Pantone Color of the Year: Ultra Violet

Well Happy Wednesday, friends!  It seems like so long since I've done a style post.  There's just something about stuffing my face full of holidays foods that makes me not feel like putting on actual clothes to pose for pictures.  You know what I mean?

But today I'm posting over at The Blended Blog about Pantone's color of 2018, Ultra Violet!  I happen to own exactly one piece of clothing in this pretty bluish-purple but I've found a few items to add to my wish list, and you can find them over at TBB.

But while you're here, voilà, my one piece featuring Ultra Violet!  A blazer!

I like blazers but find that I don't wear them that frequently because they feel too dressy.  Instead of giving up on this piece, though, I challenged myself to create a more casual look around the blazer.  I purposely wore my distressed denim and Adidas sneakers to dress the look down as much as possible.

I don't entirely feel like me in this outfit but I'm happy that I made an effort to remix this blazer.  I mean, I definitely need to wear it more this year because it is Ultra Violet!

What do you think of Pantone's color of the year?  Is it a hue you wear a lot of?  Something you want to incorporate more into your wardrobe?  A color that you are going to choose to ignore this year?  Let me know in the comments!  And link-up your Ultra Violet looks with TBB below!

Blazer Love

Earlier this spring I made a goal to wear my blazers more.  I noted that I have plenty of blazers that I really like just hanging in my closet, but I hardly wear them.  I've set about to change that!

I've worn a couple of my blazers since making this goal but am finally documenting an outfit here on my blog!  It helps that Bri's Third Thursday Threads prompt this month is "Blazers!"

Of the blazers currently hanging in my closet, this is one of my oldest.  A few years ago, a friend of mine had a very similar blazer and I absolutely loved it.  It took me almost a year to find my very own but I finally tracked one down!  Once I had it, though, I had trouble styling it.  Do you have any tips for styling a navy and white striped blazer?

What I'm Wearing:
Blazer: Banana Republic (similar, similar)
Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet (similar, similar)
Necklace: Rocks Box (get your first month free with code whitneybff3)
Pants: Gap (similar, similar)
Shoes: Born (exact)

Now it's time for the Lovely à la Mode Link-Up!  And with mixed feelings, Carrie and I would like to announce that this will be the last of our Monday link-ups.  Both of us are increasingly involved in link-ups through The Blended Blog and want to make sure that your energies are being devoted to quality not quantity.  TBB hosts link-ups every Wednesday so we hope to see you there instead of here!  But link-up with us one last time below.

It's Blazer Time Again + Link-Up

It's blazer time again...and you know what that means!  Parent/Teacher Conferences!  I've mentioned before that I like to look a bit more professional than usual for conferences so I often reach for a blazer.

The funny thing is, though, I rarely wear blazers otherwise.  I really like the blazers that I own so I don't know why I don't where them more frequently.  Wearing my blazers will be one of my springtime goals!  Hold me accountable, friends!

In reality, I wore this outfit for conferences a few weeks ago.  It feels kind of funny to post them today because I'm actually on vacation in North Carolina.  Vacation is pretty much the opposite of conferences.  By the time you read this, I will have hopefully spent a lovely weekend with my best friend since 2nd grade, her husband and their new baby!

In other exciting news, guess who I get to see today?!  SELAH!  We are meeting in real life before I head back to Michigan and I'm so excited!  You will see pictures soon!

What I'm Wearing:

Blazer: Banana Republic Outlet (similar, similar)

Windowpane Tee: Old Navy (similar, similar)

Pants: Stitch Fix (similar, similar)

Flats: DSW (similar)

Longchamp: Nordstrom (exact)

And you know what time it is!  Time for the Lovely à la Mode Link-Up!

Brights + Pastels

Good morning, lovelies!  Today I'm participating in another Remix, Rewear, Restyle at Caitlin's blog, Greater Than Rubies.  This week Caitlin has challenged us to put an outfit together featuring bright and pastel colors.  To be quite honest, I've never put much thought into combining these two color groups.  Maybe I've done it before, maybe I haven't, I just never thought about it.  And that's what I love about personal style blogs: I am encouraged to think about my clothes in new and creative ways!

I am by no means an expert in the field of mixing brights and pastels but I will tell you how I managed to combine these color families without looking like there was too much going on.  First, I picked two contrasting colors to work with, pink and blue.  My foundation pieces, the pants and the top are my brights.  I used my pastel pieces, the necklace, blazer and shoes, to pull the contrasting colors together without blinding those who looked at me with too much bright.

 Umm, by the way, pink + stripes + polka dots in the stripes = my new favorite shirt.

What I'm Wearing:

Shirt: Loft (exact)

Blazer: Gap (exact)

Necklace: Simply Charming Boutique (similar, similar)

Pants: Loft (similar, similar)

Oxfords: DSW (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:

Basic Training Corporate Style- Fashionably Employed
DC In Style- Monday Bloom

Fizz and Frosting- Mix It Monday

Greater Than Rubies- Remix, Rewear, Restyle
Just Another Smith, Brynnash, and A Journey in Style- Floral Week 
Perfectly Coutured and Everyday Fashion and Finance- Three-fer Thursday

Style Elixir- Style Sessions

The Style Record- Style Must Haves
Vodka Infused Lemonade- Tres Chic Fashion Thursday

Blazer Lessons Learned

Believe it or not, I used to really dislike blazers.  Due to some traumatic blazer situations growing-up, I felt that blazers were too stiff and too masculine for my style.  Obviously I've gotten over my aversion to blazers and I've done so by learning what to look for in a good blazer for my body and my taste.  In fact, if there is anything I've learned from reading personal style blogs, it's that you can't just go out looking for a blazer, or a striped dress or a chambray shirt in general.  You must have some specifications in mind in terms of fit and styling potential.  If you don't, you will walk away with a lovely striped dress that doesn't fit or go with anything else in your closet (believe me, I've been there).

Recently Inge from This Ever Evolving Life wrote a similar post about her frustration with blazers and what she's learned about finding the perfect blazer.  She gives some fantastic tips and I thought that I would throw-in my two cents.  Disclaimer: these tips work for me.  I realize that your body is not exactly like mine and what works for me might be the worst advice for you.  However, I'm hoping that by pointing-out certain factors that go into the fit of a blazer, you will be more aware of what you can look for when shopping.

1.  Material: I have found that I prefer blazers made from softer, more flexible materials like knits and ponte.  These blazers feel more comfortable to me.  Also, the flexibility flatters my body by accentuating my thinner points rather than being boxy like some stiffer blazers. 

2.  Length: I know that some ladies purposely buy blazers in various lengths to create different looks.  I , however, have found that the only blazers that look good on me hit me at mid-hip.  Be conscious of which lengths look best on you. 

3.  Detailing and Color: I think that my style is rather feminine and I don't typically like incorporating menswear pieces into my wardrobe.  For this reason, I prefer blazers that have a little feminine detailing like a ruffle or that come in feminine colors (see above photo).  What is your style?  How can you find a blazer that fits with what you like and what you wear?

P.S.  When I saw these French bobbi pins on Anthropologie's website, I knew they had to be mine.  I'm a sucker for anything French!  Do you have any styling advice for cute bobbi pins?

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Gap Outlet (similar, similar)

Blazer: Gap (exact)

Necklace: Simply Charming Boutique (similar, similar)

Bobbi Pins: Ban.do c/o Anthropologie (similar, similar)

Tights: From France (similar, similar)

Flats: From France (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:

 Basic Training Corporate Style- Fashionably Employed

Penniless Socialite- Favorite Fashion Friday

Perfectly Coutured and Everyday Fashion and Finance- Three-fer Thursday

Style Elixir- Friday's Fab Favorites

Vodka Infused Lemonade- Très Chic Fashion Thursday

Stitch Fix Review #2

About a month ago, I wrote this review of my first Stitch Fix box!  Not familiar with Stitch Fix?  They are a fun personal styling and clothing subscription company.  Basically, your very own personal stylist will send you a box full of goodies and you get to choose what to keep and what to (very easily) ship back.  Please read my first review for more details.

If I have convinced you to try Stitch Fix, I would be super duper appreciative if you would follow this link.  By doing so, you will give me a bit of credit towards my next box!  Merci beaucoup!

I mentioned before that my first box wasn't exactly what I wanted, but I wrote a detailed review of the fix and was hoping for improvement the second time around.  Well ladies, my stylist nailed it this time! I loved several of the items in my fix but was only able to keep one thing for financial reasons.  

Without further ado, I kept these amazing red pants!  I've mentioned before that I really struggle with finding pants that fit well.  For this reason, I was skeptical that someone could just send me a pair, without me trying them on first, and they would fit.  But they do fit!  And now I finally have a pair of colored bottoms!  I like these pants so well that I've worn them three times already (see below for these looks) and I mentioned in my Stitch Fix review that I wouldn't mind receiving more pairs in different colors, hint hint.

Here are the items that I decided to return:

While I really enjoyed the detail of the dress, the fit was off for my body.  The skirt was a bit too short for how much it flared.

If you can't tell from the photo, this shirt is covered in tiny, adorable swans.  I loved the print but the shirt was a bit too small.

I so wish that I could have kept this shirt, but alas, the pants won.  This shirt was comfy and cute but just slightly too pricey...and the pants were too good to pass-up.

I liked this necklace...but again, the pants won!

When I decided to keep the red pants, I was a little nervous about thinking of a variety of ways to wear them.  For my first pair of colored bottoms, I'm not sure I would have chosen red.  But beggars can't be choosers...and did I mention how well these pants fit??

Anyway, I shouldn't have been nervous at all considering I've worn them three times so far!

For this first look, I drew inspiration from the style card that came with my Stitch Fix.  The stylist recommended a striped top with a camel cardigan.  My striped shirt will definitely be worn with these pants again and I liked the addition of the neutral cardigan...I might not have thought of that one on my own.

I wanted to somehow make the red pants a little less bold and I think I did that by adding this floral scarf.  The scarf has red tones that work with the pants but the other colors in the flowers help to soften the look.

Nautical is back in this spring!  A navy and white striped blazer create a sharp look!

If you are interested in my future Stitch Fix reviews, please follow me at Bloglovin'!

What I'm Wearing:

Pants: Stitch Fix (similar, similar)

Striped Shirt: Banana Republic (similar, similar)

Cardigan: Target (exact)

Black Flats: DSW (exact)

Grey Tee: Everlane (exact)

Scarf: Gift (similar, similar)

Colored Flats: Toms (similar)

Blazer: Banana Republic (similar, similar)

Tassel Necklace: Loft (similar, similar)

Linking-Up:

Delusions of Grandeur- Favorite Fashion Friday

Perfectly Coutured and Everyday Fashion and Finance- Three-fer Thursday

Simple Sequins- Fashion Item Friday

Style Elixir- Friday's Fab Favorites

Vodka Infused Lemonade- Très-Chic Fashion Thursday

Work Clothes I Suppose- Third Thursday Threads