"Beat the Heat" with Ageless Style

Ageless Style is a monthly style challenge and link up for women of all ages.   Each month we pick a different theme and style an outfit based on that theme.  This month's theme is "Beat the Heat" and was picked by Me!

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I don't know about where you live but this summer seems hot to me.  Or maybe, it's just normal summer weather as the past few summers for us in Wisconsin have been quite cool and rainy.  I don't seem to be able to handle the heat as well as I used to.  I've been waking up at 5:00 am and getting in the garden early so that I'm in the house by noon.  My flowers and vegetable garden are absolutely loving all this heat, as you can probably tell by my background. 😀

I chose the theme "Beat the Heat"  for this month's Ageless Challenge because we are now right smack in the middle of summer and I wanted to see what the ladies of Ageless Style, who are located all over this great nation and Canada,  wear in the dog days of summer to keep cool.  

My absolutely favorite item to wear on hot days is a skort.  I usually wear athletic skorts like THIS ONE.  I have had these athletic skorts for 8 years and I still wear them regularly and they still look brand new.  What a great investment that turned out to be.  But this summer, I wanted more variety in my skorts so I purchased two new ones:  the one I'm pictured in today and a khaki skort with a cool belt that'll I'll have to show you another day.

I purchased my skort from JCPenney and I see it is on sale today and comes in several other colors and patterns.  Hmm, do I need to order more? 😀

The skirt is on the short side, but longer than most pairs of shorts would be.  But because a skort has shorts underneath, I feel quite comfortable with the length.  

Another way I like to keep cool in the summer heat is to wear white.  You hear a lot of women say they love to wear black;  I love to wear white.  I think it's so clean and fresh looking and in the summer it reflects sunlight and heat keeping the body cooler compared to darker colors which absorb heat.  I especially love white tops that are lightweight, thin, and loose;  although I am getting a little annoyed with how thin most tops are these days.  They are so thin that they are see-through and I have to wear tank top underneath.  If I have to wear two tops, that defeats the purpose of keeping cool with a thin top.😆 

My top is new this year.  I found it at TJMaxx.

So how are you keeping cool this summer?  I'd love to hear from you.

Now be sure to check out how the other ladies in the group are keeping cool and link up with us as well.

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits

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Bo ~ Bo's Bodacious Blog

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Jennifer ~ Overflowing with Thankfulness

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Joanne ~ My Slice of Life

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Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style

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Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After

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Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle

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Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom

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Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

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Ageless Style Link Up "The Heat Is On"

The Ageless Style Link Up-  The first Monday of every month a group of over forty fashion bloggers pick a monthly theme and show different ways of styling it. 

Welcome ladies to another Ageless Style Link Up.  This month's theme "The Heat Is On" was chosen by Debbie.  Debbie said "Do with it what you will...enjoy!" so I decided to feature an outfit  that I wore on a hot day visiting friends:  A day I really did "enjoy!".

Now if this outfit looks familiar to you, it's because it is!  I've shown it to you before HERE and HERE.  You will be seeing lots of my clothes on repeat, because I am just not buying new clothes during Covid...no matter how good the deals are.  I did buy a few pair of shoes, but that is all I've purchased the past five months.  Fashion just seems an unnecessary luxury during these trying times.

Now we've been having a lot of hot weather in Wisconsin this summer which is quite unusual for us.  When the weather gets warm, I like to wear lightweight clothes with the least material possible but still stay modestly dressed.  Skirts are my go-to item all summer long.  I wear shorts at home, but rarely wear them outside the house.  I prefer skirts or skorts to shorts anytime, and I enjoy off-the-shoulder tops like this one for keeping cool.

I also prefer comfortable sandals over sneakers or shoes.  They are so much more cooling than shoes that cover the entire foot.  I also have issues with my feet swelling on super hot/humid days, and sandals are more suitable footwear for that problem.

Now if you're wondering where all these beautiful photos have been taken and who these adorable pet animals are, they are all my dear friends.  She has lots of sun on her property, so she has the most beautiful flower gardens.  I am a lover of animals, especially cats, and I just went ga-ga over their kitten.  They also have two dogs, both of whom are as sweet as can be.

I will close this post with more pictures of my friend's beautiful garden.  Enjoy!

And now, be sure to check out the other ladies of Ageless Style and see how they interpreted the theme "The Heat Is On".

Amy ~ Amy's Creative Pursuits Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest

Bettye ~ Fashion Schlub Blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Daenel ~ Living outside the stacks Blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter

Debbie ~ Fashion Fairy Dust Bloglovin, Blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Jennie ~ A Pocketful of Polka Dots Blog, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Bloglovin

Jodie ~ Jodie's Touch of Style Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter

Julia ~ When the Girls Rule Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram

Kellyann ~ This Blonde's Shopping Bag Blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter

Shelly ~ The Queen in Between Blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Pinterest, Facebook

Shugunna ~ Nzuri N* Simplicity Blog, Pinterest, Instagram

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

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Drawstring Pants For Hot Summer Days

Editorial Note:  This is a pre-scheduled post.  I am in Illinois for the week visiting my children and grand babies.  They do not have Internet service so I will not be able to post or respond to your comments until I return home.

Lightweight pants are a great alternative for hot summer days if you don't want to wear shorts.  My regular readers may be aware that my legs have been looking very scarred and bruised from a cooking accident last Thanksgiving and also from working in the garden.  Although I still wear shorts on occasion, my scars have been leaving a bit self conscious so I've been leaning on lightweight pants and maxi dresses as options.  

Because of my scars, I asked my Stitch Fix stylist to send me some "Easy Breezy lightweight pants" and she sent me this pair from Kut from the Kloth.

The pants are a thin linen material.  They are so thin you can see right through them if you hold them up to light (definitely got to wear the right underwear when wearing these pants!).  The thinness is nice for hot weather, but the material does wrinkle easily.

The pants have both a drawstring and elastic waist line, plus pockets.

I paired my Stitch Fix pants with this cute graphic tee from JCPenney.  I will be leaving for a hiking adventure in Utah in a few weeks, so I purchased some new active wear and lightweight loose tanks for the trips.  I absolutely fell in love with the print and color of this tank, but of course the only size they had left was a large.  I promised myself I would never buy clothing that was not my size again because I always end up regretting it, yet, I did it again.  Ugh!  Why do I that?  I should have just waited and ordered my correct size on-line.  Anyway, the top is very large and loose on me, which makes me look bigger than I am, but, I think it will be very comfortable to wear with my active wear shorts and leggings.  The longer length will cover up my backside nicely.

 

I chose my strappy flat sandals from DSW (old) to go with the casual, boho vibe of this look.

I added a multi-strand beaded bracelet that has a lot of the colors from the outfit in the beads, and I carried a straw bag...both great boho pieces that compliment the outfit.

I could not find these exact par of pants on line, but I love these olive green Kut from the Kloth pair HERE (on sale).  JCPenney also has this great pair HERE!.  The tank is available HERE, but I see the elephant graphic I'm wearing is sold out already (other designs still available).  So maybe I wouldn't have been able to buy it on-line anyway.  Everyone wants this print I guess!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

How To Wear A Dark Floral Maxi Dress

Can a woman have too many maxi dresses?  ha ha, I'm beginning to wonder now that I'm the proud owner of six maxis!  I just love the comfort and ease of knit maxi dresses.  I like looking like I'm dressed up but I'm so comfortable I could sleep in what I'm wearing.  This is a maxi I received in my August box from Stitch Fix.  It's made of a soft thin knit material so it's so comfortable!  

I think the dark floral will transition me from summer to fall nicely.  Here I am styling the dress with black sandals, but I can see it with booties and a jean jacket when the weather gets colder.

This dress is by Loveappella and is called "Torri Knit Maxi Dress".  I couldn't find this exact dress on-line other than Poshmark, but here is a great alternative on Amazon.    Speaking of Poshmark, I've recently discovered that I can find a lot of Stitch Fix pieces on Poshmark.  I always regretted sending this black floral top back, but I found it on Poshmark for only $22;  half the cost Stitch Fix was asking.  So I scooped it up!  I've also seen this dress on Poshmark, but it was sold out or not in my size.  I've learned that before buying from Stitch Fix, to check Poshmark first because I might find it cheaper!

Like most Stitch Fix pieces, the dress has several charming little details.  I like that this dress not only has sleeves (most of my maxis are halters) but it's a trending flutter sleeve.  There is also a cute crochet detail on the shoulder.

The dress has a wrap style which is flattering on all figure types, but it does reveal more cleavage.  If  I wore this dress to church, I would definitely wear a cami underneath it.

For accessories I chose black and white jewelry and I carried a blush pink clutch also from Stitch Fix (Sole Society, similar bag HERE).

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

How To Subtly Mix Patterns

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of pattern mixing in fashion.  However, if it's done very subtly, then I like it.  Now you may not be able to see it at first glance in some of these far away shots, but I am pattern mixing....in a subtle way.  😊  My shorts obviously have a printed floral pattern, and my top has a very subtle pattern on it as well.  This is my favorite way of mixing patterns;  wearing only one piece with an obvious or strong print combined with another piece with a more subtle print.  But I also like to do this with accessories or shoes too, not just tops or bottoms.

Both my pieces are from Stitch Fix.  The top is by 41 Hawthorn and the shorts are by Margaret M.  If you buy from Stitch Fix you can request them from your stylist, otherwise I've linked some Amazon alternatives at the end of this post.

I picked accessories that pulled out other colors from my clothes.  The beige bag pulled out the beige in the shorts and the black sandals pulled out the black from the shorts.

This is such a cool and comfy outfit for summer, but very polished as well.  

Here is a close up of the ever-so-subtle print on this top.  And isn't this neckline just the cutest?

Of course I had to take advantage of the gorgeous sunflowers growing in my garden for this photo shoot. 😍  The yellow blooms contrast so beautifully with the blue top.  

So what do you think?  Would you wear this outfit?  Do you like to pattern mix?  I'd love to hear from you!

Here are some other cute printed tops from Amazon:  Lark & Ro Sleeveless Bubble Blouse with Ruffle Trim, and Blencot Women's Button Down V-Neck.  And I love these flower print shorts from Floerns, these cute elastic waist ones by MBJ, and these adorable drawstring ones by Keliqq.  Aren't those elephants in the pattern so cute?

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Stitch Fix #30 Review

Today is the day I review my entire June box from Stitch Fix as well as the results of my Instagram Poll!  Are ya ready?  Here is Item Number 1!

Margaret M "Lea Printed Short"

Status:  Kept!

Original Post

When I first saw these shorts in my box my first thought was "Oh no, I don't need nor do I want shorts!"  Other than the garden, I rarely wear shorts because I am more comfortable in skirts or dresses.  But once I put them on,  I was in love.  They were so comfortable!  Hubby loved them too, and since I had nothing like them already in my closet,  I kept them.  I have worn them so much already because they are so comfortable and go with anything!  They were definitely a good investment piece.  Instagram readers loved them too, coming in at #2 with 84% of voters saying to keep the shorts and only 16% said to return them.

Daniel Rainn "Dharma Crochet Detail Knit Maxi Dress"

Status:  Returned

Original Post

Y'all know how much I loved this dress so returning it was not easy for me.  Everyone loved it here on the blog and on Instagram too.  But, because I just received a very similar maxi dress from Stitch Fix last year, I could not justify keeping it.  The dress came in at #3 on Instagram with 75% saying to keep it and only 25% said to return it.

Daniel Rainn "Micaela Embroidery Detail Tassel Knit Top"

Status:  Kept!

Original Post

Although I found this top too hot to wear now (it's very heavy and thick),  I can't wait to wear it in the fall with a jean jacket or cardigan.  The colors are perfect for fall, plus, I really don't have much of this color in my closet already.  This top came in at #4 on Instagram with 71% of readers saying to keep it and 29% said to return it.

Cosmic Blue Love "Adrianne Boyfriend Jean"

Status:  Returned!

Original Post

These white jeans were the #1 item on Instagram with 88% of readers saying to keep them and 12% saying to return them.  They were great jeans!  The fit was awesome.  The problem?  I already own white jeans and did not need another pair.

Market & Spruce "Ezide Textured Print Top"

Status:  Returned

Original Post

This polka dot top was the least liked on Instagram and my least liked as well.  It polled at 67% "Keep" and 33% "Return".   I usually keep any white top Stitch Fix sends me (can you possibly have enough white tops?),  but this one did nothing for my heavy arms, plus the back was a thin solid material and you could see right through it.  Back it went!

In summary,  this was a great Fix for me.  I had a new stylist "Karen".  I have no idea why, didn't ask for one.  All the items polled above 65% "keep" on Instagram.  I liked everything but the white top.  In the end,  I kept only what I felt would make a great addition to my wardrobe:  the shorts and the embroidered detail tassel top.

So what do you think?  Did I make the right decision?

If you've never tried Stitch Fix before, use my Referral Code to receive $25.00 off your first box.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!