Tag Archives: shrinking violet

Nov22

Pattern Pop OOTD

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Pattern Pop OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! We have had an incredibly mild November in good ol’ Akron, Ohio and I’m honestly pretty annoyed by it lol. I just want to wear my cold weather clothes consistently without having a heatstroke, damnit! This past weekend after several warm days, the temperature took a slight drop and I was SO excited to break out one of my favorite statement jackets. It was short lived because we have had sixty plus degree days since, but it was great while it lasted! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Snakeskin Print Trench Coat: Stella Luce, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Platform Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

I’m pretty sure the teardrop earrings are from Target!

As you all know, I am a jacket fanatic. While I do have a lot of heavier options that I love, my main preference is a light trench coat or topper jacket. They are very appealing to me from a lazy perspective because they aren’t thick enough to be too warm so you don’t necessarily have to take them off once you reach your destination. Meaning that you could literally wear the worst outfit ever underneath and no one would know! The snakeskin trench by Stella Luce is perfect for this because its warmth factor is that of a slightly thick cardigan making it ideal for all purpose wear. Even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t want to take it off because it’s such an eye catching statement.

When you have a piece as bold as a full fledged snakeskin print trench coat, the rest of the outfit basically builds itself. Could you imagine pairing this coat with anything other than basic essentials? Me either! It would form a cacophonous outfit rather than a cohesive one. So, I slipped on my go tos for underneath. Black skinnies were a given as well as a black sweater too. The sweater by Shrinking Violet was just what I needed to wear below the trench coat because it is incredibly thin. It works so well for layering purposes and I highly recommend finding simple staples to come in with the assist when you are styling a look featuring a statement item.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. As the trench coat hits below my mid calf, a shoe with a pattern was simply not an option. Once again, we want cohesiveness not cacophony! I chose my platform boots by Olivia Miller to keep the color palette intact and offer a pop outside of the snakeskin pattern with the huge silver chains. With no open real estate for bracelets or necklaces, I put on one of my favorite teardrop pairs of jet black dangly gemstones. They allowed for further elongation of the neck, which was important to play up since minimal skin was shown in this look. With that, I was ready to take on the day!

Since I haven’t been able to dip into my coat collection as much as I would like, I was in love with this Pattern Pop OOTD. There is nothing better than wearing one of your all time favorite things!

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

Dec2

Thanksgiving Pt. 2 OOTD

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Thanksgiving Pt. 2 OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! You guys already saw the look I created for Thanksgiving day at my mom and dad’s and today we’re going to take a gander at what I wore to celebrate with Johnny’s family. We spent a wonderful day with Johnny’s mom, dad, and aunt the day after Thanksgiving. We had a delicious meal, played lots of goofy games like Quiplash, and had an absolute blast. For Thanksgiving Pt. 2, I wanted to style an OOTD that was cute, of course, but comfy too. Your girl was in a food coma from the day before lol! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Cheetah Print Cardigan: Ruby Moon, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Red Heeled Boots: Bamboo, TJMaxx

Coin Necklace: Mia Fiore, TJMaxx

I have no idea where the cross earrings are from!

Whenever I think of “cute and comfy” for cold weather clothing, my mind instantly conjures up cardigans. I love me a cardigan SO much and have quite the collection in every style and knit imaginable. Cardis are a fun piece of clothing because they are truly a dress up or dress down piece. An outfit featuring a cardigan can be as casual or as dressy as you make it and I chose my cheetah print cardi by Ruby Moon to get my OOTD started. Like my husband, I am very fond of animal print and the cheetah pattern of this cardigan just hit different. The jet black pattern against the wheat colored base felt chic and added a touch of sophistication to such a classic comfort piece.

Once I had selected my cardigan, the rest of the outfit was super easy to build from there. It was FREEZING on Thanksgiving Day and it was just as cold on Friday too. To stay warm, I put on a black sweater by Shrinking Violet. This was the perfect layering piece for underneath my cardi because it was thin and form fitting. Remember when layering that two thicker pieces on top of each other is a major no no unless you like looking like a marshmallow! I also liked that this sweater was completely plain so it let the cheetah print do all of the talking.

Next, it was time to visit the pants department and I knew just what I needed: My coated black skinnies by Seven Jeans. These actually feature a snakeskin pattern but you would never know unless you are really looking for it. However, it wasn’t the pattern I was interested in for these jeans but the texture. With two knit pieces on top, I wanted to add some visual interest on the bottom and my Seven Jeans gave the sheen to break things up. This was another way to keep my OOTD feeling chic even though I was purely dressing for comfort.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For jewelry, I had a nice blank canvas from the plain Shrinking Violet sweater so I could get away with a chunky necklace that had some length. I went for a stunning necklace by Mia Fiore that featured a bright gold chain and an antique coin as the pendant. I also put on a pair of long dangly cross earrings to offer some extra length to my neck since it was rather covered up. Since the base of this outfit was completely neutral, I knew that I could have some fun with the shoes. I chose my pointed toe, cherry red heeled boots by Bamboo and it gave a fabulous pop of color. With that, I was ready to go eat even more Thanksgiving food! 😀

I styled two completely different looks this Thanksgiving and I love how both of them turned out. For Thanksgiving Pt. 2, I wanted to style a look that would never let you know I was dressing to be comfy and I think I succeeded!

What do you wear to dress for comfort? What is your favorite pattern to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Aug18

Back To School TJMaxx Haul

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Back To School TJMaxx Haul

Heyyy everyone and happy Tuesday! This past Sunday I went back to school shopping for a fabulous new outfit for my first day back at Tri-C and I was very successful!! Check out these cute new finds and then let’s discuss:

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  • Sweater, Shrinking Violet
  • Blazer vest, Spacegirlz

TJ’s had tons of adorable fall clothing and I seriously wanted it all! I went shopping with the intention of getting a new pair of black skinnies so I don’t have to wear the same two pairs constantly but I left with two new black tops instead. I’ll have to make a trip to H&M for some skinnies shopping, which I’m so okay with! I’m very happy with both of the items that I got. The Shrinking Violet sweater is going to be perfect as a layering piece or worn alone with some funky jewelry. I plan on wearing it underneath the poncho that I got from Loft (see “Loft Haul” article for more!) and pairing it over a dress with some nice thick tights. I’ve wanted a simple and chic black sweater for ages so I’m really glad I finally found one that’s worthy of being in my closet boutique!

I’ve always loved the idea of blazer vests and my Spacegirlz find couldn’t be better! In the TJ’s fitting room I put the vest over my Shrinking Violet sweater with some black skinnies for good measure. Unfortunately, the jeans fit so weird in the crotch and I just couldn’t deal! Despite the crotch issues, the look was exactly what I wanted for my back to school outfit. It was sharp and edgy but it still looked smart and elegant, so it was the best of both worlds.The way the Spacegirlz vest fit was exquisite as well. It was somewhat loose and hung in a way that was so effortlessly cool and the fact that it’s knee length and sleeveless is an unexpected twist on a classic staple. Needless to say, I’m in love. My All Black Everything back to school outfit will be accessorized with my favorite black Vera Wang lace up wedges, some loud gold jewelry, and a red lip to tie it all together, of course! 😉

So there you have it, my Back To School TJMaxx Haul! What is everyone rocking on their first day of classes? Where is the best place to find some back to school shopping deals? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah