Fall and Winter in One Outfit

First off, to my U.S. followers, happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.  I wish you a wonderful weekend celebrating and reflecting with the people you love.  

Just one month ago this is what autumn looked like in my part of the world but since then winter has arrived with it's frigid cold temperatures and some white stuff to keep us busy and fit shoveling it off off our walkways and driveways.  Needless to say just last weekend I placed these favorite culottes away for warmer days in hopefully the spring.   

What I didn't have to put away though is this cozy, embroidered sweater that I received last year for Christmas.  Sweater weather is my favorite and  I have big plans for styling this one over and over again  this winter.  The colors present in the sweater allow you to pull together so many different color combinations and the ones I am most excited are the casual jean look on repeat from last year, here, oxblood corduroy skirt I recently picked up at ON, and pairing it up with my trusted suede skirt for the office, just to name a few.  Stay tuned.  

Also, white booties!!!!  Mine are OLD and really need to be replaced but I love how white booties just make a statement on their own so I am really hoping to replace them through JustFab this winter.  

What pieces are you excited to add to your closet?

Shop This Post:
Coulettes (old; similar RW & Co, sale $45)
Guess Sweater (old; similar Chickwish)
Boots (old; JustFab wish list item)

Plaid Coat for the Win

I've been searching for a new wool coat since last winter but really didn't want to pay $300+ for it.  Here in Saskatchewan fall is chilly and winters are fridge, so having just a cute coat isn't really an option, you need warmth.  Early this fall I received an email from threadUP and it said that they were now shipping to Canada.  I had read about this consignment website on other blogs but knew that it was a US company and usually shipping, customs, exchange rate, etc. just don't make sense for me.  I quickly started browsing the site for a wool coat to see what would come up.  Quickly I was able to weed through what I was interested in and this little plaid number caught my eye.   It was:

• 40% wool.  

• Plaid (a pattern I love)

• Super cute collar. 

• Flair, umpire waist fit. 

• It was my size.  

• Like "new" it said.

• And the price was $32 with shipping!!!!!!  

• YES! YES! YES!   

Once I order it, it was literally days before it was on my doorstep in cute packaging.  I unpacked it, anxiously and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't disappoint.  It didn't!!!!  It was in MINT condition.  The pockets were still sewed up and I don't think it had ever been worn.  I've had so many complements on it over the last month and I absolutely love it.  

My final thoughts, I wouldn't use threadUP for basics, I would highly recommend them if you are looking for unique or higher end items such as purses, coats, or dresses for a special occasion.  I also noticed they have children's items which might be worth a look through as well.  This was not in any way a sponsored post, just my thoughts.  I hope you all had a lovely Halloween  and  happy weekend!

Pretty in Pink & Purple With Some New Friends

Transitions seem to be the theme of my posts this week, see here.  Fall has descended upon us and as sad as I am to put away my shorts, tank tops and bare legs for another season, I do love restyling favorite pieces for the season ahead.  Duster cardigans have quickly become a favorite of mine over the last year, and have replaced all of my shorter cardigans from a few years ago. This gorgeous cardigan was a Nordstrom purchase this past spring while I was in Portland and it was worth the price tag.  It’s not only my favorite color but the thread is shimmery, almost sparkly, adding a very sophisticated, feminine and elegant feel to the piece.  It’s truly stunning  all on it’s own, so I  often chose to keep the rest of my outfit extremely simple, like this one.  I paired it with a simple white tee, gray pants (theses are my favorite brand and they carry them in multiple colors that rotate depending on the season), and nude heels.  A simple, long and elegant necklace to finish the outfit off is all that was needed. Duster cardigans are a piece that can stay in your closet year round but what you layer them over changes based on the season.

Now lets talk about how this came to life.  To be honest it baffles me even now, several weeks after the fact, and brings a huge smile to my face.  Just when I was  feeling  a little unsure of continuing with the blog and wrestling with the idea of whether the time that I was putting into it was fulfilling me, I was invited by Deena, from Shoes to Shiraz, to join her and another fellow blogger Lana,  My New Happy, for a few days of getting to know each other.  I see this time we spent together as such a gift.  Not only because I had an absolute blast exploring my own city, or this photo shoot by the amazing Lovely Roots Photography, but because I got to meet two women that I respected, admired and looked up to.  I made a connection.  That connection would have never been a possibility had I not read their blogs, then been inspired to begin my own.  I’ve met women from across the world via blogging and many I will never meet in real life.  They are creative.   They are supportive.  They lift, rather than tear each other down.  It’s pretty special to be a part of that and I hope that someone sees me as their cheerleader as many have been mine.  So thank you ladies for stepping into my life at this particular time and thank you all for stopping by my blog. 

 Also, I want to highlight Lovely Roots Photography for these beautiful photos and for the two hours she spent with us.  If you are a Saskatchewan resident, make sure to check her FB page out and book your next session, you will not regret it!  

Shop This Post:  

Topshop Cardigan (Sold Out)  Options:  Nordstrom Rack#1; Nordstrom Rack #2

Banana Republic T-shirt

Design Lab Pants 

Hillberg & Berk Ellis Pendant Long Necklace

Fall Teacher Style on a Budget

For a teacher starting a new school year is much like New Years is to everyone else in the world.  It's a fresh start!  A clean slate.  The year ahead is full of promise.  We set goals for ourselves both professionally and personally.  It's also a time when we feel extremely broke :) (again much like after Christmas and New Years).  Many of us get paid over 10 months and even though we save and plan to cover our expenses, school start-up is always a little hard and the end of September and our first paycheck can't come soon enough.  

I don't always shop at Old Navy but I do find that they often have trendy items that have a great price point.  I did a little "window shopping" and then real shopping, in  ON the other evening, kid free, and found myself pairing work appropriate outfits all over the place.  I purchased everything for $200 and honestly can remix all the times multiple times, making these picks a staple in my world.  Let's see what I placed in my cart.

#1 Plaid Pants

Plaid is everywhere this year, especially pants and blazers.  A plaid blazer, such as this one, is on my wish list but it's $$$ and needs to wait until payday.  When I saw these plaid pants I knew that I could recreate so many different looks with the tops I already had in my closet (light pink, black turtleneck, white blazer, etc).  These pants are a keeper for me. Let's look at the three ways I styled them.

First, I styled them with the items in my closet.  Blush pink and gray always go so well togther and I love how this outfit turned out.  Perfect now as we are transitioning from summer to fall, or in spring.

This knit top is super comfy from ON and pairs really well with the pants but I feel that I just wouldn't get enough wear out of it at this time of the year so it's going back.   NOTE:  This top would also go really well with the burgundy, corduroy skirt.

Unexpected pairing!!!!  Bold, rich, burgundy floral with plaid for the win!  I absolutely love this outfit and the blazer is the perfect laying top for chillier days and for a more polish office look. 

#2 Swing Dress

Okay, a girl can never had too many of these dresses and they are often on sale for like $20!!!  They currently have them in forest green, charcoal, burgundy & yellow.  I really, really, really wanted to love the yellow dress but I just don't on me.  I think it's just too much yellow in one item.  I absolutely adore the burgundy but as my husband pointed out, I seem to have too much of that color in my wardrobe.  I think I'll keep the burgundy one regardless and trade the yellow in for a green one.  These dresses are perfect with bare legs and  flats now, or pair them up with  tights and booties later, or with leggings and boots!  So many ways to wear a swing dress.

#3 Corduroy Skirt & The Cardigan that you NEED!

A long, duster cardigan is a must have and honestly, can you really have too many?  They wear out and pill over time but at this price, you really can't go wrong.  This cardigan is super soft, lightweight but will keep you warm as the weather changes and layers are needed throughout the day.  I picked it up in this camel brown color because it's nuteral,plus it's all over the place this fall season.  Wear it with a skirt, jeans, dress pants, dress, etc.  

The corduroy skirt is much like the suede skirt was a couple of seasons ago, a must have.  What is the best part of this skirt, well it's the BUTTONS.  Big, chunky buttons are very popular this season and add fun detailing to blazers, skirts, sweaters, etc.  I also love that this skirt didn't seem to collect static and stick between my legs when I walked.  I can also see it being worn with a black turtleneck, tights and black booties for the winter.

There you guys have it!  ON always has sales so even if you don't buy these items all at once you can just watch and wait for them to go down in price.  Let me know if you want to see some other pieces styled multiple ways!

Shop This Post:
Corduroy Skirt (in blue too) $34.99
Brunch Crew Sweatshirt Swing Dress (in multiple colors) $34.94
Floral Print Swing Blouse (3 colors, green, burgundy & black) $34.94
Ruffle Tank Top (several colors) $24.94
Long Open Sweater (several colors) $34.99
Plaid Pixie Pants $44.99 - several colors but plaid are on trend