Our High School Reunion Outfit
Styling a high school reunion outfit can be stressful for many of us.
Quote of the day: “Always remember: you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A. Milne
Summertime is the time for high school reunions and whether it’s your 10th reunion or 50th, there is always the question of what should I wear. Even Lesley talks about the real reason in the video below. I hope you join us in our musings.
Nancy was still off when we were taking these photos, she was busy as a bee, packing boxes and purging non needed items. So Lesley stepped up and helped us out for these photos. You might recognize her from last week’s kimono post.
Not only do I need to thank Lesley for joining in, but also for this fabulous idea for a theme. Since she has an upcoming 50th reunion scheduled, it was her idea to style our high school reunion outfit for the blog. That’s why I absolutely love it when I get suggestions for our themes. And look! She even brought her yearbook to our outing. We looked through it during our lunch after this photo shoot.
We styled these outfits for the dressier time that most reunion teams plan. Since there’s also usually a more casual event too, my mom and I came up with some ideas for that one.
Jodie’s (50+) Outfit
Dress: Shoshanna (similar here)~~Shoes: Christian Siriano for Payless (similar here)~~Necklace: thrifted (similar here)~~Earrings: Modern Sage Designs (similar here)~~Bracelet: (similar here)~~Purse: Bellorita c/o–use code JTS10 for 10% off (here)
Why I Wore This Outfit
I’m always looking for another opportunity to wear this dress because it’s one of those I spent more money on than I usually spend. I bought it for our Forever Fierce party last summer in LA. And then I wore it for my husband’s birthday outing last year. You can see that both times I wore this dress, I paired it with neutrals since it’s so bright. However, this time, I decided to get a little adventuresome in my color combination.
How You Could Change This Outfit
For some reason, I’ve been trying to wear turquoise with about everything. You ought to try it too! I really haven’t found anything that it doesn’t look great with. If you like that idea, then you could wear shoes with a lower heel that would look just as wonderful.
Interesting Tidbit
Before blogging, I had no appreciation for nice purses and I couldn’t understand how women could pay more than $50 for one. Yet after I’ve been wearing some of my grandma’s older purses, I can see how they can be handed down to other generations. Besides the fact that like my jewelry they always fit even if I gain weight. And they certainly don’t wear out as fast as my shoes do.
So even though I usually decline any collaborations with higher end pieces, I decided to try out this purse. I showcased it on Instagram with a neutral outfit. It’s certainly quite a statement piece, and since it’s neutral, I’m sure I’ll be wearing it quite a bit.
Lesley (60+) Outfit
Pants: Alfani (similar here)~~Tunic: Soussan Designs (similar here)~~Shoes: from an estate sale (similar here)~~Scarf: Macy’s (similar here)~~Necklace: Steinmart (similar here)~~Bracelet: Richlyn of Charming Encounters (similar here)~~Purse: Susan after 60 (similar here)
Why Lesley Wore This Outfit
We all want to look stylish and yet be comfortable at these kinds of events. That’s exactly why Lesley chose this combination. The tunic is loose and flowy for the warm weather, yet the 3/4 sleeves are perfect for when the sun goes down or the AC is too high.
And I absolutely love how the shoes and purse bring in a bunch of other colors which she then uses in her necklace and scarf. Don’t you love how she just threw the scarf over her shoulder? Because it’s a Pashmina scarf on top of a knit tunic, it stays so nicely. And then it’s easy to whip off or throw around your neck.
You can see Lesley wearing this same tunic with a more casual outfit and she even changed up the tunic by adjusting its shape.
How You Could Change This Outfit
If you also love the idea of having 3/4 length sleeves, but wanted a different color tunic, then blue and white can be just as classic. Of course, if you’re looking for something lighter weight, then the kimono tops are a perfect piece.
Lesley chose these shoes because they are comfortable enough to stand in for a long period of time. Yet I know some women still only wear flats. In that case, there are flatter black espadrilles that would still give the same idea. Or you could have fun with a rainbow color pair of sandals.
Interesting Tidbit
Lesley bought this tunic 25 years ago in St. Johns while she was on a trip with friends. She laughs that it wasn’t really “in” when she bought it yet she’s super glad she’s never gotten rid of it in her purging. The asymmetrical hemline is such a fabulous detail, and on top of that it brings back such great memories of her special trip.
The other wonderful item is her bracelet that her daughter made. Lesley talks about how it came into her possession on the video.
Charlotte’s (80+) Outfit
Dress: Cubism from Trendz Boutitque (similar here)~~Shoes: 9 West (similar here)~~Necklace: thrifted (similar here)~~Earrings: from the 1970’s (similar here)~~Purse: from the 1960’s (similar here)
Why Charlotte Wore This Outfit
My mom purchased this dress recently from our favorite local boutique. Which I just want to tattle on her and tell the story about Trendz. My mom discovered the shop even before I did about 6 years ago. I asked her if she bought anything on that first trip and she said no—that it was more for women in my age group. Well, she’s certainly changed her tune about the store since we’ve frequented it more. Sometimes I think we may get a vibe or feeling about a place, yet when we explore further, you can be surprised at what you find. It’s not much different than first impressions about people we meet.
Since my mom always chooses the matching option for her shoes and accessories, she kept with the black and white theme. Summer is certainly the perfect time to pull out your white shoes. Although I will argue that you’re going to be seeing them more even this fall and winter. That’s called foreshadowing….
How You Could Change This Outfit
My mom knows how I try to push her into the colors that look great on her after we had our colors analyzed. Therefore if black or white isn’t great for your complexion either, I think a different color necklace could work wonders for this outfit. A bright red necklace with tassels would show up wonderfully against the black and white. Or even a turquoise blue braided seed necklace could add some much needed color to the look.
If you introduce a different color with the necklace, then it might be good to use that same color for your shoes. Just like I showcased in the question about shoe preferences, red shoes can be a great contrast to many outfits. And just like I introduced turquoise shoes in my outfit, wouldn’t they look pretty with this dress?
Interesting Tidbit
My mom basically DIYed this purse to make it interesting. The white tassel was part of a white purse that fell apart many years ago. Instead of throwing the entire thing out, she salvaged this tassel from it and now adds it to other purses. In fact, this black patent leather purse is as old as I am—it’s from the 1960’s. But adding the tassel is such a great way to make it modern. It’s a great lesson for many of the items we need to give away. I’ve saved cool buttons from a blouse before and sewn them on something else.
Tips & Tricks
We all want to look our best at these occasions. Yet that doesn’t always mean going out and buying something new. If you look in your closet and feel like you don’t have anything to wear, I’d suggest asking a stylish friend to come help. Sometimes other people see combinations or possibilities that you tend to overlook.
Along with that thinking, I’d also suggest taking a selfie of the outfit before hand. A photo is an invaluable portrayal of how everything really appears. Heck, we’ve had women post their outfits in our Forever Fierce group asking for suggestions or thoughts.
Needless to say, it all boils down having fun and seeing old friends. As much as we concentrate on our high school reunion outfit, it pales in importance to the people we connect with at the end of the day. Yet if you’re not 100% loving your outfit choices, then maybe you need a fabulous purse as your attention getter? I linked a bunch below.
We took these photos in front of East High school that is quite historic here in Denver. Isn’t the architecture just amazing? I first saw it as we were driving by a couple of months ago, and we had to google what it was so we could come back and take photos.
If you remember seeing my husband on the ground to take photos, this is what he was shooting. And the quote above? It’s one of the many on the ground in front of the school.
Lesley and Wayne
I’d like to include this recent photo of Lesley with her husband, Wayne when they dressed up for some fun with volunteering at Fairmont Cementary. We just recently went over to their house to talk about our outfits for these posts that Lesley has been joining in on with us. In fact, Rob took a photo of me in front of this very Model A car that I posted on Instagram. Tragically, Wayne just passed away on the 4th of July from a massive heart attack. I hope you’ll join me in sending prayer and love to Lesley as her world has been turned upside down.
The Facts
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