Showing posts with label 1 look many ways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 look many ways. Show all posts

Monday, December 23, 2013

1 Christmas Scarf 5 Ways

Here's the thing. I got an adorable little red and green Christmas scarf and I want to wear it tomorrow for a Christmas party with family. Our parties are nothing fancy, more like nice casual. But what will I wear my red and green scarf with? That's the dilemma I faced. And like always, I headed to polyvore to figure it out. I know I've talked about it lots before, but seriously, being able to plan out my outfits being able to see how they will look and then pinning them for later use? Perfection. But as I was creating different outfit combinations, I thought maybe you'd be interested in seeing the process.

So here are 5 outfits I created with one scarf that looks very similar to the one I have. All of the pieces are exact ones I own or very similar looking to ones I own. I haven't completely decided which one I'm going to wear yet, but I'll be sure to make a post with the actual outfit.

Hopefully this helps to show all the different outfits that can be created around just one accessory! And to maybe provide some inspiration for holiday outfits without looking like a walking, talking Christmas tree? Although if that's your thing, go for it! ;)

So what do you think? Which one(s) would you wear?


1 christmas scarf 5 ways

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

1 Piece Many Ways: Floral Pants

Audrey at Putting Me Together is hosting another 1 Piece Many Ways link-up, and I'm excited to join along again! I'm always trying to think of all the ways that I can wear a piece when I buy it, so I love creating these posts, and getting inspiration from others as well. And all of these outfits feature pieces that are exact or similar to things I actually own.

1 piece many ways floral pants


For this post, I decided to choose floral pants. I feel like floral pants are one of those things that you really want, you buy, and then you have no idea how to wear them. I know I first felt this way when I bought my first pair. Now I have 2 pairs, though, and I love them a lot! This is an exact pair that I got from Kohl's, and I also have a pair from Loft as well.


white and floral


You can't go wrong with pairing any pants with a white top. And while these pants have white in them, it doesn't matter of they don't, because it's a neutral. This top is more loose-fitting which gives the whole outfit a more laid back and casual vibe. But you could use a more structured button up for a more dressed up look instead, if you want. I brought in some color with the shoes, by matching these to one of the colors in the pants, and I added just a simple bracelet to finish things off, because when you have statement pants like these, you can really let them steal the show and keep everything else simple.


black leather and floral


If floral pants seem a little too delicate or girly to you, leather is a great way to edge them up. Everything else in this outfit besides the pants are black, which gives it a more streamlined, simple look. Black is another great neutral to pair with pants like these to let them speak for themselves.

white, black, and floral


As you can tell from the name of this blog, I love lace. In this case, it takes a simple white top and makes it more visually interesting and dressier. And when you pair it with a classic black blazer, this is a way to wear the floral pants in a more professional looking context. I kept the shoes white, and added the mint bubble necklace with a little color. I'm a big fan of accessories, and you can usually find me wearing many of them, but when wearing statement pants like this that can be seen as loud, I usually try to stick to one accessory that compliments the outfit so I don't overwhelm anything.

casual floral


A comfortable casual grey top is one of my favorite wardrobe staples- to have both in short sleeve and long sleeve! Nothing says comfy casual like grey, and it goes well with anything as a neutral. One way to dress down floral pants is to pair them with a loose fitting grey top like I did here, some TOMS, and a cozy knit scarf.

blue and floral


Here is a different casual look with the pants. There isn't actually any blue in the pants, but it still works well, since it's in the same cool colors family. This blue sweatshirt is venturing out of neutrals and into colors, but it still isn't overwhelming. These cute slouchy knit boots are more casual than more structured boots, and probably more cozy too. But I added a pearl and chains necklace for more of a classic look to finish things off.

green floral

purple floral


Since I happen to have this top in both of these colors, I decided to include both in outfits. The same basic idea, but switching out the color. With these button ups, these outfits could easy be worn in a more professional setting. Another way to bring color in in a way that isn't overwhelming is to be more matchy with the top like here. It's totally ok to pick up on a color in a multicolored piece in one other piece. But then I would avoid matching everything, because I do believe that would be too matchy, which you don't want. So you can match a color in the top, but then I didn't in the shoes, and I wouldn't in the accessories either if I had any.

stripes and floral


Finally, I included this one last, because I know mixing prints takes a lot more courage. Plus it can be tricky, because sometimes you try and it just doesn't work. Since the flowers in the pants are more on the small side and tight together, I went with thicker stripes. But, if the pattern was bigger, I would go with thinner stripes on the top. Pairing big and small works best together when mixing prints. Another reason that it works is that the top contains not only neutral colors, but also ones found in the pants, so the colors don't compete at all. And if you have a little more courage, you can even add a completely different pop of color in either your shoes or bag, like I did here.

So do you have floral pants? Does this seem like something you can do? I was scared at first before I purchased my first pair, but I assure you, you can pull them off too!


This post is linked up to Putting Me Together and Style Sessions at Style Elixir.

Monday, July 29, 2013

1 piece many ways: chambray shirt

1 piece many ways collection


I love the idea of the link up happening at Putting Me Together of showing how to wear one piece many ways! I've said it before but in case you're new to this blog, a chambray shirt is such an essential wardrobe staple to have, so I knew that that's what I wanted to showcase for this post. Seriously, they can be dressed up or down, tucked, untucked, tied, sleeves rolled up or down, buttoned, unbuttoned, layered over, layered under, and the list goes on. It's such a great piece to invest in because I promise, you'll be wearing it all the time. I got mine from DKNY, but you can find a good one from many stores. Here are some outfits I've created based on outfits that I've worn or could wear because I own similar or the exact pieces.

I suffered an unfortunate fall last week which has really aggravated the nerve condition I have to an extreme level, so I've spent the past week resting and elevating my legs whenever I've been home. Therefore I don't have pictures of me actually wearing all of the outfits, but I do have the polyvore sets, which can also be clicked on to shop the items or similar ones. If there are any outfits you'd like to see worn though, you can request it and I'll try to wear it as soon as possible!


chambray and purple shorts

chambray and purple shorts by greathappiness featuring a pearl necklace

This is an outfit I've worn and posted before on this blog (see the post here). Denim on denim is on trend right now but if you're like me and not really sure about pulling it off, you can cheat a little with purple jeans instead. They're still close in color, but it made me feel more comfortable than actually wearing blue denim on denim. The pop of yellow in the shoes of this outfit adds some fun to it, while the jewelry is piled on but stays with silver and pearl- neutral colors. I seriously loved wearing this outfit!


mint, black, and chambray

mint, black, and chambray by greathappiness featuring cotton shirts

I think the mint, black, and chambray color combo of this outfit works so great. The black top and the mint pants could be seen as more dressy, but by putting on the chambray and the sandals, it gives it a more casual vibe. I would leave the top unbuttoned and tie it around the waist for this outfit so it gives you more shape and still looks a little nicer to go with the pants than it would just hanging down. The sandals can easily be substituted for closed toed shoes in cooler weather.


fall layers

fall layers by greathappiness featuring leather platform boots

I can't wait until Fall so I can wear this outfit! This is the first example of using the top as a shirt layered under other layers. It would go great with an oatmeal cardigan, and when you pair it with some brown boots and a cute scarf in the brown/tan family, doesn't it just make you want to spend the day on a ranch?


lbd and chambray

lbd and chambray by greathappiness featuring topshop

So another wardrobe staple that is super versatile is a little black dress. By putting an unbuttoned hanging loose chambray top over it, you keep the look more casual but totally classic at the same time. I added some mixed metals for the accessories, and a belt as well, which I would wear under the chambray top for a more easy breezy vibe, however, I'm sure it would totally work worn over it too for a bit more structured look!


chambray and stripes

chambray and stripes by greathappiness featuring skinny straight leg jeans

Here is the top layered over another top again, but this time a patterned one. As you can tell, I love some stripes. Because there are a lot of layered components to this outfit it's harder to see it all on together just looking at this collage, but try to picture it. It makes for a totally adorable outfit with the pop of color through the red knit scarf, another casual look that I can't wait to try out when Fall gets here!


chambray and floral

chambray and floral by greathappiness featuring vintage shirts

I got this pair of pants from Loft a few months ago because they were on sale for a great price and I love floral patterns. I used to be scared of floral pants because I thought they were too loud, but then I took the plunge with another pair I bought before these, and when I wore them for the first time, I realized they're not so scary after all! The thing is, that floral pants make enough of a big statement by themselves that you can just stay totally toned down with the rest of your outfit and look great. And a chambray top is perfect for that, looking great with these pants. I just finished the look off with some simple black flats. I didn't add any accessories here but you totally still could, although I would keep them simple.


chambray and purple shorts

chambray and purple shorts by greathappiness featuring sterling silver jewelry

For the warm weather days of summer, here's a nice and cool look. The sleeves of the top can easily be rolled up to be cooler and many times the shirts have buttons and loops to secure them there. You can pair the top with any printed shorts, I just happen to have purple plaid ones. Because denim is a neutral, any color or pattern goes!


Fall outfit

Fall outfit by greathappiness featuring button down tops

This is an outfit full of neutrals but still done in an interesting way. The chambray with a brown leather jacket makes me swoon over this combination. And I had been looking for a black knit infinity scarf and happened to find one for $5 at ILY Couture- score! This could be worn on a chilly day in late Fall or early Winter.


chambray and black shorts

chambray and black shorts by greathappiness featuring ballet flats 



I wore this outfit in a recent post (see it here), but I went with red wedge sandals instead for a pop of color, and I added a peach necklace, which is hard to see in this picture. Another great summery outfit and it's a classy nice casual one that you can't go wrong with. As I mentioned in the post, I tied the bottom of the shirt in the front because the shorts aren't fitted in order to give the look more definition. If I had left it hanging it would have looked frumpy, can you imagine it and see the difference? But look at the top outfit that I wore. That one I let hang down with the loose fit because the skinny jeans that I was wearing  were fitted and gave definition, so it was ok for the top to be loose. Loose on loose is frumpy, so if you want part of your outfit to be baggy, go with something fitted for the other half.


red and chambray

red and chambray by greathappiness featuring charlotte russe jewelry

Another cardigan and boots look but different from the other one, so cute right? I really love red with the chambray- I think they look great together. Again for this one, I would wear the belt over the shirt and under the cardigan. I'm realizing how many of these outfits have black pants, but if you're more comfortable with denim on denim than I am, a darker wash skinny jean would work just as well.


burgundy and chambray

burgundy and chambray by greathappiness featuring printed jeans

This outfit is a little different because it plays on the color blue in the top, rather than treating it as a neutral. This adorable scarf that I have from Charlotte Russe picks up the blue in the polka dots of it, and I love it paired with the burgundy color of the scarf. If you don't have the same scarf, though, don't worry, you can get the same effect with another scarf, or a necklace, bracelet, ring, or detail in a shoe that matches the top in color.


coral and leopard

coral and leopard by greathappiness featuring long sleeve shirts

And finally for the last outfit, I paired the top with a pullover sweater to be layered underneath for a twist on the preppy look. I like the coral with it, but any color would be great. I envision wearing this outfit at a holiday party of some kind. Top it off with a simply colored statement necklace this this white bubble one, and I added the leopard flats for something fun.

I hope that if you have a chambray shirt this helped to provide you with some new outfit ideas and if you don't, you're able to see just how versatile they are. I have 12 different outfits here, but I could go on and on!


 
Style Elixir