Loop Looks

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack (similar) | Shirt – The Limited (similar) | Pants – Target (similar) | Shoes – Anne Klein | Scarf – H&M via Poshmark (similar)

When these pants debuted on my blog Jen told me she had actually bought the same pants!  After yesterday’s mind-meld of both wearing our striped blazers (totally not planned, I promise!) and the fact that we own the same pair of pants I feel we were destined to find one another in the blog world! And, of course, that meant I had to wear these pants at least once during our Mutually Inspired Series.

I took my cue from the comfy but fun pairing of patterns and textures that Jen put together and the fact that not only did I have the exact same pants, but I had a ridiculously similar striped long-sleeved shirt and, of course, a polka dotted scarf. Here’s Jen’s original outfit. Crazy that I basically had all the same pieces, right? I know this is more of a copycat than an inspiration, but I couldn’t not.

I think this is the perfect outfit for a slight casual outfit. The textures and patterns keep it from being boring and you could easily do this with just about any mixture of colors. Alternately, if you needed to be more dressed up, you could swap the cardigan for a blazer and the striped t-shirt for a blouse like this one. In fact, I just might do that in the near future!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Mutually Inspired Series! I’m sad to see it end. Especially because I had even more outfits of Jen’s that I wanted to recreate. And if you haven’t clicked over to see what outfits of mine have been inspiring Jen you need to do so right now!

0

  

Scarf – Target (similar for $10) | Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack (similar) | Top – Target (similar and only $15!) | Pants – The Limited (similar) | Shoes – Nine West (similar)

One of the first style blogs I started reading was Jill’s Good Life for Less.  At the time she was putting together outfit ideas for people who contacted her and asked for her help. She was nice enough to share many of those outfits with her readers. One outfit with a black blazer, gray slacks, and a purple scarf caught my eye. And, I admit, I spent the next year looking for slate gray dress pants.

Until it hit me – practice what you preach! Okay, so I don’t have dark gray pants. But I do have light gray pants so why not go with that? Duh, Erin.  And, yes, I have a black blazer but sticking with the inspiration not recreation vibe, I decided I wanted to be a bit more casual today and tossed on the cardigan instead. Sometimes you just can’t deal with a blazer, you know? Especially when the only thing on my calendar for today is a coworker’s birthday and more trapeze classes!

Remember, when you see an outfit you like, try first to see if you already have items similar to it in your closet. They may not be exact but I bet in many cases you were drawn to that outfit because you like those colors or styles. And if you already like them, you probably already own something like it!

Linking up with Texas Lovebirds

0

  

Shirt – J. Crew (similar)| Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack (similar) | Skirt – J. Crew Factory | Tights – Banana Republic (similar)| Shoes – Anne Klein | Necklace – Groopdealz (similar and on sale!)

I only have about a 15 to 20 minute commute door to doo via a combination of walking and train.  I am supposed to be at work at 9:00 AM.    Normally I set my alarm for 7:00 AM and drag myself out of bed any time before 7:30 (I am NOT a morning person).  Anyone want to guess what time I woke up today?  Try 8:26 AM.  Uh, yeah.  Not sure what happened there.

Thankfully my boss is rarely in at 9:00 so I have some leeway.  Also, I had my outfit all planned out for today.  Except, when I put on the black blazer I was originally going to wear I didn’t like the way it looked.  Thank heavens for also having a black cardigan!  Also, this shirt is like wearing comfy pajamas so it’s perfect for a day when obviously my body didn’t want to get out of bed.

I also had grand plans to create a post about all my earrings and tell you all about how I used to only wear one pair.  That was it.  And then show you how my collection has grown over the past year.  But, I ran out of time so all you get is this sentence.

On the plus side, I think this post is a testament to the benefit of planning out your outfits in advance.  Sure helps when you have to go from pajamas to plaid in less than 30 minutes!

0

  

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack | Top – Old Navy | Necklace – J. Crew via Poshmark | Jeans – The Limited | Boots – Ciao Bella via DSW

Yep, the boots came out today.  A gray, cloudy, windy day in Chicago?  Perfect boot weather.  I’m also working from home and then helping out with prep for the large conference I’m attending next week so I can go a little bit more casual than normal, even on a Friday.

This outfit mixes both black and blue which I’m sure many people think is a no-no.  But, actually, as long as they aren’t too similar in shade, you can wear them together.  It’s when they look like you couldn’t tell that one was a different color that it starts to get questionable.  Same with chambray or denim on denim.  You don’t want the colors to be too close to one another.

Oh!  I’m adding a new series to the blog on Saturdays and it starts tomorrow.  I hope you’ll check back! Here’s a sneak peak:

Otherwise, enjoy your weekend!

0

  

Top – Old Navy

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack

Pants – Express

Shoes – Lucky Brand via Marshall’s

So, the green pants won the poll but I couldn’t leave the second place leopard print shirt out in the cold.  Which means it got to be paired with the green pants on day 3!  Leopard and green is another fun combination that people don’t always think about.

Well, there you have it.  One pair of green pants worn three different ways.

One Piece | 3 Days | Day 1

One Piece | 3 Days | Day 2

Which one is your favorite?

0

  

Blazer – Forever 21

Cardigan & Necklace – The Limited

Shirt – Stitch Fix (<—Note: if you sign up using this link I get the referral credit)

Pants – Gap

Shoes – Nine West

I love blazers.  I love they way they look.  I love that they can take an outfit from BLAH to WOW.  They add polish and professionalism to almost any outfit.

That being said, some days I just can’t handle the feel of the blazer collar on my neck or the restriction on my shoulders.  Perhaps this means my blazer doesn’t fit as well as I’d like.  Or maybe it just means my body is craving a bit of comfort.  Hence the cardigan.

Which look do you like better?  Blazer or cardigan?  What do you wear when you want to look professional but feel comfortable?

0

  

Scarf – Target

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack

Skirt & Belt – The Limited

Shoes – Bandolino/DSW

Look!  It’s warm enough outside to go bare-legged.  Actually, it was raining this morning and for some reason I prefer to wear skirts when it’s raining.

I debated back and forth this morning over belt or no belt.  Obviously I went with belt.   Still not sure it was the right decision but sometimes you’ve just got to make up your mind and own it!

0

  

Necklace -  NY&Co

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack

Camisole – The Limited

Top – LOFT

Pants – The Limited

Shoes – Nine West/DSW

Back to work!  This outfit is kind of bland and conforms to my usual work uniform:  black pants, colored top, cardigan.  I actually bought this top to wear with my black suit but since I don’t need to wear a suit every day I take it down a notch with the cardigan.

Do you have a “uniform” that you find yourself wearing day after day?

0

  

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack

Top – The Limited via MJR Sales

Belt – The Limited

Skirt – Banana Republic Outlet

Boots – Cole Haan

Today was the annual Chicago Area Runners Association awards banquet. It was actually a luncheon, though, so I had no idea what to wear! I didn’t want to be too dressy but I also didn’t want to be too casual. Once again, my nightmare scenario. I originally had on a black and white dress with a black cardigan, black knee high heeled boots, and a belt. I felt way too matronly. After pondering my options I ended up with the outfit above. More “fun” even if it was a bit dressier than I was going for.

How about you? If you had a lunch-time awards banquet to attend what would you wear?

0