skirts & sweaters.

old navy embellished sweater   ·   mossimo ona flats

 j crew factory skirt & scarf {both via thredup*}

{ similar sweater / this season's skirt / similar scarf / exact flats }

i have always liked the look of skirts and long sleeves/sweaters and this week has had the perfect temperatures for those kinds of looks.  i kind of just threw this together so there wasn't as much thought put into it as i would have liked, but i also wasn't sure if i was ready to go with bare legs or not and didn't want to be late to work going back and forth in front of the mirror for too long.  no one where i work ever wears skirts or bare legs so when i do i feel i stand out more than i already do with the bright prints and colors that i already wear. i'm glad i went for it though!  thanks for visiting!

*join thredup through my referral link and you'll get $10 to spend; i receive $10 once you've made your first purchase!

a perfect combination.

old navy boys plaid & embellished sweater

j crew factory wool skirt

c label sherry flats

i really liked how this outfit came together and was pretty excited about posting it, which is nice since i stood dumbfounded in front of my closest for many minutes trying this plaid shirt underneath this dress (didn't work) and then that dress with this green blazer and not liking that either. i guess i subconsciously took the gray from the dress and chose the sweater instead and picked out a green skirt instead of a green blazer.  my tights and flats are navy--sorry it's hard to see!  i always find that two solids and one print work well together, especially if they're separated in the middle (like a solid skirt and blazer and a print shirt in between) so to my eyes this just looks really cohesive.

get the look:  similar plaid / similar sweater / this season's skirt / similar flats

gray & mint.

 

old navy embellished sweater

cabi jordan almond pencil skirt {thrifted}

dexter claire flats   ·   simonson's jewelry necklace

this is an outfit i have had hung up in my closet waiting to wear for weeks.  i never thought i would be complaining about true fall weather (60s-70s) but it's prevented me from wearing tights lately.  i'm glad we had a cooler day today so i could wear this outfit as i imagined it.  i thrifted this skirt back in july but haven't worn it yet.  i know some people choose not to wear certain colors during certain parts of the year and one may think mint is a spring/summer color, but i kind of think any color can be worn year-round depending on what you pair with it.  anyway, i'm more open minded about permanent tights weather because it opens up my closet so much.  i definitely have more skirts than dress pants and i am sick of rotating through the same few pairs of pants that fit... so hopefully this outfit will inspire a shift in my dressing the rest of the week.  thanks for visiting!

currently...

so i've never really done one of these posts before, but i love my pal anne over at in residence and just had to participate in her "currently..." theme post today!  plus, it's always nice when you have the skeleton of a post developed for you and you just have to fill in the blanks!

wearing // these favorite patterned pants of mine and a coordinating sweater and mary jane heels.


writing //  fictional stories.  have i ever mentioned that i love writing?  i've written stories for as long as i can remember, but in the past few years i feel as though i have actually thought of plotlines that actually turn into something and i love exploring and honing this hobby.  it makes me wonder why i never participate in nanowrimo, but maybe i will this year to really force me to develop one of the many ideas i have rough outlines for.

anticipating  // the zubaz night at the minnesota twins game in a week.  did you ever own a pair of zubaz pants?  i don't think i ever did, but i'm kind of beyond thrilled to receive this pair and don them at the game with a bunch of other crazy fans.

missing // the minnesota state fair.  fried pickles, cheese curds, corn dogs... even though it's kind of the same rodeo every year, i miss it already and wish i had another day to experience it all.

craving // reading "fangirl" by rainbow rowell... it just came up in my queue but wouldn't you know i am already in the middle of a book and have several others that are also ready for me to check out and read?  she pretty much can do no wrong and i am so eager to get lost in this book!

spring pantone challenge (paloma)

old navy embellished sweater   ·   old navy button-down {via thredup*}

old navy skinny boyfriend khakis   ·   merona bella flats

thanks to everyone who joined the start of the link-up yesterday for the spring pantone-inspired color challenge marissa & i are co-hosting!  i loved seeing how everyone interpreted radiant orchid from purple to pink.  today's color, paloma, is a little more straightforward--gray.  this is the third time marissa and i have been doing this color challenge, and with each new group of colors pantone releases i become more interested in the meaning behind the names they chose. 

i mean, remember turbulence from last fall?  we all had fun interpreting that one, and i'll admit that i needed to google the word "paloma" to learn it's spanish for "dove."  doves are typically gray, so pantone's color name makes sense to me.  i also learned that paloma is the name of a cocktail that mixes tequila, grapefruit soda, and lime juice.  i thought it would have been pretty clever to wear a light orange or lime green skirt, but i don't own skirts in any of those colors so i opted for a peach button-down.  from there i was halfway toward replicating kate's look featuring this same sweater, so i added black skinnies and fun coral flats.

did you put this much thought into putting together your paloma-gray look today?!  :)  link up with me below!

get the look:  similar sweater / similar button-down / exact pants / exact flats

<div align="center">
<a href="http://literatelystylish.blogspot.com/" title="literate & stylish"><img src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/whatwedo/SpringPantone-InspiredColorChallengeButton3.png" alt="literate & stylish" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

a walking advertisement.

old navy polka dot chambray {thrifted}   ·   old navy embellished sweater

old navy boyfriend skinny khakis   ·   mossimo ona flats

well, today i'm clearly a walking advertisement for old navy!  it's no surprise--it's definitely my favorite store as of late.  the chambray was a thrifted find that i think looks pretty fun paired with this sweater that i loved wearing for the first time a couple weeks ago here (also see it on kate here).  i just couldn't wait that long before wearing it again!

i picked up these khakis in january before i was offered my current job thinking i needed more casual pants and jeans to wear during my unemployment.  well, i wasn't out of work for long and i've resumed dressing mostly in skirts during the work week, but i decided there's no reason these pants need to go unworn.  i was going to wear them this friday but then i thought... why?  black khakis are perfectly acceptable for the workplace (really, anything seems to go where i work) so instead of waiting until the end of the week to wear this ensemble, i broke it out on a monday!

these pants really are a great alternative to classic dress slacks as the black fabric gives the impression that they're "dressier" than they really are (they're khaki, after all) but based on the top/shoes they're paired with, i think they'll still work for weekend wear.  in case you're wondering, i'm about 5'5" and i bought these pants in tall so i could have the option of wearing them as normal length pants as i did today or rolled up as the model on the website shows (link below).

are there certain items in your closet that you've convinced yourself aren't appropriate for work but really could be?

get the look:  similar button-down (here's another) / exact sweater / exact khakis (on sale for $19!) / exact flats

embellished.

old navy embellished sweater   ·   merona skirt

dexter kylie wedges   ·   target necklace

for my sake i hope it was just a one-time promotion, but two sunday's ago i got an email from old navy highlighting a handful of items online that were priced at $10.  after taking a quick scroll through the site my cart was full and an order was placed, which included this sweater.  gray seemed an odd color choice at first since i gravitate toward color and prints when i'm shopping... but i love it!  i don't own embellished anything, but the little faceted beads definitely make it interesting enough to get along with the brights & patterns in my closet.

the skirt was a pretty big hit at work too.  it always feels kind of good when others recognize the effort you took to put together an outfit and choose to comment on it (why else would all of us operate these blogs!), but maybe it also has to do with the attitude you exude when you're wearing something you feel great in.  i think others pick up on that and it may make them more inclined to offer a compliment.  who knows--either way, i loved how this outfit turned out and i'm glad i could add a great sweater to my closet for such a reasonable price!

get the look:  exact sweater / current style skirts / similar wedges / similar necklace / similar button-down