Tag Archives: scotch & soda

Nov15

Mix & Match OOTD

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Mix & Match OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past weekend my brother, Johnny, and I attended Akron Comicon and it was so much fun! It is our tradition to go every year together and we always look forward to geeking out in the crowd of fandom fans. At an event like Comicon, anything goes for fashion and I decided I wanted to go quirky cool with my OOTD. One of my favorite ways to make an outfit chic and unique is by mixing and matching patterns that, at a glance, might not necessarily go together. I was actually ambivalent about this look but it came together perfectly and I absolutely love how it turned out! Take a look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Blazer: Scotch & Soda, TJMaxx

Button Down: Karl Lagerfeld, TJMaxx

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Platform Boots: Dolls Kill

Purse: Foley + Corinna, TJMaxx

The earrings are from Target I think!

As I went shopping in my wardrobe department store, I had blazers on the mind and began this OOTD by browsing my options. I had been so focused on cold weather jackets that I haven’t been thinking blazers at all and honestly had forgotten about my Scotch & Soda one! Shame on me because this pajama style blazer is SO fabulous. I am totally there for that relaxed fit and the floral pattern with colors that just scream fall. This little number was definitely the move but what to pair it with?

The last thing I wanted for Comicon was a basic look so simply wearing my blazer over top a black sweater just wouldn’t do. As the vast majority of my clothing features some type of pattern or bold color, I knew I would have to get creative with mixing and matching patterns. To get started, I took a closer look at the colors in the blazer which had black as well as some lighter hues that were close enough to white. Remember, if you are mixing and matching patterns that the best way to form cohesion is by using like colors in the two pieces you are pairing.

After my double check of the blazer, I knew black and white would be the best way to go and selected my button down by Karl Lagerfeld. This top features a stark white background with classic Karl aviators in black. Initially, I thought this top was too far a cry from the blazer but put both on with a pair of high waisted skinnies anyway to see the final effect. And you know what? It worked! Between the high rise of the Seven Jeans and the coverage from the blazer, the button down didn’t look out of place as it was being overshadowed. The end result provided this really cool pop of bright white among the burnt fall hues of the blazer and it was just the quirky cool flare I was hoping for.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. I wanted long legs and height to extenuate the high rise skinnies and went for a daring pair of platform boots with a vertebrae heel. They were a hit at Comicon and I liked how the color of the vertebrae accents closely mimicked some of the lighter hues in the blazer. For earrings, I chose a gorgeous pair of dangly turquoise crosses for a surprise color burst. I love turquoise and orange paired together and these looked lovely with the blazer. Last but not least, I swapped out my purse I was using to a fully neutral one by Foley + Corinna with spikes and a chain strap. With that, I was ready to go get my nerd on!

This Mix & Match OOTD was SO fun to style despite initial uncertainty. Fashion is about taking risks and sometimes they work and other times they don’t. This was a fashion risk that definitely paid off!

Is there an event you go to yearly? What is something you are looking forward to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun27

Off To The Studio OOTD

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Off To The Studio OOTD

Hello!! This past Friday was a super awesome one for work because I got to go to the Q104 radio station in Cleveland to shoot content for my boss, Tim Misny. I have never been to a radio station before and it was really exciting! When I am at a content shoot as a social media manager, I always want to look my best and be fashionable while still wearing something work appropriate. This look was definitely too warm for the ninety plus degree day, but it was just right in the nice and cool studio that we surprised the morning hosts, Bill and Alyssa, at! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Floral Print Blazer: Scotch & Soda, TJMaxx

Cami Top: mittoshop, French Rooster

Mini Skort: Almost Famous, TJMaxx

Kitten Heels: Nine West, TJMaxx

The earrings were a gift from my mother-in-law!

Whenever I think of work appropriate staples, my mind instantly goes to blazers. They are such a classic piece and can be worn in any color or pattern while still looking professional. This is where I began building my outfit and I went with my pajama top inspired blazer by Scotch & Soda. I love this blazer and find the color palette to be most flattering. I also chose it for practicality’s sake. It is, easily, the lightest blazer that I have and I think I would have melted in anything heavier during the uber hot day!

Once I settled on a blazer, the rest of the outfit came to me in a vision. In the name of keeping cool, I wanted to do a skirt and top combo. As this was an OOTD for work, shorts were out of the question. So, I chose the next best thing – a skort! Paired with the blazer, it really did look more skirt than shorts and that was perfect. All I needed was a top and my black lace cami from French Rooster was the obvious choice. With the bold patterned blazer, it was best to keep the rest of the clothing plain Jane for a sharp and cohesive look.

With the base of the outfit ready to rock and roll, it was time for shoes and accessories. I knew exactly what shoes I wanted to wear and slipped on my pair of Nine West kitten heels. They are just so cute with the pointed toe and blinged out band! Sweet little touches like that and the lace on my cami added visual interest to the OOTD without going overboard. Sometimes, when it comes to work fits, less is more and a few well placed pops can go a long way. For earrings, I went with my new favorite pair of silver earrings from my mother-in-law. As I said, less is more and a necklace would have looked way too jumbled against the blazer pattern. With that, I was ready to rock the airwaves at Q104!

I loved my Off To The Studio OOTD and thought it combined professional with personality perfectly. Try saying that five times fast!

What is your work clothes style? What is your go to professional staple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr5

Easter Extravaganza OOTD

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Easter Extravaganza OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter crack me up because it’s basically just getting dressed up to sit there and eat food lol. That was the case this Easter, for sure, and I am so not complaining – everything was delicious. 😀 Even though I was only stopping by my parents’ house for a short visit, I still had to show out in a fun lil look. Trust and believe I got back in my pajamas as soon as I got home! I was in a champagne and food coma haha. Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Floral Blazer: Scotch & Soda, TJMaxx

Cami Top: mittoshop, French Rooster

Distressed Boyfriend Jeans: Banjara, TJMaxx

Snakeskin Pattern Boots: Target

Turquoise Earrings: Lucky Brand

When I am styling an OOTD, I usually like to start from the top down. However, I already knew that I wanted to wear my new Banjara jeans so I built from the bottom up. These boyfriend jeans were an amazing find from TJs and I can’t get over the bling bling embellishment and the price. They were only eight dollars on clearance! As you all have probably noticed, these jeans are not as tight as what I normally wear. It definitely felt different lol! But, they also helped set up the rest of the outfit because I knew exactly how I wanted to style them.

Since the jeans offered more wiggle room, I wanted the top of the look to be a bit more form fitting. I popped on my go to lace cami top from French Rooster to have something on that fit closer to my body. The lace also helped to balance out the toughness of the distressing on the jeans. Then, I went shopping in my blazer department and chose a floral number by Scotch & Soda. For the blazer, I didn’t want a power suit level fit. The Scotch & Soda one was perfect because it is a pajama top style and worked with the fit of the jeans so nicely. It gave shape without going in the polar opposite direction and it kept the look flowing seamlessly.

Next, it was onto shoes and accessories. I wanted to add an additional pattern with the shoes because they are so far away from the floral blazer and the jeans acted as a buffer. After browsing my shoe selection, I went with a pair of snakeskin patterned heeled boots from Target. These are literally old as dirt, but I still love them! They added such a funky pop as they peek a booed out from beneath the slightly too long for me jeans. The pattern was also soft enough that it didn’t clash with the blazer. The last thing I did was put on a pair of turquoise dangly earrings because the outfit didn’t need anything else. I also adored the pretty shade against the orange of the blazer. One of my favorite color combos!

With that, I was ready to go eat at chez parents in style. Our celebration wasn’t an extravaganza, per se, but my outfit sure was!

What is your favorite gemstone? How about your favorite animal pattern? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Feb24

Staircase Photo Shoot OOTD

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Staircase Photo Shoot OOTD

Hello! This past Saturday was an absolute delight filled with dear friends, family, and delicious food. Johnny and I met up with two of our favorite people for lunch at Barrio, which is one of all of our favorite restaurants. Barrio is a build your own taco restaurant and they also have the literal best Margaritas that I have ever had:

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The food and drinks were divine but the company was even better and Johnny and I had such a fabulous time! Since Johnny and I don’t go out too often, it makes every lunch or drink at the bar an occasion to get dressed up for. I had grand plans of having him take my pictures in downtown Kent but, unfortunately, it was SO. Freaking. COLD!!

It truly is such a Midwestern statement but it wasn’t the temperature that made it cold, it was the constantly blowing wind. And, for once, I even agreed that it wasn’t the day for outdoor pictures, which is really saying something. I was disappointed because I loved the outfit that I was wearing so I just had him take some shots on the staircase in our apartment, instead:

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Who? What? Wear?

I will be the first to admit that this outfit was definitely not appropriate for the weather but that has never stopped me before lol. While selecting my outfit, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear and, then, I remembered my Scotch & Soda blazer that I am obsessed with. Although it is a recent purchase, I kind of forgot about it because it has been too cold to wear it. Granted, it was way too cold to wear it on Saturday so I am looking forward to warmer weather even more so I can rock it without freezing my nads off.

The Scotch & Soda blazer is very light, making my black cami the obvious choice to wear underneath. Anything bulky would ruin the way that the blazer lays because it’s so form fitting. My distressed jeans were also, admittedly, not the best choice for a cold day because the holes in it are huge but I never get to wear them during the work week since they’re not the most appropriate!

With the base of my outfit complete, it was time for shoes and accessories. I chose one of my favorite necklaces by Mia Fiore to add some visual interest and it played beautifully against the deep gold accents in the blazer. I also liked the bold chain against such a delicate pattern. Normally, for earrings, I always rock dangly pairs but that wouldn’t work with the necklace so I went with some small studs, instead.

For my shoes, I toyed with a lot of different options but most of them would have broken up the sleek silhouette that I was working with. I finally ended up with my original thought of my platform loafers by ModCloth. They are not in the best shape because they’re pretty old but I loved how they looked with my OOTD.

With the loafers selected, I knew that I needed some type of sock with them because I am nothing if not sensible lol. I had a sheer white pair with daisies on it in mind but I couldn’t find them anywhere. It was all good, though, because I think my black ruffled ones looked even better. I thought it was so cute how you could still see the ruffles with the jeans I had on, which made for a really fun touch!

Was this a good outfit for the weather? Absolutely not. But was it still a good outfit? YES! I fricken love this OOTD and just had to share it with all of you, even if it was just pictures in my apartment! 😀

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods? How would you style my blazer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec21

TJMaxx Haul: Scotch & Soda Pajama Style Blazer Edition

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TJMaxx Haul: Scotch & Soda Pajama Style Blazer Edition

Hello! It has been a while since I had a big TJMaxx haul so I decided that it was definitely time to change that. 😀 This past week, my online order finally arrived in the mail and I am obsessed with all of the goodies that I picked out for myself. After So. Much. Holiday. Shopping. I thought that I deserved a treat too!

Today, we will be discussing an amazing pajama style blazer by Scotch & Soda. My only regret? That I didn’t buy the matching pants! Let’s get to it:

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I must admit that when I originally ordered this blazer, I didn’t have high hopes for it and had plans of it being one of the pieces that I returned. But, man, was I wrong because this is one of my favorite purchases from my shopping. What I thought might look like I forgot to get dressed in the morning turned out to be oh so fabulous and I can’t wait to wear it to work/out and about.

This Scotch & Soda blazer was part of a matching set and as soon as I tried it on, I instantly was kicking myself for not ordering the pants too. After my fashion show, I raced to the computer to see if they were still available and, sadly, my size was sold out. I thought that the full set would be a bit much and I genuinely don’t know what I was thinking because “a bit much” isn’t part of Lil Red’s vocabulary.

While I would have liked to see this set in its completion, I still love the blazer as an individual piece just the same. The colors are muted but so rich and they really pop against its black background. I also can’t get enough of the piping throughout the blazer for a touch of pajama party chic!

During my online shopping, I was looking for pieces that could double for work and play and I think that this blazer hit the nail on the head. This is something that I could easily wear to my office or for a date day with Johnny. It’s also light enough that I could sport it during multiple seasons for ultimate versatility.

Whether paired with skinny jeans or a little black skirt, I am dying to style my new blazer so be on the lookout for OOTD pics soon. And, keep it posted for more from my TJMaxx Haul! ❤

How do you feel about clothing sets? How would you style this blazer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah