Sky Blue Dress

Hello and welcome!

Thanks for stopping by my blog 

The weather is such an integral part of outfit planning

 and getting dressed, especially just now  

What to wear in March can present quite a dilemma

in my part of the country- 

 this can be quite a contrary time of year! 

Just about every type of weather condition is possible

 Expect wind, rain and wildly fluctuating temperatures

 before it finally settles into spring 

Today I chose this dress in an optimistic shade of sky blue-

 hoping for blue skies 🤞, if the forecast can be trusted 

I am so glad daylight savings time has begun,

for one more hour of daylight, and possible sunshine!

 

 This dress is a modified shirt waist style with long sleeves, 

a button front placket bodice, and elasticized waist

 And it has a deep flounce at the hem-

I love a flippy skirt!

It shares some of the design features of another shirt dress

  I wore on the blog a few weeks ago

but with some distinct variations

It looks like all of the shirt dresses come out

of my closet during the bridge season!

I have seen a lot of similar styles in the shops, lately

This dress is a lovely soft and silky fabric

The one thing I don't love about it is the elastic waist

Sometimes these work for me, but sometimes not so much

 I am high waisted, and many times the elastic

 rides up my rib cage to my natural waist line

  I would rather forgo the elastic and

put a belt where I want it

A shirt dress is a great versatile option, thought,

if you find one that you love

Although this dress is not sheer or thin, 

it came with a matching

 camisole style slip dress underneath

 It adds an extra layer of warmth if needed, 

or the dress can be worn alone

 The slip is not attached, so you can leave it out

with no worries

Are you a fan of shirt dresses?

   

Carrying a fun vinyl clutch

 with irregular roundish shapes allover,

 in tan and white on a black background

For jewelry, I chose some bright, bold gold tone pieces

The necklace was a splurge purchase by Kate Spade,

 from a few years ago

 I just love the whimsical, overlapping, reticulated pieces-

flowers or leaves? I'm not sure but I like the organic shapes

It is a large statement piece

 and I have not worn it as much as I thought I would

 It seems a bit too heavy for summer months,

and not quite right for many of my winter outfits

 I guess it is a spring and fall transitional piece like the dress!

I plan to work it into my outfits a little more often now,

as bold neck ware is trending, in necklaces and scarves 

Also wearing an asymmetrical hinged bracelet,

 and leaf motif earrings

For shoes I chose my black and beige half d'Orsay sling back spectators with block heels

Here is another wear of this dress 

during the winter to spring transition months,

in April of last year 

You can see the matching slip dress underneath,

and the matching sash belt that came with the dress

in this photo

Finally starting to see some springtime flowers!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Orange and Pink Chains

Hello and welcome-

thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

With the arrival of the month of March,

 the winds are blowing

 and the weather is still quite wintery here in Maryland

  I am mentally well over winter though,

 and anticipating the arrival of spring and warmer weather

March is a transitional bridge month here,

probably were you live, too

 Even though layers are still necessary,

 I like to start lightening up my colors

in anticipation of spring!

How about you, are you ready for the change?

For this tailored outfit I started with a white base-

a ribbed short sleeve tee and

 classic straight winter white trousers

 On top, I layered a fun pink and orange

 chain design long sleeve shirt

For a little bit more color

 I am carrying a magenta clutch bag

to tie in with the colors in the shirt 

 I chose silver tone jewelry

 because I have a chain-link cuff bracelet

  that I thought would be perfect with this outfit

Also wearing silver tone teardrop earrings

 and a curved hinged collar necklace

A few more accessories to elevate this simple outfit

A bright pink skinny belt and taupe topknot headband

For shoes, taupe patent Mary Jane 

kitten heel sling backs

I love this style with the multiple buckled straps

They will be ok going from house to car,

 but for spending any time outside

 I will have to change to something

 to keep my feet a little warmer!

 Looking forward to wearing these more in the spring

Here is another tailored, layered menswear look

 from a previous bridge season, fall 2023

 This photo is from a post titled

 "Incorporating Pink into You Fall Wardrobe"

During the summer to autumn

 and winter to spring bridge seasons

a lot of the same layering techniques can be used

Early crocuses are starting bloom in the garden!

And the daffodils are starting to pop their heads up-

Yea-color!

🌷🌼🌺

 I hope you all have a good week!

Royal and Navy Blue Micro Striped Shirt Dress

Hello and welcome-

thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

Today I decided to style a modified shirt waist dress

for late winter

The dress is in a vertical micro striped

 woven fabric in two shades of blue,

  royal and navy, with a deep flounce hem

There are several blues in the Pantone colors chosen

 for this year, that are readily available in the shops

If you love blue like I do,

now is the time to fill any holes in your closet!

There is "Future Dusk", which is very close to navy,

"Deja Blue", which is a very pretty mid-tone,

and a lovey pale blue called "Winter Sky"  

For those who are not big fans

 of the color of the year, "Mocha Mousse",

 there are lots of other great choices!

How do you feel about the colors

 available in the shops for spring?

  

This dress is particularly versatile 

because it buttons all the way down the front,

 and can be worn layered, as a duster,

 or a completer piece

I have accessorized it for the season here, 

but I also wore it last spring

 in a post titled "Shirt Dresses in Disguise"

I love a versatile piece,

and this one is great for the bridge months

Are you a fan of the classic shirtwaist?

Carrying my black and tan mini bucket bag

I didn't realize until I put together this post

that I wore the same bag, shoe and belt combination

 for last week's post-favorites for sure!

Fun accessories are great for punching up a basic outfit

Love this 60s vintage Vera silk scarf,

 with its bright geometric bullseye print

Neck scarves and bold statement necklaces

are set to be very on trend for spring

It is uplifting to see items that are part of your

personal style come around to be trendy!

A few more accessories are a leopard print belt

 and gold tone leaf earrings

Black and tan block heel Mary Jane slides to finish the outfit

Tans are very difficult to match

  I was pleasantly surprised

 to see how well the newer shoes

 match in color and style with the bag

 that I have had for several years

There is a lot of season-less royal and navy blue

 in my wardrobe

 Here is a previous monochrome royal blue

outfit from Fall 2021

I love a full, swishy skirt!

It is a week in transition for us, 

and we are finally seeing temperatures above the 30's

and reaching into the 40's-

a very good sign, I hope it sticks!

Hope everyone enjoys their week 🙂

 

Classic Combination-Pullover plus Denim Skirt

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

It is the middle of February 📆 already

 I am glad February is the shortest month of the year,

 especially now that the Valentine's Day  

 festivities are in the rear view window

 Here in Maryland, as in much of the northern hemisphere,

 February is one of coldest months of the year,

 and, of course the last full month of winter!

 By the end of the month, which is coming very soon,

 there will be a few small signs of spring. Hooray!

I am not thinking about packing up

 my winter woollies yet,

with the high temperature 

 reaching all the way down to the 20's at night, 

but I am thinking about what to wear 

during the tricky bridge months ahead

  Punxsutawney Phil has predicted

  six more weeks of winter weather,

but the groundhog seems to be wrong

more often than right,

so I hope he misses this year!

 

For now a lot of us, including me,

 are pulling out and wearing

 the pieces in our winter wardrobe

 that have been neglected all season

It's time to assess why!

 Also, I am getting one last wear in 

on the winter pieces I like most,

 before putting them away for the spring season

How about you, 

are you looking forward to spring, yet?

 Today I am wearing a V-neck, 

 forest green cable knit sweater

 that doesn't get much wear,

   with a trusty denim skirt that does

The skirt is an all season mid-wash,

 with functional front flap pockets 

I will definitely be keeping it out for the spring-

love the versatility of denim!

 

Carrying my mini bucket bag in two-tone, black and tan

I guess this little bag can be considered

 an often worn favorite,

especially since the black and tan slides

that match it so well

have come into my closet!

 I chose some toned down, gold jewelry pieces

 to complement this casual outfit

 A wrap bracelet, in a burnished yellow

 and rose gold combination,

 a vintage reticulated leaf pendant,

and large hoop earrings

My black and tan Mary Jane slides to finish the look

I thought this denim skirt was so cute,

worn back in spring, 2020

Maybe you remember when patchwork was trending!

This skirt didn't stay very long in my closet,

because once out of the dressing room

 and worn in public,

I felt self conscious-too short for me!

I think the A-line silhouette

makes it look even shorter

I consigned the skirt in 2021, soon after this wearing

It is such a fun design-I hope the new owner is loving it! 

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

 

Happy Valentine's Week! ❤️

Hello, thanks for joining me today!

With Valentine's Day coming up,

 I thought it would be the perfect time

 to go for "a little extra",

 and mix pink and red(ish),  

in the form of burgundy, in the same outfit

I am wearing a confectionery pink cardigan

 over a white ruffle front blouse,

 with a long satin, midi length slip skirt, in burgundy

Do you enjoy dressing to theme?

I think it is fun! 

Burgundy belt, too

Here is Roger with me today

 in a candy pink button down shirt

and black trousers

Some sweet accessories for this outfit

 are a white 1950s vintage beaded clutch bag

with a scalloped fold over flap

The details of the fine craftsmanship

 of the past are so beautiful

I tied a pink and yellow silk conversation heart

 print scarf in my hair 🩷 💛 

Some fancy bobbles for the holiday

A silver tone wrap bracelet, decorated all around with orbs,

and ornate drop earrings

 Also, a vintage brooch from the 1950s

 It is a valentine heart and arrow

 made of red rhinestones

I pulled these dark red patent leather

t-straps out of my closet

 I have had these for a long time,

 but haven't worn them lately at all

Until now that is, as t-straps

have come back in fashion

I am glad I didn't Marie Kondo them!

My funny guy taking a selfie

of us taking a picture

Hope you all have a good week,

 and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Burgundy for a Wintery Day

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

 

Burgundy is such a trending color now,

 so I thought I would have a rummage in my closet

 to see if I could come up with another outfit

 using pieces I already have in my wardrobe,

 but haven't worn much this fall and winter season

This outfit is a little different for me

I have had the long burgundy cardigan sweater for years,

 but rarely wear it, now.

 I wore it quite a bit during it's first few seasons in my closet,

 when the long duster cardigan had just come into fashion

 It is a comfortable and cozy ribbed knit,

 but I hadn't given it much thought, until recently

I moved it from the bottom of my sweater drawer

earlier this fall, when I pulled out all of my burgundy items

from previous seasons to see how I could re-style them

 I think it's time to give this sweater a fresh look

The burgundy cardigan happens to match, almost perfectly

 with this pair of straight leg trousers

 that were added to my wardrobe last year

For a little fun, I decided to pair

 these two burgundy pieces with a gray tee shirt

 that has a beaded graphic of two dogs

 facing one another on it

 Are you a fan of the color burgundy?

It is one of those colors that is a staple for me,

 so I already have quite a few pieces

 in my closet to work with

Carrying my black and white striped handle bag,

to lighten the look 

 Accessorizing with an ultra long,

 black and white polka dot scarf

and silver tone jewelry

A grey leather and metal bar bracelet,

and textured hoop earrings

Black suede tuxedo bow

 low block heels to finish the look

A  burgundy and red floral print blazer 

from the past, Autumn 2019

Hope you all enjoy your week!