wear it now and later: boyfriend jeans!

I walked into my closet the other day totally, over the top, forget about it sick of summer shorts and found this pair of boyfriend/girlfriend jeans that I had completely forgotten that I owned.  Don't you love it when that happens?!? It seriously made my day.  Then I wore them for multiple days straight.

Yes, it's hot here.  And really, really humid. Like you walk outside and your whole outfit and body feels soaking wet instantly.  But the past few weeks have been heads-down-g.s.d. days so I am mostly in AC all day.  Otherwise jeans wouldn't be possible at all.  But this is the thing with where I am at with summer right now. My kids still don't start school for three weeks (kill me!) and I am swamped with work (I've got some super fun projects coming to the blog soon!) and fall sports are in full swing.  So we are at max capacity.  I'm over shorts. So I let myself wear jeans. I'm over being the camp counselor mom promising fun and action at every turn. So I let my kids run wild with the neighbors. My house is a disaster from neglecting it all summer. So I let it just go, or try to (I'm not good at letting this one go).  We've been traveling every weekend. So I let dinner planning go out the window, cereal anyone?

My point is that boyfriend jeans are just what I need right now… maybe you need them too? Maybe life is feeling a little upside down for you like it is me and these slouchy devil-may-care jeans are just up your alley right now too.  If so, I've got good news… you can wear them now and later.   These boyfriend jeans are perfect with a little lace top for hot days now… then layer them with plaid and a vest and some cute little boots this fall.  Voila!

wear it now: boyfriend jeans (or less expensive option), lace top (or less expensive option), wedges (or less expensive option), earrings, tote

wear it later: boyfriend jeans(or less expensive option), plaid shirt (or less expensive option), ankle boots (or less expensive option), fringe clutch (or I love this one!), vest (or less expensive option), earrings

what to wear now… and later!

This is the time of year where blogging (for me at least) gets a little tricky… we have our minds on fall. Right!?! We are thinking about sending our kids back to school, maybe going back to school yourself, or cooler weather and cooler weather fashion.  But, and this is a big "but"… it's still summer.  We all still want to live in the moment of these last special days of our favorite season and soak it all in at the same time!

So we have to live in this limbo of planning for what we will wear in a few months (combined with the plain old excitement for new fall clothes!) and living in the moment (and heat!) of these last sweet summer days.   At this point I, at least, have my mind on transitioning my wardrobe from summer to fall. That's why I always love working on these now & later posts.

I haven't always loved cardigans, but lately they are my jam… for extra layers in the winter/fall or those  cool summer nights to throw over a tank or tee.  I just picked up this cardigan (in grey!) and it will definitely get worn a little now and a lot later.  It's super soft with dolman sleeves so it's really easy to layer.

shop the look: cardigan (or I love this one!), tank, denim shorts (similar less expensive), necklace, sandals, gold stripe tote, striped top, jeans (similar less expensive), cross-body bag (similar less expensive), boots (or I am kind of obsessed with these!)

wear it now and later!

As spring makes it's self known slowly and surely (at least here in the Midwest) I've been trying to integrate a few spring wardrobe items into my everyday outfits.  If you layer right a lot of the items you own can be worn for multiple seasons - making your wardrobe (and the money you invest in it) work harder and smarter for you.

With that idea in mind I like to try and think about how the items that I have in my closet can work for the current season and for the upcoming seasons as well.  Here I have featured two spring and summer staples: the denim skirt and a maxi dress, and styled them up for now (spring) and later (summer).

above:

now: cardigan, striped top, blue cross-body bag, sneakers, denim skirt

later: embroidered tank, hat, earrings, sandals, denim skirt

above: 

now: denim jacket, earrings, scarf, wedges, dress

later: swimsuit, tote, sandal wedges, dress

floral dress… wear it now and later!

I just can't stop thinking about this fun floral dress from yesterday's post.  I love that it has a little sleeve and the blues and pinks in the pattern are totally up my alley for spring.  So I thought it would be fun to style this dress up a few ways to show it can be versatile for today (even though it's still a little chilly where I live!) and for a month or two down the road when the weather warms up a bit (or maybe it's even warm by you already, you lucky duck!).

This dress is absolutely perfect for layering… while it's cold out it pairs well with a lady like jacket and scarf and ankle boots for a day in the office, a March date night, or even an early spring wedding.  As the weather warms I love the idea of pairing this dress with more sporty pieces like a hat, sneakers and a jean jacket for a simple weekend or busy mom look.

How would you style this dress? I would love to know!

now:

dress, coat, scarf, ankle boots, bag

later:

dress, hat, bracelet, clutch, jean jacket, sneakers

wear now & later: winter into spring!

Winter is far from over - at least in my neck of the woods - but the new spring items that are popping up in my favorite stores are oh so tempting! It's this time of year that I start craving a new spring wardrobe. Am I alone?

While we won't be wearing sundresses, shorts or sandals anytime soon there are a few new spring items we can easily start working into our wardrobe right now.  Here I chose two new tops I have had my eye on for spring (this striped top and this grosgrain embellished blouse) and showed how to style them for both winter and spring!  Simply by adding a cozy vest or cardigan and boots you can layer these spring tops up and they are suitable to wear now. Then this spring you can pair them with shorts, skirts, and sandals.

(get the look above: vest, jeans, bucket bag, ankle boots, striped top, scarf, shorts, clutch, sandals)

(get the look above: cardigan, jeans, grosgrain embellished blouse, ring, boots, necklace, skirt, bag, flats)

What spring pieces do you already have your eye on?

wear now and later!

This time of year I naturally start thinking about fall fashion… but in that same vein I also start getting a little sad about not being able to wear some of my favorite summer pieces in the months to come.  So in the ideal world I would still be dressing for fall without leaving my favorite summer pieces behind.  Maybe you feel the same? I tend to be ready to ditch my shorts and skirts but I like to hang on to my favorite tees and sandals - but that's just me.  Are there certain summer pieces you are sadder to see go than others?

Here I illustrated a few ways to take your favorite summer pieces and keep them in the wardrobe rotation for fall.  Layering of course is the key and here I show you how to make it effortless and of course pulled together.

top look:

sunglasses, scarf, shorts, sandals, t-shirt, sweater, jeans, boots, necklace

bottom look: cross body bag, jeans, bracelet, sandals, tank, camo jacket, boyfriend jeans, stacking rings, boots