I blinked, and it's been over 3 months since my last (first) Style Over Time posts. (Read this post for a full introduction to the series.) With the weather settling firmly into Fall Mode at the end of last month, I thought this would be a good time to review what I've been wearing on or around October 22 for the last several years. Note as you go through that the temperatures in Minnesota at this time of year are really variable, with highs anywhere from 36 F to 77 F during the period 2017 to 2024.
Outfit 1: Tues, October 22, 2024
High 77 F, low 54 F, clear
I shared this outfit in my "how to wear a floral cardigan in fall" post last week. (A high of 77 F is the same as the high temperature on July 5, 2023 in this post. It felt like the fall weather was really taking its time this year.)
Outfit 2: Thurs, October 19, 2023
High 61 F, low 50 F, clear
Last year I wore a kind of crazy-looking layered outfit with a 3/4 sleeve t-shirt, a dramatically long cream vest/"topper" that is always weird to style, and a big scarf over slim knit pants. It's a mood.
Here is the most normal-looking part of the outfit with my late summer/early fall go-to brown leather flats and olive-y forest green skinny pants.
Although this outfit has a lot going on, I have zero regrets about wearing this Alice in Wonderland scarf (a gift from my husband) with the woodland critters print top-->Woodland Wonderland?
My daily bracelet stack was built around a neutrals + silver paper bead bracelet set I made to coordinate with the various dark and muted fall tones of the woodland critters top. The olive paper bead bracelet with the turtle is not part of this set; it's a standalone bracelet I added because it worked with the color palette (and as a nod to the Mock Turtle from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, of course). {stretch bracelet tutorial} {bicone paper bead tutorial} {tube paper bead tutorial}
The second paper bead bracelet (third from the top) started out as a Lands End catalog page for their sport knit corduroy pants in a stack of neutral tones. This kind of layout is common in LE catalogs, and they are great for making striped bicone beads as I did with this image. The white text is easy to cover up with marker on the strips before rolling.
A Lands End catalog was also the source of paper for the next paper bead bracelet (fifth from the top). I supplemented the neutral colors of the image with green and orange marker along the edges of the triangular strips so I ended up with striped beads in black, brown, green, and orange.
The bottom paper bead bracelet also came from a Lands End catalog page, another stack of neutral colored pants in their sport knit line...which rolled up into striped beads as in the first example above.
I wore the silky scarf in the matching woodland critter print as a braided headband using Jodie's tutorial here. My DIY earrings are a bead soup stack pair made to coordinate with the top, scarf/headband, and paper bead bracelet set. I leaned into the "woodland" idea by using wood beads in olive, black, tan (with a print), and brown, plus silver spacers and findings. Wood beads make great earrings because they are so lightweight.
Outfit 3: Wed, October 19, 2022
High 50 F, low 24 F, clear
This outfit features my second fall-themed top from CJ Banks. The first is the woodland critters top in predominantly black and brown in Outfit 2 above; the second one is this fall foliage blouse in predominantly navy and olive. It's nice that between these two tops, I've covered four major neutral colors. I styled the fall foliage blouse here with aloe vera pants, a very warm-toned olive scarf, and a soft indigo knit jacket (one of my softer alternatives to navy). My favorite part is the layered necklace that combines the soft blue beaded necklace and long mixed metal chain necklace (both from CJ Banks), a short mixed metal chain necklace (from Loft), and a DIY paper pendant with stripes in olive, navy, and gold. {paper pendant tutorial}
Outfit 4: Wed, October 20, 2021
High 65 F, low 51 F, clear
I don't wear a lot of simple top + pants outfits, but this is a helpful outfit formula for me in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. While I haven't dumped my skinny pants, they're not my current go-to, so I probably would update this outfit for today with a simple substitution of a straight leg silhouette.
It's unusual for me to wear pearl earrings with a pearl necklace, but since I was mixing white (genuine) pearls and aqua/teal (glass) pearls, it wasn't too matchy-matchy for me.
Outfit 5: Tues, October 22, 2020
High 36 F, low 31 F, clear
Although I love curating a layered necklace from the various pieces in my jewelry wardrobe, a single necklace with multiple layers is an easy to way to finish off an outfit. This is a very basic look topping an inner column of black with a pale ivory cardigan, but the layered necklace adds a lot of visual interest...and the light colored beads really stand out beautifully against the black background. This is probably one of my favorite all-neutral outfits. {long over lean outfit formula post}
Outfit 6: Mon, October 21, 2019
High 60 F, low 47 F, trace of rain
This is another long-over-lean outfit featuring black skinny pants. I have removed this white cardigan from my closet because something about the color and fabrication gives me "doctor coat" vibes, but I do like how the white color brightens up the look. (The cardigan was thrifted inexpensively, and I did wear it enough to get my cost per wear below $1 at least.) I can easily imagine tweaking this outfit for fall 2024 by half-tucking the cheetah print blouse into straight leg or wide leg black pants and topping with a white or cream cardigan in a regular sweater knit.
Outfit 7: Wed, October 17, 2018
High 50 F, low 33 F, clear
I remember wearing this outfit very clearly because I gave a presentation at work that day. For my business casual office, this combination of nice neutral knit top, work pants in a fun color, dressy flats, a denim shirt, and a bling-y statement necklace hit the right notes for the day. The navy top + dark denim shirt is a great example of my "modern twin set" outfit formula of top + topper in matching/similar colors.
Outfit 8: Mon, October 23, 2017
High 60 F, low 46 F, clear
We have finally ventured far enough back in time that I no longer own any of the clothes in the outfit (though I still have the White Rabbit pocket watch pendant necklace and red shoes). This was another "white topper in weird fabric" purchase that didn't work out for me, and in this case, I bought it new (though on sale) and did not get my value for it; it left my closet at $2 CPW. (I have learned my lesson and not made this shopping mistake again after the cardigan and the tuxedo jacket.) I would readily wear an updated version of this outfit with my red plaid pants, a black top, and a white sweater-knit cardigan...and I'd probably layer on more necklaces too!
The most notable different-from-my-current-style aspects of the older outfits here include:
1) the emphasis on the skinny leg silhouette, which makes sense because that was the dominant style, and
2) the more minimalist jewelry, which reflects the fact that I was working at the office rather than from home and wasn't yet making my own jewelry.
What aspects of your own style have changed the most from 2017 to today?
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I giggled when you said, It's a mood. Sometimes our "crazy" outfits are exactly what we need and they really stand out more than a basic look. I love that you use that braiding hack so much. Heck, I need to use it more, LOL XOXO JOdie
I was also very much into a skinny-leg jean. I also was always following trends. Not really working on finding my own personal style. I wore lots of costume jewelry and things like the chevron stripe, just because that's what was in! I started working for a carpet cleaning company about 3 years ago and that really pushed me to work on my own style since when I am at work, I have to wear khakis and my polo. I find getting dressed in what I like much more enjoyable since I can't really pick what im wearing for work every day!
Sally, it seems cliché, but I have to comment on your weather. Other than the one 36° outlier in 2020, I am very surprised that the weather is mostly quite mild in October in Minnesota! Surprised, because you are way up there in latitude! Anyway, I enjoyed this year to year trip back in time of your outfits since 2017. The skinny leg, popular as it was for such a long time, was never my favorite. I am glad to see more straight and flare leg style pants. Love that you are able to wear your DIY jewelry when working from home, it really adds a lot of character to your outfits!