Crochet Dress Winterized

Hello, and welcome to my blog

 So happy you stopped by today!

Crocheted clothing has been wildly popular

 over the past few years 

 It is a trend that pops up every year, for summer,

but over the past few years it's popularity

 has morphed into many styles for all seasons

I don't have a lot of crocheted items in my closet

How about you?

I thought it would be nice

 for this post to highlight one of my few crochet pieces

worn in a new way

   I usually wear this dress during the summer

 but it can be made appropriate

 for any season with a little creative layering

The dress has a camisole style bodice, 

with shoulder tie spaghetti straps

In spring and summer it can be worn alone 

 or with a tee or blouse worn under

Usually I would pack this type of dress

 away for the fall and winter season

This year I left it out

 to play with the idea of possibly winterizing it

  I decided to try it with a rosy-mauve blazer

 layered over it

 The dress is a tight and thick crochet knit,

and is lined as well, so I am plenty warm

 I like bringing in some light color in winter,

as the color palette tends toward dark

 

The row of buttons down the front of the dress

are decorative and don't actually function

Carrying a small satchel style handle bag

 in a taupe reptile print with horse bit detail

This recently purchased silk square scarf

 ties the two solid colors

 of the dress and jacket together very nicely, I think

 I purchased the scarf online to go with another outfit,

 only to find the colors do not work with it

The hues are very soft and pretty though,

 and I am glad to find other items in my closet

I can wear it with

I chose gold tone jewelry to complement this outfit

 An open tubular cuff bracelet,

 and a pair of 1960s vintage leaf motif clip on earrings

The piercing on one of my ears has become problematic,

  and I have difficulty wearing most fishhook earrings 

I might try piercing it one more time,

as I have a lot of nice fishhook earrings

languishing in my jewelry box

 I would love to be able to wear them, again 

 I have had this piercing done twice,

 but for some reason it does not want to stay pierced!

 I have found stud styles easier to wear

  and also, clip-ons have become my new friend for now

A few more accessories-

  a dusty mauve colored suede hairband

 and a dark taupe belt

Keeping it pretty neutral today!

Comfortable low tan suede block heel pumps

 to finish the outfit

Here is one of the few

 other crochet items in my closet

It is a white camisole style vest,

 with red hibiscus flowers embroidered on it

 Worn in this photo during the summer of 2022

layered over a dress

Hope everyone enjoys their day

 and the week ahead!

 

 

Bold Kimono Wrap Top for Winter Color

Hello and welcome!

So glad you stopped by my blog today

On a gray January day,

 I decided to be bold and try a style

 that I rarely ever wear-the kimono

Kimonos of all types

 have been enjoying great popularity

 for the past decade-that is some staying power!

Many women love the exquisite detailing

and endless versatility of this type of garment

How about you, are you a kimono girl?

From what I understand,

 kimonos are not nearly as accessible to purchase,

nor as popular in the UK and Western Europe 

 Has anyone across the pond noticed that?

 Kimonos are really always in fashion

  because they are a key component in the wardrobe

of women with a boho or dramatic aesthetic

 I have seen some very beautiful kimonos

  Some hand dyed in the most fabulous luxurious fabrics,

and in many colors, patterns and textures

 Many feature amazing details

 like intricate lace and embroidery

Kimono's almost always have dropped or dolman sleeves,

which is the reason I don't usually wear this style

 It is a difficult one for me since I have narrow shoulders,

but I admired them so much on other women 

I decided to give this one a try

because of the distracting and camouflaging print

  I love the colorful, oversize graphic design,

 and the contrasting border print on the sleeves and hem

 Also, it has a wrap tie waist to give it shape

Wearing this special kimono top

 with a black wool knit midi skirt 

The sleeves!

All of my accessories are bold, 

to hold there own with the kimono print and style

Carrying my bright royal blue convertible clutch

 with the cross body chain strap tucked inside

I chose a three strand bracelet of black and gray faux pearls

and am wearing large, vintage 1950s

 silver tone wreath or starburst earrings

 Gray fabric pointed toe mules

with wide straps and buckle detail to finish the outfit

Roger is joining me today,

and chose a bright royal blue button down

 and black trousers-

 it's fun that he enjoys matching my outfit when possible

A bright blue, black and white outfit from the past-

winter 2021

The bright blue rib knit cardigan is from the early aughts

Hope you all enjoy your week!

 

Windowpane Check Jacket in Winter

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog!

It's the middle of winter and cold, colder or coldest

 almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere 

Lucky you, if you are basking in the sun

in a warm climate, right now!

Are you a lover of cold weather?

I know some people are, 

and a ski vacation just about now sounds great⛷!

I think I would rather linger by the fire 

 So this week I thought I would style

 a favorite formula of mine for the season,

a jacket over a dress

Wearing a plum colored A-line dress and an ivory and grey windowpane check blazer, both in winter weights 

Yesterday I was fastinated by a YouTube video

 about the various micro trends that have sprung up recently

 A style called office core, 

or corpcore is one of them 

It seems my favorite classic style

 happens to be trending now!

Carrying a much loved vintage 1960s black leather bag

I love the minimalist style and curved handles

A few simple accessories and jewelry with this look

 A black braided hair band, silver tone teardrop earrings,

 and a wide vintage 1950s silver tone

 expandable cuff bracelet

A little bright color is needed!

I chose a tassel motive printed scarf around my neck,

in shades of pink, plum and light blue

Black suede block heel sling backs to finish the outfit

I will not be walking far outside in these today-cold feet! 

Here is a similar outfit from January, 2020

A jacket over a dress is a go to option for me

Stay warm whatever your style,

 and hope you enjoy your week!

 

Happy New Year!

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by

for my first post of the new year!

Roger and I would both like to wish each and every one of you

 a very happy, healthy and successful 2025 🥳 

We raise a toast to all of you!

On New Year's Eve, I wore a two-piece outfit 

An ivory monochrome sweater and skirt-

a palette cleanser for a clean slate to begin 2025!

The sweater is a lovely soft cashmere

 in a longer length that I wore with 

  an all over sequin skirt with a lace under layer

 

Carrying a purse in one of my favorite motifs

   💖 heart shape in blush pink💖

For the special occasion,

 I tried a new necklace and scarf idea

entwined together around my neck

 I have seen different variations of this on the internet,

and on a few of your blogs,

 and I think it's a really pretty and clever idea

I chose a pearl necklace and a scarf

tied in a bow, 🎀

but there are so many ways

 to combine different types of necklaces

and other ways to tie the scarf, as well,

for different looks

I chose shimmery silver tone jewelry

for the occasion 

A wavy organic asymmetrical cuff bracelet

 and textured hoop earrings

 I picked these neutral light tan block heel sling back pumps

because they are not too dressy-

   since the skirt has a lot of bling factor 

Also, they are comfortable and not too high for dancing!

Roger looks dashing,

 wearing a subtly plaid royal blue and black suit

Still smiling, although 

2024 was a very challenging year for us

A kiss for luck, from my handsome prince,

 hoping for a better year to follow!

Hope you all had a lovely New Year's eve celebration 

and have plans for a great 2025!

Christmas

Hello and happy holidays to all!

Thanks for taking time out to visit my blog

This festive time of year goes by in a blur of activity

It's so much fun, but also very hectic

Remember to take time out for yourself to keep life in balance

 It's always a bit of a challenge for me during this time of year

In the spirit of the season, I've got my red on, of course!

This is an old favorite dress

 that has been in my wardrobe for over six years

 It is a sleeveless fit and flare classic,

 and can be worn during all seasons

with a little imaginative layering

I have worn it for special occasions all year round

 in different ways

 I love the giant abstract print,

 and the super full and flouncy skirt!

For this time of year, I am wearing the dress

 with an ivory cropped cardigan layered over it

 that has interesting toggle button closures

 

The bracelet I am wearing is very special to me,

 because it was a gift from my mother-in-law

She bought it on her post graduate

 trip to Europe in the 1950's,

 when she was in her 20s

 I know she had many cherished memories

 about her experiences on that once in a lifetime

  holiday abroad, through Europe with here best friends

 How exciting it must have been, and what memories

 she made wearing this bracelet!

I choose the 1950s vintage red collar necklace,

but later took it off,

 because I but decided it was a little too much!

Here are some more accessories,

 because now is the time to put on the glitz, right?

Wearing an ivory folded fabric headband,

 gold tone circle earrings,

 and another cherished piece of vintage 1950's jewelry

 This sweet little gold tone running dear brooch

 was a gift to me from Roger 

We bought it while on a Thanksgiving trip to Pennsylvania 

years ago, at an antique shop 

For a bag, I chose this 1960's tan embossed hard shell one 

 It has a twisted metallic cord strap of gold, silver and bronze

that can be worn as a shoulder strap or tucked inside

so it can be used as a clutch

For shoes, I choose cherry red pointed toe

 slingback Mary Janes-perfect for the holidays!

That's my Roger standing under the Kissing ball-

he is quite a ham for the camera!

Matching my dress in a festive bright red sweater vest

Some colorful Christmas cookies from the bakery- 

umm, they are not going to last long in our house!

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season!

I am taking a little holiday break, and will be back

 on Monday, Jan 6th with my new year's outfit

I hope you will join me!

This turned out to be a "break" in more ways than one!

My computer died just before Christmas

 Fortunately, it was repairable,

but required a whole new logic board. Yikes! 

The crash was instant and completely unexpected

All is well now, though 🙂

 

Fun and Festive Holiday Outfit

Hello and welcome!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog

during this busy holiday season

For this week's post I decided to style an outfit

 in the "other" Christmas color-green 💚

I thought I would give green a little love for this post,

 since red is so prominent right now

 There are so many beautiful shades of red in the stores

 for the holidays, but not much green

 

I am wearing a deep forest green floral print dress

 with a flounce hem, and short puff sleeves

The print is bright pink with golden yellow leaves

 These colors seem Christmasy and festive to me

and too dark to wear in the spring and summer,

which is probably when this dress was intended to be worn 

The weight of the fabric seems too heavy 

for the warm months, as well

 A bit of an odd one, but I think now is a good time to wear it!

Worn under a bright pink lady style cropped cardigan

with the waist sash that came with the dress as a neck tie 

Christmas green and pink-why not?

Carrying a bright pink handle bag

The chain strap is adjustable to be

 shoulder or crossbody length, as well

Accessorizing with gold tone leaf motif

 vintage clip on earrings from the 50s,

 and a gold tone twist bangle bracelet 

To finish the outfit, I'm wearing comfortable block heel two tone Mary Jane slides

Table decor is complements of Mother Nature!

Christmas tree?

No, fancy cauliflower that the market only sells 

During the holidays!

I hope everyone is enjoying a lovely holiday season!