Row 1: White T-shirt • H&M old (similar) | V-neck • H&M | Blouse • H&M old (similar) | Pullover • H&M old (similar) | Light Blouse • H&M old (similar)
Row 2: Kimono • H&M old (similar) | Plaid Shirt • Zara (similar) | Light Denim • Zara | Mid Denim • H&M | Distressed Denim • H&M | Boyfriend jeans • Gap
Row 3: Dark Denim • Zara | Kimono Jacket • Madewell old (similar) | Floral Maxi • H&M old (similar, similar) | Animal Print Cardi • H&M (similar) | Oversized Cardi • Mango (similar)
Leather Jacket • Zara | Striped Shirt • Everlane | Black Pants • Zara | Slip-ons • Vans |
Grey Tee • Zara | Leopard Cardigan H&M (similar) | Grey Jeans • H&M | Boots • Frye |
Crossbody • Urban Outfitters | Pink Blouse • H&M (similar) | Jeans (3rd photo) • Gap |
Booties • DSW ( Similar) | Purse • Urban Outfitters | Plaid Shirt • Zara (similar)
Actually this is what I wore last week since this week isn’t finished yet. I decided that I don’t really like my white t-shirt that I have. It has this funny pocket on the chest that never lays flat and it annoys me so I am looking for a nice, quality white tee. I saw one from Everlane that is linen with a slight looser fit that I liked but my size is sold out. It’s not a rush, and since I haven’t actually bought anything new this month It think I can justify a shirt purchase if I come across one that I like.
One of my friends posted two magazine articles featuring the daily breakdown of what Candace Cameron Bure and Tiffani Thiessen eat in a day. We were shocked (or not so shocked) how low their daily calorie intake was and the magazines were promoting it like it was a healthy standard to follow. I have been known to eat that many calories in one dinner time which obviously isn’t healthy either, but it shows how easy it is to indulge in a lot of calories when you are not measuring and monitoring every little thing that goes in your mouth. Kudos to them because it seems to work well, but I like to eat and can’t imagine having to stop and think of whether it fits into my daily calorie number every time I want to eat something. It would take the joy out of eating for me. And who am I kidding? Eating gives me an immense amount of joy. One thing I noted was that Tiffani Thiessen drinks ginger beer and I LOVE ginger beer (Who would have thought that I have something in common with Kelly Kapowski). I have tried lots and my favourite by far (so far) is Grace Islands Soda Ginger Beer. If you aren’t prepared and take a huge swig of it, it burns your nasal cavity like a mother fucker. That shit has bite.
Are you a calorie counter or a “screw it” type of eater? 😉 (although it’s totally none of my business)
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Outfit 1 – Striped Shirt | Denim | Hat | Tote | Booties
Outfit 2 – Grey T-shirt | Black pants | Leather Jacket | Black Scarf | Nikes
Outfit 3 – Red dress | Tan Scarf | Brown Purse | Flats
Outfit 4 – Black Sweater | Casual Pants | Sunglasses | Tote | Nikes
Outfit 5 – Black Dress | Trench | Tote | Booties
Outfit 6 – White T-shirt | Black Pants | Hat | Brown Purse | Nikes
Outfit 7 – Pink Tank | Denim | Cardigan | Brown Purse | Flats
Outfit 8 – Tunic | Casual Pants | Black Scarf | Tote | Flats
Outfit 9 – Red Dress | Leather Jacket | Sunglasses | Tote | Booties
Outfit 10 – White Blouse | Black Pants | Tan Scarf | Brown Purse | Nikes
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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Outfit 11 – White Blouse | Denim | Cardigan | Tote | Flats
Outfit 12 – Striped Shirt | Casual Pants | Sunglasses | Brown Purse | Nikes
Outfit 13 – Red Dress | Trench | Tan Scarf | Booties
Outfit 14 – Tunic | Leggings | Leather Jacket | Tote | Nikes
Outfit 15 – Black Long Sleeve | Denim | Sunglasses | Brown Purse | Flats
Outfit 16 – Pink Tank | Black Pants | Black Scarf | Tote | Booties
Outfit 17 – Black Dress | Leggings | Leather Jacket | Sunglasses | Tote | Booties
Outfit 18 – Grey T-shirt | Casual Pants | Hat | Brown Purse | Nikes
Outfit 19 – Sweater | Black Pants | Black Scarf | Tote | Booties
Outfit 20 – White T-shirt | Denim | Cardigan | Brown Purse | Flats
Outfit 21 – Grey T-shirt | Denim | Sunglasses | Brown Purse | Booties
Outfit 22 – Striped Shirt | Black Pants | Leather Jacket | Tote | Flats
Outfit 23 – Black Dress | Sunglasses | Brown Purse | Nikes
Outfit 24 – Pink Tank | Casual Pants | Leather Jacket | Tote | Booties
Outfit 25 – Red Dress | Trench | Tote | Nikes
Outfit 26 – Tunic | Denim | Cardigan | Brown Purse | Flats
Outfit 27 – White T-shirt | Casual Pants | Leather Jacket | Tote | Nikes
Outfit 28 – Black Dress | Hat | Tan Scarf | Brown Purse | Flats
Outfit 29 – White Blouse | Denim | Trench | Black Scarf | Tote | Booties
Outfit 30 – Black Long Sleeve | Black Pants | Leather Jacket | Sunglasses | Brown Purse | Nikes
Tank • H&M | T-shirt • H&M | Grey T-shirt • Splendid | Tunic • H&M | Striped Shirt • H&M |
Long Sleeve • H&M | WHITE BLOUSE • Madewell | Sweater • Mango | Cardigan • H&M |
Red Dress • Mango | Black Dress • H&M | Dark Denim • Gap | Black Pants • H&M |
Casual Pants • H&M | Trench • Mango | Leather Jacket • Mango | Leggings • H&M |
Hat • Nordstrom | Black Scarf • Nordstrom | Coloured Scarf • Nordstrom |
Sunglasses • Madewell | Flats • Joe’s Jeans | Sneakers • Nike | Ankle Boots • Land’s End |
Tote • Sole Society | Crossbody • Urban Outfitters
Black Tank • H&M | Pink Tank • H&M | White Tee • H&M | Grey Tee • Splendid |
Graphic Tee • Topshop | Tunic • H&M | Long Sleeve • H&M | Striped Shirt • H&M |
White Blouse • Madewell | Chambray • Mango | Print Blouse • Mango | Pullover • Madewell |
V-Neck Sweater • Mango | Cape/Cardigan • H&M | Black Cardigan • Madewell |
Long Cardigan • H&M | Blazer • H&M | Skirt • H&M | Casual Dress • Mango |
Black Dress • H&M | Colourful Dress • Mango | Leather Jacket • Mango |
Trench • Mango | Casual Denim • Mango | Dark Denim • Gap | Black Pants • H&M |
Casual Pants • H&M | Leggings • H&M | Black Purse • Sole Society |
Brown Purse • Urban Outfitters | High Boots • Frye | Black Booties • Lands End |
Brown Booties • Lands End | Flats • Joe’s Jeans | Slip-ons • Nordstrom | Sneakers • Nike |
Hat • Nordstrom | Coloured Scarf • Nordstrom | Black Check Scarf • Nordstrom
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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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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