Are you having enough fun with your clothes?? Lot’s of serious stuff in the world going on, but in an effort to lighten things I’ve tried a littler harder to add some fun and funk with my wardrobe. I came across this cool Anthropologie sweatshirt and got so inspired I thought I’d talk about upping your style game and a adding a more pizazz to your everyday look.
Don’t we all get locked into a look at a certain age? You find what works for you, what feels good and stick with it. It’s rare to see women of my age -50s, experiment with fashion much. There are the standouts like my friend Elizabeth, who always inspires me and also Cindy who epitomizes chic. (I love their style series with stylish women too- on both of their blogs now). Yet many of us, especially in California, stick to jeans, sweaters and boots in the winter. I rarely see friends in dresses. The one effort I see across the board is usually some kind plastered nails, which looks dated to me, and a designer bag. Rarely do they experiment with the clothes and accessories. Why not? If you try to create a lab in your closet and use all the pieces of your wardrobe you will actually buy less and look more chic.
As Gilda Radnor once said…
This would be a lot of us, especially during winter no? I myself included have been wearing a very comfy uniform of track pants and a down vest most days which feels good, but I looks sad after wearing it so much. I am dealing with a few things, one being the care of my grandma in hospice. Days have been very dark, winter has been cold. I am ready for some lightness.
My first thought about the sweatshirt above was am I too old for this? Then is it too expensive $98 for what it is- a sweatshirt? For me it was a coup de coeur or love at first sight. I knew I could wear this a million ways so the cost would be pennies per wear. I also couldn’t wait to wear it- a sure sign something is right.
So how to style it many ways? When you get a sweatshirt like this- the norm is to wear it casually, but the way to make it current is actually wear it with dressier clothes. When you wear dressy with dressy you can tend to look staid and casual with casual you can look sloppy.
To look not old, and be more current and stylish -wear high with low. Wear your diamond bracelet (if you’re lucky to have one) with elastic bands on your wrist, wear a skirt with a graphic T-shirt, wear sneakers with dressier pants and dresses, and wear heels with more distressed jeans and sweats. Try to wear faux furs, sequins, clutches, dangly earrings and other evening accoutrement peppered into your daytime look. Wear a cocktail ring during the day, and so on!. This all works if it’s done in a measured way- a little here and there, but do be adventurous. Don’t worry so much if something looks right. You just have to do it and you’ll get braver as you step out of your comfort zone. The best part is you can create your own look and you don’t need to shop a lot. Find something of quality you love and be like a European and wear it a zillion different ways with what you already own.
A few ways to style a standout piece like my sweatshirt below using some of my other favorites. Please forgive the sad camera work done by moi. I just haven’t mastered the timer cam thing. I just needed to show a few ways to style what you have, especially right now when we all revert to wearing Michelin Man looks!
The sweatshirt with my favorite Trina Turk jacket, white jeans, a cashmere sweater wrapped around the hips, tall sneakers (these are Vince grey flannel and I love them) and my grandma’s vintage ear clips in purple stones- something I’d usually only wear at night, with messy hair in a ponytail. Aren’t these the coolest earrings? Seems a shame they sit in a drawer all the time. Why not trot out fancy things in the day?
A preppy look here layered with a white button-up, flared jeans (these are McGuire from L.A.), white sneakers, tortoiseshell looking J. Crew hoop earrings and an old camel coat I’ve had for a decade.
Add a fun faux fur you have over this sporty look and you’ll have another way to wear your evening wrap you bought for the holidays. This purple number is by Sanctuary and I bought it for parties, but how cute and New York looking is this for a cold day? So much more fun than the usual.
Here it is a longer dress coat and I love that look too. The dressy coat and sneakers are exactly the kind of yin-yang I am talking about and these Stan Smith’s have been uber comfy!
This may be my favorite look- with my Trina Turk trench, distressed boyfriend jeans and suede pumps plus YSL pearl drops I have had for 35 years. I only wore these for night. How much more fun wearing them daytime and why not instead of having them languish in the drawer? I love this coat to pieces. I was waiting for it to go on sale and there are still some on their site. It’s tweed covered in a waterproof material. It has a 1960s Courreges vibe to me and I am nuts about the buttons and trim details.
I am forcing myself to wear white jeans all year long as they always look cool and this look has a horsey or equestrian vibe with a square scarf (another treasure from a friend -a LuLu Guinness silk scarf from the 90s) knotted around the neck, a camoflage jacket, tan booties and pearl earrings. I call this look retro sloane ranger ala California. What do you think?
The easiest look and likely one I will wear the most is the mix of the sweatshirt with a navy blazer, my favorite Frame jeans, these ancient wedge leopard pumps and some new hoops with tassels I bought a J.Crew. Easy!
Try hoops with a sweatshirt. I am loving this sparkly pair from J. Crew too. The tassel ones are no longer available online, but you may catch them in the clearance section at J.Crew.
Lastly, anything looks good with a trench over it and I paired it with some jeans I cut myself cuffed, and some white vintage 1970 Trifari earrings from my grandma. My usual thing would be to always wear my little diamond studs for day, but white earrings in winter is unexpected and make the wording on the top pop. Way cooler.
Love to know your thoughts? More posts like this? Are they lame? I am not a good model, but I love fashion posts and it seems better than just photographing the clothes on a flat surface, no? Keep tuned for the closet and bath, cosmetics essentials posts coming.
Anyway, Happy Friday. The days are getting longer friends. In California it is staying light at 6p.m. so it is giving me hope spring is coming soon and more flowers!!
Kim
Yes! I love this, Great ideas, and I love that you are wearing your grandma’s vintage earrings.
They are the best! Thanks so much.
beautiful always your way of dressing always You look great
Thank you Nadia!
I cannot TELL you how much I love this post. I feel like immediately acquiring every single piece you have here and wearing all of them:).
Lisa it’s funny I feel like this one piece made a lot of things look fresh. So nice coming from you as you always have great style and cool things on! Thank you.
You are wrong about something — you are a great model! You look fantastic and your ideas are creative, fun and do-able! Best wishes to you, and to your grandmother.
I’m so glad you like the ideas! Thanks so much Susan for the good wishes too.
Me too I LOVE this post. I’m amazed at what you’ve done by adding a simple sweatshirt to your wardrobe! It is very cool though, and it was clearly the jumping off point of inspiration for so many looks. I love the mixes with the different jackets and vintage earrings. Please, please do more of these posts. You are inspiring me to mix things up a bit too, I’ve literally been wearing the same things day after day.
Wishing you and your dear grandmother all my best, it sounds like you’re dealing with quite a bit right now. I’m thinking of you. xx
Dani thank you! I’m glad it was inspiring. Love doing these kinds of things, so the response seems positive and I will keep trying. I think the challenge of using one piece to make everything feel updated is actually fun- my camera work needs help though. You and your wardrobe are always awesome, but like I said above we all get into a rut and especially this time of year I think! Today I had my first sighting of California Poppies this year, so I think spring may be coming soon thankfully. Thank you about grandma. xo
YOU ARE A DOLL AND ARE ROCKING THAT SWEATSHIRT!I saw it in the SHOP…….PAUSED and thought TOO OLD HERE!YOU CAN DO IT!But what is SO FUN to me is I have a GOLD LAME long skirt hanging on my bedroom door at the moment from ANTHRO I might add with a SWEAT SHIRT from the ANTIQUE SHOW in San Fran..the lettering is GOLD!
I have-not put it on but WILL NOW!!!!!!
THE SHOUT out did that TRACK BACK thing to my comments section…………took me a day to FIGURE IT OUT!!!
BEAUTIFUL POST………and SO SORRY to HEAR about GRANDPA!!!!!!!!!!
STAY ON TOP OF IT ALL is my only ADVISE!!!!!!!!
They left my Mother without a NURSE the day she DIED!!!!!!!!
HUGS,
XOXO
Elizabeth of course you could wear the sweatshirt! I love the other graphic ts you have worn with skirts. I can’t wait to see the gold combo..I hope you post! I never understand how the track back thing works?? Still don’t. Thanks about my grandma. That is why one of us is with her everyday. I am hoping she never feels alone. I hope you are doing okay. So hard losing your mom. Hugs.
Loved this. You make everything look so effortless. Forget the blog you should become a personal shopper.
Aimee nice of you to say that. I don’t know. Sounds fun.xx
Love this idea! Thanks Kim.
Thanks Anne!
Ok, Kim…This post was JUST what I needed…I love your mix-up outfits and like Lisa said, I could wear them alll…right now…You inspired me to take off my diamond studs and try on some other earrings…Perhaps a messy pony or bun?…And the sweatshirt is TDF…Thank you for the inspiration, motivation, hey…kick in the pants…I have become so boring to me…YAWN…
I send you peace in the midst of your sweet grandmother’s illness…That is a huge burden to carry…like you never get to put it down without worrying about something…Gentle, soft peace to you and your grandmother…And thx again for the fun inspiration…Best! Deede
Deede, Thanks so much.I love the idea of a messy bun too… I know I think we all get into a rut this time of year. I revert to all my soft clothes.:D Thank you about my grandma. It’s very true it never leaves your mind when you are going through something like this. Trying to be positive. I am so appreciative for all the kindness. Thank you so very much!
Kim, YES you should have more posts like this….you are adorable! Fashion is very hard for me as I have no sense of it whatsoever, but I do love to look at beautiful things. My favorites…your Grandma’s earrings and that faux fur purple jacket!
Kelley thank you. Love that jacket too. I am determined to wear it more than just at night! I’ve got to dig out more of those vintage earrings. They are a lot of fun/ Hope you are doing well. xo
I love this post! You’re so right about getting stuck in a certain age and being reluctant to experiment with new things. I love the sweater, but would hesitate to buy it thinking too young, but seeing all the options you’ve come up with I’m inspired to try for myself. Sometimes it’s fun to spend a day – half day? – in the closet trying different combinations and snapping a selfie to refer back to those that work. A catalogue to review before an event or appointment when panicking over ‘nothing to wear.’
xo
Juliet, This is exactly the idea. I think we need to spend some time playing with what we have – maybe adding a cool piece gives everything a new spin. I love your idea of snapping a selfie to refer back to! I think I’m going to try that. So good when we get back in a rut and feel there is nothing to wear. Brilliant! Thanks so much. xo
Kim, this post is so fun! We all need some inspiration and this was just the right post to help all of us re-think and re-style what we are wearing! Love both of the Trina coats with the sweatshirt! And so happy to see you added the white vinyl trench to your Trina collection! I look forward to your next fashion post! You are the best granddaughter ever! Thinking of you and your family.
April xo
April, You are so sweet. Can’t wait until we get together! We need to do a fashion post because I love your taste. I know I’m so glad I bought the white coat. Had waited forever – so glad they still had my size. Thank you about grandma. xo
Kim Elizabeth and I are so honored that you mentioned us. Wow….if only you saw me now in my sweats…I love the new look of your blog! Since you are over 50? REALLY are you? I seriously thought you were my daughter’s age…maybe we could recruit you for Ageless Style?
Cindy, Thank you and yes I am 52! I think I may look younger because I am not posting too many face photos- or at least not up close. LOL! I just love the series so much because I love seeing how regular women look great and how they pull it all together. So much more relatable than celebrities, etc. Keep it up Cindy. You are the best model! xo
Oh…this post was so fun and inspiring…more please! I especially adore your coats and boots! Reminds me to wear mine when our weather permits. Crazy, that it was in the 70s here in Contra Costa County.
Love your blog!!
Renee
Hi Renee! Thank you so much! I am glad you liked the fashion post. I know can you believe this weather? I am afraid I won’t get to wear my coats much at all..or even boots. It’s been crazy warm! Thanks for reading. Kim
Hi Kim! Blog looks great and updated! This post is fun – good ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer
HI Jennifer! Hope you are doing well. Thanks so much! xx
Hi Kim! I love how you took one piece and styled it so many ways…a pricey sweatshirt becomes affordable when you can styled it over and over again. How many times have we bought things on sale that never get worn..I am all about your cost per wear theory, it’s one I try to implement myself! I love the trench coat look as well as your retro sloane ranger ala California look! Back to what you shared in the beginning about making your closet your lab…mix things up, experiment, have some fun and why not mix vintage earrings or a cocktail ring with jeans, what are we saving those pieces for?
Wonderful musings this Saturday morning..thank you!
xx
Suzanne
http://www.AskSuzanneBell.com
Suzanne, so worth splurging on a cool piece if you can use it so any ways! I agree your closet can be your little style lab. YOU always inspire me too! xo