Chambray and Purple

I'm trying a new method of photo posting, because some days I'm just not able to snap pictures of myself at all, and other days I'm able to quickly but I'm not really happy with how they turn out. And it's been leading to less posts from me lately, which I don't like. So I'm going to try at least taking pictures of the clothes, and then snapping pictures of myself wearing them when I can, because I know sometimes it makes a difference to see the outfits on someone. Although to be honest, in this frigid Chicago weather we're having right now, don't expect too many of them ;)

So this is an outfit I wore out shopping last week. This is my little denim on denim "cheat": purple jeans. A little less overwhelming on the whole blue denim on both top & bottom effect, but still achieves a very similar look. I've done this method before and I love the result. I got this necklace in a grab bag from Apple of My Eye jewelry and I absolutely love it! The red and gold is perfect and it went great to add a pop to this outfit!

How do you wear denim on denim, or do you not wear it at all?

Top: DKNY
Pants: Kmart
Necklace: Apple of my Eye Jewelry
Watch: gift
Ring: Forever 21 (exact below)

Shop the Look

Chambray and Purple by greathappiness featuring cross jewelry

polka dots and pastels

I have such a weakness for buying jewelry. On every single shopping trip I end up buying more, even though I already have so many pieces. That is what happened when I had some time to kill so I went to a nearby mall. I went into Forever 21 telling myself that I already had too much of their jewelry, and then I walked out with this necklace. But it's so pretty and not like anything I already have is how I justified it to myself. I know, excuses, excuses...

I was also thrilled because the day that I wore this was actually the first day of Fall that I needed a jacket of any kind!

Top: Forever 21

Pants: Kohls

Shoes: Crocs

Jacket: Rainbow

Necklace: Forever 21 (exact below)

Bracelet: JewelMint (exact below)

Ring: Forever 21 (exact below)

Shop the Look:

pastels by greathappiness featuring a black cami

neon and denim

I love the 80's feel that this denim and neon combination gives an otherwise ordinary outfit- so fun! I found this ring at Meijer's actually, in their clearance jewelry, and when I saw it I had to have it! I was also on the lookout for a light wash denim jacket and finally found this one at Forever 21. It's actually very lightweight and could be worn as a top by itself buttoned up too, a total plus. I wore this outfit last week on a day where I had to sit for a few hours and take a test that I need to pass to become a teacher and then go off to play with a little guy I work with, so comfort was key. And the little guy was totally fascinated by my gold ballet flats, which I'll take as a sign of good taste! ;) You can't see it too well in these pictures, but my shirt is actually a reference to ER, the tv show. Am I the only one who misses that show?

Top: NBC store, old
Jacket: Forever 21
Pants: Kohl's
Shoes: Macy's (exact below)
Ring: Meijer's

Shop the Look

neon and denim by great happiness featuring Mel by Melissa

mixing prints

You know those days where comfort rules all when it comes to choosing your outfit, and you don't care as much how you actually look? This was one of those days. It was going to be hot, humid, and rainy, and I just wanted to be as comfortable and cool as possible. It was an internship day,  in which I wear nice casual clothes, and no shorts (and socks, sorry about those!) So I put on my polka dot denim capris and this lightweight skin skimming floral top, which is basically a moisture wicking nice shirt. I figured the pants are basically jeans, so they would be ok with anything, but I was fully prepared to look a little mismatched. But I was pleasantly surprised when I put it on in the morning and it actually looked good!

I don't know how much you can tell by these pictures, but it definitely shows the importance of fit in how frumpy or not frumpy you look. I also don't mix prints very often, so I pleased to see how these prints looked good together. The key to mixing prints, though, is pairing a smaller one with a larger one, which is the rule I followed here. The polka dots are tiny so while they're cute and more interesting then plain blue denim, they aren't all that attention grabbing. That way, it was fine to pair them with a larger floral print in the top. You don't want your patterns competing for attention, but rather complimenting one another.

Top: JCPenney's

Pants: Kohl's (exact below)

Necklace: American Eagle

Shop the Look:

mixed prints by greathappiness featuring Gloria Vanderbilt

Linking up to Random Wednesday at Because Shanna Said So.

1 piece many ways: chambray shirt

1 piece many ways collection by greathappiness featuring long sleeve tops

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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!