Sara, Author at livelovesara

What to Wear in Italy

June 22, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

Over the last week I put together a back to school wardrobe for women over 35, a 30 days in Italy in October packing list from the wardrobe selections, and today I am posting the last part, a 30 outfit options to go with the packing list. Having thirty different outfits to cover different weather and outings with room to make more, would mean you wouldn’t have to repeat an outfit the entire trip if you chose not to (which you probably will because we all do).

The climate and temperatures may range from Northern Italy to Southern but it remains relatively warm and sunny throughout October so light jackets, t-shirts, sweaters, and dresses will all work. I included as many pieces in larger size ranges that I could find to make everything available to a range of body types. It was fun pulling these pieces together through these three posts and I can’t wait to do it again.

Thank you Andrea for the idea. I hope my ideas helped and that you have an amazing trip.

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What to Pack for Italy – 30 Days Packing Light

June 20, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

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Back to School Wardrobe for over 35 +

June 17, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

When you hit a certain age or point in life you sometimes start to question your clothing and wonder if you should start abiding by the “what not to wear over….” articles that seem to flood your Facebook newsfeed.

I hate those. Hate them.

I’m not going to post a link to any because they can make you feel like shit and I don’t want to do that.

I think it is normal to question fashion choices. I did after the birth of my first child and I was only 25. I thought, I am a mom now and should start to abide by what society believes moms should dress like.

Where that brainwashed thought came from I can only blame on the feeling of failing in every aspect of my life and if I dressed like society believed a mom should dress than people would at least think I was a good mom.

I also equate those feelings to having undiagnosed postpartum depression but that is another post.

A blog post titled 24 Things Women Over 30 Should Wear passed through my new feed a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. It voiced my mantra of “wear whatever the fuck you want”.

That’s the only fashion rule I follow and the only fashion rule I think anyone needs.

This post comes as a request via Australia. I received an email several weeks back (I have a little backlog) asking for some help.

The request is actually twofold with a couple of parts to it. First she is a 40-year-old woman and is going back to school (congratulations! That is huge, and I might be a little envious) and wanted some clothing ideas that would keep her on trend but not too young, and on a budget.

Second, she is also going on a trip to Italy in October and was looking for ideas on what she could bring to cover the exploration/sightseeing aspect with some dressier dinners.

I am going to try to tackle this over a couple of posts with the first being the 35+ back to school wardrobe.

I picked the pieces based on her favourites colour palettes and her style of French Classic, mixed with some boho, a bit of Rock Chic, and eclectic. I find that I am partial to each of these styles and they filter through many of my clothing choices as well.

It’s hard to pick things for others because you never know if you are going to hit the mark or be way off from what they envisioned, and I try to remind people that the items I pick are only suggestions.

You can interpret those anyway that you want with any colours or prints that you choose, because it’s basically like a list of generic things with some visual guidance to help out.

This is like a capsule wardrobe that will cover back to school, as well as most other situations (except you may need a pair of heels added).

I want to say to Andrea who made the request, I know that you think that jeans aren’t the most comfortable for all occasions but I have an uncontrollable impulse to include them 😉

I find if you stick to a style with spandex or elastane in them they are quite comfortable (I know, I know but it is hard for me to choose a wardrobe without them) please bear with me.

Also, many of these pieces or something similar might already exist in your wardrobe, therefore, making it easier for you to plan out.

I am going to take some of the selections from this post and turn them into a packing list for Italy in another post also with some outfit ideas to give you a better visual of how to wear them for different occasions.

I tried to pick as many items in this list that run from sizes 8-18 and higher as I could. I also realize that the coral dress doesn’t seem very schoolish but I think that it could be very versatile.

It has a 1930’s vibe to me and I can picture it being worn with a messy undo and scarf tied around your head in retro fashion.

Everyone has their own fashion rules, stick to yours.

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May Monthly Purchases

June 14, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

So I actually meant to make this post at the beginning of June but apparently my blog organization sucks. Which is code for typing things in notes on my phone at 3am when it pops in to my head and then totally forgetting I did it. It would probably work if I remembered to check notes periodically.

I thought I would start doing a monthly round-up of things that I purchased through the month for a twofold purpose,

1. to show you how much I spend on new items per month, and
2. to keep a record of this for myself as well because we all know how fast those debit charges add up when you aren’t keeping track.

It can even be shocking how much you spend on coffees alone. That’s one of the first things that a financial advisor will tell you to do when you start working with them is to keep a spending diary (not just for clothing but everything) that way both you and they will get a better idea of where the money goes and how they can help you make a plan to better it. Yes, I have been to a financial advisor.

I have never been one to spend tons of money per month on myself. Even when I was young and had a disposable income I didn’t spend that much even though I worked in a mall and spent my breaks “shopping”. The temptation literally surrounded me and in hindsight I am proud of keeping a reign on it because it could have been bad.

My purchases for May were my cross body from Urban Outfitters for $64.00, lace up leather flats from Zara for $49.90, and some black pants also from Zara for $35.90.

Grand Total: $149.80

I also bought a Poäng chair (in the black-brown wood and Finnsta Gray cushion) and yellow Ofelia throw from Ikea but that doesn’t count in my clothing budget. Plus, we actually needed a new chair so it wasn’t an impulse buy.

Do you have any good organizational apps or suggestions to help me get my shit together?

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What I Wore This Week

June 13, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

We got a cat yesterday. It was a long time coming since the kids have asked for a while but I wasn’t ready yet. Five years ago this Canada Day I had to have my cat Iza put down. I got her when I was in college and she was the first pet I had that was actually mine and not my parents. She was my companion for my whole adult life up until that point and it broke my heart. It wasn’t until recently that I felt ready to get another one.

This guy we got out of a fluke. Tom’s friend was supposed to get him but he ended up with another cat and felt guilty so he asked Tom if he was interested and he said yes. Our new guy is an expat from Detroit. He is black with golden eyes, and is a polydactyl which makes him look like he is wearing mittens. We named him after one of my favourite literary characters of all time, Severus.

So this week was HOT. Saturday was so gross that I wanted to hide indoors but couldn’t due to having to take the kids to their classes. I’m not an avid swimmer but I think this summer we will be getting a lot of use out of our buildings pool if it is going to be hot like this. It’s indoors thankfully because both my kids don’t deal well in extreme heat and sun. I, myself have only had one sunburn my entire life and it was minor and contained to my cleavage area (wearing a v-neck) because I tend to avoid the sun like the plague. Which I guess will be good in the long run. Hopefully.

Is it mean that I want to put a little wizard hat on Severus? (Joking….kind of)

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What to Wear in New Zealand Teen Edition

June 10, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

Outfit Options 1-10

This post is the second part to the What to Pack for New Zealand – Teen Edition packing list that was a request from a high school student who is going on a school sports trip. I put together 30 outfit options from the pieces that include casual outing wear, workout/sportswear, and some dressier options. Since this trip is taking place in the New Zealand winter time the pieces will all layer well. I included leggings as both sportswear and too be layered under the skirt and dress to make them seasonal. In Auckland, New Zealand the winter averages around 11°C which is a relatively comfortable weather if you dress appropriately. I don’t think I duplicated any outfits but I may have and missed it, so if I did then I apologize. Thirty options for a 3 week trip means that you would not have to wear the same outfit twice if you are so inclined, but we all know that we generally gravitate to something we feel the most comfortable and our best in so I would expect to wear several outfits on rotation for a trip this long. My wish is that this post gave you some ideas on how to piece together the items I included so that you can reproduce similar ideas within your own wardrobe. I hope that this trip is a wonderfully memorable experience for you. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

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Outfit Options 11-20

Outfit Options 21-30