Our Recipes for Dressing Up
Quote of the day: “The starting point of all achievement is desire.” Napolean Hill
When you are getting ready to hit the town, do you have a go-to outfit? That’s the idea about having a recipe for your clothing outfits, to make the process easier! So I thought I’d share our ideas and thoughts about this process.
We are including Rebecca of RYouReadyToOrganize, since she loves organizing as much as I do! I figured the process of putting together a certain formula for getting dressed, is not much different than organizing your life. In fact, one of my theories is that an organized closet makes it much simpler to find your items and get dressed everyday!
We put together a recipe for our casual outfits first, and now we will focus on a dressier occasion!
Rebecca of RYouReadyToOrganize: Since it was Rebecca that gave me the idea for this theme, I figured I should showcase her along with the three of us!
Rebecca just started blogging, so make sure to show her some love! You might even learn something to keep you more organized!
Jodie’s (50+) Outfit: I’ll start with the obvious even before I get into the outfit!! Yes, I chopped off my hair!
There are so many reasons, but really it comes down to the fact that I just don’t have great hair! I wish I did, I wanted to and I tried everything to get it lush & gorgeous. But it’s thin and very curly, so I decided to see if I could have it reflect my personality! And I think it does just that! It’s short and sassy! Here it is straightened, but you’ll see it curly in some upcoming weeks!
Back to the outfit recipe I chose for a dressier occasion! Of course I chose a dress!
But not only did I pick out a dress, I have been valiantly trying to incorporate more print mixing into my outfits! And it may be hard to tell, but this dress is a seersucker print.
I’ve decided that this could be one of the secrets to print mixing! Make sure one of the prints is very subtle! And the seersucker print is one way to do that since it looks like a solid from far away. I found a red seersucker dress or a blue one that would work well!!
Then I layered a cardigan over the dress. I know I’ve said this before, but truly, I have a cardigan or jacket no matter where I go!
There are plenty of cardigans that are lightweight enough to be used in the summer, as well as keep the chill off! This beauty is from a local boutique called, Trendz! I’ve been a fan of this shop for over 5 years and next month the 3 of us will be hosting a party there. They don’t sell their items online, but if you live in Denver, I hope you’ll keep an eye out for the invite!!
Shrugs like these are one of my favorite ways to cover up in the summer! In fact, I’ve knitted a couple like them! If you only want part of your cardigan to be lace then this one would be perfect! Or if you just like the lace as a trim, then check out this cardigan!
The shoes, jewelry & purse were the last decisions in this particular look!
I explained in the last post that I went gaga over the jewelry at Target on our last outing there! And that’s where these earrings came from! They aren’t available online right now, but trust me when I say you need some tassel earrings in your life! They just add so much charm to your look, even if you prefer the darker colors!
And I have to tell you that I’m slightly addicted to purses lately! Maybe because instead of stuffing it under my desk now, it can actually get showcased when I’m out and about?? But I still don’t love to pay a ton for them. Therefore join me in my addiction by checking out this one and this one that are perfect for the summer!
Dress: Isaac Mizrahi for Target (similar here)~~Cardigan: Luluman (similar here)~~Shoes: Stuart Weitzman-thrifted (similar here with a block heel or here with a wedge)~~Necklace: (similar here)~~Earrings: SugarFix (similar here)~~Purse: Charming Charlies (similar here)
Nancy’s (60+) Outfit: We clearly all chose dresses for this recipe outfit, but it is exactly how the 3 of us define fancy outfits!
Nancy chose this outfit since she had just worn it to church the Sunday before. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks a floral dress is perfect for summertime. Even if you prefer a black & white dress, you can still join in on the fun! But, of course, I gravitate toward the colorful dresses!!
Nancy picked a cardigan also, since her church tends to be on the cooler side!
This particular cardigan was given to her by VIPme when we showcased sweaters last fall! But these longer cardigans can be wonderful with dresses!! If you like the idea of ruffles on your cardigan then this one might be fun! However, if you like more of a conservative look, then this one may be more your style!
These shoes and then the accessories were the next ingredients in her outfit recipe!
The shoes are a relatively newer pair. When Nancy brought them home she wasn’t exactly sure what she’d pair them with. That’s why she took them shopping with us for our challenge about brain health! But I think you’d be surprised at how olive green can be considered quite the neutral. Especially when it comes to prints!
Dress: Liz Claiborne (similar here)~~Cardigan: Veinfuns c/o VIPme.com (similar here)~~Shoes: Chinese Laundry (similar here in a flat version)~~Necklace: (similar here)~~Earrings: Chicos (similar here)~~Bracelet: (here)
Charlotte’s (70+) Outfit: My mom’s recipe for dressing up could be a little different than other women??
Her first thought is what is her newest item? Usually it’s a hand sewn item, but sometimes it could be something that was bought! Take this poncho for instance. It’s both a bought and a sewn item! My mom saw this lovely scarf at H&M recently for a measly $5! Considering she doesn’t need another scarf in her collection, she came up with the fabulous idea to transform it into a lightweight poncho!
She just cut a hole in the middle portion and then finished off the edges! And you could certainly wear it with the v-neck portion in front, or even turn it so it’s more of a boat neck!
Since my mom started with this piece as her first item for her recipe, then she needed to figure out what she was going to wear under it.
I suggested a neutral or light dress, so the poncho would really make a statement. Truly, I think you could wear this poncho over almost any color, don’t you? Since my mom didn’t have a blush colored dress, we put together a blush skirt & top instead!
I know I’ve touched on the fact that blush is the “in” color of the season, and it’s really a great soft color that will look good with everything. For example, this dress could be topped with denim vest or a utility jacket to make it more casual. It really reminds me of the dress I just received from VIPme which is exactly how I’m going to wear it on an upcoming trip! And since I realize most of you don’t love the idea of a tight fitting dress, I also found this one that could still be a neutral backdrop for other pieces!
Now since this recipe started with the topper, and then with the clothing underneath it, we still had to refine the poncho.
It seemed too big to just leave the poncho as is. So we added a belt to it! If you’ll notice in the bottom or last photo, we just used the belt for the front portion of the outfit. We left the back of the poncho loose!
Now belts are something that I’ve found many women of our age group don’t wear much anymore! But I think there are certain situations that they can be a great accessory! Take this belt for instance. Wouldn’t the gold version be a great addition to an all black outfit or dress? It’s such a great price, yet I can’t quite figure out how it hooks together. Do you think you just step into it?
Onto the rest of mom’s outfit for this exercise! We added in her shoes and accessories to complete her look!
It does seem like the accessories tend to be the end portion of our recipe! Of course, that’s not to say that you couldn’t start with them and create your outfit around them! For instance if you had just purchased this statement necklace, you might want to pull out your little black dress to show it off!
Needless to say, we kept my mom’s accessories and shoes relatively simple for this outfit! Nude shoes are truly the go-to for any outfit that already has a lot of color! Whether you prefer yours to be closed toe or open toe, they will certainly get worn a lot!
Skirt: Mom made it (similar here)~~Top:Mom made it (similar here)~~Shoes: thrifted (similar here)~~Scarf/Poncho: Mom made it (similar here)~~Belt: (similar here)~~Earrings: (similar here)~~Bracelet: (similar here)
Taking the stress out of what to wear can be as easy as having a tried and true recipe for certain events! And interestingly enough, all four of us chose dresses or skirts as our recipe of what to wear for a elegant occasion! What is your recipe for a dressy occasion?
Thanks to one and all of you for your support. It means more than you know!
The Facts
Even if you wouldn’t consider purchasing your clothing online, it can be helpful to look through my links to see what is available! It certainly doesn’t hurt my feelings, if you click on them but don’t like them. Just so you know, one of the ways I make money from this blog is through these linked items.
Keeping in Touch
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Since summer seems to be made for dresses instead of shorts at our age, I found some beauties:
