Style Swap

Today I’m partnering up with Ada again for Ginny and Jenn’s Style Swap link-up and for Heather’s Pinned It and Did It link-up (see my pin here!).  As an Ohio State Buckeye, I think I’m always drawn to a red (or should I say scarlet!) and gray look. :) I love this dress because it’s thrifted so I’m sure I paid no more than $6 for it and it’s probably a size bigger than I need so it’s so comfortable that I feel like I’m hanging out in pajamas all day. You can’t beat that! I even added the pearls like Ada did because I figured it was just the right touch to make this comfortable outfit feel a bit dressier. Thanks for the inspiration Ada!

Repeat

shirt: Buffalo Exchange, sweater: Old Navy, pants: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Limited brand), shoes: Payless

Will you judge me if I’m already throwing another burgundy jeans look at you?! :) Those additional winter pounds I mentioned in Tuesdays’ post really have made the difference between most of my pants being comfortable and just tight enough that I don’t want to wear them. I was already sick of wearing my black jeggings with boots this week, so these pants were just about my only appropriate option. I was a little hesitant to wear these to work because, well, technically I think they’re jeans. But the darker tone and the fact that they’re a skinny fit without being too clingy made me just go for it. Adding a pair of heels, a collared shirt (even though it’s an animal print!), and a cardigan felt like it helped the look move further away from casual and closer to professional.

Highlighting some other ways I've layered this shirt because it's been a long time wardrobe favorite of mine...

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For the Love of Colored Denim

tee: Target, sweater: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Express brand), pants: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Limited), boots: Marshall's

I love colored denim! I feel like the pairs I have in my closet have been a little neglected, but that’s probably because the winter pounds I packed on have meant that few pairs currently fit me. :) I picked up this pair from Limited for $10 at Discount Fashion Warehouse (can you tell that’s become my new favorite store?!) over the weekend. I had a baby shower to go to for the wife of one of my husbands’ college friends. Not knowing most of the people there, I figured that most would be wearing jeans, but didn’t want to take the very small risk of being the only person in denim there. Trust me, I realize I worry about some trivial things…my husband would just roll his eyes if he knew how much thought I put into getting on Sunday! These pants ended up being the perfect compromise. The darker color stops them from seeming attention seeking, and they're still casual enough to avoid feeling out of place when most over people wore jeans, just as I expected. Only outfit fail? Wearing heels and forgetting that even in flats I tower over the momma to be. I felt like a giant!

Style Swap

Today I’m partnering with Ada from Elegance and Mommyhood for Ginny and Jenn’s style swap link-up, and for Heather’s Pinned It and Did It link-up (see my pin here!). I really liked Ada’s casual black and white printed pants + brown sweater look, and knew that I had some similar pieces to recreate her look. I kept the combination of printed pants with a neutral top, but went with a burgundy and black design paired with a tan sweater. I think that Ada’s idea to pair something neutral with printed pants is great way to keep a print from feeling overwhelming. For me, it also meant that it made me feel like this could be pulled off as a work look! It didn’t hurt that this strangely warm weather we’re experiencing the next few days was perfect for wearing ankle pants. Who else in colder climates misses showing some ankle?!

Many Days, Many Ways

shirt: Charming Charlie, sweater: Kohl's, pants: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Express brand), boots: JCPenney

I know I’ve already professed my love for black jeggings, but you’re going to have to listen to it once again since it was the first item in my closet I thought of when I decided to link-up for the Many Days, Many Ways link-up with Ginny, Danielle, and Nicole. You can check out my previous remixes here. This time I wanted to highlight an outfit I wore this week (side note – there was a time that I would’ve thought it was crazy to wear bright pink and animal print to work, but that didn’t even cross my mind this time!). Although these pants may not be appropriate in every work environment, mine is usually casual enough that I don’t feel inappropriate wearing them. Look below to see how I’ve recently styled them for work again, a more casual look, and for a date night with my husband!

work/casual/date night

Layers

tunic: Target, sweater: Old Navy, pants: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Express brand), boots: JCPenney, scarf: Nordstrom Rack

I initially included this tunic in my 30x30 item selections, but after not wearing it for the majority of the challenge, I swapped it out. Then, within 3 days of finishing the challenge I was wearing it (this look is from last Monday and I'm just getting around to posting it!). I've decided that I just like pairing it with another longer layer, and I didn't have any longer layers included in the challenge that I like paired with it. Oh well! 

Red + Pink

pink shirt: H&M, sweater: Old Navy, pants: Discount Fashion Warehouse (Express brand), shoes: Target, necklace: Charming Charlie

I celebrate Valentine’s Day in a low-key fashion, both by how my husband and I choose to celebrate the holiday and how I dress for the holiday. :) This pink button up was included in my 30x30 and finally made it out of the laundry and back into my closet! (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can read about it in my recap post from Tuesday). By layering a neutral sweater over the pink shirt then adding the red necklace, I think I was able to be just subtle enough while still festive enough to allow me to join in on the link-up hosted by Andi, Inge, Brynn, Kate, Danielle, and Laura.

Apparently I like this sweater paired with some leopard print!

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