Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that the holidays have come and gone. I enjoyed slowing down these last couple of weeks, but it's also nice to get back into the swing of things at the same time! So yes, I do actually have a brand new outfit post for you today to officially kick off 2017!
Today Gina and I are collaborating to each share 4 different ways to wear this berry colored textured knit moto jacket. Yes, reunited and it feels so good! It's great to be working on something with her again, so I hope you guys enjoy this project!
Left: Original post here | Right: From random roundup post here
If you remember, I already have this jacket in ivory and in olive. I bought the ivory one late last season after admiring it on Gina and some others who had it. When I finally caved and bought one for myself, I loved it instantly and kicked myself for not getting it sooner. When it was released in olive and now in berry, I didn't hesitate to get the additional colors. I personally size down in this jacket with no intention of ever zipping it. I just like the way it looks worn open, and I don't think it would be as flattering on me worn open if I bought my normal size. Today's focus is on how to style this in berry, so let's get started.
If you read my post yesterday, you saw that I was sick all weekend, but I did manage to take selfies for the purposes of this post! Since I was resorting to selfies verses proper blog photos, I figured I'd provide you with the flat lay also so you can see more details of the pieces I chose for styling. First up is this combo-- snakeskin print cami, metal bib necklace, blush skirt, silver metallic heels.
I'm not afraid to wear blush in the colder months, so I knew I wanted to style this skirt with the jacket first and foremost. I didn't realize until I pulled the older outfit photo of the ivory version of this jacket above that I also styled that jacket with this same snakeskin print cami. It's just a good backdrop to the jacket, adding interest, but not being too overwhelming of a print.
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. You could switch out the print cami for a black one and add black tights with black booties to make it more cold weather friendly.
2. This skirt also comes in navy, which would pair beautifully with the jacket. You could do the navy skirt with this and switch the snakeskin for a solid blush colored cami, or even just a white one, keeping the shoes and necklace the same.
Outfit #2: Black tee, long tassel necklace, camo pants, black pumps
I didn't include the jacket in this flat lay, but you get the idea. I already showed you that wine and olive pair perfectly together here, so I thought I'd take it one step further and style this with my camo skinnies to mix it up a bit!
Jacket: Express | Top: Express | Necklace:Kendra Scott (gifted) | Bottoms: Gap (option) | Heels:Valentino (budget option here)
I really loved the way this turned out. The moto jacket is a nice alternative to a denim jacket in this instance, as I always tend to reach for my denim jacket when I'm wearing my camo pants. The color contrast keeps it interesting and the pointy toe pumps keep it from being too masculine.
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. Switching into a white tee and some black Chucks would make this outfit weekend ready.
2. Instead of the black tee and wine colored necklace, try a light grey sweater and silver necklace, with wine colored flats or pumps.
3. Don't have camo pants? Try some solid colored olive skinnies instead! Don't have olive skinnies either? Do black pants with an olive colored cami or tee.
Outfit #3: Striped dress, statement necklace, black lace up flats
I did this flat lay for Instagram a few weeks ago, as part of my packing post for NYC. I didn't end up wearing this combo because the weather in NYC kept warming up each day we were there, and this jacket gets warm really quickly. As I was trying on this outfit for this post, I decided to make a couple of adjustments.
Since I already showed you that this jacket pairs well with black pointy toed shoes, I decided to skip the flats and wear leopard pumps with this as well. Wine and leopard go together like peas and carrots after all! The long bauble necklace would have looked great with this also, but I grabbed my gold bib necklace at the last second since the last outfit featured a long necklace.
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. Add a chambray over or under the dress for an extra layer if you need more warmth. If you layer a chambray over the dress, add a belt, too, to define your waist. And then ditch the bare legs for tights and boots - cognac knee high boots or booties would look great.
2. Pointy toe leopard flats would work just as well with this.
3. If you don't have a striped dress, try this with a striped colored top and your fave destroyed skinnies. Or to keep it on the dressy side do a solid colored top (in black, white, wine, grey, navy, olive, baby blue, blush, or even mustard!) with a striped skirt instead.
Outfit #4: Berry colored plaid blouse, navy and ivory striped scarf, black leggings, brandy colored booties
I knew I wanted to layer this with leggings, and a plaid shirt just seemed like the natural pairing. I have a ton (ok, "only" 6) of these oversized plaid shirts from Express, the weight is perfect to layer under the jacket, and the length is perfect to wear with leggings. All my bits are covered, and I'm offering you the side view as proof.
I went monochromatic here with the top, but that was only because I realized I hadn't done a monochromatic look yet with these 4 outfits. This might be my favorite of all of the combos because I just love my layers and my print mixing. And my new booties. Ha!
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. If you're not into print mixing, just swap the plaid shirt for a solid black long sleeved tee. Or keep your plaid top, but switch the scarf for a solid color that complements one of the colors of your plaid shirt.
2. You could easily just do a chambray, leopard scarf, same leggings, and cognac knee high boots with this jacket as well.
3. Switch to regular black pants and pointy toe pumps (leopard pumps if you're courageous enough to triple print mix!), and give your top a partial tuck for a date night ready look.
And here are all four looks side by side. After I put this collage together, I realized I didn't do a very good job showing you what colors pair really well with berry. I do always tend to reach for it as a good color pop with black and white, but it does play well with more colors than you would think. Here's a quick color collage I put together to prove my point.
Well, this has turned into quite a long post! Hopefully you were able to pull some inspiration from here, and if not, Gina has four more ideas you can chew on, so please be sure to pop over there if you haven't already to see how she plans to style this! And, if berry isn't your color, check out the other three colors in which this jacket is currently available!
Before I go, you should know that Shopbop is having their Friends and Family sale right now! I'll be back tomorrow with some of my sale picks, but wanted to make sure you got a head start on your shopping cart!
Oh my goodness, you guys! It's been such a fun and amazing trip! Jenna could not be a more perfect travel partner! If you've been following along on Snapchat (carylee07), I'm sure you're getting an NYC overload! I will have to give you the proper download in another post, but for now, I wanted to share some photos from last night's rewardStyle NYFW party! Naturally, let's start with the outfit!
A couple of weekends ago when I was brunching with the husband, I saw this girl walk into the restaurant with the cutest, most effortless brunch outfit - a cotton pullover dress with a lightweight anorak jacket over, sleeves pushed up, and printed, slip-on sneakers. Don't you wish you could pin people in real life? I definitely took a mental picture of her and knew I wanted to recreate this look at a later date. I was secretly kicking myself for never buying the anorak jacket from Express that Gina has featured a few times.
Fast forward to a few days later, and I swear it's like she reads my mind. Gina put together a post of her features and clearance favorites here. I scrolled through her post feeling "safe" since I, for once, didn't *need* anything that she was featuring. Then BAM. She ends with the anorak jacket. Ok, ok, I get the hint, Shopping Gods. So, I ordered it, and I'm so glad I did!
I'm wearing the XS, and it's more flattering that I imagined it would be. It always throws me off when things don't look flattering on the models - because if they don't look perfect in it with the advantage of getting touched up in photos, then how am I supposed to look good in it?! I was pleasantly surprised though - I love that it has the hidden drawstring on the inside of the jacket to cinch the waist. And it's the perfect weight for cool summer mornings or evenings - even lighter than a denim jacket. Snag it now here while it's still around for over 60% off! You'll thank Gina and me in the fall for this, I promise.
Now, if you're thinking I'm crazy for even wearing a jacket in the summertime - you could easily switch the jacket for my favorite vest, and switch the sneakers for some barely there sandals!
What have you seen someone wearing in real life lately that left you inspired?
You guys. I own about 2398723872 dresses. True story. And honestly, I miss wearing them - I used to wear them all the time, which is why they consume so much of my closet real estate. I've noticed though that since I've started blogging, I don't reach for dresses as much - especially in the summer when I can't dress them up with layers. I guess I just feel like they're too easy, not creative, and definitely hard to find similar items to link to when I my exact dress isn't available.
That kind of makes me sad though because I was always a dress and heels kind of person and I don't want to lose that side of me just because I know my outfits will be photographed and shared with you! So, here's a promise to wear more dresses on this blog!
I wore this dress in Jamaica-- just switched the heels for these Sam Edelman flat sandals. Perfect to beat the heat and humidity on the island! If you want to see some other Jamaica outfits, you can catch them on my Instagram.
Sunnies: Tom Ford | Dress: BGBGeneration | Bag: Kate Spade (super cheap dupe here, adorable option here) | Heels: Vince Camuto
BCBGeneration is one of my favorite brands to shop for casual dresses. It's affordable (way cheaper price point than the BCBG mother ship), decent quality, and fun shapes, colors, and patterns. And since I feel like this brand is geared more towards juniors - the dresses are shorter, which makes it easier on me and my short self - minis fit me like normal length dresses. Usually I scour the BCBGeneration section at Dillard's - for whatever reason, I have the best luck there.
