Take Four: Winter Coats from Coast to Coast

Today’s Take Four topic (ooh, alliteration) is Winter Coats.  This topic was a hard one for me because I have a lot of coats.  I mean A LOT.  I think it’s because when I find a coat that fits my broad shoulders and long arms, I feel compelled to buy it.  This lemon-yellow houndstooth was the latest coat I felt compelled to buy:

My friend Kathy called it a “grandma coat” and I suppose it is.  But, I absolutely adore it.  It’s handmade vintage (the tag says it’s “An Original By Miss Michael”), it’s houndstooth and it’s yellow.  It’s also thrifted and a bit fuzzy without being full-on-Muppet.  Oh, and it fits my broad shoulders and long arms.  What’s not to love?

Today I wore my vintage coat over a vintage dress:

Unlike the coat, the dress isn’t handmade and it’s also not conducive to riding a bike in (I drove today), but I rather like it.  I paired the dress (thrifted) with gray tights (Nordstrom), a thin belt (Gap) and my increasingly-ubiquitous burgundy pumps (Naya “Jada” via Nordstrom).  All in all, a little more body-con than I usually go, but I think it worked.

Enough about the outfit though, we’re here to talk about coats.  You’ve seen my coat, now may I suggest you take a look at what the other ladies of Take Four are rocking?  Visit Bekah at Matters of Merrymaking, Kelsey of Charming Pumpkin and Karla of Frugal Big Girl to see some fabulous winter coats and possible tomfoolery (I may have made that last part up but you’ll never know if you don’t stop by).

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Take Four: Saturated Hues from Coast to Coast

Hello!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was busy, busy, busy, but in the most fabulous way.  Also fabulous is today’s Take Four theme: Saturated Hues.  I’m a big fan of rich, bold color, so the berry, emerald and cobalt shades that were shown on the runways for this fall thrill me to no end.  For my take on the trend, I went with berry:

I layered my cranberry wool cardigan (Ports International, thrifted) with a black and cream brushstroke printed sleeveless dress (Target).  I added a thin brown belt (Gap), black tights (Spanx via Nordstrom), burgundy pumps (Naya “Jada” via Nordstrom) and a few accessories. 

Want to see more outfits incorporating this fall’s saturated hues?  Visit Bekah at Matters of Merrymaking, Kelsey at Charming Pumpkin and Karla at Frugal Big Girl to see how they rocked the trend.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Take Four: Fall Accessories from Coast to Coast

Hello, Dear Reader Friends!  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  Even though it’s Monday (boo), I’m excited because today’s post is the next Take Four post – and we’re talking about fall accessories.  Accessories in my closet generally consist of either shoes or scarves.  And while scarves are perfect for fall (and anytime, really), I decided to go with shoes for today’s Take Four post.  In particular, these Seychelles booties:

I chose these booties because they incorporate two big trends for this fall; chunky heels and menswear-inspired.  But, the best part is that they also incorporate tassels and fringe.  I love tassels and fringe.  I wore the booties (Seychelles “Clue” via Nordstrom) with a goldenrod bow blouse (Gap) layered under my cranberry Mr. Rogers cardigan (vintage Jantzen, thrifted) with a grey midi-skirt (vintage, thrifted) and grey Swiss dot tights (Hue via Macys).  Sadly, this color combination photographed like I am Ronald McDonald's personal secretary, but I swear it was more flattering and less fast-food-empire in person (no, really, I swear!).

But, enough about me. Want to see some other fall accessories in action?  Of course you do!  In which case, might I suggest a visit the other ladies of Take Four?  As always, they are Kelsey of Charming Pumpkin, Karla of Frugal Big Girl and Bekah of Matters of Merrymaking.  Try it; I think you’ll like it.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey

Take Four: Cardigans and Chunky Knits from Coast to Coast

Chunky knits, cardigans or otherwise, are big this fall.  But, how do you keep this big trend from making you look, well, big?  Here at Fashion for Giants, we put a belt on it:

I layered a chunky, dolman-sleeved cardigan (Kensie via Nordstrom) over a long-sleeve tee (Gap) and then I belted the heck out of it with a studded belt (Michael Michael Kors via Nordstrom).  I also tried to balance the bulk of the sweater by keeping it slim on the bottom with skinny jeans (Bandolin via Macy’s) tucked into riding boots (Born Crown “Sosie” via Nordstrom).

Now, perhaps you are thinking “This outfit is okay, but I’d like to see some other options on how to wear chunky knits this fall and winter.”  Or, perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s all fine and dandy for giants, but what about for non-giants?”  Or maybe you’re thinking, “Sure that works for sunny-yet-cold Oregon, but what about my region of the country?”  Well, folks, I can help you with that.  Or, rather, my new friends can:

Bekah at Matters of Merrymaking

Karla at Frugal Big Girl

Kelsey at Charming Pumpkin

That’s right; I’ve made some new friends, y’all, and we’ve started a little blogging group we call Take Four.  Take Four is an opportunity for we four friends, who met by chance through blogging, to get together and support each other in a collaborative blogging project.

The idea is simple: one or twice a month, we will post four, unique interpretations of a selected trend.  And in each post, we will provide links to each other’s blogs, so that you, our readers, can find a look and style that suits you, your closet and your budget.  We hope you enjoy the series and, as always, we love feedback, so feel free to get in touch with any of us!

Trust me, folks, take a gander at the other lovely ladies of Take Four; you’ll like what you see.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Gracey