Cypress

Today I'm excited to be participating in two of my favorite link-ups!  Sometimes it takes an extra push to really use your clothes creatively, which is why I look forward to some of these blogging challenges.

Heidi from Literate and Stylish and Marissa from The Modern Austen are hosting their yearly Pantone-inspired fall color challenge.  For those of you unfamiliar with Pantone, they are the ultimate authority in color.  They declare a color of the year as well as the seasonal "it" colors.  Heidi and Marissa have chosen to feature one of the fall 2014 colors each day this week, and today we are celebrating cypress, a dark olive color.  While olive is a really versatile neutral, I don't own much in this color.  Thank goodness I dug-out this cypress Everlane tee upon which to build my outfit!

I'm also excited to link-up with Andi of Just Another Smith and her co-host Danielle from Goodwillista for one of Andi's famous theme weeks.  This week blazers are in the spotlight.  Can you believe that I didn't used to like blazers?!?  I am now convinced it was because I was choosing the wrong fits and fabrics for my shape.  This is the blazer that changed my mind!  The fit is feminine and the fabric is oh so comfy...not stiff at all!

This entire outfit was inspired by the cypress t-shirt and the blazer.  At first I wasn't sure about such a boring, neutral outfit (not that neutrals have to be boring).  Then I discovered that this jeweled necklace pulled-out all of the right colors in the ensemble!

You may notice that these are not my typical type of blog photos.  I took advantage of a trip to LOFT and used their humongous mirrors for an impromptu photo shoot.  The sales girl probably wondered why it was taking me so long to try on the clothes!  Check back next week to find-out what inspired this fun afternoon shopping trip!

What I'm Wearing:

T-Shirt: Everlane (exact)

Necklace: LOFT (similar, similar)

Blazer: Anthropologie (similar, similar)

Pants: Gap (similar, similar)

Fall Capsule Wardrobe: Dress Edition

It has been quite some time since my last Fall Capsule Wardrobe Remix post but I haven't given-up!  In fact, I'm still going strong and have lots of fun ideas for remixing my 20 pieces of clothing into 30 different fall-friendly outfits!  Make sure you head over to Caitlin's blog, Greater Than Rubies, to check-out remixes created by some other fabulous, fashionable ladies! 

In remixing my 20 pieces, it was easiest for me to pick one item (like my MSU sweatshirt in this post) and to create a bunch of different outfits around that one piece of clothing.  For this post, I decided to focus on a dress that I bought from Dressbarn.  Now, Dressbarn is my hidden gem for cute, affordable clothes.  Admittedly, lots of things there aren't really my style, but if I spend a little time looking, I usually find something wonderful...like this dress!

I love this outfit so much, that I've worn it twice already this fall!  It is perfect for comfy weekend outings as well as for work!  I love these green tights but sometimes feel unsure about what to wear them with...particularly when it comes to shoes.  I think they work with the cognac moccasins.  What do you think?  What shoes do you usually wear with colored tights (I'm really looking for advice here)?

I've noticed that booties and tassel necklaces are pretty trendy this fall.  Adding a couple of fun accessories can really spice-up a simple dress!  I can very easily add tights and a cardigan or blazer to this creation when the weather turns chillier!  Do you think my green tights will work here, too?

The dress code at the high school where I teach is professional yet relatively casual.  Any of the outfits in this post are dress code appropriate for me.  This one is even a little more professional than I usually dress, but is perfect for the days when I want to step-up my game a little bit!

I love that when I wear differently colored accessories, different colors in the dress pop!  It makes me feel like I'm wearing a totally new dress!  Multi-colored dresses lend themselves to so many different remixing possibilities.

This last dress ensemble is perfect for a chilly, sleepy weekday morning when all I want to do is crawl back into bed...but I have to go to work!  Muted accessories and a chunky cardigan just scream comfort to me.  This outfit plus a cup of coffee and I'm ready to go!

Take a peek at my other Fall Capsule Wardrobe posts and stay tuned for the rest of my autumn remixes!

Fall Capsule Wardrobe: Skirt Edition

Fall Capsule Wardrobe: Go Green Edition

What I'm Wearing:

• Dress: Dressbarn (similar, similar)

• Jean Jacket: Hand-me-down (similar, similar)
• Initial Necklace: Simply Charming Boutique (similar, similar)
• Tights: France (similar, similar)
• Mocassins: Target (exact)

• Tassel Necklace: LOFT (exact)
• Booties: Target (exact)

• Blazer: Anthropologie (exact)
• Necklace: Lia Sophia (similar, similar)
• Heels: DSW (similar, similar)

• Cardigan: Kohl's (similar, similar)
• Belt: Charming Charlie (similar, similar)
• Flats: Hand-me-down (similar, similar)

• Grey Cardigan: Ann Taylor Outlet (similar, similar)
• Tights: Anthropologie (similar, similar)
• Boots: DSW (similar, similar)