Outfits Not Just Clothes

 Debating on whether this was a #turtlenecktuesday post, or just a great sweater/style inspiration post... I went with the latter. sweater- Ruhling Woven , shirt-Wildfang(more options here ), trousers-Gap(similar here ), sneakers- H&M , ring- Mejuri , sunnies- Diff Eyewear This OOTD has various points of inspiration Fear of God Pre-Fall 2020 Linda Tol image via The Zoe Report All three of the images above have a relaxed and sporty sophistication, mixing knitwear, menswear-inspired pieces, and athletic touches.  I definitely also took into account artful layering with the elongated shirt hem and played around with the oversized collar of the sweater.  I also love the mix of texture and a bit of print in the stripes. In my last post I pointed out how pinstripes are a great way to get a bit of print into and otherwise solid outfit.  But really any strip will work to create a bit more visual interest from the standard, shirt, pants, sweater combo.  Sneakers are...

shirt- Mango , pants-Banana Republic(more options here ), necklace-H&M(similar here ), flats- Dr. Scholl's Just a simple top and pants for this OOTD. Or, are they? The fabric and buttons of this shirt, along with the boxy cut give off a whiff of menocore , which I'm totally down for. (Check out my combo meno/normcore board here on Pinterest ). Meanwhile the side-stripped pants and leopard flats are standard, yet sleek officewear staples. So we have a bit of aesthetic contrast, but we also have textural contrast with the rougher top and slighty sateen bottoms. Not so simple after all, eh? 😉

So far I've covered beauty products and socks in this year's round of gift guides, which are prefect gift categories for the coming winter. To add to that list--reading! Here are a few books from my Books Worth Reading Pinterest board, first up--poetry! James Allen Hall's "I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well" from the CSU Poetry Center I LOVED Hall's 1st book   Now You're the Enemy , which won awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Lambda Literary Foundation, and the Fellowship of Southern Writers. So this is on my personal wish list to read here during the snowy days to come.  Anthology from Mason Jar Press "The Black Ladies Brunch Collective’s Poetry Anthology,  Not Without Our Laughter ,  is a collection of humorous and joyful poems, riffing on Langston Hughes’s novel  Not Without Laughter . It explores topics of family, work, love and sexuality. The women of BLBC believe, like Hughes, that even in these ...

For those of us who follow such things, the Resort, formerly known as Cruise Collections have been showing this past month. I've been browsing through some of the runway/lookbook pics and was quite taken by Ports 1961's showing. If you follow my Outfit Ideas board on Pinterest you may have seem some of the looks I pinned.  Ports 1961   Look 17 was the inspiration for yesterday's office outfit!  culottes-Everlane(similar here ), vest- H&M , blouse-Urban Outfitters(more options here ), loafers-Zara(similar here ), necklace-Etsy(similar here ) Of course, not an exact replica of the Ports 1961 design, but that's the beauty of inspiration--take what works and make it your own. From the above pic I started with culottes and loafers, then thinking about interested tops I picked our this abstract-printed blouse, and used the vest to provide cinching and structure.  Inspiration doesn't just come from the Runway. Check b...

As this week is winding down and I don't have any outfit pics in the hopper, I wanted to share a few retailers, books, and thoughts that have been swirling around in my outfitting and reading life... First up, a new retailer that I'm online flirting with Cuyana Their catalog is so elegant, and low-key, very much playing in the chic neutral pond that I enjoy. Plus I'm slowly falling in love with this bag-- This Leather Backpack can also be a shoulder bag, how versatile. This has gone up on my Pinterest Board " Things I Crave "!!!! Also currently hanging out on that board are these men's pleather shorts from Zara ! These shorts are kind of ridic, but I also kind of love them... they are sold out, but the idea of browsing in the men's department isn't ridiculous at all. I'm a big fan of both Zara and Forever 21's male section.  But enough about retail fantasies for myself, let's move on to baby girl!   N...