Feb 21, 2014
You’ve heard of the power suit but what about the power scarf? It really does exist! It’s a scarf with the power to transform your everyday outfit into something really special.
Let’s talk about the power of a scarf for a second. It’s an outfit maker in the truest sense and an inexpensive way to amp up your basics. That’s why this week’s casual chic outfit basic is dedicated to The Power Scarf.
If you don’t believe me, check out how a Power Scarf makes the outfit in each of these past looks.
Or in my Daily Style Diary selfies from the past couple of weeks.
See? The Power Scarf makes the outfit every time. It’s an all-around amazing accessory. So, what’s makes a scarf a Power Scarf? Well, it’s a magical formula of size, color and pattern.
Let’s deconstruct one of my favorites – this black, tan and coral Power Scarf from Wallis.
It’s got all of the elements of a great Power Scarf – the colors are vibrant, the print is bold, the size is generous and it goes with so many things. I guess that’s why I wear it all the time.
Unfortunately Wallis doesn’t carry that scarf anymore (BUMMER!) but they do have one with similar colors – black, tan and a pop of coral.
[Tribal Print Scarf]
This one from Loft has a similar color combo too.
[Stripe Square Paillette Scarf]
GRAPHIC PRINTS
Graphic patterns happen to be one of my favorites when it comes to scarves. They’re bold and they always make a statement. They’re also a lot easier to wear than you may think. If they scare you, just keep the rest of your look simple.
[Glenda Scarf]
[Double Stripe Scarf]
[Get This Look]
[Sunrise Shadow Scarf]
[Geometric Patterns Scarf]
[Watercolor Hummingbird Scarf]
[Bright Stripes Scarf]
FLORAL PATTERNS
Floral scarves are probably my favorite for spring. They look adorable with stripes and also pair well with denim shirts and pastel jeans.
Wouldn’t this one be perfect with a black and white striped top and some pink jeans? It’s a great price too!
[Floral Print Woven Scarf]
[Gauze Watercolor Scarf]
[Pink Cameo Pastel Scarf]
OUTFIT INSPIRATION
[1/2/3]
I love this look featuring a simple t-shirt and jeans and can’t wait to try it out!
[Via]
This has nothing to do with scarves but…
Yay! I’ve heard from a lot of you this week and you’re loving the popover tunic as much as I do. One reader said “It’s very J. Crew without the high price tag”. YES! I went back to Target this week to get it in pink and they were out of my size. The good news is most sizes are still in stock online, so get them while you can. My local Target doesn’t carry all eight colors, so I’ll have to order them. At least Target.com has free shipping with the 5% Redcard discount! Now the big decision is whether to get it in white and Caribbean blue too. Which colors do you like best?
[Merona Popover Tunic]
I didn’t leave Target empty handed, that would be a shame. Instead I got these super comfortable coral ballet flats.
Isn’t this color great for spring? Wish I had waited and ordered them online because I could’ve saved some money, they’re on sale for $15.99! That’s OK because I’ll be ordering them in the ivory/black and metallic. They’re just a great, comfortable everyday flat and fit true to size. I wear an 8.5 and they fit perfectly.
[Madeleine Ballet Flats]
SPRING TRANSITIONAL STYLE PREVIEW
Even though spring is a little way off (well, a lot for some of you!), I thought it would be fun to start previewing some spring style. I love that my favorite retailers are finally getting it – there’s a transition time between winter and spring and we need clothes for it! They used to jump right into the warmer weather season without giving us ample choices for the awkward transitional time.
Loft
[Lace Front Cardigan]
I have a whole post coming up dedicated to trench coats. Until then, this classic from Loft is a great investment that will last for years.
[Colorblock Trench Coat]
Gap
Pastels are all the rage for spring and Gap has plenty of transitional pieces to fill in the “gaps” in your wardrobe. 🙂
These fun legging jeans come in five pastel colors including a pretty mint.
[1969 Legging Jeans]
[Sunwashed Sweatshirt]
[Essential Striped V-neck]
And of course, they still have their perennial favorites like the 1969 Boyfriend Jeans.
[1969 Sexy Boyfriend Jeans]
Old Navy
Old Navy’s spring styles usually win me over but this year they left me kind of “meh”. I do love their jackets and still wear my white denim jacket I bought there five years ago. I’m so happy they still carry it. It’s a classic and looks great with all of spring’s pastels.
[White Denim Jacket]
I also love this striped hooded pullover. It would be adorable with boyfriend jeans and red flats.
[Striped Hooded Pullover]
No spring transitional style preview would be complete without including some fun flats. I seriously can’t wait to put my boots away for the winter. Here are some I’ve got my eye on.
These would be perfect with boyfriend jeans, a white tee and a pink, mint or yellow cardigan.
[DV8 Totem Print Flat]
[DV8 Black/White/Coral Flat]
[Anne Klein ‘Buttons’ Linen and Gold Flats]
[Lucky Brand ‘Emmie Luxe Leopard’ Flat]
Of course, no spring footwear collection would be complete without a great pair of rain boots. I saw these yesterday and fell hard in love. I don’t need another but boy do I want them!
[Joules Ladies’ Wellington]
Check out the other Casual Chic Outfit Basics in this series:
Dark Wash Skinny Jeans
Riding Boots
The Boyfriend Cardigan
And be sure to stop by on Monday for my Daily Style Diary post for more casual everyday outfit inspiration. Have a great weekend!
Getting my pretty on with The Pleated Poppy, Monday Mingle and Fashion Friday.
Dec 28, 2012
Hello, pretties and a post-Christmas TGIF to you! Welcome to week five of Build Your Outfit Basics. If you’re new here, let me catch you up. BYOB is a six week series built around my Five Wardrobe Basics for Real Moms. Each week I feature one of my favorite outfit builders along with some affordable options to help you build or add onto your own wardrobe.
In week one, I featured dark wash skinny jeans. Week two was all about fabulous, cute and comfy flats, week three featured one of my favorites, scarves and in week four I confessed to my total obsession with cardigans.
Week Five’s outfit builders lay the foundation for just about any look – tees and tanks. If you’ve followed me for long, you’ve probably already noticed that I layer a tee or tank under almost everything.
Like these looks starring my gray and taupe tanks.
My drawer full of tanks gets accessed year-round. There’s just something that feels right about layering, I can’t quite explain it but I do it almost every day. And these long tanks from Forever 21 are my absolute favorites and are only $4.80 each! I have one in ever color of the rainbow.
Although tanks tops are my main go-to layering piece, I also wear a lot of t-shirts. They work great under cardigans and sweaters or on their own with a statement necklace or scarf.
Here are some of my fave basic tanks and tees.
[Long Tank Top: Forever 21]
[Everyday Tank: J. Crew Factory]
Tissue Tees are the perfect weight for layering. Here’s one that I love.
[Tissue Tee: J. Crew Factory]
I love the longer length and shirred sides of this tee.
[Shirred V-neck Tee: Nordstrom]
BONUS OUTFIT BUILDER
[Chambray Shirt: Madewell]
While I was writing this post, I started thinking about some other favorite basics that I wear on a regular basis. One of my fall purchases kept coming to mind – my denim shirt. Denim shirts, and their lighter weight cousin chambray are CRAZY versatile!
Here are some ways to pair them up:
Under cardigans and sweaters
Over tank tops as a jacket
Belted with a maxi skirt
With leggings, riding boots and a scarf
Tucked in with dark wash denim skinnies (below)
I have a feeling I’m just going to keep finding ways to wear it year-round…thrown over a bikini with a sarong, tucked into shorts with a tank top or with colored denim like this look below that I LOVE.
[Camel Jeans: Fossil]
Here are some of my favorite denim and chambray shirts.
It’s Your Turn: How healthy is your collection of basic tees and tanks? What are you planning to update?
Have you taken the Payday Pretty Challenge yet?
If you do, you could win a $20 Target gift card! I’m giving away one each week of the BYOB series.
All you have to do is take $20, $50 or $100 out of the weekly budget and do something pretty for yourself. Then show me what you got! Here are the ways you can enter:
1. If you’re a blogger, write about Payday Pretty in a post and link back to me.
2. Post a photo to the GYPO Facebook page showing me what you got.
3. Tweet about the Payday Pretty Challenge Giveaway.
4. Leave me a blog post comment telling me what you got.
Happy shopping and good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Week Four’s Payday Pretty Challenge winner is Cindy B.!
Congratulations Cindy! Your $20 Target gift card is on it’s way. I hope you do something pretty for yourself with it!
Stay pretty, my friends!
Alison
Getting my pretty on with Aloha Friday, Casual Friday, Favorite Frock Fridays, Strut Your Stuff, Watch What I’m Wearing, Life is a Runway
Dec 21, 2012
Hello, pretties and TGIF! Welcome to week four of Build Your Outfit Basics. If you’re new here, let me catch you up. BYOB is a six week series built around my Five Wardrobe Basics for Real Moms. Each week I feature one of my favorite outfit builders along with some affordable options to help you build or add onto your own wardrobe.
In week one, I featured dark wash skinny jeans. Week two was all about fabulous, cute and comfy flats and week three featured one of my favorites, scarves. This week I’ll be sharing my obsession with cardigans.
And yes, it is a full blown obsession. (more…)
Nov 1, 2012
Back when I was a yoga pants addict (I’m in recovery now, thank you very much), I scoured the web for a good list of mom wardrobe basics but came up empty. Many of them were tailored to women who work outside the home or they were just a tad too outdated for my tastes (khaki pants, anyone?).
So I decided to put together my own list of my top five casual wardrobe basics for real moms. These are the pieces that I wear every day to look put together and still feel comfortable. These basics will see you through practically any modern mom activity, both stylishly and comfortably.
1. Dark Wash Skinny Jeans
Universally flattering, dark wash skinny jeans in stretchy fabrics build the base for so many different looks. They can easily be dressed up or down by swapping out flats for heels and cardigans for blazers. One of my favorite brands is Kut from the Kloth. They have the perfect rise, not too high or too low and they offer just the right amount of stretch.
[Kut from the Kloth “Mia”]
2. Cardigans
What can I say? I have a whole closet full of cardigans in every color of the rainbow (and some prints) that get worn on an almost daily basis. Combine them with scarves and statement necklaces. Throw them over a dress or printed blouse. The possibilities are endless. Some of my favorite cardigans are these cotton summerweights from J. Crew Factory.
[Summerweight Cotton Cardigan]
3. Fun Flats
My go-to shoes for every mom activity are cute and comfy flats. Leopard goes with virtually everything and adds a little bit of fun to each outfit.
[Sam Edelman Leopard Flats]
4. Tees and Tanks
The basis for building every look – you can never have enough quality t-shirts and tank tops to layer under everything. J. Crew has great high quality basic knits.
[J. Crew Perfect-fit V-Neck]
5. Scarves and Statement Jewelry
Easily add style to any look with colorful printed scarves and statement jewelry. These pieces create an instant outfit without breaking the budget.
[Bluron Infinity Scarf]
[Vintage Floral Statement Necklace]
It’s Your Turn: What other pieces are absolute must-haves in your modern mom wardrobe? Tell me in the comments!
Follow GYPO on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!
Or in my Daily Style Diary selfies from the past couple of weeks.
See? The Power Scarf makes the outfit every time. It’s an all-around amazing accessory. So, what’s makes a scarf a Power Scarf? Well, it’s a magical formula of size, color and pattern.
It’s got all of the elements of a great Power Scarf – the colors are vibrant, the print is bold, the size is generous and it goes with so many things. I guess that’s why I wear it all the time.
