Yellow, Blue and Bows

 

It's the unofficial start of summer, so I think my days of being able to wear jackets and blazers are numbered, although with the May gray and June gloom here in California, sometimes it does get a little chilly in the mornings! Last week, we had several of those mornings, so I thought I could wear this new yellow and white jacket at least once before I have to pack it away and wait months until the fall and winter seasons. This jacket came out a couple of months ago and sold out almost immediately, much to my chagrin! A couple weeks ago, I was alerted that it came back in stock in all sizes, so I snagged it before it could sell out again! The good news is that it's still in stock, so if you love it as much as I do, now is the time to get it, even if you have to save it for next year!

 

I love pairing yellow with blue together because it's such a classic combination! Luckily, I also purchased these blue and white bow kitten heel shoes. I truly think the shoes are the perfect match to this jacket! The blue and white bows are adorable, but I also really like the fact that the heel is low enough so that they are work appropriate and comfortable. Unlike the jacket, I can definitely wear these shoes all summer long! The same goes for my light blue bag from Teddy Blake; it's a classic bag to go with this classic look and I think it will also be a staple in my wardrobe this summer!

 

Jacket: Ann Taylor here

Top: Vineyard Vines similar here

Jeans: J .Crew Factory here

Shoes: Ann Taylor here

Bag: c/o Teddy Blake here

 

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Scotties and Plaid

 

I love all dogs but Scottie dogs are particularly cute, especially around the holidays! While I tend to prefer larger dogs, if I had to get a small dog, it would definitely be a toss up between a Scottish Terrier or a Corgi! Anyway, I have several Scottie dog ornaments that are currently hanging on our Christmas tree, one of which really reminds me of this Scottie dog sweater from J. Crew Factory. Just like the sweater, the ornament features a Scottie dog in traditional Scottish plaid garb. To match the plaid on the Scottie, I paired this sweater with a festive plaid skirt; it's the perfect, preppy holiday outfit! I guess the only thing that would make this outfit better would be if I accessorized with a real Scottie dog!

 

I thought this Scottie dog and plaid outfit would look nice layered with a denim or chambray shirt and some velvet shoes. Now that the weather is finally cooler here in Los Angeles, I can now wear some layers, which is always exciting! The window for dressing in layers in Los Angeles is always small, so you might as well take advantage of it while you can! It would be nice if we also had some snow here to really get into the holiday spirit but I'm just happy that the leaves are turning pretty colors and it's cool. I think snow in Los Angeles would be a very tall and improbable order!

 

Sweater: J. Crew Factory here

Shirt: Old Navy similar chambray shirt here

Skirt: J. Crew Factory here

Shoes: J. Crew similar shoes

Bag: Gucci similar red bag

 

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Embellished Insect Cardigan

 

I really love a sweater with unique details, especially in the form of embellished details. Luckily, around the holidays you start seeing these types of sweaters pop-up everywhere! This unique embellished insect cardigan with beaded scarab beetles was right up my alley. While this sweater was a little on the pricey side, one thing I was really impressed with was the quality of the sweater and the embroidery. Even my husband liked it, despite the price, and he's a pretty tough critic when it comes to many things, my clothing included!

 

I decided to go for more of a preppy look when styling this sweater. I purchased these blue and white flared pants last year and I actually hadn't yet worn them. (Keep in mind that I spent most of last year on Zoom, so dressy bottoms were non-existent!) I thought these pants were the perfect complement to the navy sweater. With the gold accents in the scarab embroidery, I also decided on some gold loafers and a gold headband to top things off. Like I said, this outfit was a hit with my husband, who likes more classic styles. I like to think that this style is classic, with a quirky and fun twist!

 

Sweater: Boden here

Pants: J. Crew here

Shoes: J. Crew similar gold loafers here and here

Bag: Prada similar blue tote here

 

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Preppy with a Twist!

 

I like dressing a little preppy, especially as we approach the fall and winter months. Even if I am dressed on the preppy side, I do like to add my own stamp on an outfit or find items that nod to preppy styles but with a twist. While I don't think I would have automatically viewed these red and pink plaid pants as preppy, they are called "preppy wide leg pants" on the Anthropologie website. Now that I look at them, they do sort of look like they could be some very funky preppy golf pants from the 70s! Obviously, I added my own twist to these "preppy" plaid pants by pairing them with a pair of pom pom mules and red heart sunglasses.

 

I wore these pants for a sponsored Instagram post that I shot this weekend.  After wearing the pants around for a while, I decided that I liked them so much that, when I came home, I ordered them in the purple and orange combo that they also come in! The fact that they are currently on sale made them even more appealing! Also, Halloween is right around the corner so the purple and orange color palette will be perfect for the occasion! I think the version I'm wearing here in pink and red will be perfect for Valentine's Day this year! I guess I have a lot of my holiday outfits covered with these two pair of pants!

 

Pants: Anhropologie here

Blouse: J. Crew similar white ruffle top here

Shoes: J. Crew similar here

Bag: Mansur Gavriel similar here

Sunglasses: St. Laurent here

 

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Just Us Chickens

Last month, I was watching the television show Last Man Standing and saw the character Mandy wearing this chicken sweater. I loved the sweater so much that I immediately Googled "chicken sweater" in order to find it. Luckily, there are not a lot of chicken sweaters on the market, so it was very easy to find! (Actually, there are a lot of sweaters for chickens to wear but that's another story!) Well, I waited for the sweater to go on sale, which it recently did, and then I treated myself to it as an after Christmas present to me, from me!

This is one of those sweaters that would look fabulous with jeans but I thought I would dress it up a little bit with a blue and white check shirt, a wool herringbone skirt and some brown leather boots. It's a very classic look but with a quirky twist because of the chicken! I also have another chicken sweater that I bought at least five years ago from J. Crew (the chicken on it is wearing a French beret!) but I'm glad that I added this chicken sweater to my collection because, obviously, you can never have too many chicken sweaters!

Sweater: Clare V. here
Skirt: Brooks Brothers similar here and here
Shirt: J. Crew here
Boots: Christian Louboutin similar brown boots here
Bag: Clare V. here

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A Touch of Velvet, Plaid and Sparkle

It's crunch time! In other words, time to break out all the holiday essentials, such as plaid, velvet, and anything with sparkle before the holidays are gone in the blink of an eye! I've been wearing all of these holiday staples non-stop lately, but with this look, I've combined all three for the perfect holiday trifecta!

My favorite part of this look would most likely be my plaid shoes from Talbot's. Not only are these shoes plaid, but they also feature faux fur pom poms, which just pushes them over the top in my opinion! I'm a sucker for plaid shoes and my collection is definitely growing! I know that the window in which one can wear these types of shoes is rather small, but I do actually get a lot of use out of them, not to mention heaps of enjoyment!

Last of all, in my perfect holiday trifecta of an ensemble, are my velvet top and my new necklace from Rocksbox. Rocksbox has sent me a lot of beautiful pieces of jewelry over the last few months, but this necklace is probably at the top of my list. Plus, when I saw that my Rocksbox stylist included it in my set for this month, the timing could not have been more perfect because the green jewel tones of the necklace go with all of my plaid for the holidays! If you would like to try Rocksbox or give it to a friend for the holidays, use code: hellokatiegirlblogxoxo for a one month free trial!

Jacket: J.Crew similar here, here
Top: J. Crew Factory velvet peplum top here
Jeans: J. Crew
Shoes: Talbots here
Bag: Clare V. leopard clutch here
Sunglasses: Prada

Unbearably Cute!

I think I'm on a critter kick with my wardrobe lately! My last post featured an adorable llama sweater from J. Crew and in this post I'm featuring my new polar bear pencil skirt from Talbot's! I guess I'm just a sucker for clothing featuring cute animals! Let's face it, polar bears are unbearably cute, especially when they are embroidered on skirt! (I would imagine that, face to face, they may not be so adorable!)

I've just recently started shopping at Talbot's because I think they've done a wonderful job with their line of clothing for winter. Their clothing is preppy, colorful, and festive, which are three things that I love! When I was a teenager, I remember shopping at Talbot's with my mother and grandmother and thinking that the styles were very dated and "old" looking. I will have to say, however, that over the last year or so, the brand seems more trendy, fun, and youthful, which means the styles can truly be worn by women of all ages.

Since this skirt was one of my first purchases from Talbot's, I'll just add a quick note about sizing for any other first time Talbot's shoppers who might be reading this. (This would have been helpful for me before making my first purchase!) The sizing on all of their clothing seems to run a bit large. I bought both this Talbot's skirt and a sweater in my usual J. Crew size and, unfortunately, they were way too big. I had to take the skirt to the store to exchange it for a size smaller. Luckily, the people working at Talbot's were some of the most helpful, friendly sales associates I've ever met. No, this isn't a sponsored post from Talbot's, but I did genuinely enjoy their product offerings and my shopping experience in the store!

Shirt: Old Navy classical flannel shirt here
Skirt: Talbot's polar bear velveteen skirt here
Shoes: J. Crew similar red flats here
Bag: Dooney and Bourke Alto tassel bag here
Belt: Target similar gold glitter belt here
Sunglasses: Celine