So, yesterday it rained. Kind of a lot. But today, today was unseasonably warm. Like in the 80s unseasonably warm. Happily, I hadn't put away my summer stuff yet, so I got one more day in a flowy skirt:
I paired said flow-y skirt with a patterned top that in no way matches. But it goes:
Probably.
I even snuck in some sandals:
Blouse: LOFT Skirt, Belt & Shoes: thrifted
Because, as you may have heard, it was unseasonable warm here today.
In the folly of my youth, I used to question the practicality of short-sleeve sweaters. But, now I realize that they really are great transition pieces.
Over the long weekend, our weather turned cooler (finally) in the mornings and has not been as humid (FINALLY) but still warm in the afternoons.
Pleats can be hard to wear, and so can midi skirts, but I still love this style of skirt. If you love them too, I recommend looking for flat pleats, like those on this skirt:
Flat pleats help keep the volume down, which is important because too much volume in a skirt can make it look like you're smuggling throw pillows on your hips. Even if you *are* smuggling throw pillows, you don't want to look like it because that's not very sneaky and smugglers need to be sneaky. #wordtothewise
I paired my flat-pleated skirt with a textured sweater:
I've decided to limit my print mixing to those days that end in "Y". Happily, today is just such a day and I'm taking advantage of that fact by mixing some prints:
The pleats are courtesy of my vintage skirt and the pinwheels are courtesy of this a LOFT blouse:
Well, pinwheels or something like it.
I paired the red blouse and the white skirt with a blue belt and blue sandals:
I love to wear red, white and blue during the summer; it is a such a great, classic summer color combination. But, it can also be a bit hard to wear this time of year without looking as though Betsy Ross is your tailor.
Blouse: LOFT (similar) Belt: Old Navy (similar)
Skirt: thrifted vintage (similar) Sandals: ZiGi girl (similar)
My advice? Skip the flag print muscle tees and star print cut-offs, at least (especially?) for work. No, save those pieces for the barbecue, and instead try a red and white printed piece with white and blue solids like I did. Or, if you're feeling especially adventurous, even a red, white and blue printed piece.
You can see some of my favorite seasonally-appropriate but also work-appropriate pieces below. (Hover to see brands/prices).
So, I thought I was wearing a printed black blouse and a black skirt with my marigold cardigan:
At least that's what I thought until I stepped outside into the daylight and realized that my blouse was, in fact, navy:
I briefly considered changing and then remembered that black and navy together don't bother me. In fact, I rather like black and blue together. I figure if it's good enough for bruises thunderstorms, it's good enough for me.
Why does this matter? Because, the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose colors are black and gold, are currently in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This means that most of Pittsburgh is very involved in rooting for the Penguins right now.
And that means that when you wear buttercup and dark navy to the office, the dark navy is mistaken for black and you are cheered for wearing black and gold. Even when you're not.
The colors of this outfit are probably more suited for July than January, but the layers are way, way too hot for July in Pittsburgh:
They're perfect for January though. The sweater is surprising warm and the skirt, being the thickest polyester the 70s have to offer, is also very warm.
And, of course, stripes are perfect for every season:
Especially double stripes:
Yep, double stripes and patriotic colors; perfect for a cold January day:
