may 3rd {poppy red}

merona ponte pocket dress {thrited target stock}

isaac mizrahi for target blazer {thrifted}

worthington ankle booties

well... we've reached friday, the final day of the pantone-inspired spring color challenge marissa and i have been hosting all week.  first of all, thank you so much for your interest and participation in our first ever challenge and link up.  it's been really fun interacting with everyone who has commented and linked up at our respective blogs throughout the week.  this may sound corny, so prepare yourself, but i feel like i connected with many of you and found many new blogs to follow -- i hope you can all say the same!

today's color is poppy red, and as evidenced above i'm being a bit liberal with my interpretation of the color.  there are really only two colors that are not prominent in my closet--yellow & red.  with my hair color (i don't even know what color to call my hair) i never thought i could wear, much less looked good, in yellow or red.  the same could be said for orange, but for some reason it's been creeping into my wardrobe lately, and at least it's on the continuum toward red.  maybe one day i'll get all the way there.

be sure to head over to the modern austen and share your link.  thanks again to everyone for joining us this week!  we'll both be putting together a recap post of some of our favorite looks you all have shared this week, so if you want to link up be sure to do so before the linky tools close (you have a couple more days!).

may 2nd {linen}

old navy linen blazer   ·   merona lace popover top

calvin klein skirt {thrifted}   ·   merona maye heels {thrifted target stock}

welcome to day four of the patone-inspired spring color challenge.  thank you all so much for participating with us so far this week, it has been so fun seeing my blog filled with such colorful thumbnails and i'm sure marissa agrees.  if you are just joining us, the link-up for emerald (monday) and african violet (tuesday) was right here at my blog.  marissa is hosting us the rest of the week!

i am so curious to see how people interpret the color linen for today.  is it tan?  blush?  since i couldn't quite figure that out, i went the literal route and wore this great linen blazer that i thrifted forever ago.  i really wear it year round, but i'm especially excited to pull it out this spring!  i paired it with this great lace blouse from target i also couldn't wait to wear and brought in a print with the shoes.

be sure to head over to the modern austen to add your linen look!

may 1st {lemon zest}

merona cardigan {thrifted target stock}   ·   talbots skirt {thrifted}

we are on day three of marissa's and my pantone-inspired spring color challenge!  as a recap, monday we featured emerald looks and african violet was on tuesday.  even though it's the middle of the week, there is still time to link up!  but today we're talking lemon zest. i have to admit that when we choose this color i knew quite well that i have only two yellow articles of clothing in my closet.  i picked this cardigan up not too long ago though in an attempt to add more yellow to my closet, so it was really the only item i had to wear to come close to lemon zest.

sadly, i wish i were more excited about this outfit.  i think yellow & gray pair great together, but it just felt like it was missing something.  maybe another accent color?  a belt?  how did i not add a belt?!  i'll see what i can come up with the next time i wear this cardigan!

are you wearing lemon zest today?  be sure to head over to the modern austen and add your link!  thanks for participating with us!

check out the emerald post here and african violet post here!

april 30th {violet}

land's end button-down {thrifted}   ·   j crew skirt {ebayed}

predictions karmen heels

thanks to everyone who granted me their patience with day one of the link up for the pantone-inspired spring color challenge marissa from the modern austen and i are hosting.  first timer here doing a linky tool, so i apologize that i didn't enter the code correctly and many of you weren't able to submit your look right away.  i am crossing my fingers that today's link-up for the color violet works.  if not, rest assured that tomorrow we'll all be linking up with marissa and i'm sure she'll do it correctly!  ;)

so, how are you wearing african violet this spring?  i looked in my closet and saw lots of magenta but not many shades of purple that i would deem african violet.  in fact, i think if this button-down were a shade darker it would fit the bill perfectly, but i made do with what i had--i hope you are too if you find that you don't have a piece of clothing in the exact color of one we're featuring this week.  it's just fun to dress in some springier colors and any shade of purple is definitely one of my favorites.  thanks for visiting and participating with us today!

<div align="center"> <br><a href="http://literatelystylish.blogspot.com/" title="literate & stylish"><img src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/whatwedo/PantoneSpringChallenge_days2.png" alt="literate & stylish" style="border:none;" /></a></div> <br><</p> <p>  </p> <p>  <br></p> </div>

april 29th {emerald}

mossimo blouse {thrifted target stock}   ·   limited skirt {thrifted}

xhihlaration blazer {thrifted}   ·   bauble bar necklace

it's a little hard to believe this time last week i was wearing tights and layers of long sleeves and now i have bare legs!  it always takes a little bit of adjusting to such stark contrasts in temperature, but it's been lovely so far to get to experience some low 70s before another cold front hits mid-week.  i really think that minnesota has come back alive with the warmer weather!  it's still chilly in the morning and in offices so i grabbed this blazer, but it was the perfect time to pull out this emerald flutter sleeve top that i haven't touched all winter.

i can't wait to see how you are also wearing emerald for day one of the pantone-inspired spring color challenge marissa and i are hosting.  grab a button and submit your link below -- and if something is off, please bear with me as i've never used a linky tool before and i may not be able to correct it until this afternoon.  thanks!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://literatelystylish.blogspot.com/" title="literate & stylish"><img src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/whatwedo/PantoneSpringChallenge_days2.png" alt="literate & stylish" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

april 22nd {drabby}

j crew riviera jacket   ·   loft skirt {thrifted}

mossimo varana booties {thrifted target stock}

i feel pretty drab in my outfit today of olive greens & tans/browns.  it's true, even though i dress in a lot of color each week, the snow on the ground outside and the temps that can't seem to get out of the 30s and 40s often wear on me.  i have hope that spring is on its way soon after one more snowfall (!) tonight, and one of the easiest ways for me to get inspired about the change in seasons is pulling out fresh and bright colors from my closet! what better way to explore some new color combinations than looking to PANTONE?  most of us are probably familiar with PANTONE's color of the year, emerald, but did you know they also forecast hot colors for the spring season?  my friend marissa from the modern austen and i picked our favorites and are inviting you to join us in this PANTONE-inspired spring color challenge the week of april 29th!  pick a top, bottom, accessory, or pair of shoes in the color for the day and show off your spring colors with us! we will be linking up to my blog next monday & tuesday and at marissa's blog wednesday-friday.

we are so excited for this link party and encourage all of you to participate! don't have all of the colors? that's okay! just participate whatever day you can. don't have a blog? don't sweat it! we'd love to read your comments of how you wore each color and you could email us your photos, too. at the end of the week, marissa and i will pick our favorite looks from the week and feature them in a wrap-up post!

**this link-up challenge is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with pantone--we just love their colors.  for more information about pantone llc and PANTONE® products, visit www.pantone.com.**