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Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
This is the place where I share about our lives, what I'm currently loving, books I'm reading, plus-size style, beauty recommendations, health + fitness endeavors and anything else I'm finding interesting at the moment.
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Category Archives: 30 Days of Denim
30 Days of Denim – Day Eleven
Today I felt inspired by orange. Aside from mustard, orange might be my new favorite color for fall. Mostly because both look so good with gray and navy which I have an abundance of in my closet. Win.
Here’s my inspiration:
Here’s what I came up with:
In the photo this sweater looks a lot pinker, but I promise it is more orange. Let’s meet in the middle and call it coral. I feel like if I was having this conversation with Garrett his eyes would be rolling into the back of his head right now from all of the color talk.
Maybe yours is too.
Jeans: Gap Slim Boyfriend
Belt: Target
Tee: Gap Outlet
Cardigan: Gap Outlet
Gold Loafers: Target – still love these!
Comfy, Sunday outfit. I don’t know about you but I’m not quite ready for Monday to come tomorrow. After 10 days off, I think this one’s going to hurt. I’m off to enjoy my last moments of freedom!
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Ten
It’s a two-for-one today. Two pieces of inspiration, one end result outfit.
Here’s a couple of things that inspired me:
First, (on the right) I love a blazer. Love. It’s a hard piece of clothing for me to wear since I have broad shoulders and boobs. Broad shoulders + Boobs = No Blazer Love. But I keep trying.
Second, (on the left) I also love the bright colors and chunky LacKore jewelry. Two things that make me feel pretty over and over. I love the new Corazon Latino sterling silver jewellery collection.
Third, Stripes. I’m going to be so sick of stripes in a couple months, I’m sure but for now I still have L-O-V-E for them.
Here’s what I came up with:
Yep, still NO love for posing for the camera but what are you gonna do.
Blazer: Old Navy
Striped Tee: Banana Republic
Jeans: Old Navy (hand me down from AndreAnna. Thanks!)
Shoes: Merona for Target
Necklace: Target
I like the inspiration pics more than I like the actual outfit, but hey — 10 days in a row of trying to style fun, denim outfits will do that to a girl.
Hope you all are having a good weekend!
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Nine
Today we are really taking it back to basics. I don’t even really need to show you an inspiration photo, but I kind of like them so indulge me, would ya?
Behold, Jeans and a White Tee:
Though just to clarify, it’s not actually Tuesday. It’s Friday. CAN I GET A HELL YEAH???
OK. SO! No inspiration needed, but still fun. I love this blank canvas of an outfit because I have SERIOUS LOVE for my jewelry, shoes and scarves. There is nothing that gets me more excited than accessorizing and the truth is, I’m not savvy enough (YET!) to accessorize more complicated outfits.
One day.
We all need goals, right?
Here’s what I came up with:
I’m sort of running out of poses, folks. Tyra Banks was right — modeling is not for the faint of heart!
In fact, Miss Jay would probably make a joke about how I look constipated in this one.
But then I would just show him this picture and say, that he looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket.
So TOUCHE MISS JAY!
Do you need a minute to recover from that photo? Ok, let’s talk about clothes and not constipation. Or men who have better looking legs than I do.
YAY!
Scarf: Old Navy
Tee: Royalton for Norstrom
Jeans: Old Navy “The Flirt”
Shoes: Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Earrings: (Practically invisible, but they are dangly!) Target
You all, I am so in love with these shoes and you can hardly see them in this photo! HOT PINK DRIVING MOCCASINS! Could you die? Just because I love them so much, I am posting an old picture of them so you can at least see them.
Hot pink shoes. I never grow tired of you. Thank god for Jeans and a White Tee because what the hell else would I wear you with????
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Eight
Woo Hoo! One week down. Now let’s get back to the roots of this project:
Pinterest Inpsiration!
Isn’t this so cute and comfy and stylish looking?
Jeans! Stripes! Mustard!
Many of my favorite things for fall. Not wearing shoes though, will NOT be a favorite thing for fall. That, I promise.
Here is what I came up with:
Sweater: Merona for Target
Striped Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet
Jeans: Old Navy “The Flirt”
Gold Loafers: Target Clearance. I love these shoes double because they were a $3.98 red tag purchase!
Blingy Bracelet: Target
The shoes are actually my favorite part! (Well, you know, besides the Jazz Hands!)
This can go in the casual yet put together file I think. It’s nothing special, but I don’t look like a complete ragamuffin, so it’s a win, I think.
My standards are obviously very high.
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Seven
Well, would you look at that — one week down!
(HOLY SHIT, this is why I am not a fashion blogger. This takes WORK, you all!)
That said, I’ve already had some interesting revelations this week:
1. Having style takes planning and effort just like getting dinner on the table takes planning and effort. Neither just do it by themselves, despite our hopes. I am a very efficient meal planner, thus far not very efficient at making myself appear stylish. But I can see how it gets easier. So maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
2. I DO, in fact, have something to wear. How often do you feel like you have nothing to wear? I feel like I say that often. Kind of like when I look in my refrigerator and say “We have nothing to eat.” When really what I’m saying is “We have nothing to eat that I don’t have to think about and prepare.”
Style, in my mind, is becoming very analogous to kitchen management. I didn’t see that coming.
3. In the wise words of Cher Horowitz: Never trust a mirror. Always take Polaroids.
Which brings us to today’s outfit. Which I hate. But guess what, I liked it in the mirror. (Also, it was before Labor Day so don’t panic that I’m wearing white pants, mmmkay?)
My face pretty much spells it out, but here is how it looks when I’m not trying to scare off the defensive line.
Why I loved it in the mirror:
Comfy pants that feel like pajamas but don’t look like pajamas.
Why I hated it in the picture:
Dude, they LOOK like pajamas.
So there’s the rub. On the upside, I enjoy a nice worn in denim jacket, and this one comes courtesy of AndreAnna who sent me the most gigantic box of clothes a few months ago when I was bemoaning that none of my clothes fit. I wish all of you a friend like her! Truly.
Truth be told, since it is still warm out, I spent most of this outfit sans denim. I feel like I must confess.
Pants: Merona for Target
Tank: Mossimo for Target
Necklace: Target
Bracelet: Target (I mean, why do I even label my outfits anymore IT’S ALL FROM TARGET.)
Sandals: I’ll give you one guess.
Comfy, but I don’t love this outfit. You win some, you lose some. Also I wanted to post this picture to remind myself this is not a vanity project. You all have been so kind with your comments that I have literally turned fuchsia looking at my email, so thank you for that! But hopefully this has been beneficial and inspiring to you like it has for me. So it’s only fair to show you the outfits that were kind of a bomb.
Style, like anything, takes a bit of work. But it’s probably work you know how to do if you start small. Throw on a pair of earrings. Grab a nicer t shirt than normal. Do something different with your hair. Make yourself feel good, don’t worry about what others think. Fake it until you make it, remember.
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell. I know one of you will one of these days…
30 Days of Denim – Day Six
Alternate Title: The One With The Skinny Jeans
So hey, here’s something out of my comfort zone. We were getting a little comfy there with the cardigan sweaters so why not just dive right into the deep end, shall we?
Baby’s First Pair of Skinny Jeans
(And frankly, she had to grow a pair in order to pose for pictures in them)
Can we talk about skinny jeans for a minute? Because, like bathing suit shopping, I think skinny jeans kind of get a bad rap. I mean, I understand the panic, I do. I had a panic stricken moment when I went to take this picture because I had just eaten lunch and I mean: THE HORROR. You mean I have to take pictures in a pair of skinny jeans after I have consumed one morsel of food?
What the hell is that all about?
It actually wasn’t just lunch, it was a freaking meal after I had annihilated my workout, but all I could think about was that I probably should not be wearing these pants. Because let’s be real — I’m a lady with some ample thighs. At my best, you’d call them “muscular.” At their worst, a lame fashion magazine would call them a “problem area.”
But here’s the thing: WHO CARES?
When I tried these pants on (scared out of my mind) I actually felt like kind of a rock star. Sure I also felt a little bit insecure and a little bit like, ohmygod but then I decided to revert back to that rock star feeling because you know what: IT WAS MORE FUN. Remember when you were a kid and it was fun to get dressed? You didn’t think about what matched, or what looked good on your body — you picked what was fun!
And style should be fun, right?
So yes. I have thighs. And they touch. There will never be a gap. They are muscular thighs. Lou Ferrigno thighs, if you will. Also, I have calves that like to make themselves known, and an ass that sure doesn’t want to remain anonymous.
But you know what? I have worked really hard for all of those muscles over the last year, so why should I feel nervous about showing them because they aren’t super model thin?
I say I shouldn’t.
Here’s to wearing what is more of wearing what is fun and less of paying attention to rules! Because that shit is rock and roll, my friends.
Shirt: Crap, I cut out the tag because it was floppy. It’s from Target though (natch)
Jeans: Old Navy “The Diva” (ugh) Braided Skinnies (Ok so you aren’t completely dead to me, Old Navy. For now.)
Shoes: Xhilaration
Necklace (which Garrett calls my “Pebbles + Bam Bam Necklace”): Nordstrom
*****
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell.
30 Days of Denim – Day Five
In an ideal world every outfit would say something about who we are. Because this is real life, this outfit is telling you: “I have errands to do and I would prefer to not do them naked, so I’m wearing this.”
If these walls could talk, they would likely tell you they would like the bird shit washed off. Everyone’s got something to say, don’t they? Well except me, of course, I’m just up here calmly staring off into the horizon, thinking deep thoughts.
Anyway:
Tee: Loft
Denim: Gap Slim Boyfriend Jeans
Belt: Target
Shoes: Mossimo for Target
Copper Bangles: Target
I tried to find a cute t-shirt instead of a ratty t-shirt, does that count? Plus I put on my Mossimo-Does-Jack Rogers-Meets-Birkenstock Sandals. You didn’t even know that hybrid was possible did you? Well it is, and for the clearance price of $3.98.
I kind of hate these shoes actually and have only worn them twice since I bought them a year and a half ago. I’m starting to realize that a good deal does not always equal a good wardrobe purchase. (See Also: Old Navy You Are DEAD TO ME.)
What can I say, sometimes I like to learn the hard way.
What did you wear today?
Join the group and play a little show and tell.
30 Days of Denim – Day Four
When I wear jeans and a t shirt, I generally feel a little bit sloppy. Maybe it is just the casualness of the phrase “Jeans + Tee” but I feel like I’m phoning it in. That said, on Friday (yes, I’m posting these a few days after I wear them) I really wanted to go casual — because it was ACTUALLY Casual Friday. Also, I wanted to shake things up since I was really sticking to jeans and a cardigan and it was time for a change.
A quick look to Pinterest for inspiration and I found this:
Embellished Tees! The casual shirt that makes you feel pulled together! Noted. I may seek out some more of these. Well, not exactly these, though I am most definitely fond of finding something I like and buying it in every color. You know what I’m saying here, right? There is a place in my life for embellished tees and that place is Casual. Damn. Friday.
Here’s what I came up with:
Tee: Banana Republic
Jeans: Gap Premium Bootcut (Not loving these jeans and at the end of the day I could fit a second person in them)
Belt: Target
Ring: Target
Sandals: Merona for Target
Obviously my hopes were that I would instantly look like a Victoria’s Secret model. Sadly this did not happen. But I was fairly happy with the results.
Garrett was happy because between shots he captured two of my fierce unintentional Blue Steel faces while I was waiting for him to tell me he was ready. I think he just likes to mess with me.
Sometimes the outtakes are even better than the real pictures.
What did you wear today? Join the group and play a little show and tell.
30 Days of Denim – Day Three
No inspiration pic today — I fell in love with a hot pink cardigan at the Nordstrom Rack Summer Clearance and it had to be mine. I am the type of person who likes to enjoy the things I buy immediately, wheras Garrett gets something new and likes it to live in his closet for a few weeks before he even wears it. Boys make no sense to me sometimes.
So here is what I came up with:
Cardigan: Halogen @ Nordstrom Rack
Tank: Merona for Target
Jeans: Old Navy “The Flirt” (whatever)
Belt: Target
Silver Cuff: Some Crappy Accessories Store
Shoes: Old Navy (I bought them kind of as a throw away once for $10 to get free shipping, but it has been a love affair ever since)
Garrett was quite the jokester while taking this picture. As a consequence in almost every shot I was right about to roll my eyes. Still uncomfortable posing for pictures in clothes. Hopefully I’ll get over that soon because 27 more days is a long time to be uncomfortable.
In the end I said “Take a detail of my tank top” (I love this tank top!) and he said “How am I supposed to do that without looking like your perv a boyfriend taking a gratuitous tit shot?” I think he ended up doing ok.
I’m OBVIOUSLY comfortable in jeans and a cardigan — we’re 3 for 3 on that. I think it’s time to start shaking it up a little!
What did you wear today? Join the group and play a little show and tell.
30 Days of Denim – Day Two
So today, I took an even bigger style leap! I saw a picture that I just liked the silhouette of and took my style inspiration from that instead of copying it directly. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
Here was the pin:
And then I laughed out loud hysterically at the irony of the source being a site called Petite Little Girl — 3 things I am most definitely NOT. But I liked the leopard, I liked the belt, and I am in LOVE with a high waisted pencil skirt (one of which I happen to have – IN DENIM!)
And here’s what I came up with:
Similar, but different. Pulled together but still casual.
Sweater: Merona for Target
Tank: Old Navy
Skirt: Gap Outlet
Wedges: Merona for Target
Belt: Target
Necklace: A gift from my Mama (and a favorite!)
I actually felt super comfy all day (Gap skirts rule!) and was glad to do something a little out of my comfort zone. Maybe tomorrow I will venture out of the “Target” section of my closet. Maybe not, you never know.
What did you wear today? Join the group and play a little show and tell.
