Showing posts with label building a casual wardrobe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label building a casual wardrobe. Show all posts

Sunday, March 12, 2023

My Week in Fashion: Sunday

OK, true confessions time: I didn't post a "My Week in Fashion" for Saturday (yesterday) because I spent the day in lavender bike shorts and a red zip-front sweatshirt. In my defense, I got up super-early to see my husband and son off on a Scout trip, and I never left the house, but it's still not a look I would especially recommend. I was super-comfy all day, and sometimes you just need to do that. So if you ever have one of those days when you NEEEEEED to dress comfortably and not care what you look like, you have my permission. 

Now on to Sunday. I frequently wear dresses on Sunday, but since I just dressed up to go out to dinner on Friday night, I decided to go a little more casual today, especially since I was teaching Sunday School and knew I'd be running around and playing games. So this was today's look:

I'm wearing a colored tank-style cami, a long-sleeved black jersey, tweed wool dress pants, and my black Clarks shoes from Wednesday's blog. 

This long-sleeved black jersey was (I think) a TJ Maxx find a number of years ago when I needed a nice black top for a concert I was performing in. It features a surplice (wrapped) style top with a knot detail at the base of the vee, and 3/4-length sleeves. The v-neck is much deeper than I'm comfortable with, so I frequently use a safety pin to raise it several inches. But I've also found that wearing it unpinned with a colored cami underneath is a pretty and more casual look. Those two options make this shirt versatile enough for a variety of occasions! The top falls to about mid-hip, which is a good length on me. I found a similar style on Amazon for $22. 

I have a couple of tops and sweaters that, like the black top above, are more revealing than I'd like, or that have woven areas intended to show the color of an underlayer. So I found a 3-pack of reversible camis at Costco (peach, as worn in the above photo, white, and grey) for $12. They now seem to be carrying 4-packs of a single color for $17. What makes them reversible is that one side has a scoop neck and the other has a slight v-neck, to create different looks. With the v-neck black blouse, I like the contrasting line of the scoop neck. These camis are also very long, which is nice when I want to let some of the color show below the tail of my shirt. Since this outfit has a black top and rather dark pants, not everyone would be flattered by showing a wide horizontal band of a strongly contrasting color, but since I have quite long legs, it works for me. 

Finally, these dress pants are another favorite from the now defunct (as a brick-and-mortar store, anyway) Dress Barn. They're a soft wool blend, which wears well and has just a little bit of give, and the fabric is a woven tweed that's black on gray, which creates some visual interest without being too busy to wear with a subtle print, and doesn't bring in any non-neutral colors. They're also dressy enough that they're meant to be worn with heels, which means the hem is longer than many pants, and it accommodates my height very nicely. I like the way they have a slight break at the ankle when I wear flats or low shoes. This pair of Magic Waist Barely Bootcut pants for $33 from Kohl's has a similar muted pattern, a comfortable waistband, and a very slightly flared hem that works well with flats, heels, or low boots. 

I have both a black hat and a peach-colored hat that would have worked great with this outfit, but because of the clocks moving forward last night, the hat got lost in the last-minute shuffle of getting ready for church. But I love this outfit, even without a hat to finish it off. 

So that's the end of my week in fashion - I hope you enjoyed it, and even learned a thing or two about how to choose outfits that flatter your figure but are still fun to wear!

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Friday, March 10, 2023

My Week in Fashion: Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday!! I'm working from home today (my sewing machine is better than the school's sewing machine), so I'm casual, but not quite as casual as some of my work from home days tend to be. Let's take a look at my TGIF outfit:


The pieces of this outfit are simply jeans, a loose top, and my leopard slip-ons. 

Yet another piece from my COVID-19 Amazon/shopping online wardrobe, I originally bought this Casual V Neck Mesh Panel 3/4 Bell Sleeve Shirt for $26 (now listed at $28) in sage green, but I got so many compliments on it that I decided to buy another one in a different shade. This one is actually described as "tea rose," a color I liked but wasn't sure if it would work with my red hair, but in reality it's more of a terra cotta, which is a terrific shade on me. 

There are a lot of details to this style which work very well for my particular figure issues. First off, I frequently get hives on my upper chest, so a top that covers up to my collarbone without looking too "buttoned up" or matronly is great. The bands at the neck and sleeve hems are mesh fabric, so it covers without really covering. The sleeves are loose enough that I can move without feeling restricted, but they're not so wide that they get in the way, and they end just below the elbow on me rather than being a full 3/4 length, which also keeps them out of my way. And the hem comes right to the fullest part of my hips, which means it skims my body perfectly without bunching or looking overly voluminous.  

I inherited this pair of jeans from a friend, but I may need to buy another pair in this cut and color, because I really like they way they look on me. Macy's carries similar curvy-fit bootcut jeans that - importantly for me - come in long (as well as regular and short) lengths, and are currently on sale for $30 (usually $40). Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear taught me about the importance of a nice dark-wash jean. It looks much dressier and more polished than a lighter wash, and I always find darker bottoms to be more flattering. In addition, the boot cut style - as long as the hem is the right length - adds just a hint of flattering curve, lengthening my legs and deemphasizing my big feet while also somehow calling attention to whatever cute shoes I pair with them. The low rise means I have to be careful not to wear too short of a shirt, but since I prefer hip-length tops most of the time, it's rarely a problem, and the lower waistband is more comfortable when I'm doing a lot of sitting, standing, crouching, and crawling (which I do a lot). 

And of course, a simple outfit with only neutral jeans and a solid-colored top needs a pop of visual interest, in this case, once again the leopard print slip-ons I wore yesterday. But they also look great with low boots, loafers, athletic sneakers, or even low heels. 

Happy Friday, everyone!


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