Two of a Kind

Ok, first off --I have absolutely no idea why I have such a fierce & intense expression on my face, lol! But otherwise...

I am wearing more accessories than usual, probably in reaction to doing without the freedom to choose them all last week during the Wardrobe Capsule Challenge. On average I usually wear 1 or 2 pieces of jewelry, maximum. But today I have on (tho not all seen) vintage gold earrings from my MIL; a teal green & turquoise beaded necklace that was a recent find in the dollar bin at Target; a turquoise blue scarf, also from Target; a large blue & copper colored bracelet from a discount store; and finally --a vintage 14k gold knot ring that was my mothers.

Choice is a good thing :)

The sweater is the purple version of this blue one I have worn before, a peplum cable knit from NY&Co. When you find something you like I believe buying pairs can be a good way to simplify shopping, especially if they are more basic in nature and can be accented in different ways -- as I think these sweaters are. When I wore the blue sweater it was with a wider leg pant and I wasn't all that crazy about the outline. But today I have on slimmer jeans and like the shape much better.

The boots are my black Merona Kenna short boot from Target (gee, are you noticing a Target theme here or what?)....and the jeans are brand spanking new, from (yup, you guessed it) Target! I'm happy with the fit, the color, the shape & the price -- tho I wish the rise were a bit lower..not too low, but just a tad more. I do have some of their low rise jeans too, but over all these Merona mid-rise boot-cuts in a dark wash offer the best silohuette for me, IMO.

I also have to say, I planned my clothes for the week last night since that worked so well for me during the Challenge -- so perhaps a new habit has been formed. Thank you Jane :)

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- wrap up

In order of appearance these are the 5 outfits (+ one included coat) that I wore for the week of the Wardrobe Capsule Challenge as put forth by the ever lovely Jane of WorkThatWardrobe.

If you'd like to see an actual list of the 10 wardrobe pieces & 5 accessories, click here.

Ok, so -- I learned many things from doing this challenge....such as:

The value of accessories. If I had unlimited use of accessories I really think I could have made these 5 outfits using the exact same pieces of clothing even more vastly different. And this is good to know. For one thing accessories can be REALLY inexpensive so you can majorly stretch your wardrobe dollar by making good use of the little things like jewelry, scarves, belts, etc. And if you were packing for a trip, well, this could really be a space saver as accessories take up way less room than clothing.


The value of good basic pieces. The sheath dress worn on Day 1 and Day 4, for example, is a good basic piece. In one of the comments I called it "the little dress that could" -- on it's own it is rather plain Jane, but boy it goes with just about anything and is soooo easily jazzed up with minimal effort. I think I need to concentrate on finding a few more things like that to strengthen the foundation of my wardrobe.


The value of planning ahead. It was remarkably easy getting dressed this week! As a SAHM who also homeschools so much of my day isn't strictly regimented that I have the illusion of time. But it's a false impression, since in actuality my time is rarely my own -- as the mother of any toddler can attest, lol. Weekday wardrobe planning ahead of time would free me to eek out a little more "me time" in other areas. But on the other hand, for the weekends I'd still want to slowly peruse my closet pondering what to wear because that's fun & creative for me too...and I think I'd miss that time...staring into my closet with my morning cup of coffee in hand, open to all the possibilities a leisurely Sunday has to offer.


The value of making do with what I've got. I've got plenty to wear. I can make outfits...lots of them...from what I already have. If I didn't buy another thing I could make do for a long time. That says alot, both about what I've purchased thus far and what I've learned in terms of what to do with my clothes. And the best part is there's still more to learn, even further ways to get more out of my wardrobe. I think that's exciting!


The value of imagination and taking chances. There were a couple things I tried this week that worked really well, that I might not have attempted if it weren't for the challenge. For example: I got alot of use out of a little pin...as a necklace, a cardigan clip and worn as the pin it was intended to be. I also discovered that my trench coat looks FABULOUS with a regular belt and not just the tie that came with it. On the other hand, the green blouse belt thing tied around my neck -- eh, not lovin it so much. But over all I gained waaaaay more by taking some chances than I lost. Plus it was fun :)


The inventiveness of others is hugely inspiring. Sheila of Ephemera used stellar color combinations and a fab printed skirt I covet. I loved Goober's polyvore layouts -- fashion art! The deep saturated colored tops that notSupermum chose really caught my eye. Karen from Of a Certain Age wowed me with pattern mixing. Spiragirl of School Gate Chic wore outfits w/perfectly gorgeous silhouettes. Kristen of Shallow Coffee made a graphic tee chic & cute. Kasmira, the ever stylish from What I Wore Today took a dress to new heights of versatility. And last but never least, Jane of Workthatwardrobe -- the woman who started this all -- was gorgeous in shades of red and has me hunting for a petticoat I didn't even know I had to have!

I’ve only been blogging about style for an incredibly short time but I feel like I’ve entered a lovely little community of wonderful, talented, smart women who have a lot to teach me. I adore you all and have gained so much inspiration from your examples. Thank you :)

So, that’s my wrap up – now it’s time for some new outfits using absolutely none of the clothes I wore this week, lol!!!

See ya Tuesday…

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- outfit 5

This is day 5, the final day of the Wardrobe Capsule Challenge from Jane at WorkThatWardrobe. Click on each number to see what I wore on days (1) (2) (3) & (4). Or you could just scroll down.

So, this final outfit is probably also my favorite, tho yesterdays comes in a close second. Today I'm wearing the printed skirt from Target for the first time this week. This is a real "go-to" garment for me...it's black & white pattern just seems to lend itself to so many different tops of just about any color. Plus it's VERY comfy.

The green pin tuck blouse from NY&Co I'm wearing today was worn on Day 2 with the black camisole underneath and the plum argyle sweater vest over it. That day I used the belt that came with the blouse tied around my neck sort of kerchief style. Today I'm using that same belt as a necklace by suspending the faux silver & pearl pin from Target on it. The rest of the belt is hanging down my back and actually kinda looks nice like that -- a sort of added bit of interest. And gosh, I've sure gotten a lot of use out of the little pin this week, having also worn it first as a pin on Day 1 & to close my cardigan on Day 3 and now again on Day 5 as a pendant.

The black belt from Target was previously worn on Day 4 as well as with my coat used for the week and is fast becomming one of my favorite things -- who knew I'd get so into belts considering I once thought I needed to be brave to do so, lol.

The boots are the Unisa ones I wore yesterday. They have a buckle detail on the side that echoes the belt nicely.

To see the entire list of what I chose to wear for the Challenge, including the 10 wardrobe pieces, 5 accessories, coat & bag, just click here.

I have to say, this was more fun than I could have imagined, and I learned a great deal. I want to thank Jane BIG TIME for creating this Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- it was a brilliant idea and I hope we do it again some time. Her stylish example is awe inspiring.

What did I learn? Well, I've decided that entails a post of its own, so over the weekend I'm going to do a wrap up complete w/photos. But in the meantime, suffice is to say I learned that with a little thought and some decent organization I actually now have a very workable wardrobe AS IS -- whether I buy another thing or not. This really is all still new for me, so that knowledge is going to help me fine tune my future purchases thus keeping a balanced budget and closet space!
To my sister participants? You all ROCK!!! I was so jazzed, so inspired, so thrilled to see how each & every one of you pulled this together -- what I learned, I learned from all of YOU. Thank you for being the amazingly creative bunch of women that you are ((((((hugs to all))))))) !

See ya Monday with my wrap up :D

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- outfit 4

This is day 4 of the Wardrobe Capsule Challenge from Jane of the stylish blog, WorkThatWardrobe. If you'd like to see what I wore for the last three days, just click the number: (1) (2) (3). (or you could just scroll down)

And if you are wondering what I'm laughing about in the photo, my adorable little 2yo DS is making funny faces at me from the other side of the sliding glass door :)

I'm wearing the brownish/beige Merona sheath-style dress from Target that I wore on Day 1, but now it's with the plum argyle vest from NY&Co. layered over it from Day 2.

Today I've also added a few additional pieces from the list, such as the necklace of green wooden beads that came from a dollar store and the Unisa boots from Marty's, along with plum tights and a wide black belt -- both from Target.

This outfit is the first one where I think an item could look vaguely familiar -- namely the sweater vest because it's argyle pattern is rather memorable. Had I chosen another, less detailed vest or cardigan I think no one would have noticed it was already worn on Day 2. In real life this could also have been remedied by adding a distinctive accessory, too. But I'm still pretty pleased -- and this outfit was really comfy...I'll definitely wear it again. And I really love this sheath dress; it was fun playing with it in preparation for this challenge. I hoped it would be a versatile piece and work with layers over or under it, and it really is turning out to be a smart buy on my part -- a classic item I'll get alot of use out of, IMO.

If you'd like to see a list of all my wardrobe pieces, accessories, and the coat & bag I've used all week, click here.

I've a busy day ahead and might not get to check in with my blogging friends & sister challengers till tomorrow -- but no doubt you all look fabulous and have outdone yourselves as usual :) See you for the final day tomorrow :)

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- outfit 3

Day 3 of the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge put forth by the lovely Jane of WorkThatWardrobe. Check out Day 1 & Day 2 if you'd like to see what I've worn so far.

Today I'm wearing the NY&C0 navy satin blouse again that I wore under the dress on Day 1, but this time with a black, blue & plum striped cardigan, also from NY&Co. The cardigan is being held closed by the faux pearl pin from Target, also previously worn on Monday.

The blue scarf from a discount store that I used as a belt for the sheath dress on Day 1 is now around my neck. The jeans, worn on Day 2, are my ever ubiquitous dark washed Ralph Laurens ...and the uber comfy brown Maryjanes are a secondhand find.

If you'd like to see the list of all 10 wardrobe pieces + 5 accessories, along with a photo taken earlier in the week of the coat & bag I'll be using throughout this challenge -- click here.

This is the "hump day" outfit -- 2 more days to go...stay tuned!!!!

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- outfit 2

Day 2 of the Wardrobe Capsule Challenge from Jane at WorkThatWardrobe. Don't forget to check out my Day 1 outfit, too :)

Today I'm wearing a black camisole (gift) under a green pintuck blouse & plum argyle style sweater vest both from NY&Co, along with my favorite dark washed Ralph Lauren Jeans. The brown Maryjanes are secondhand.

The tie around my neck is actually just a part of the top; a belt that comes with it -- and since I thought my neck looked bare and we're limited in using accessories, well, I went with what I had, lol.

So far this has been loads of fun, and the whole process has taught me that I can really work my wardrobe -- hey, hmmmm, do ya think that's the concept that inspired the name of her blog? That Jane, very clever one she is :)

Just to reiterate my choices yet again, here are my 10 wardrobe pieces for the 5 days:

Sheath dress, brownish/beige
Skirt, black & white print
Jeans, dark wash
Blouse, navy satin
Blouse, green pin tuck w/removable tie
Vest, plum argyle sweater
Cardigan, black, blue & plum striped

Camisole, black w/lace trim
Boots, dark espresso

Shoes, brown MaryJanes

My 5 accessories are:

Pin, faux pearl & silver
Belt, black wide
Scarf, shades of blue

Necklace, green wooden beads
Purse, black shoulder bag

Aside from my undergarments I also will wear a pair of plum & a pair of navy tights.

Gotta say, I've been so HUGELY impressed with everyone else's first day outfits yesterday that I can't wait to see what today brings :)

See ya tomorrow!

Wardrobe Capsule Challenge -- outfit 1

Yay, today's the first day of the Wardrobe Capsule Challenge as suggested by Jane of WorkThatWardrobe!

I'm wearing a brownish-beige Merona sheath style dress from Target sort of as a jumper, along with a blue scarf from a discount store as a belt. The faux silver & pearl pin is also from Target. Underneath the dress is a navy satin blouse from NY&Co. The brown Maryjanes are secondhand. The blue tights are from the good old A&P market (yeah, really!)

Just to reiterate from my previous post, my chosen 10 wardrobe pieces are:

Sheath dress, beige/brown
Skirt, black & white print
Jeans, dark wash
Blouse, navy satin
Blouse, green pin tuck w/removable tie
Vest, plum argyle sweater
Cardigan, black, blue & plum striped
Camisole, black w/lace trim
Boots, dark espresso
Shoes, brown MaryJanes

My chosen 5 accessories are:

Pin, faux pearl & silver
Belt, black wide
Scarf, shades of blue
Necklace, green wooden beads
Purse, black shoulder bag

(Aside from my daily undergarments I also will wear a pair of plum & a pair of navy tights.)

I can't wait to check out all the other wonderful bloggers participating in this and see what they've come up with!!!

See ya tomorrow :)