Outfits Not Just Clothes

 In looking back on past posts comparing pieces worn over the years and currently outfitting through another winter season I started thinking about all of the outerwear items I've sported over the past decade... Here's a look back in fairly accurate chorological order of some OOTD posts featuring jackets, coats, and vest, Oh My! From Fall Layers This outfit was from 2014 (!!!)  And I'm counting this puffy, pinstriped vest from J.Crew as outerwear. I've layered it over a blazer, which in turn is layered over a shift dress and collared shirt. In looking at this picture now, I feel the proportions are slightly off, the skirt needed to be longer and maybe the dress belted underneath. But I do love the bit of orange on he upturned blazer collar against the navy.  From Militant Newsie      Oversized quilted jacket from H&M paired with a vintage cardigan, tunic, and jogger style pants. I took a cue from the gold snaps and styled gold jewelry to elevate this...

 Hello Friends! Another comparison post, this time the same pair of pants worn not that long ago or as far apart from each other. Both of these outfits were worn in 2021, the first from January.  Original post here .       I paired these floral pants from Uniqlo with a cropped sweater top from Mango , a long windowpane duster, and combat boots both from Nordstrom . My thinking here was to let the print of the pants dictate the rest of the look and I wanted to go with a long and lean silhouette. So a neutral black top and a topper with a contrasting print in the same color family as the pants.  With a wider-leg bottom I'm of a mixed bag when it comes to the shoe choice. Here, since I was going for long and lean the heeled boot seem the correct call.  Later that Spring in this post .... For this outfit I went with an all-black top half with a turtleneck from Gap and a jacket also from Nordstrom , again taking a cue from a color in the pants' print...

Wow, it's been over a month since my last post, which was an outfit I wore my first week back to regularly going into the office .  Well after that first week, I've barely had a normal week since! With my oldest starting kindergarten and Covid-related shutdowns at daycare for my younger daughter it's been a scramble.  So here I am in a leather jacket, button-down, wide-leg trousers, and sneakers. jacket- Nordstrom , shirt/sneakers-H&M(similar here and here ), trousers/belt-Gap(similar here and here ), sunnies- DIFF Eyewear I love finishing off typical office wear looks with this leather jacket.  I added a sporty sense with the sneakers and would totally wear this to work, or drinks, or events like a book party or reading, whenever those are no longer virtual.  Hopefully I'll be back to posting more regularly, we shall see...

 Spring isn't just about florals and pastels, or dresses and sandals. It's also about layers and mixing materials, and graphic and fresh color combinations. jacket- Nordstrom , shirt-Gap(similar here ), jeans-Banana Republic(similar here ), necklace-Benevolence LA(similar here ), ring- Mejuri , sneakers-H&M(similar here ), sunglasses-Rachel Zoe(similar here ) My love of springtime leather(as seen here  and  here ) is still going strong in this OOTD! For this go round I'm mixing materials with these denim trousers, and going for a graphic color combo with black, white, and blue. I love the contrasts in this overall look.  What can I say I'm a contrasts queen. You have the aforementioned leather and denim.  Then the preppy button-down(that's actually a men's shirt) with the badass leather jacket and sporty sneakers. Finally, these jeans are a contrast in themselves, with a trouser cut being rendered in denim, a play on a workwear silhouette in a casual fabric....

 Earlier this month as we started to see the transition from Winter to Spring I busted out my go-to leather jacket in this OOTD post , and while it may not seem like obvious or easy fabric, leather (or faux-leather) makes for some interesting outfitting during the springtime.  jacket-Nordstrom(similar here ), turtleneck-Gap, pants-Uniqlo(similar here ), sneakers-H&M(similar here ), necklace-Sterling Forever(similar here ), ring- Skelton Jewelry And according to this Who What Wear article , I'm right on trend! I contrasted the tough feel of the jacket with these kooky, floral pull-on pants, then added a sporty touch with my go-to white sneakers for an eclectic look that speaks to the season. You may recall these fun bottoms from this post which we shot in the same place as the pictures above!