Gritty Glamour

I’ve been obsessed with green/teal/aqua lately will be wearing it on repeat for the rest summer. You may get sick of it!

Utility pants with floral embroidery, emerald green tank, white hightops, blue leather cuff bracelet and bag to tie in with the blue embroidery, bronze earrings with blue and green enameled flowers. Knit white bomber for the air conditioning.

Wearing Angie’s casual skirt Outfit formula #1 to a 4th of July party tonight with a teal green ruched tank and white linen skirt with a raw uneven hem. I originally had the top longer and felt like it was cutting my body in half visually so I raised it a bit. I think with a longer skirt, the top could be longer and still have nice proportions. Aqua glass earrings with embedded silver leaf made by me Murano style. Nude sandals, straw bag and a teal bracelet add some finishing touches.

Edited to add a pic with the right purse!  ;)

I’ve been enjoying wearing this lightweight grey tshirt knit dress to throw on over my swimsuit for my swimming during the week. I ended up getting three different colors (grey, light navy and turquoise) because they:

1. Were cheap,
2. Are cool for the Summer,
3. Have nice vertical lines and waist definition,
4. the grey one has a value value close to my skin draws less attention to my arms. 

I doubt they will last more than a season with all the chlorine, sunscreen and washing but that’s fine.  It’s nice to have something to throw on and it’s done. I think I prefer this midaxi length dress to skirts because of my short waist. 

I’m trying to swim 3 days a week so here’s a real life outfit for going to the pool with friends. These are new linen blend trousers from Nic & Zoe and I’m scared to take them to the pool because they were expensive and I don’t want to ruin them.  But isn’t that kind of ridiculous? I’m going to take them off to get in the pool obviously and fold them up in my bag so why do I feel this way?  Probably because they are new!  Need to get over it. They are easy going and comfortable, nice and cool.  

Week One - Patterned Tops:

(Thanks Anchie for the Challenge; I may add more as the week goes on but this is what I’ve worn so far)

I tend to prefer solid clothes and add contrast and pattern in small amounts with shoes, accessories and bags, but I want to try some of my patterned tops to see how I could be comfortable wearing them. I often feel like it’s too much and want to put something solid over them which doesn’t work well in hot weather  

1&2 - blue and white floral cotton top with interesting sleeves.  This is not the best shape for me, but it’s cropped enough that it works.  I may see if I can get the side seams curved a little to show some waist definition. I like it best with the white jeans, but for practical reasons wore it with blue jeans at home.

3&4 - WHBM reversible silky shell with jeans and light gray duster, platform Sorel sandals. I feel really comfortable i this and like the watercolor feel of the top. 

5&6 - another silky shell in pale lavender with ruched gray mermaid tail hem skirt. I think there is too much going on here for me and would prefer the top with plain bottoms.  In the end I switched to a plain solid smartwool hiking tee and light bag and shoes. 

7&8 - sheer black, white and gray blouse with silver waxed jeans, snakeskin sandals and magenta bag, bracelet and lips.  I think I could use almost any color bag with this outfit. Silver orchid earrings and necklace.

Conclusion:  I need to stick with tops that skim my waist and show some curve, I prefer misty watercolor patterns or more subtle florals, only one pattered or textured item per outfit with everything else fairly simple is my comfort zone. I much prefer the soft patterns in the two shells than the more precise ones in 1&2 & 7&8.

Summer is a difficult time style-wise for me because I am picky about patterns, and I can’t always rely on that third piece or accessories to get my contrast levels when it gets hot. I’m being brave an posting a pic without anything covering my arms just to get used to the idea. 

I like the watercolor neutral floral fabric of this top mixed with jeans and taupe cage sandals with white soles to connect with my hair. The silky shell and duster front of this “Origami Wrap” add some glamour.  Jeans and cage platforms add the Grit. 

My summer goals include getting more comfortable with sleeveless tops, wearing more dresses and skirts, and finding some light and breezy third pieces, I want to swim 3 days a week which I hope might help with feeling more comfortable about my arms. 

(Edited to add Finds)

I’m looking for a lightweight breezy cardigan or wrap to cover my arms in the summer, but still cool enough I’m not roasting in the 90 to 100 degree F heat. I would like to wear more tanks this summer and throw something on when I need it. 

I love this full length Ralph Lauren cardigan duster, but it’s beyond what I’m willing to spend, so I’m looking at this XCVI shorter version. What do you recommend for someone who likes to cover their arms, and have you seen anything in the stores recently that fits the bill? Do you wear cardigans, a light wrap, a scarf or something else in the summer?

I’m looking for inspiration on how to wear some lilac jeans I have which are slim cut. I haven’t worn them much and am considering replacing them with a wider cut because these can be hot in the summer. Here’s a couple of examples that I am not that happy with, but it may be the shoes. Please show me how you wear light purple on your bottom half?

White layers with white wide leg cropped jeans, off white top, white lace undershirt, bone platforms and woven bag. I like how the tan platform color works with the tan handle and inner pouch of this bag, so will wear these shoes and bag together a lot this summer.

I like this outfit but I’m still not sure about all white for me. It feels like something is missing, maybe I’ve just gotten used to having value contrast? Maybe I look like Mr. Clean!. I will wear it today and see if I can adjust to it.

I’m also have having an issue with these jeans which I wore on repeat all last summer — they are puckering in a few places near the zipper. Does this look like the spandex has worn out? I will be looking for a replacement so any suggestions on jeans this style are welcome. It’s funny to me that when I first put these on last spring, they seemed so wide and now they feel normal.

Please excuse spots on antique mirror!

Here are some of the outfits I wore from my Spring capsule. After putting together this capsule at the end of March, I added several other items to it, but kept to my color palette of navy, denim, white and various tints of magenta, pink and lilac. 

(Edited to add individual photos)

New purchases (in Finds) included a berry color moto jacket, a lilac moto jacket, navy tulle skirt, a multicolor paisley dress and two pairs of platform sandals I love and will wear into the summer. Other items such as hiking pants, plaid pants, blue off shoulder top, light blue jacket came from my closet.