Spring Florals for Mother's Day

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Wishing a very happy Mother's Day this week

 to all of the mothers out there!

Mother's Day is the perfect time 

to remember, recognize and celebrate

 the mom(s) in your life, as well as

 all of the women in our lives

 who take on the role of mentor and caregiver

Send them flowers and shower them 

with hugs and kisses always,

and especially on their special day

This week seems the perfect time to give all the flowers, 

and wear all the flowers, too

Do you like to wear floral prints?

I do, but I know everyone doesn't like them on their bodies,

and would prefer to dress in solid colors

or other prints and patterns

so you do you!

For this post, I chose two dresses,

each with a very different look and floral print

 The first one has a muted, low contrast pattern

 of tan flowers on an ivory background

I like all of the feminine details on this dress-

the short puffed sleeves, the flattering V neckline,

and of course, the swishy deep ruffled hem

I usually swap out the belt

if a garment comes with a self fabric one, or a sash waist tie,

but this one seems to actually compliment the dress,

 so it stays, for now 

Gold tone jewelry blends in very nicely with the golden tan print 

of the flowers in this dress,

 so I chose flower shaped post earrings,

 a chain collar necklace and a bow bracelet

all in gold tone

In keeping with the neutral palette

I am carrying a tan reptile embossed handle bag,

and wearing tan d'Orsey kitten heel pumps

with buckle details

For my second flowery outfit, I chose a bold, high contrast

William Morris-esque print in navy blue and white

It is a midi wrap style dress, with a banded waist

The sash belt is attached, and can be tied multiple ways-

in the front, on the side or in the back

I tied it in the back for this wear,

as there is a lot of busy-ness in the print already

to add long streamers or a bow

  

I tried on several necklaces, that just seemed like too much

so I opted not to wear one at all

I settled on large, bright white 3-D enamel earrings

and an organic shaped gold tone cuff

Carrying a pinkish nude draw cord bucket bag,

and wearing similar colored tie kitten heels

I have loved wearing florals for many years! 

Here is a floral dress from this time of year

from the way back machine: 2019

A beautiful spring bouquet

for all to enjoy!

 

I hope everyone enjoys their Mother's Day and their week!

 

Us Two in Navy Blue

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Today I would like to share an outfit

 with my favorite neutral, navy blue

Of all the dark neutrals, it is the one I love the best

For me, the color has a sentimental significance,

because when I was a little girl, 

my grandmother favored dressing me in red, white and blue

Growing up, I had several dresses in this color combination,

 and in a nautical style with sailor collars,

an influence for those of us living in costal areas

To me the color blue in general, has a calm and stable feeling

Today, I still like to wear navy blue,

but go way beyond with my mixing of the color

 Navy is so versatile and goes well

 with just about any other color

 I especially like it with bright pink, Kelly green, yellow

and other shades of blue

Do you have a favorite go-to neutral?

How about one that you love to wear

 because of a sentimental attachment?

For my outfit today,

 I am wearing a Navy blue and white high contrast

intarsia stitch sweater vest in an all over print of daisies

Layering the sweater over an ivory elbow length sleeve, 

 collarless blouse

For trousers, a cranberry colored straight leg pair

Us two in Navy blue

Roger chose a Navy and grey checked

oversized knit vest today, to coordinate

For accessories, I am carrying a two tone mini bucket bag

that I have had for several years-

 and is a crazy good match for this look!

Some bold, gold classic jewelry for a preppy style outfit

An initial necklace, a rose gold and rhinestone bangle,

and 80's dome, sculptural earrings

I favor this sort of big, button earring

and am finding them everywhere 

since they have made a big comeback in fashion

 over the past few years 

Navy suede block heel loafers

with horse bit detail

seemed the perfect finish for this outfit

I will be packing these up soon until fall

Roger has been joining me occasionally for my photos

He says he would be happy to take the pictures for me,

but he likes to dress up too, and I want it to be fun for him

and not turn out to be a chore

Navy favorite color combination from the past-spring 2020

Navy and white sea shell print cardigan,

with a pop of coral

Hope everyone has a good week!

 

Fluffy Textured Sweaters for Spring

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

Today, in keeping with the weather, I thought I would feature

two fluffy textured spring sweaters for the transition

It is still chilly here, but I am definitely ready

 to pull out my spring wardrobe,

 and start lightening up the layers and colors!

I remember this cozy, fluffy knit trend starting in fall, 2022

The knits have stuck around

 and morphed into versions for all seasons,

including sleeveless and camisole styles

for spring and summer

Have you been wearing this fun textural trend?

For my first outfit this week with fluffy texture,

 I am wearing a pale lilac cropped scoop neck sweater,

with elbow length sleeves and puffed sleeve caps-

a very youthful and sweet style!

This pastel lilac color is very on trend for spring and summer

as it has been chosen as one of

 Pantone's colors for this year

I paired the sweater with a suede wrap skirt in ivory

I don't think the soft, fuzzy texture

 is showing up very well on camera,

but here is a close up

Carrying a small drawcord bucket bag in nude

For jewelry, I chose a very special 1940's vintage necklace 

of lavender, pink and pale green glass beads

I haven't worn it in ages,

 so it is nice to get it out of the jewelry box today

It matches perfectly with the color and daintiness of my top

Also, wearing a pink fossil stone

 and nude color leather cord bracelet,

 with gold tone circular earrings 

I had trouble deciding what shoes to wear with this outfit,

and fell back on these light tan suede slides

to keep the outfit from skewing too girly

I need to add some different styles of nude and neutral shoes

 to my shopping list for spring and summer!

For my second outfit this week

I am wearing a white similarly fuzzy textured sweater

in a cardigan style with front ties

This knit has a very retro Y2K look about it, to me

I wore it on the blog back in March

for my Easter post, too

Today I styled it with a dark blue tank top underneath,

and a full skirt in linen with a dark blue, 

 black and white gigantic paisley print

The cardigan makes a light and soft extra layer of warmth,

and the ties add two bows to the outfit-

which are everything this season!

 I am a big fan of bows, so I will be on the look out for them

on garments and accessories since

there will be many options in the shops

My jewelry is bolder for this outfit, to complement the color contrast and large print of the skirt

Wearing chunky gold tone wrap bracelet, a vintage rhinestone embellished turtle necklace, and vintage clip on earrings 

Carrying a white foldover bag,

and wearing a navy and white polka dot bow hairband 

 I chose a pair of black, low wedge ballet style shoes

I had thought about deleting these from my closet

for the past few years as I have rarely chosen them,

They are a classic that never goes out of fashion so

I am glad I held on to them, as they are really very versatile, 

and are gaining even more popularity again now

Spring has officially sprung in our area

and I love all of the beautiful trees in bloom just now!

(Could do without the green coating of pollen

on every horizontal surface, thought 🤧)

 

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

 

Shirt Dresses in Disguise

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

This week, during the tricky transitional weather

 that the month of April brings, 

(currently just 50 degrees, with 20 mph winds),

I am styling two shirt dresses,

both with a bit of a twist in their design

Both dresses are shirtwaist style but not exactly to the letter,

 meaning not just men's dress shirt look-a-likes

Are you a fan of the shirtdress?

I find it very versatile,

and it works for many occasions

My first outfit is a subtle royal and navy blue

 vertical stripe in a substantial cotton fabric

 The dress buttons all the way down the front with shiny gold buttons

It has some pretty, feminine details that I like-

 puffed sleeve caps and a deep ruffled hem

My little bag has a curious story behind it

Perfect as it is for me, and a great match for the shoes I am wearing,

I returned it to T J Maxx, where I purchased it

I had examined the purse and opened it in the store,

and the only thing a noticed slightly unusual

was that the tag was not the original

It had been put back on, as if maybe it had come off

and was rather clumsily re-fastened 

No problem I thought, tag come off, these things happen

When I got the bag home and looked it over more carefully,

I unzipped the inner pocket, and to my surprise,

I found a ring of three keys and a signed jewelry receipt 

from a state half way across the country!

I returned the bag and it's contents

and hopefully T J Maxx was able to get the contents back to the owner

I would love to know what the story is behind this,

my imagination is conjuring up all kinds of possibilities! 

Anyway, for jewelry I chose gold tone 3-D flower shaped earrings

and a mixed metal three bar slider bracelet 

A bright pink sash belt and braided hair band

 to add some contrasting color

 

Wearing two tone tan block heel Maryjane slides to finish the outfit

I wore the dress in my second outfit back in the early fall

 in a post about transitioning to fall with shirtwaist dresses

It is light tan and has a utilitarian look, 

with two flapped chest pockets

This dress veers from the typical shirtwaist style

with it's swishy, full skirt 

Back in the fall, I wore a matching short sleeve top under the dress

I am restyling it today as a transitional piece into spring,

with a coral cropped cardigan layered over top

Wearing a fun beaded multi color striped hair band

and simple bright silver tone jewelry

Square stud earrings and hinged bar bracelet

Carrying an ivory satchel bag with buckle details

and I belted the outfit with a taupe braided belt 

Two tone reptile print loafers to complete the outfit

The tulips started popping up in the garden last week. Love!

I bring a few in the house everyday,

because the area deer love to munch on them

and I feel like every morning I could open the blinds

to a sea of just stems!

Hope everyone enjoys their week!

Well Suited

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

The suiting trend has been a very popular one,

 really picking up stream during the past fall and winter season

The spring arrivals are showing a lot of suiting pieces too,

in softer colors, prints and denim as well

I am glad to see this classic and timeless look

staying in the spotlight with lots of variations,

so everyone can participate if they choose!

Are you a fan of the suiting trend?

This week I have an outfit with a matching suit

I talked about the suiting trend last month 

in a post called Trail Blazer, where I styled unmatched suiting pieces

I wore a solid short jacket

 with a printed midi length skirt for one of those outfits,

and a color block look with a longer blazer

 and a short skirt for the other one

For this post, I choose a two piece matching

jacket and ankle cropped trousers

Well, this looks like a matching suit, but it was not purchased together

or even from the same brand or shop

I am amazed that the pieces could pass for a matched set!

They were bought as separates

 to go with different items in my wardrobe

At the time, I thought these two pieces would be 

too close in color to look right together,

 but to far apart to look like a suit

So this extra outfit is a nice surprise!

Wearing a mauve tab sleeve long blazer worn over an ivory

 silk sleeveless button front blouse with mauve ankle cropped trousers

The pants have a vertical stripe down the the outside of the leg

It could be interpreted as a tuxedo stripe or an leisure wear stripe-

a clever detail to dress them up or down

For jewelry I chose a cuff bracelet with oval natural fossil stones,

 silver tone disc earrings and a very special handmade beaded necklace

I purchased this three strand necklace from a pop-up shop, 

where all of the items in the shop were handmade by the owner

 The beads are different shades of Peruvian mountain opals

Carrying my 60's look curved handle bag

Wearing nude pointed toe sling backs to complete the outfit

Roger and I harmonizing in muted shades of blue, grey and mauve

His solar system necktie has mauve in the planetary print 

Here is another wearing of this jacket, last spring

We are finally getting some happy spring color in the garden-

the first Daffodils!

Hope everyone enjoys their week!