Day Seventeen: Repair and Wear

This is a jacket I've had for about a year.  And for half of that time it's sat in my closet waiting for its missing button to be sewn back on.  The problem was, I had put the button in a "safe" place...and then walked off and completely forgot where that safe place was!  [Please tell me you do that too.  I don't want to be the only one!]  Well, about a week ago, I found that precious button again.  I was so excited!  This time, I left it out in the open where I could see it and be reminded that I needed to sew it back on this jacket.  I did that just in time for Kayla's Day 17 Challenge:  Repair and wear.  Hooray for me!!

See that button?  Did I do a good job or what?!

You all know me by now, so you know I love a pretty brooch!  I found this one last year at Pier 1.  It always brings me compliments.  That sure makes my day.

I couldn't resist adding my pink sapphire ring, a gift from my parents about 10 years ago.  I love its color!

And look - I wore a belt again!  Never again will I be afraid of a piece of leather with a buckle on it.  I have faced my fears and come out stronger than ever!  ;-)

Jacket:  Kohl's
Tank:  Fashion Bug
Trousers:  JCPenney
Shoes:  TJ Maxx
Brooch:  Pier 1
Belt:  Cato

Day Sixteen: Menswear Inspired

Yesterday was Day 16 of the 21-Day Challenge, and the task was to come up with an outfit that could be called menswear inspired.  I already had the perfect shoes:

And so I built from there.  A quick peek into my husband's tie collection brought me this bright idea:

I fell in love with the colors in this tie and decided to use it as a belt, then pinned on a mother-of-pearl cameo tack pin to hold it in place.  I think I've had the pin for at least 20 years.  I need to wear it more.

I thought this blouse would go great with the cameo and the bright flowers in the tie.  I also added some cute brown and pink earrings I picked up at a boutique in southern Missouri.

So here's the full outfit for your sustaining vote.

All in favor, say "Man, I feel like a woman!!" LOL!

Blouse:  TJ Maxx
Tie:  Hubby's
Pin:  Older than dirt, like me!
Bracelet:  Sears
Earrings:  ca. 2005 from boutique in MO
Trousers:  JCPenney
Shoes:  Cato ($5.99!)

Day Twelve: Jazz Up Your Jeans

Sorry this is late - I work in an office where jeans aren't allowed, so I had to wait to do my post for Day 12 of Kayla's 21-Day Challenge over at Freckles in April.

Top:  TJ Maxx
Jeans:  Liz & Co. from JCPenney
Shoes:  Avenue
Necklace:  Forever 21
Bracelets:  Avenue

The "Linebacker" pose - seriously, I really *do* have a neck!

Day Fourteen: Copycat!

I love Kendi.  Her style, her smile, her teeny tiny figure.  In the words of that great philosopher, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees:  "I myself am deeply jealous."  Kendi's blog was one of the first style blogs I ever read.  I still look forward to seeing what she comes up with every day.  Here is my inspiration photo:

And here is my version:

Until I saw Kendi's outfit, I never would have thought of combining my striped tank with my magenta sweater.  And I really like the way it looks!  I'll certainly revisit this look when fall comes.  I think it would be great for a night out with friends or a date with my sweetie.

Sweater: Fashion Bug

Tank:  Cato

Jeans:  Kohl's

Shoes:  Target

Bracelets:  Silhouettes (blue/pearl), Fashion Bug (pink/gray)

Earrings:  Lane Bryant

If my neighbors ever look out their windows while I'm taking pictures, I bet they think I have lost my mind!  One of these days I'm going to scout some new locations. 

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday.  I'm off to take a nap now...

Day Thirteen: Neutral with a Pop of Color

Yes, I know. I skipped Day 12 of the 21-Day Challenge. How DARE I, right? Well, fear not, dear reader, I have something up my sleeve. More on that later.

I must confess that I actually wore Day 13's outfit on Day 12. There, I said it.  (Feels good to get that off my chest!)  You see, I have these people who insist on telling me that I can't wear denim to the office. I mean, who do they think they are?!  Okay, they're my employers. I sorta rely on them for...well, everything.  I would be in a very sorry state indeed if I rebelled against their rules.  So my "Jazz Up Your Jeans" post will have to wait. Till tomorrow. :-)

If you're still with me, (1) Thank You! and (2) you've got way more patience than I do.  Here's my outfit for yesterday. Hope you like it.

Top and Shoes - TJ Maxx; Skirt - Lane Bryant

This is my kind of outfit, let me tell ya!  It's cute, it's comfy, and it's cool.  Three essential ingredients for summer-in-St. Louis style.

Just look at these cute shoes!  Can you believe I got them for $5.00?!  I love them.

I couldn't resist adding a couple of bracelets. The yellow and silver one was on clearance at Target this week. The clear/silver/black one was on clearance from J. Jill a couple of years ago. 

And just in case you want to play along, here are the outfit prompts in store for week three of the challenge:

Sunday, August 28: Copycat! Recreate an outfit you love from a catalog, blog, etc.
Monday, August 29: Try something new with your hair
Tuesday, August 30: Menswear
Wednesday, August 31: Pull something from your repair pile, fix it and wear it
Thursday, September 1: Statement jewelry
Friday, September 2: Wear something on your head
Saturday, September 3: Wear Sunday shoes
Sunday, September 4: Work it! Use all your newfound dressing confidence to put together a killer outfit that works for you!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Day Eleven: Wear a Dress or Skirt

Okay, so this is not a big deal for me.  I actually *like* wearing dresses and skirts, especially in the summertime when I want to stay cool.  I chose one today that would also go well with my remix item for the 21-Day Challenge, my black denim jacket.

Jacket and Bracelet:  Fashion Bug, Dress and Belt:  Target, Shoes:  Payless, Earrings:  Lane Bryant

Forgive the bright sunlight - I was kind of pressed for time today in getting pictures taken.  :-)  Can you see what I did?  I wore a belt -- without a prompt!!  I'll bet you $200 (if I had it) that I NEVER would have done that two weeks ago.  This challenge has really made me look at my wardrobe differently.  Thanks, Kayla!

I like the way the pink  belt looks with this outfit, and I think the jacket gives some added texture (which, granted, I'm not sure an animal print dress needs exactly) to my style today.

Now excuse me while go I try to figure out how to jazz up my jeans and a tee for tomorrow. 

Day Ten: Wear a Closet Orphan

Just in case you're not up on your fashion blog definitions, I'll tell you what a "closet orphan" is.  It's an item of clothing in your closet that you don't wear often.  You're welcome.

I have quite a few of these orphans.  Today I chose two that I'm pretty sure I bought back in May of 2002.  How do I know that, you ask?  Well, it's because I bought this outfit for a special event:

I saw Harry Connick, Jr. in concert for the first time on June 1, 2002.  I paid a whopping $34.25.  Worth. Every. Penny.  That man has talent like I've never seen!

Here's what I bought and wore to see Harry:

Every time I wear this outfit I get compliments on it.  So *why* don't I wear it?  Simple - I forget about it!  I'm ditzy as they come, people - I'm just sayin'.  And I have had it since 2002.  I might pass it over usually for something newer.  Must stop that.

Top and skirt - JCPenney, Bracelet - my new fave from The Altered Chain on etsy.com, Belt - Target clearance

I kind of wish I had a dressier top to wear with this skirt.  I picked the tee because it matched so well.  I'll have to keep my eye out for a cute sweater in one of the shades of pink in the skirt and see if I can't class it up a bit.  Stay tuned and you just might see this skirt again.  :-)

Day Nine: Monochromatic (aka In the Navy)

I didn't want to do all black today (which, you know, I could have at least 10 times over from all the black clothing I own!), so I chose to wear all navy blue to comply with Kayla's challenge to wear a monochromatic outfit.

Sweater: JCPenney, Pants: Avenue, Shoes: Payless, Brooch: family treasure

Then, in the middle of last night, I had a flash of brilliance!  I remembered I had inherited this beautiful vintage brooch from either my grandmother or aunt -- and it's BLUE!  I got up out of bed, went to my jewelry box and set it out so I wouldn't forget it when I was awake.  I knew it would add a punch of glamour to this ensemble.

I have to tell you one more thing: up until about three months ago, I would have reached for navy blue shoes to go with this outfit, but today because of all the great tips I've picked up from the style blogs I've read, I knew a neutral tan sandal would look way better.  :-)

I think I like monochromatic dressing. I may try it again one day...

Day Eight: Mix Fancy and Casual

Today's challenge was to pair something fancy with something casual.  I chose this coral colored satin blouse from TJ Maxx and my white broomstick skirt from Cato.  I added a brown belt and brown sandals to look more cohesive.

The real plus for me was finding a bracelet and earring set I had totally forgotten I owned!  Don't you love it when that happens?  My earrings match the brown bracelet below.  I would have taken a picture, but my hair was too sweaty (TMI, I know - sorry!).  I'm really starting to feel ready for fall.

(If you look close, you'll see my clear bracelet has one black bead on it -- but I hid that today to
take more advantage of the clear stones.  I'm tricky like that...)

Day Seven: Layer Accessories

I can't believe we're almost throught the first week of Kayla's 21-Day Challenge!  Today's assignment, should we choose to accept it, is to layer accessories.  I chose two rather dainty necklaces.  I'm sorry the longer one kind of gets lost on my busy print dress - I should have worn it on a solid color.

Here's a close-up shot:

Dress: Fashion Bug - Tank: onehanesplace.com - Necklaces:  The Altered Chain on etsy.com

I kept things on the conservative side for church today.  To be honest, I think it's a bit boring.  I promise I'll do better next week!  ;-)

Day Six: Get Creative

Today's challenge was to wear something in an unexpected way.  I was wracking my brain trying to think of something, when all of a sudden I looked down on my dresser and saw a new pair of earrings I bought at JCPenney last week.  And voila! an idea was formed.  Check this beauty out!

Skirt, Knit Cardigan: JCPenney; Tank:  Lane Bryant

I wore it with a very neutral ensemble - cream colored tank, ivory colored knit cardigan and dark brown skirt.  I wanted to let the stones and the gold setting shine through on its own.  I'm happy with it!  :-)

And here's what it looks like as an actual earring:

In what way have you gotten creative with your wardrobe??  Do tell!

Day Five: Belt It

While I would much rather this challenge actually entailed singing "To Sir, With Love" at the top of my lungs (which I really *have* done in my car!), today's challenge was to wear something with a belt.  I chose this most comfortable and stylish of dresses in my closet.

Dress:  Ashley Stewart; Belt:  Jeans from Kohl's; Bracelets:  JCPenney and Avenue; Shoes:  Payless

Just call me goddess.  ;-)  No wonder I had the sudden urge to flirt with Zeus and eat grapes today...

I like the way the gold accessories worked out for me.  My belt actually came on a pair of jeans from Kohl's a couple of years ago.  Who knew it could be so pretty here?  I sure didn't until I tried it out.  Thanks, Kayla!

Oh, and just in case you were waiting for it, here's the earring shot. You're welcome.  (These were bought at Walmart several years ago for a whopping $2.97.)