Summertime Favorite

The end of summer is drawing near, or so says my calendar.  In my corner of the world, the Fall equinox will occur precisely on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 1:22 AM.  Weather patterns apparently march to their own drummer and according to Weather.com the predicted high temperature for September 23 is in the high 80’s.  It looks like it will be a few more weeks until we get that long awaited chill in the air that brings out the soup pot and signals that its time to switch out of sandals and into boots.

I don’t think I will be writing many OOTD posts but, I would like to share with you one of my favorite outfits from this past summer.  All three of the key pieces (the top, the pants, and the shoes) are new additions to my wardrobe and were bought at different times and at different stores without the intent of creating this outfit but once I had them all, the outfit was born.  While it’s not the typical white or brightly colored summer outfit, it is the lightness and fluidity of the fabrics that make this get-up suitable for a hot summer’s day.

 The top I bought at Kohl’s and is from that store’s ELLE brand.  I have a lot of floral prints in my closet so it was the cabbage rose print that first caught my eye though I wasn’t sure that the peter-pan collar and crewneck would suit me. I was hooked once I tried it on.  The lightweight jersey fabric and pleats at the neckline give the top a flattering drape over my curves.  I think that the black background helps to keep the stylized flowers and peter-pan collar from being too sweet and gives the top a kind of retro look.

When I first started seeing the new jogger pant styles in stores I didn’t think that this silhouette would suit me or be “age appropriate”.  Many of the versions I had seen look more like shrunken sweatpants that in my opinion were more suitable for a teenager than a woman my age. I didn’t even have any ankle length pants because I was certain that I am too short for that cut to look good on me.  So then I happened into a local GAP store and all mark downs were an additional 50% that day and I had time to kill so I tried on the pants in this OOTD.  Without a band at the hem these pants look more like slouchy ankle length pants than joggers but the silhouette is similar and at $19.99 (50% of markdown price) they were a deal I could not pass up.

The shoes were featured in a previous post I Don’t Understand The Question and I get more comments about the shoes than the other pieces when I have worn this outfit.  Fashion advisers tell us to add pops of color with accessories and what better way to do that than with footwear.  Although these shoes are described as dress sandals, I think the color and suede texture make them versatile and suitable for less than dressy occasions.

None of the key pieces in this outfit are so summer specific that I could not wear them throughout the year and that is exactly what I plan to do.  I took a poke through in my closet and came up with another look for each of the pieces that works them into my wardrobe for the Fall and beyond.

Starting with the top, I added a red skirt, a black fly-away jacket, pearls, and black pumps to play up on its retro vibe and come up with a look for work that is a bit old-fashioned and a bit modern.  I’ve had both the skirt and the jacket for a couple of years and coincidentally both were bought at Kohl’s as was the top though each of the pieces are from different brands.  The shoes are by Nine West and the pearls are a ‘vintage’ hand-me-down given to me years ago by a great aunt.  A well developed wardrobe does not materialize (couldn’t resist the pun) overnight; it is built over time and at its foundation are classics like pencil skirts and jackets.

Worn with a denim shirt, a black marled cardigan sweater, and booties, the pants will be a stylish alternative to jeans or leggings when I am out and about on the weekend.  I could also wear this outfit to work if I was so inclined.  Here again it’s a classic like the denim shirt that can help you to work a trendy piece like jogger pants into your wardrobe without having to buy a whole new outfit.

For the shoes I went with less common color pairing, red and brown. I am a sweaterophile (if that is a real word) and this brown cardigan is one of my favorites because of the embroidered flowers.  I like the pairing of the feminine details in the sweater and shoes with the masculine quality of the tweed trousers.

Since I have started on the path of showing how I can continue to wear these pieces beyond summer, I have decided that once a month until next June I will wear each of the pieces and post the pics in briefs updates as to how these items are fairing.