts are trending again this fall

On another topic,

the series I had been doing throughout the summer,

 highlighting items leaving my closet,

 was very enlightening for me

 It really made me think about 

items that have been in my closet for a very long time,

 and only worn on the rare occasion

It has also helped me see that some of those

infrequently used items are definitely worth keeping!

  Hunting down pictures of me wearing those

 purged items was eye-opening

It was easy to see that it was time to let go 

of some of the items,

 but not so clear on others

I plucked plenty of things out of the to-go pile

 to give them another chance,

and get creative styling them differently

 I decided to continue this series

You will see it again later in the autumn,

featuring fall and winter items

so watch this scape if you are interested

 leaving my closet for consignment,

so watch this scape if you are interested

 The process and the visual

 has been really helpful for me

and has sparked a lot of ideas!

For today, I am picturing the earrings 

 I am going to part with this season

 I have loved and worn every single pair

 of these many times

 The only reason I am purging them

 is that I have had such a lot of trouble

 getting fish hook style wires through my earlobes, lately

  I even had the problem ear re-pierced

 but still no luck!

I think fish hook earrings and I 

 are going to have to part ways,

and I am going to have to embrace post styles and clip-ons 

 Anyway, I hope someone enjoys these who has more cooperative lobes than I do!

Hope everyone has a good week!