5 Days, 5 Ways Bonus - Purple Skirt

When I was preparing for the 5 Days, 5 Ways challenge, I thought my purple skirt would be an excellent item to feature.  After mostly finishing this post, I realized that skirts were not one of the days.  Fail!  The good news is that I am adding a bonus day to the fun of last week!

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Digging through my archives, I realized that I usually pair this skirt with more neutral tops.  I've never had a lot of purple in my wardrobe, so I guess I don't know how to pair it with other colors.  I have had this look pinned for awhile, so I will probably try it out soon!

I am thinking I will try to do a remix post on a weekly basis.  They are some of my favorite posts to put together, and also my favorite topic to see on other style blogs.  What do you say?  Would you like that, or do you think remix posts are lame?

Top: Dillard's
Cardigan: Gap
Skirt: Sunny Leigh via Macy's
Boots: BareTraps via DSW

5 Days, 5 Ways - Casual Friday

 

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Sometimes, there are too many good linky parties going on!  Like this week, I was so caught up in the 5 Days, 5 Ways adventure that I almost missed out on Bloggers Do It Better Black and White Stripes!  No worries, I can make it work with my frequently worn black and white Gap t-shirt!

One of the reasons I wear it so much is that I think it works just as well with cut off jean shorts as it does with a pencil skirt. Above, I show 3 dressier ways I have worn this shirt.

Now on to the 5 Days, 5 Ways theme of the day, which is Casual Friday.  My office has a very casual dress code every day, and I'm usually on the dressier side of things, but I probably wear a more "Casual Friday" type outfit once a week.  This shirt is frequently featured.    

Here are 2 casual summer looks (remember summer?):

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This shirt is also a perfect piece for layering during the colder months.  On my least-inspired days, I can grab jeans and stripes, and then add a scarf or cardigan or both and I have a quick and easy solution! 

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In conclusion, I think every woman should have a basic black and white striped shirt.  And probably a sweater, and a sweater dress, too.  I might have a slight stripes addiction. 

5 Days, 5 Ways - Dresses

Most of the dresses that I wear on a regular basis have already been the subject of a remix collage, so it took some digging to find another one that I've worn enough times.  I landed on this faux wrap dress from Target.  I think I bought it in 2007, because it was on sale.  Then I hardly ever wore it, because I thought it looked weird with a cami underneath, and it wasn't decent alone.  Once I got a little more creative, I realized I could layer a button-down under the shirt, and I really like it that way! I also noticed that I usually wear it with crazy tights.

5 ways:  

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 Shirt: Gap
Dress: Target
Belt: Limited
Necklace: Dillard's
Boots: BareTraps via DSW

5 Days, 5 Ways - Bubble Necklace

You can't tell, but it was snowing and about 17 degrees and very windy as I was taking these pictures.  I had my tripod nestled in the garage so it wouldn't get wet or blown over, and I didn't have the patience to make sure my pictures were framed properly, so I'm kind of far away! 

Day 3 of the 5 Days, 5 Ways challenge is all about accessories.  It was tough to pick just one item to feature, but the bubble necklace was the obvious choice.  It's such a statement, and becomes the focal point of the outfit.  When I first saw these appear on fashion blogs, I thought they were cute, but I wasn't about to pay the $100+ for the J.Crew version.  Around Christmas, I noticed the cheaper option at Charming Charlie, and was happy to snag one!  I'd like another color, but I just can't decide what would be best (pink or black are in the lead right now).  Anyway, this is a great necklace and adds interest to any outfit! 

Today, I'm showing 6 ways! 

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Outfit Details:
Dress (as a skirt): Target
Sweater: Old Navy
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Belt: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Rampage

5 Days, 5 Ways - Red Pants

When I think about pants, I don't usually include jeans, so I very rarely wear "pants."  For the purposes of the 5 days, 5 ways project, my jeans get to be pants.  Otherwise, I would have to skip this day.  I got these a few days after Christmas, and I have worn them quite a bit.  I am looking forward to some warmer weather looks, once spring arrives:

Here are my 5 ways:

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And now for a nostalgic story about red jeans from 10+ years ago:  
Many years ago, I bought a pair of red jeans at Abercrombie & Fitch.  I think I was a junior in high school, and we were doing a college visit at KU.  After lunch, we got to wander around Lawrence for a bit, and I was very excited about my red jeans.  I think my friends thought I was weird, because colorful pants weren't really common at that point.  I loved those jeans, but then a wardrobe catastrophe struck.  Someone in my house was going to run a load of whites, and added bleach to the washer, but then promptly forgot about it.  Then I decided to run a load of all my dark clothes, not knowing about the bleach.  Needless to say, most of my clothes were ruined, including the jeans.  About a year later, I was visiting my sister in Illinois and I found the exact same red jeans at the Abercrombie Outlet.  Score!  Unfortunately, they didn't fit quite the same as the originals, but I still liked them.  I should really dig through my old photos and find evidence of these jeans.  Maybe I will have to bring back "Throwback Thursday" one of these days. 

Outfit Details:
Sweater: Limited
Tank: Gap
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Born

5 Days, 5 Ways - Leopard Top

 

This weekend, I did some closet cleaning, which resulted in a trip to the consignment shop.  I also found some old favorites in the back of my closet that have been neglected.  So, I am late to the "no longer neglected" party, but I'm jumping in here in the last week.  This leopard tank top is the only clothing item I have sewn from scratch.  I wore it a few times last winter/spring, and then apparently forgot about it.  Time to bring it back!  The above outfit was perfect for an impromptu dinner date on Saturday evening.

This is also Day 1 of the 5 Days, 5 Ways link up challenge with Whitney and Fran.  These are 2 of my favorite bloggers, so I'm excited to play along, and see what everyone else puts together.
 

Here are 4 ways I have previously worn this shirt, along with today's look (get it, 5 ways!).

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Goal for sometime this summer: wear this top without a cardigan!  It can stand on its own, I just tend to wear it on cooler days, like a Saturday in late March, when it is snowing.  All of my summery tops are now at the front of my closet, so I hope the weather cooperates soon and I can stop wearing giant sweaters one of these days!

Outfit details
Cardigan: Gap
Shirt: handmade
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Target