Dressing Up

AH and I continued our anniversary celebrations on the actual day – August 15th. We did sort a “progressive” dinner: appetizer at a new restaurant called Table 13, dinner at our favorite little hole in the wall Indian restaurant (Taj Majal), dessert at Chocolate Secrets (yum!), and a nightcap at the Balcony Club to listen to some jazz. All in all a wonderful evening. This is first time I’ve worn this dress with my awesome purple shoes and I was thrilled when I realized the colors were an almost perfect match. Just a little bit of “kismet” for the evening.

Would you please take a minute to check out (and listen to the songs!) my new music page: http://www.reverbnation.com/loriyeary? Thanks!!!

What I wore:

Floral dress: Ross
Moda purple shoes: DSW
Gold earrings: NYC street vendor

Frugally yours,

Lori

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I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

Busy Days

I knew this day was going to be busy, but I still wanted to look put together. The denim shirt was comfortable in air conditioned spaces, but also not bad out in the heat (the very brief moments that I was actually out in it!) and the pants are, well, pretty awesome. I’ve always been a fan of Express Editor pants and these black beauties did not disappoint. They move well and are easy to wear for a long, full day of walking, bending and general activity.

Some of you have commented that my statement necklace combinations have been a little sparse. Well, yes because it’s been too darn hot to wear so much metal around my neck! In the summer I tend to wear smaller jewelry, but today’s ensemble just need the extra chunkiness of several necklaces. Some days you just have to. Have no fear, as the weather cools, you’ll see more necklace layering.

Would you please take a minute to check out (and listen to the songs!) my new music page: http://www.reverbnation.com/loriyeary? Thanks!!!

What I wore:

Chambray shirt: Walmart
Editor black flare pants: Express
Kelly and Katie black pumps: DSW
Yellow statement necklace: CATO
Gold chain: LYDesign
Pearl strand: Claire’s Accessories

Frugally yours,

Lori

Follow me on Twitter! @StyleSavvyDFW

Need more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Boards! Style Savvy DFW Pinterest

If you’d like to see some of my previous outfits in one place, check out my Facebook page! StyleSavvy DFW Facebook.

I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

Denim Day

 I don’t often wear just black and denim, so I knew I needed to add at least a little color. I didn’t have any red earrings, so the polka dot scarf was pressed into service. It’s a pretty easy way to add a punch of color in a hurry. This was a great outfit for work, but would also be a comfortable option for running errands on a Saturday.

Would you please take a minute to check out (and listen to the songs!) my new music page: http://www.reverbnation.com/loriyeary? Thanks!!!

What I wore:

Merona black striped tshirt: Target
Denim pencil skirt: Old Navy
Aerosoles black wedge sandals: DSW
Red dotted scarf: Sam Moon Trading

Frugally yours,

Lori

Follow me on Twitter! @StyleSavvyDFW

Need more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Boards! Style Savvy DFW Pinterest

If you’d like to see some of my previous outfits in one place, check out my Facebook page! StyleSavvy DFW Facebook.

I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

Celebrations

This week AH and celebrate 33 years of wedded bliss. Wow, that’s a long time! We started the week with a celebration dinner with out best friends, so I wanted to wear something fun. I think these palazzo pants fit the description. Now if you’re about my age, you remember palazzo pants from the ’70s. They were great back then and I’m honestly glad to see them make a comeback. The key to wearing them is remembering proportions. The more voluminous the bottom, the more fitted the top needs to be. And visa versa. I went with a simple knit faux wrap top I’ve had for several years. The 3/4 sleeves were perfect for and air conditioned restaurant without being too warm. Since there was so much going on with the print in the pants I opted for simpler gold jewelry. All in all, I think it’s a nice look. What do you think?

Would you please take a minute to check out (and listen to the songs!) my new music page: http://www.reverbnation.com/loriyeary? Thanks!!!

What I wore:

Black knit faux wrap top: Ann Taylor
Coco Bianco palazzo pants: Stein Mart
Nine West Black Sandals: DSW
Gold necklace: Gift
Statement earrings: Charming Charlie

Frugally yours,

Lori

Follow me on Twitter! @StyleSavvyDFW

Need more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Boards! Style Savvy DFW Pinterest

If you’d like to see some of my previous outfits in one place, check out my Facebook page! StyleSavvy DFW Facebook.

I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

Work Wear

I am very fortunate to work in an office that doesn’t require that I dress up every day. On the flip side, I like to dress up occasionally. Today was such a day. This outfit is pretty typical office wear: Coral blazer, geometric print top, black trousers and black pumps. The best part? It’s all comfortable! The blazer is a heavy knit material that actually breathes. The top is sleeveless and looks great on its own, which comes in handy during the occasional “personal summer”. All in all an outfit that works.

What I wore:

Coral knit blazer: H&M
Geometric print sleeveless blouse: The LOFT Outlet
Editor black trousers: Express
Kelly and Kate black pumps: DSW

Frugally yours,

Lori

Follow me on Twitter! @StyleSavvyDFW

Need more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Boards! Style Savvy DFW Pinterest

If you’d like to see some of my March outfits in one place, check out my Facebook page! StyleSavvy DFW Facebook

I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

About the Dress

 

I don’t wear dresses very often since I work in a fairly casual office. I think that’s about to change. I found this amazing dress at a local consignment store and there’s a lot to love about it. First of all, it’s by Ann Taylor. It’s well made and classically styled. You can’t really see it in the photo, but there’s a subtle looped ruffle down the front button placket – a lovely little detail. The dark navy material doesn’t wrinkle too badly and is lightweight enough to be worn all through the spring and summer. The best part though? Pockets. I love pockets. Really. I actually did a little happy dance when I discovered this dress had pockets. I love them that much.

What I wore:

Ann Taylor Dark Navy button front dress: Closet Revival, Plano
Nine West Grey Polka Dot shoes: Rack Room Shoes
Silver charm necklaces and pearl earrings: Sample Sale

Frugally yours,

Lori

Follow me on Twitter! @StyleSavvyDFW

Need more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Boards! Style Savvy DFW Pinterest

If you’d like to see some of my March outfits in one place, check out my Facebook page! StyleSavvy DFW Facebook

I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

Off Day

 

Last Saturday I decided I didn’t really care what I wore. I just wanted to be warm. We’d had a cold snap and the temperature didn’t get above 55 degrees all day. So I pulled out some comfy clothes and started my day. I added the scarf just right before I walked out the door because I decided the outfit needed a little something extra. I had to run errands that morning and my first stop was to pick up my co-op order from Urban Acres. When I walked in to pick up my produce every woman in the room commented on my outfit. They loved the shoes, the scarf – even my jeans were appreciated. They wanted to know where I got the jeans and were shocked when I said I found them at Walmart. It was nice to hear the nice comments and just reinforced one thing: It never hurts to put a little effort into what you wear.

What I wore:

Merona dark teal long sleeved t-shirt: Target
Dark tan cardigan sweater: H&M
Jordache ankle skinny dark jeans: Walmart
Merona orange leather ballet flats: Target
Scarf: Target

Frugally yours,

Lori

Follow me on Twitter! @StyleSavvyDFW

Need more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Boards! Style Savvy DFW Pinterest

If you’d like to see some of my March outfits in one place, check out my Facebook page! StyleSavvy DFW Facebook

I’m a proud member of  the women-over-40-blogger-community! Check out my fellow over 40 bloggers for more fashion tips!

 

Minty Fresh

Minty fresh. That’s how someone described my outfit this morning. Not sure if they meant in a toothpastey kind of way or not, but I’ll take it. All I know is this particular combination popped into my head last night and I went with it. I haven’t worn this top before and I’m now wondering why! It’s so comfortable and easy to wear I’ll definitely be looking for more ways to wear it. An added bonus is the gathers at the waist and faux wrap hide my tummy!

When I started this blog I had a secret goal not to repeat any outfits for as long as possible. Looking back at posts since I first wrote in February I see that I’ve succeeded! I’ve repeated pieces, but not outfits and that’s quite an accomplishment!

I’ve been rebuilding my wardrobe since losing 30 pounds last year (you can read about my journey here: https://thisjoyfuljourney.wordpress.com/determination) and it’s been a rewarding yet frustration proposition. Going from a size 12 to a size 2 has presented some unique challenges – one of which has been learning how to dress my new, thinner body at the young age of 54. It’s been interesting to hear people say they never knew I was overweight – I was pretty good at camouflage. I understood the challenges of my body type and dressed accordingly. I know how to hide a tummy, minimize a larger bust and accentuate the good stuff. I wish I had more photos of myself back then, but I was a little camera shy. Oh well.

Learning to embrace your body type and understand the best way to dress can be a challenge. I’ll be talking about some of the most common issues in the weeks to come. If you have something in particular you’d like me to write about, let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Today’s outfit:
Black knit wrap top: Ann Taylor
Merona mint skinny pants: Target
Comfort Plus black pumps: Payless Shoe Source
Silver earrings: Charming Charlie

Frugally yours,
Lori

Men are from Mars-Women are from Venus

The search for well-fitting jeans and pants can be challenging and frustrating. Just ask my friend who recently tried on 7 pairs of jeans before finding one that fit properly. Or any woman who’s spent what felt like hours in the fitting room in search of the “perfect” jeans. On a recent shopping excursion with my best friend and our husbands (yes, they went willingly) we had a lengthy discussion about the difference between men’s and women’s clothing. The guys commented on how many different sizes of clothes we had to take into the fitting room in order to find something that fit. I think they finally understood how lucky they are when it comes to shopping for clothes! A large is a large, no matter where you shop for men’s clothes. They know a 34/32 pair of pants is going to fit whether it’s jeans or dress slacks. A 16/33 dress shirt will fit the same no matter the manufacturer. Great for them, frustrating for us girls.

Over the years I’ve found a couple of stores that I can shop and consistently find clothes that fit well. The LOFT is one of my favorites. I actually worked at a LOFT store several years ago so I’m very familiar with their products.  It’s interesting that I hardly ever find things at Ann Taylor, but LOFT is a virtual treasure trove for me every time. Weird. The LOFT Outlets are some of my very favorite stores. There’s usually a great sale and on my most recent excursion I happened onto a  40% off everything event. Nice. I still had to try on multiple styles and sizes for the perfect fit, but left the store with some really great spring and summer additions to my wardrobe.

Where do you like to shop? Is there one store where you can always find something you love?

Today’s Outfit:
Trouser Jeans: LOFT (recent)
Print Button Shirt: Ross (last season)
Oatmeal colored cardigan: Target (recent)
Brown flat shoes: Old Navy (recent)

Frugally yours,

Lori