Love POW: Sweater Saturdays are Pretty Cozy!

Outfit Mission Statement: Start with a cozy sweater and add feminine and practical pieces for a casual, pretty, and lifestyle-friendly look

Play Day Saturdays are clothes for taking your kids to the park, running errands, taking your dog for a walk, shopping, picnicking, travel, going to a museum or a zoo—out and about or home having fun clothes. These are the clothes you often live the best parts of your life in! The POW (Piece of the Week) the cabi fall 2015 Love Blouse. To me winter is all about the sweaters. I grew up in Maine and lived in as many sweaters as I could from November to March. Even here in Georgia, I wear them as much as a can. Sweaters automatically make things cozy! And you can do so much with them. Here, I took a longer, roomy open sweater with lovely stitches and a funky hem and added the sweet Love Blouse for a pop of femininity and some colors that suggest spring (which are often a nice promise on a cold day!). The skinnies carry the navy theme from the sweater and blouse, creating a longer line and a more put-together look. The brown buckle boots add practicality and contrast to the blouse. The rose-gold wire wrapped crystal earrings play off the blouse colors with adding a modern touch. Together, this look is cozy, feminine, and practical for whatever your errand or park game.

Tips:

• Up the femininity of a roomy sweater by wearing a lovely blouse under it
• Consider throwing on a cozy sweater instead of a coat when you need a warm layer but don’t want the bulk or coat look, or for when you will be going inside and outside often and don’t want the hassle of taking a coat on and off
• Create longer leaner lines by having the sweater and jeans be the same dark color (or even the same color) 
• Add a practical touch with sensible boots with strong details
• Go for modern accessories that drawn on colors in the blouse to not go too feminine with the look and to keep a less fussy feel

Outfit Breakdown:

The clothing items in this outfit are all cabi Fall 2015, and no longer available. Contact me if you must have something and I may be able to direct you to a stylist who has it. Look for substitutes from your own closet or check out the alternatives below. I normally will make the POW a currently available item, but my blog launched later than planned and I wanted to share these outfits. The next POW will be of an available item, I promise!

•  Blouse: This is the cabi Fall 2015 Love Blouse. To find a substitute from your own closet, look for a feminine blouse with a special feature. If you don’t have quite the right blouse to substitute in your closet, consider these cabi Spring 2016 alternatives: 
  • Vita Blouse: This gorgeous draped blouse is also sleeveless, and has a sexy cutout in the back 
  • Bella Top: This feminize, fluttery blouse has a similar feel to the love blouse 
  • Positano Top: This flowy top reminds me of vintage fabric with very current colors 
  • Gemma Top: This bright green beauty, has eyelets and lace for a vintage and trendy feel
• Jeans: Skinny jeans are everywhere. If you don’t already have some dark skinny jeans, I’m sure you can find some you will love. If you want something a bit less skinny (and white), consider the Slimmie. 
•  Sweater: This cozy delight is the Countryside Sweater—cabi Fall 2015 and not available. But cabi has some great Spring 2016 cardigans to consider: 
  • Blanca Cardigan: This white, ivory, and cream relaxed cardigan is a perfect layering piece for the transition to spring 
  • Sorrento Cardigan: This roomy black cardigan has over-sized pockets and a relaxed modern feel
•  Earrings: These are rose gold wire wrapped crystal earrings by Shine Chaser Jewelry. She does not currently have any available on her Etsy page, but you may be able to commission some. She does currently have these similar White Sea Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings and others that will nicely work in a casual outfit (or any type of outfit!).
• Boots: These are old Target favorites. Some available ones include 
  • Bamboo Studded Buckle Detail Boot: These funky boots with studs up the back are by Journee at Target 
  • Quinn Fashion Boots: These slouch and buckle boots are a smooth leather and are at Target 
  • Journee Collection Women: A shiny leather buckle boot 
  • Love Note: These suede buckle boots have a similar feel, by Aerosoles 
  •  Or, for a transitional boot the Fringed Reza Ankle Boot by Moss Supply available at Target

Spring into Spring with this white version of the look: Take the cabi Spring 2016 Bella Top, Blanca Cardigan and Slimmie, plus the Fringed Reza Ankle Boot and White Sea Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings. I love this look! I may have to buy it all!

POW Saturday Edition Week 1b: Play Day at the Track Saturday

Outfit Mission Statement: Reach for your comfort classics in clean crisp colors and add a nice jacket for a comfortable, classy look

Play Day Saturday are clothes for taking your kids to the park, running errands, talking your dog for a walk, shopping, picnicking, travel, going to a museum or a zoo—out and about or home having fun clothes. These are the clothes you often live the best parts of your life in! The POW (Piece of the Week) is the cabi fall 2015 Media Jacket. This jacket may not say “park” or “dog walk” to you—it is on the more dressy side. But, even if you reserve this comfy outfit for something less casual, it will work nicely for a variety of things! The secret is—I’m wearing tack pants (or joggers). These are not designed for the track or working out, although I wish my running clothes were this comfortable. But they are still a very causal style and extremely comfortable! These are the same pants worn in the Manic Media Monday POW post for this POW series. See how they work for work or errands? The other secret is a nice tee shirt. This is a long sleeved tee with an oversized swing feature. So, I’m just wearing a tee shirt! But it looks all fancy. The white helps with that. Take track pants, add a tee and a jacket and look what you can wear! And you can be as comfortable (or more so) than that mom in mom jeans and her husband’s tee (plus your husband may get less grumpy). Of course, the Media Jacket pulls the two casual, comfy pieces together in a striking outfit. Depending on your workplace, this could even be work appropriate!

Tips:

• Reach for nice and trendy versions of your favorites, like a tee shirt, to be comfortable and look good.
• When going for comfort, look for colors, patterns, and styles that dress up more easily. A clean dark black will look nicer than a faded black or gray. A clean white is always striking.
• Go beyond the jeans and yoga pants. Yes, they are comfortable. But you may find pants that are even more comfortable and more versatile. Plus, you can play with different silhouettes.
• Think of ways to mix casual and professional clothes for casual outfits that work when you want to look a little nicer than your default casual—nice jacket can always pull a look together and add some sophistication to even the most casual pieces.

Outfit Breakdown:

The clothing items in this outfit are all cabi Fall 2015 and no longer available. Contact me if you must have it and I may be able to direct you to a stylist who has it. I offer ways to substitute from you own closet or alternatives below. I normally will make the POW a currently available item, but my blog launched later than planned.

• Jacket: Shown is the Fall 2015 cabi Media Jacket, which is now unavailable. From your own closet, you can substitute a cropped jacket and/or a flashy jacket in a shorter style. Or, if you want to purchase, here are a few other cropped jackets to consider instead: 
  • ​Piazza Jacket from cabi Spring 2016 (white) 
  • ropped Mix Media Jacket from Michael Kors (black)
  • Cropped Jacket (beige) or the Double-Lapel Jacket (taupe) from White House Black Market
• Pants: Like the other cabi pieces in this post, these are Fall 2015 and no longer available for order (likewise contact me if you must have them and I will see if I can find a stylist with leftover samples). ​
  • Traveler Pant: These are Spring 2016 cabi pants and I’ve hear they are so comfortable (I’m finding out today!)—the color is not as dressy, but olive green can work wonderfully as a neutral ($119.00)
  • Joie Mariner B. Track Pants: Very similar to the track pants shown, but pricier ($168.00) 
  • Gap’s Flannel Joggers: More casual than the track pants shown, but more affordable (and on sale! $34.99)
  • Crepe Joggers: The crepe should make these work quite nicely for work ($25.00)
• Tee Shirt: This tee is the white cabi Fall 2015 Swing Tee, and not available. But there are some cabi and other alternatives: 
  • U-neck Tee: This is a fabulous drapery tee—I love mine from last spring and the combo is a favorite! ($76.00) 
  • Asymmetrical Tank: This tank comes in white or gray and has a great asymmetrical hem. Either color would work, but the white would match this the most closely for the pop of polish ($79.00) 
  • Long Sleeved Double-V Tee: This has the oversize appeal, with some tapering at the bottom, which does well hiding flaws. The heather white fabric may look more casual ($79.00)
  • Peri Swing Tee: By Anthropologie is more casual, in a heathered gray, but has a similar shape (sale $39.95) 
  • Sharkbite-Hem Long-Sleeve Swing Tee: Sold at Neiman Marcus Last Call also has a similar, but exaggerated, shape (sale $32.50)
• Shoes: These are an old, beloved pair of A2s from Aerosoles. Here are some in-stock options: 
  • Stroler: Similar look, without the cutout (sale $39.99) 
  • Teashop: For something easier to run around in, these are ballet flats with cool colors (prices vary) 
  • Lambada: Slide slits, open-toes, and a zipper for a smooth, trendy professional look. ($89.99) 
  • Layette: These leather sandals are fun, comfort, and trend in one ($89.00)
• Earrings: These are older Stella & Dot pieces, but they have a few that are similar: 
  • Sentiment Stone Drops: The smoky quartz is close to what I am wearing here, but there are nice blue and turquoise ones ($49.00) 
  • Isla Drops: These may have been part of the same collection, but are smaller, aqua, and round ($29.00)

Want an outfits that follows the same rules, but with spring pieces? Consider the cabi Spring 2016 Piazza Jacket, U-neck Tee, Traveler Pant, Layette sandals, and the cute Helios Necklaces.