It's hard to believe how quickly the end of the year is coming! After this set of additions to our capsule, we only have two more.
In October, Janice supplemented the tops in her outfits with some warm turtlenecks, sweaters, and hoodies, and got ready for winter with boots and gloves. Even in late October, I'm generally not ready to start dressing for winter (and this weekend, we are having highs in the mid-70s F!), so this capsule has new pieces that should be useful across multiple seasons.
I'm starting us off this month with a trio of neutral outfits. All-neutral looks are not my norm, but I know they are popular with many people, and the individual items will certainly be helpful in establishing a great foundation of basics that can be mixed in with the colorful and/or statement pieces.
Outfit #1 has a bit of a "coastal chic for Fall" vibe, I think, with the soft chambray/denim blue, white, cream, and beige coastal grandmother colors of the sand and sky.
Denim cowl neck top - thrifted, CJ Banks - 2X - $5.99 - 9/2019
Camel-gold skirt - thrifted, Talbots - 24W - $5.59 - 2/2020
Dark tan/gold pedant scarf - thrifted - $2.99 - 5/2020
White faux pearl/gold drop earrings - Loft - ?
Cream wood bracelets - made by me - winter 2022
Taupe-brown ankle boots - Easy Spirit/Nordstrom - $65.90 - 11/2014
Outfit #2 has a slightly 70s feel to me with the open sweater vest, hoop earrings, and wide leg jeans. But instead of a boho style necklace, I couldn't resist throwing on this bulky faux pearl necklace to reinforce the round motif of the polka dot T and as a nod to the casual pearl/Pearlcore trend that's still strong for F/W 2022-23.
Dark blue polka dot T - ana/JCP - 2X - $5.59 - 1/2020
Dark wash trouser jeans - thrifted, Lane Bryant - 22W - $7.49 - 10/2018
Dark blue marl sweater vest - Karen Scott/Macy's - 2X - $19.99 - 12/2019
Medium gold twisted hoop earrings - in Boss's Bead Bag/Fire Mountain Gems
Bulky gold chain/pearl necklace - thrifted - $3.00 - 12/2019
Same as above: Taupe-brown ankle boots - Easy Spirit/Nordstrom - $65.90 - 11/2014
Outfit #3 has more of a classic style vibe with the button up shirt and blazer (though I still have those hoops and wide leg pants in there). I repeated the gold metallic from the earrings in the loafers, but instead of a gold necklace, I chose this sparkly crystal bead one with an array of blue colors.
White button up tunic - CJ Banks - 3X - $10.04 - 7/2020
Same as above: Dark wash trouser jeans - thrifted, Lane Bryant - 22W - $7.49 - 10/2018
Navy/white polka dot blazer - no longer have the details
Same as above: Medium gold twisted hoop earrings - in Boss's Bead Bag/Fire Mountain Gems
Blue sparkly necklace - Simply Vera Wang/Kohls - $10.56 - 12/2013
Gold loafers - Amazon - $23.00 - 10/2019
We are finally seeing some vibrant color with Outfit #5 featuring a bright red cardigan over a print print blouse. The taupe ankle boots don't really match the outfit, but that's the beauty of neutral leather. On me, these boots are close enough to my hair color to be bookend styling, and I added the bronze owl watch pendant that is a similar tone to tie the look together a bit.
Navy/red bird blouse - CJ Banks - 3X - $17.82 - 2/2021
Same as above: Dark wash trouser jeans - thrifted, Lane Bryant - 22W - $7.49 - 10/2018
Candy red cocoon cardigan - thrifted, Target - 2X - $3.74 - 9/2018
Dark bronze owl watch pendant - Fire Mountain Gems - $6.21 - 7/2021
Navy/Red Bird Blouse: Red & Navy Large bracelet set - made by me - winter 2022
Same as above: Taupe-brown ankle boots - Easy Spirit/Nordstrom - $65.90 - 11/2014
Finally, Outfit #5 has a pretty muted pink cardigan and striped pencil skirt for a bit of an old-school look made more modern with the loafers and bright statement necklace that coordinates color-wise but doesn't match. The bracelet is a bit of a wild card addition in this outfit - a braided bracelet that I upcycled from an old t-shirt.
Same as above: White button up tunic - CJ Banks - 3X - $10.04 - 7/2020
Navy micro-stripe skirt - thrifted, Talbots - 24W - $3.99 - 12/2019
Pale dusky pink cardigan - Lane Bryant - 22/24 - $11.99 - 6/2020
Light pink braided fabric bracelet - made by me - summer 2021
Pink drops necklace - Outfit Additions - $26.00 - 11/2013
Same as above: Gold loafers - Amazon - $23.00 - 10/2019
I just realized that I introduced only one scarf this month - the tan ombré scarf with the gold pendant - and it wasn't a color or a print! Who am I? What happened to Sally in St Paul? But we do have 12 scarves in the capsule to date, so I think we are in OK shape there!
For today's feature garment, I am sharing OOTD from my archives that include the denim blue knit cowl neck top from Outfit #1 above. This is an incredibly versatile piece because it wears like chambray/denim (i.e., goes with everything) but is made from a comfy knit fabric. I found four photographed OOTD and they all share the same basic outfit formula: denim shirt + bright colored ankle pants!
OOTD #1 pairs the top with coral pants, a brightly colored striped scarf, and cheetah Oxfords.
OOTD #2 is in shades of blue: denim, aqua, and various muted chambray-like blues in the scarf.
OOTD #3 is built around the bright red pants and accessorized with an aqua/red/gold bead statement necklace and black and white geometric print knit loafers.
OOTD #4 from last spring tweaks the formula slightly by adding a cream cardigan vest over the top along with green pants and a bright fish motif silk twilly scarf.
My daily bracelet stack is a DIY light blue/green/white/gold set that I created specifically to coordinate with this scarf. In this post on designing a DIY bracelet set, I shared the details of how I created the paper bead bracelets (starting with the magazine/catalog pages) and the glass/stone bead bracelets (see Set 3). In the same post, I also included a flat lay of this outfit as an idea for wearing the scarf and bracelet set. I liked how that flat lay looked, so I turned the outfit idea into an OOTD a couple weeks after writing that post!
Now it's time to welcome a new rabbit mascot to our ever-growing menagerie - say hello to Eugenia the English Spot! This rabbit breed with its distinctive eye circles, nose butterfly, herringbone stripe down the back, and spots on the flanks is one of the oldest fancy rabbit breeds...developed in England, so the name even makes sense. The English Spot has an arched body and long front legs, so compared to most domestic rabbits, Eugenia is a "long and lean" bunny. I have mostly only seen black English Spots (i.e., white with black spots), but Eugenia has a gorgeous gold coloration. In addition to those two, English Spots come in blue, chocolate, lilac, tortoise, and grey varieties.
The English Spot is a medium-sized rabbit, weighing 5 to 8 pounds, so she's about in the middle of the size range of rabbits in our mascot collection. I like how her shape and coloration have brought some additional variety to our menagerie!
Do you prefer wearing neutrals or accent colors in your outfits? Do you wear scarves in the fall/winter?
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