Tag Archives: trench coat

Apr9

Florals For Spring OOTD

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Florals For Spring OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new flowery OOTD here on lifewithlilred! In the eternal words of the great Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada “Florals for spring? … Groundbreaking”. But, hey, it wouldn’t be spring without beautiful flowers blooming outside and on clothing too! I wouldn’t say I’m a huge floral pattern girl, however, I fell immediately in love with the statement trench coat you are about to see and that love has only strengthened since bringing it home lol. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Floral Trench Coat: Solitaire, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Platform Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

Hoop Earrings: Argentino Vivo, TJMaxx

OOTDs that revolve around a statement piece essentially build themselves. When I think of “statement” clothing, I think of something so bold and eye catching that it really doesn’t need anything else. With clothes like that, the goal isn’t so much building an outfit but simply enhancing your established focal point. In my OOTD’s case, the trench coat by Solitaire was the star and I wanted it to shine fully.

As you can see, there were several colors that I could have pulled from in the trench coat BUT I didn’t want to go the matching route. There were so many pretty shades and I wanted the focus to be on all of them rather than one specific hue. So, I gave the trench coat a fully neutral backdrop with an All Black Everything ensemble underneath. That way, the coat did the talking and the outfit would still make sense if I took the trench off. I definitely don’t think this outfit would have had such a sleek end result if multiple different colors were fighting for attention.

With the base of the OOTD good to go, it was time for shoes and accessories. For shoes, I chose my favorite pair of platform boots by Olivia Miller. I loved that the chains added a blingy surprise as the faux suede coat is quite muted in terms of color and texture. To play into that pop of silver, I added on a long necklace with a thin silver chain. Then, I pulled from the sage green in the trench coat and popped on a pair of dark green hoops by Argentino Vivo and was on my way with a spring in my step!

Florals For Spring might not be groundbreaking but they are a beloved staple and I love my take on it!

What is your favorite piece of statement clothing in your closet? What is a pattern that you like for spring that isn’t floral? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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

Feb22

Terrific Trench Coat OOTD

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Terrific Trench Coat OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! Thanks to a recent TJMaxx Haul, I got several gorgeous new pieces to freshen up my spring wardrobe. It’s amazing how just a few things can completely breathe new life into what you already have and I have been most inspired by my new goodies. You already saw an adorable V-Day button down featured in a look, but what I was most looking forward to was rocking my new trench coat by Solitaire. Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Floral Trench Coat: Solitaire, TJMaxx

White Button Down: H&M

Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Army Green Heeled Boots: BCBG, TJMaxx

*** The bumblebee earrings are from Target!

When I style outfits, I am normally building around one specific piece and that was the case with this OOTD. I find it is so much easier to create a look to compliment a staple item because it narrows down your options significantly. For this outfit, I had my new trench coat in mind and all that was left to do was build the remainder of the look. To start, I put on a stark white button down by H&M. I wasn’t too concerned about what I had on underneath because it was freaking freezing out so the coat was staying on. However, I wanted the top to pop despite this and the crisp white against the muted florals worked perfectly.

For jeans, I kept things simple with a pair of plain black skinnies. The coat already offered texture from the faux suede material and a pattern (Obvi!) so anything more on the bottom would look muddled. This is a good rule to follow to keep from a cluttered appearance. Although, let’s say that the coat was just the dusty pink with no pattern at all and the same material. Then, a patterned pant would be just right!

Next, it was onto shoes and accessories. I went with a pair of army green heeled combat boots by BCBG for this look. It gave me some much needed height since the coat was pretty lengthy in itself. And, of course, the color was similar enough to the patterns in the coat to give top to bottom cohesion. Jewelry was all that was left and I decided on a pair of bumblebee stud earrings. I tried on a dangly pair, but they took away from my neck and that was a no no since not a lot of skin was showing in this look. The bumblebees also matched with the flower garden vibe of the trench coat, which I thought was a cute touch!

I had been so eager to wear my new little number by Solitaire and it felt fantastic in my Terrific Trench Coat OOTD. I have a feeling I will be living in it this spring! 😀

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

Feb18

New Solitaire Trench Coat

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New Solitaire Trench Coat

Hi!! To me, there is nothing better than refreshing my wardrobe with the change of seasons and TJMaxx delivered during my last shopping trip. Despite the crappy weather, spring was in the air at TJs and it was infectious! Today, we will be discussing the last item from my clothing haul and, in this case, I really did save the best for last. This trench coat by Solitaire made me clutch my pearls and it has skyrocketed to one of my new favorite things in my wardrobe boutique. Check it out:

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The trench coat is, hands down, my all time favorite classic wardrobe staple. They are just so incredibly chic, universally flattering, and I love the versatility that a signature tan trench offers. I have had the same trench coat from PacSun since I was fifteen and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. Because of this, trench coats are never really on my radar as something I need. Why mess with perfection, amiright? Of course, I ate those words as soon as I saw this pretty little number by Solitaire. Hey, I have the classic trench already and now I have the 2.0 version too!

I consider myself to be a highly seasoned shopper, but never have I ever seen anything like my new coat before. The pattern is simply stunning with huge blooms and butterflies and the soft faux suede just makes you want to wrap yourself in it. I also can’t get enough of how the colors in the patterns pop against the dusty pink base. From top to bottom, this coat was everything I could possibly want and it’s amazing that I almost didn’t get it! Wait *record stops*… What?

Lol, yes. This coat almost didn’t come home with me! I tried it on in a medium and it was a bit too big. However, I couldn’t find a small on the racks to save my own life. That is, until my mom stepped in! At the beginning of our shopping trip, I explained my golden rule to my mom of always checking the sizes of each item in case it’s on the wrong size hanger. I broke this rule with the coat, but my mom remembered! She ended up finding a small on a size large hanger and it was nothing short of miraculous. I’m glad someone remembered my words of wisdom because I sure as hell didn’t haha.

Thanks to an astonishing assist from my mom, my dream trench coat was as good as mine. I cannot wait to show it off in a new OOTD soon. Peep the rest of my TJs haul tomorrow because my home decor got a refresh too in the best way possible! 😀

Do you have any golden rules when you shop? What is one of your spring wardrobe staples? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Sep23

Fall Haul: Stella Luce Snake Print Trench Coat Edition

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Fall Haul: Stella Luce Snake Print Trench Coat Edition

Howdy and welcome to the final edition of my Fall Haul from TJMaxx! Today, we are going to be discussing an amazing snake print trench style coat by Stella Luce and I am obsessed. Johnny and I are both extremely partial to animal print clothing and he loves anything cheetah print while I am fond of all things snakeskin. I fell in love with this trench coat as soon as I saw it hanging on an end cap and I cannot wait for the weather to cool down so I can wear it all of the time! Check it out:

Between my husband and I, we have snake patterned clothing and shoes in a variety of colors including blue, grey, red, white, and brown. The majority of my snake print pieces in my wardrobe are shoes and purses so I was very excited to find a coat in my most beloved pattern. While cheetah print is fun, snakeskin is oh so sophisticated and sexy and I always find myself drawn to it time and time again.

Johnny and I have been looking forward to fall since it ended last year because it is our favorite season to dress for. We love sweaters, boots, and coats and if we could we would be dressing for fall all year round. This Stella Luce number is going to be a staple for my fall wardrobe and it will be perfect for work or play. I can picture myself throwing this on and heading to work in the morning or dressing it up for a date day with Johnny.

I live for styling unique outfits and because this coat is such a bold piece, it really doesn’t need much. Skinny jeans, a light long sleeved shirt, heeled boots, and a floppy hat paired with this coat will elevate simple pieces into an OOTD worth blogging about. And, as soon as the cold weather hits: Don’t mind if I do! 😀

What is your favorite animal print? What are you looking forward to this fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec2

Trail Blazers: Jones New York Blazer Dress

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Trail Blazers: Jones New York Blazer Dress

Hello everyone! It’s no secret that Lil Red loves the Goodwill – a spark which has burned brightly since doing a majority of my apartment shopping there when I moved in. Similar to TJMaxx, shopping secondhand feels like a treasure hunt. You literally never know what you’re going to find. Sometimes the shopping trip is fruitless and other times you walk out with a bagful of things you didn’t know you needed until you laid eyes on it.

For example, the last time I was at Goodwill, this amazing Jones New York dusty pink blazer dress was just hanging out on one of the end caps and it was instant love. With vintage vibes and a color I rarely wear, this purchase felt exciting and I am so looking forward to sporting it this holiday season. Take a look:

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The very cool thing about this little number, aside from the fact that it looks fresh out of the 1950s, is the options that it comes with. Yes, it could be worn as a dress, which I plan on doing for at least one holiday get together. But, it also can be thrown on as a trench style coat, which will look particularly becoming in the spring. Buying pieces that can be worn a multitude of ways helps the garment continue to feel exciting with every use and it always makes me feel like I’m getting a lot of bang for my buck.

I spent a whopping five dollars on this dress and I’m sure that the original price tag was at least twenty times that. And, that’s the beauty of secondhand shopping. For five dollars I got to treat myself with an old piece of clothing that feels brand new to me and there is really nothing better than that!

What has been one of your favorite secondhand finds? How do you shop secondhand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec16

Unsung Wardrobe Heroes: Jack Trench Coat Edition

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Unsung Wardrobe Heroes: Jack Trench Coat Edition

Hey hey and welcome to a new edition of Unsung Wardrobe Heroes! One thing that I love is reading through fashion magazines. Vogue, Allure, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar – I’m a fan of it all. The ads, the articles, the fashion stories, it all has me hooked. When I was about fifteen, I remember thumbing through one of my beloved fashion bibles and seeing a fashion story about trench coats – it was literally called “The Allure Of The Trench” and I think that I would pinpoint that moment as when I got interested in fashion.

In this story, the photos featured a gorgeous, smokey eyed model with long, black hair in a smart and classic trench coat paired with black tights and heels. She looked stunning. But she also looked effortless – it was truly a piece about timeless beauty and that is the trench coat. I wanted to look like that model. I wanted to be that model. In fact, I still have the pictures hanging up in my room:

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^^^ Isn’t that beautiful?

You can probably see why I became obsessed with getting my own trench coat after seeing that picture. And shortly thereafter, I did. When I was younger, PacSun was my favorite store to shop at, and I ended up working there for four years. While shopping one day with my mother, I saw the most beautiful Jack trench coat on the planet. I was fifteen and it screamed “fashion” at me. It was perfect.

In the moment of seeing my trench and trying it on, I could see why the fashion story was called “The Allure Of The Trench”. I felt grown up, elegant, and devastatingly chic at fifteen years old and I knew that that was how the model in the pictures felt, too. I had to have it. And, over eight years later, I still wear my beloved trench often – as seen below:

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The pictures seen above are an ode to that wonderful fashion story that introduced me to the trench coat. It’s an ode to the moment where I fell in love with fashion, and an ode to still being inspired by an almost decade old fashion magazine story to this day. I wish that I could remember what magazine it was featured in, but I will always remember “The Allure Of The Trench” just the same.

What is your first memory of falling in love with fashion? Does anyone have a story similar to mine about a loved trench coat or another wardrobe hero? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct11

Vacation Purchases

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Vacation Purchases

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! I have regrettably been home from the beautiful Asheville, North Carolina for about a week now but with some fab purchases made during my vaca, it makes transporting my mind back to the fun I had just a little bit easier. I stocked up on one of my favorite beauty products as well as added some super cute new accessories to the mix so take a look and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Appalachian Naturals Complexion Bar
  • Two fringe bandanas from Francesca’s

Beauty Bar: When I was in Asheville in June, my mom and I must have spent at least an hour in Appalachian Naturals which boasts a wide assortment of handmade beauty products. We still have a ton of body bars left but I was in need of another one of their complexion bars. I began using my first bar in June and I am still not done with it yet, which just shows you how long lasting their products are. This beauty bar is one of the best things that has ever happened to my skin and leaves it feeling (and looking!) like a million bucks. I can’t recommend the products of Appalachian Naturals enough and urge all of you to check out all of their amazing goodies on their website!

Bandanas: One of my favorite accessories are bandanas. I love wearing them with flannels, jackets, T’s, dresses, – basically any clothing item that you can imagine. I think that they are so fun and edgy and they add just the perfect amount of grungy cool to any look. My family went shopping at the outlet malls while in NC both times and a Francesca’s had opened shortly after we left in June. Shopping in the relatively new store was a lot of fun and when both my mom and I saw my two new bandanas, we instantly knew that they were mine.

Of course, the black one was a must for me and I’m actually wearing it right now with a black sweater and a camouflage trench coat from Urban Outfitters. But, at buy one get one half off, I figured I might as well indulge in other style as well. I don’t own a white bandana because I never really cared to but I really like my new one! What made me love it so much is that not only does it have cloth fringe but it also has metal chains hanging from it, too. I had never seen anything like these new additions to my wardrobe and I am having such fun incorporating them into my OOTDs. My new bandanas instantly transform any outfit and I am so pleased with my Francesca’s purchases.

I didn’t return from my vaca with a huge haul of goodies but I could not be happier with the items that I took home. They are the perfect little mementos from my trip and I look forward to getting great use out of all three items.

So there you have it, my Vacation Purchases! What has been your most recent treat yoself item? What is your favorite local store to shop at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct6

Lil Red’s Fall Fashion Obsession!

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Lil Red’s Fall Fashion Obsession!

My fall fashion staple this year is everything khaki! I think it’s the most fantastic neutral in the whole world. To narrow my obsession down even more, let me specify with these three jackets – which I plan on wearing all fall and winter long!

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All three of these coats are from PacSun, the trench coat is Jack and the two pictured on the right are LA Hearts. I bought that gorgeous belted trench when I was 16. I remember seeing it and thinking it was the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s probably the most classic article of clothing I own. Therefore, four years later, I’m still madly in love with it. My favorite way to wear my trench is with a super sharp pair of skinny jeans, knee high boots, and a bowler hat. Whenever I work variations of this outfit, I seriously feel like a model strutting down the streets of New York City. It makes me feel SO chic and stylish. It’s such a simple outfit too, yet so timeless. Ten years from now, when I’m 30, I know I’ll be wearing something similar. My LA Hearts parkas are also fantastic fall staples and layering pieces. The top right jacket was purchased a year ago, and it still remains as my go to fall coat. The contrast between the khaki structure and the charcoal gray sleeves is so alluring to me. And don’t even get me started on the cute Aztec elbow patches! Love. No matter where I go, I always get complimented on this coat. Both right hand pictures are great for layering. I usually pair both of these with a sweater and some type of scarf to tuck into the neckline. When paired with something heavier underneath, I can usually get away with wearing these babies into the snowy winter weather. One thing that I fell in love with about my bottom right coat was the utilitarian feel of it. I liked the symmetry of the two sets of pockets and I thought the toggles on the waist were a really sweet touch. The plainness, for lack of a better word, of this coat really drew me in, because I knew I could pair it with anything and it would look awesome. I’m excited to pair this baby with a dress and tights this fall. Honestly, I’m excited to pair all of these with whatever I want this season, because no matter what, they’re going to go with 100% of my wardrobe. Khaki is a fantastic take on the usual neutrals such as black, brown, gray, or navy. It feels a lot fresher, which is what I really like about it. I’m always on the prowl for the “fresh take” on go to colors or pieces, and I think khaki fits this to the T!

What’s everyone’s go to fall piece? How do you plan on wearing it? How do you make your neutral pieces pop? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah