Archive for September 2015
Jean Jacket and Summer Dress
Posted on: September 30, 2015
I love extending Summer Dresses for All Seasons
With Summer Temperatures Still Hanging Around,
A simple addition of my thrifted jean jacket, made it work for going out to dinner.
I am chomping at the bit , to wear this dress with my mint leather jacket ,
I bought new for the coming season.
I’ve even picked out a scarf that I’d like to pair with it…
Yes, that’s how a fashion blogger survives the extension of Summer weather,
dreaming of ways to wear items for the colder temperatures.
I love layering and Fall and Winter,
It’s a much more creative time for a blogger ,
who uses fashion as her artistic outlet.
One thing I do miss once that time comes,
is wearing stacks of my vintage bracelets.
Dear Readers, Tonight was my monthly
Parents Night Out and we went to Olive Garden for dinner.
I shared with them my Olive Garden story…
My husband and I originally met one night in a dive bar, he was there with Navy friends celebrating someone getting out, and I was there with my sister and her guitar playing boyfriend who happened to be the entertainment for the night. We had a brief conversation, where apparently I did something unusual and told him where I worked… A few weeks later he came into the Norfolk , Olive Garden where I worked as a new hire for a second job( he was in the Navy after all). The minute I saw him I ran to the kitchen to my best friend who was cashiering and said, “oh my God, Did you see the new guy!” Again a very unusual thing for me to do… We ended up hanging out in a group, and then one day while at work while talking to him, I gave him my signature sarcastic look. He immediately recognized that I was the girl from the bar and the reason he’d gotten the job there. He asked me if I remembered him coming up and speaking to me that night, you have to know it was a brief conversation as I had noticed when he was talking to me that his party of friends were heading out the door and he dashed after them… Once he began telling me of the line he used on me that night, which I will keep private, I indeed realized we had spoken at that dive bar….
January 15 we will celebrate our 25th anniversary…
If anyone is intersted in Purchasing Yankee Candles, my son is participating in a fundraiser for his bowling to help cover the costs of competitions. All the profits go into an account direclty for him.
- In: Black & White | Boho Outfits | exercise | Mom On the Go | Purple | Vest
- 2 Comments
I love my Old Navy Polk a Dot Pixie Pants.
They are the perfect way to add pattern into an outfit,
and since it’s black and white ,versatile with any solid colored top.
Of course there are also possibilities for pattern mising tops as well.
Just for fun, trying saying my blog title of the day , three times fast, lol!
You can find this pant in the ankle length, Here.
My top and purse ( sold out) are both by Iman via HSN.
The top comes in 7 colors and is actually much longer ,
but it drapes nicely and is perfect for faux tucking the way I’ve done here.
I actuaally bouth it in Marsala ( Pantone’s color of the season) and Gun Metal Grey.
Notice the styling of the Marsala one tucked into a pencil skirt,
while the Grey one shoes the ful length over jeans.
My happiness factore was high with this look once I finished it off with my
Cato vest and the tassel necklace with purple beads also from Cato ,
which my daughter gave me for my birthday.
The vest has been on clearance for awhile as I bought it in July and is still available for $10.99.
I must say that it runs small as I bought the medium , but wear it open as it’s too tight for my size 8 hips.
I look forward to styling these pieces so much more as we move into
Fall temperatures which seem to elude us despite the leaves beginning to fall .
Dear Readers, I am getting myself into full Cardio gear, moitviated by a comptetition between myself and my homeschooling son, age 15. I decided that he goes on the treadmill first and whatevver he does, I have to do the same.We are going to do this three days a week, which will benefit us both.
I love strength training, but not cardio ,so hope this keeps me accountable and moving more.
My 5oth birthday passed without my losing the 15 pounds I’ve gained, so now I am setting a new goal.
My 25th anniversary is January 15h and I would like to go on a cruise, so need to lose this before I get into a bathing suit!
I had better succeed at this one or I will ruin my 25th celebration!
Wish me luck!
Gratitude
I am grateful for the support of my youngest in getting to my new goal.
I am grateful for the past week with my son home on his college Fall break.
I am grateful that he took our rabbit with him for a week , but will come home for a bried time next weekend to return her.
I am grateful that I scheduled a Parent’s Night Out for homeschooling parents and it’s Tuesday, so I have something to look forward to all day.
I am grateful that my husband had a nice break this afternoon, which allowed him to revive afternnoon movie with a coworker, something they use to do somewhat regularly, but had gotten away from. (this way the wives don’t have to go to horror movies we dislike and they are not feeling deprived)
I am grateful that my oldest came over on Sunday to visit with his brother before he went back to college and for the conversation we all hadt together.
I am grateful for another win for my Steelers team and that Roethlisberger’s knee injury was not his ACL, which would have put him out the remaninder of the season.
Striped Poncho
Posted on: September 25, 2015
- In: Boho Outfits | Brown | fall | Mom On the Go | pink | shoes
- 2 Comments
If you are a Regular Reader of My Blog,
You know my love of Ponchos….
I had all solid colored ones, until this Season,
because I found a striped version.
My Poncho is by Liz Lange via HSN and comes in three colors.
It’s on clearance for $34.95 in regular and plus sizes and can be worn two ways
as there are buttons on my shoulder in this photo, that can be turned to go down the center.
Just a reminder that I make no profit from my blog in showing you items I love.
I doubled up a Charming Charlie’s pink necklace with a Jane
pink tassel necklace for a little more impact.
My Jeans are again Diane Gilman from a few years ago.
I pulled the pink accessories out of the print of my Aerosoles Wedges.
I’ve had these wedges in black with floral print in red, blue and green for a few years ,
so added this print as a new option.
They also come in a few solid color options.
Dear Readers, Our temperatures switched from the high 80’s to the low 70’s today.
I hope that means we are past the worst of the heat and humidity.
Hoping you are getting a glimpse of Fall?
If you are in warmer temps, are you like me and pretending it’s Fall by wearing more pants and darker shades,
or are you more patient and wearing your summer clothes?
Gratitude
I am grateful I fell back asleep after an initial early wake up.
I am grateful that my son is doing a reasonably good job homeschooling, despite his brother being home on Fall break.
I am grateful that my son did chores today without my having to ask twice.
I am grateful my son home from college helped clean the kitchen , giving me one day off…
I am grateful for a phone call from my daughter as we plan all her time off and potential trips home.
The Saga of the Mint Top
Posted on: September 24, 2015
- In: Boho Outfits | Dresses and Skirts | fall | florals | Gratitude | Green | Maxi skirt | Mom On the Go | Petite
- 2 Comments
I found this great maxi skirt at Burlington Coat Factory ,
and realized that I didn’t own a mint top,
as one option to pair with it.
Lo and behold, shortly after purchasing it I found this great mint t-shirt on
Jane.com , which sells things for a few days , then the deals are gone.
I wore the shirt just once, when it came out of the wash I noticed what looked to
be a few bleach marks right in the front and center.
I don’t have bleach in the house, so don’t ask me what happened?
So, I bought dye and researched how to mix two colors to make mint.
I tried that and got a nice color for the result, but alas the bleach spots didn’t take the dye.
Frustrated I threw the darn shirt out .
Two days later I saw my lovely mint shirt on sale, again…
It’s obvious I was suppose to have this lovely gem, so I promptly ordered a new one.
I added a tone on tone mint floral necklace , which I bought from Burlington Coat Factory.
I have to say I love that store for jewelry, in fact I think their prices beat Charming Charlies because this necklace and most I purchase there are around $ 7.99.
My Gili Obi belt is going to be seen a lot as it truly is a wonderful belt ,
and finishes off a look perfectly.
I may just have to get one in brown sometime in the near future.
Dear Readers , there is something to be said for having a few outfits put together in your closet , as I always do.
This morning my alarm didn’t go off at 9am for our homeschool bowling.
It wasn’t until 9:41 when my SIL called me that I woke up, because I had this outfit hanging altogether,
I made it out the door on time!
Gotta love pre-planning for days like this..
The most important thing about pre-planning outfits is to actually try them on to make sure
the proportions work right together. I originally tried this on with my signature knot at the waist of the top,
but didn’t love it, so played with tucking and adding my new belt and viola , knew I hit it right.
If I hadn’t pre- done all that, it wouldn’t have been useful to just have items together that MIGHT work together…
Hope this was a helpful hint for even one of my dear readers…
Gratitude
I am grateful for bowling Wednesdays , as it is a wonderful mid-week pick me up
I am grateful that my husband had a day free and headed out to work after 4:00 today, it was nice to come home from bowling and see him relaxing and watching “Three Weddings and a Funeral”.
I am grateful that the laptop I ordered for my son arrived while we were at bowling, and that I was able to give it to hime today since my husband was around to witness it!
I am grat4eful that it was a total surprise as he only expects things like that for birithdays or Christmas.
I am grateful that he literally came out after exploring it dancing with joy and unable to contain it.
Dare to Wear: Flared Jeans
Posted on: September 23, 2015
- In: Boho Outfits | fall | Gratitude | Green | Mom On the Go | Trends | Vest
- 1 Comment
I had a lot of fun with this look…
Boho Fun that is!
A floppy hat like this is very on trend for the Fall Season.
I’ve seen them all over the mall, most recently Old Navy in fun colors of olive and burgundy.
Here’s my new boho vest that I am absolutely loving.
I can see so many ways to style this for most seasons.
It will be great with long sleeve dresses for Fall.
My top is an Issac Mizrahi peplum found HERE, he’s added a long sleeve version to his line HERE
My necklace is actually a pin that was my mother’s and I wear whenever I want to feel close to her.
My leather hobo handbag is from QVC’s GILI line and is sold out, but HERE are their current hobo bags.
My Flare Jeans are by Diane Gilman,
If you are a regular reader you know this is my go to designer for jeans.
The best thing about buying jeans from this line is the versatility of sizes..
They come in Petie, Regular, Tall and Plus Regular, Plus Petite and Plus Tall.
In Fact a lot of QVC designers have these size options.
Gratitude
I am grateful that I was feeling much better today.
I am grateful that Unisom is working to help me get sleep and beating that darn menopausal issue.
I am grateful that I scheduled our next Parent’s Night out for next week.
I am grateful that tomorrow is bowling day, makes hump day , so much better!
I am grateful that my son is home from college and his sense of humor and fun conversations.
Today, I never made it out of my PJ’s…
I wasn’t feeling well and after homeschooling took a long nap.
I have been saving a lot of Pinterest Ideas for Fall Outfits, so thought I’d share them .
I bought some crossover tops, one is grey and I like this look of all neutrals.
This is the Iman crossover top I bought, which is now on sale for $29.95 and comes in regular and plus sizes in several colors. This crossover is fabulous and does not gape inappropriately allowing you to remain modest…
I’ve had burgundy skinny cords for a few seasons and this color is going strong
again for this Fall. In fact this outfit formula represents a similar version to
the upcoming GYPO Fall Style Challenge, if you are looking to add some items to your style,
this challenge is a great way to do so and find inspiration on how to wear them.
The important thing to note about this outfit is the dark and light shades , which can be done in other color ways as well.
I already have an idea for creating a dark brown jean with tan top outfit.
So many ways to use this formula.
Flares are another big trend for Fall .
Nobody does this style better than my idol Rachel Zoe.
Remember Rachel is a petite, so the tunic is a perfect length
with the cropped jacket for a perfect balance.
With my love of the peplum top, I found this idea of layering it,
something I would like to try.
Sheathing is yet another trend for the season and I have a similar vest.
I liked the idea of layering it over a black and white striped top.
This camel shade plays very well with black.
Source
Another color that is going to be popular for this Fall is Organge
I have a black polk a dot skirt and loved this option ,
expecially because it didn’t immediately scream Halloween, lol !
I fully embrace wearing white year round and this season
I added both a white fur vest and white blazer .
My Rachel Zoe Purchase
My white blazer from Amazon
Dear Readers, Are you among those of us still experiencing summer temperatures?
DH commented that the mother nature isn’t tricked because the leaves are begiinning to fall.
Doesn’t seem right with this heat, but there it is!
What are you looking forward to wearing for Fall?
I love comments which let me know someone reads my little blog, lol!
Radiant Orchid
Posted on: September 21, 2015
- In: Brown | Fall Fashion Colors | Neutrals | Purple
- 4 Comments
Last Year Pantone’s Color of the Year was Radiant Orchid
and I bought this lovely cardigan, but every time I went to style it,
I ended up taking it off and not using it…
Then a dear friend gave me this fabulous purse for my birthday.
She is a 31 Gifts consultant, you can find her site here.
31 has great purses and decorative storage solutions.
This wonderful tote is on my wish list from 31
Honey if you read this blog, you could make note of this….
Before I go further, I thought I would share my daughter, who won
Best Dressed Saturday night for
a 1920’s Murder Mystery Dinner.
She bought the dress on Ebay for just $20 , spent over an hour getting
the soft curls in her stubborn hair and even got the red lip of the times.
I was so delighted with this look and was thinking of other
ways I could wear this sweater and
how the purse would really pop with
any neutral outfit.
I also had fun pairing it with my Vegas trip
Charming Charlies Necklace.
With my year of no shopping in the works, and accessory shopping allowed,
I embraced that for the first time Saturday night when I made a jewelry purchase.
This purchase will definitely work well for the purse and sweater.
We went to our Town Center where they were having an Italian Festival.
I met a wonderful Capodimonte artist , who began this wonderful art form when he was just
14 yrs old and has been doing it for 45 years!
His love of this art was so apparent in our conversation
, and all I could think was ,
what a wonderful life to do what you love and have so much passion and pride in.
Check out his Website for some other wonderful necklace and earring sets at very reasonable prices.
There may be another purchase from his line in my future!
Dear Readers, I had a fun weekend with my son coming home for 9 days of Fall break on Friday, The Italian Festival on Saturday and going to Dave & Busters to watch football with family and friends.
With homeschooling starting back up it’s really important for me to make weekends fun to have that balance between being the teacher in my son’s life and just having fun time.
I’d say we did a good job of that this weekend.
I hope you all find some activities to do together and increase your Happiness Levels,
If you’re not doing so , please give it a try , It really is important!
If you are good at this share some things you do by commenting ,
perhaps it will inspire myself or others!
Gratitude
I am grateful for time with family and friends.
I am grateful for my dear husband who was very thoughtful and completed my birthday surprises Saturday night by presenting me with a book of photos from my week of activities. Priceless!
I am grateful that my son liked his coaches humor and style Saturday… he is quite animated and funny, which is so different from my son’s personality, but he quite enjoyed him.
I am grateful to have this entire next week with my son, home from college.
If you are a Dear Regular Reader,
You know that I Fully Embrace My Femininity
and this outfit is certainly an example of that.
My GYPO Style Challengers suggest that we all post
outfits supporting our favorite team.
I had to jump at that Opportunity…
You can’t get more feminine than lace with my layering tank top from Jane .com
The Joan Rivers via QVC jacket with the elastic waistband to show your curves also adds to the feminine style.
I finished it off with Old Navy Pixie Pants and my new Fringe Booties via Amazon.
These boots actually have silver chains among the fringe, a great addition!
There are some outfits that create a very high happiness factor
and this my Dear Readers did just that for me today.
I really love the new lace layering tanks and have so many plans to style them for Fall/Winter.
I bought another one in a goldenrod color, as well.
While mine are not available, Here is a low priced option from Kohl’s
and a more expensive style from Grace & Lace.
With so many options to style these with shirts you already own,
I have to recommend this as a fabulous addition to your wardrobe.
I wore some fun yellow earrings I had from summer necklace set.
What you can’t see very well is my new birthday bracelet.
It’s by the Bradford Exchange and can be found , here.
Dear Readers it is very fun for me to style a plain sport t-shirt in such a feminine way , as to support my team, yet remain true to my personal style descriptors of : Feminine, Sassy, Colorful, Boho and Edgy.
ALERT STYLE CHALLENGE FOR YOU, MY DEAR READERS
If you have a favorite sports team and want to style a look that is Sporty Chic and not typical gear looking,
E-mail me your pictures at
VersatileStyelebyTracey@aol.com
with your name and /or blog address if you have one
and I’ll do a post showing them off!
Please have them to me by September 28th for an Oct 1st post.
Can you believe I just thought this up as I was typing…
I love that I never know what will happen or come up once I sit down to write my blog posts each time?
Gratitude
I am grateful that my son is coming home for an entire week for college break due to World Biking Championship in Richmond!
I am grateful that my sinus pressure headache finally disappeared (after meds and coffee)
I am grateful that after hesitating to do the right thing, I finally bit the bullet and made a bold move.
I am grateful for the support of friends and loved ones in helping me stand strong against toxic people.
I am grateful for a wonderful first week of homeschooling!
Only This Time it was for My Husband…
We have birthdays one week apart!
Well 3 years difference as he turned 47 today!
Linking Up with High Latitude Style , your opportunity to see other wonderful bloggers.
He had a great time at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse!
And for the very first time we brought one of our kids there.
There certainly are perks to being the youngest child home alone while the others are off to college.
We were in our downtown section of the city, so had to stop
at the fountain to take pictures.
I felt like it should be Christmas with my Green and his Red!
My top, skirt and belt are all new for the Fall Season.
The velour top is by One World via Evine Live found Here
I bought it in both red and green since I’ve been adding more red to my style for Fall/Winter.
Of course the green makes me think of Ireland, lol
The Skirt is by Denim and Company and is cotton with a little Spandex.
At just 5’3″ I had hoped buying the Regular instead of Petite ( I can’t wear petite bottoms as i have long legs)
that it would graze the ground but even in flats I’d have to wear it very low on my hips to accomplish that.
If not for that I ‘d probably have bought another color after receiving it just today.
It can be found Here for Regular or Here for Petite and is on sale for just $17.75.
My obi belt is my favorite accessory purchase and will
be a very versatile piece you will see often.
It’s by GILI via QVC and is currently sold out.
This line Stands for Got It Love It and
both purchases I’ve made from this line,
truly feel that way.
A new obi style belt from them is suppose to be coming out soon.
Gratitude
I am grateful for a fun b’day and chance to celebrate with my husband.
I am grateful that our son joined us and felt so special.
I am grateful that my oldest was at our house waiting for us when we got home for dinner.
I am grateful for a touching conversation with my oldest , as I miss him since he moved out last August and don’t see him often.
I am grateful that my Pre-med student son, called me today after his first volunteer day at the hospital and shared his excitement of being in the medical environment that he’s dreamed about since he was eleven.
Pretending It’s Fall
Posted on: September 15, 2015
- In: fall | Gratitude | Mom On the Go | Navy | Neutrals | Petite
- Leave a Comment
With the Temps going back into the 80’s ,
I had to pretend its Fall with a lightweight blazer.
Regardless of the actual temperature, the light is changing
and I have to figure out the right time to go out now.
You’ll see that today I didn’t get that right!
I decided to break out my thrifted
seersucker blazer in grey by
Liz Claiborne.
I paired it with my Old Navy grey pants and was happy that they fit me..
I don’t think I’ve paired Navy with grey often, but for some reason it called to me today.
I finished the look off with metallic pointed flats that I thrifted.
The Navy and Black purse are by Just Fab, along with many of my purses.
I was more attracted to their handbags than their footwear.
Getting one every month became too much , so I’ve been skipping months here and there.
That’s a great feature of Just Fab’s membership.
Gratitude
I am grateful that the first day of homeschooling went so well and that the strong writing , reading and vocabulary is on track.
I am grateful that my son chose American Sign Language as his foreign language and is having so much fun with it.
I am grateful that I made my first ever Irish Scone Recipe for my husband’s birthday tomorrow and that they turned out well.
I am grateful that tomorrow is my husband’s birthday and I get to celebrate him after all he did for my 5oth last week.
Versatile Style by Tracey 
