Amy's Creative Pursuits: denim

Showing posts with label denim. Show all posts

Monday, March 14, 2022

"Denim for Days" with "Stylish Monday"

On the second Monday of every month a group of style bloggers and I pick a theme, style an outfit based on that theme, and then do a link up together where you can join too! This month's theme is "Denim".

Is anyone else as confused about denim trends as I am? Are skinny jeans "in" or "out"? What about low- rise verses high-rise? I remember when low-rise was all the rage and anyone who wore high-rise was mocked; now the high-rise mom jeans are back in: but so are the low-rise. In fact, when I went shopping recently it seemed every style was available to buy. There is no distinct denim "trend" this season, so pick whatever style denim looks best on you!

I myself have a closet full of skinny jeans which I spent a small fortune on so I'm not in a rush to get rid of them. However, I eventually want to transition away from a skinny jean as I feel, ahem, I'm getting a "tad bit old for them" as my knobby knees are starting to show through. I did buy a pair of straight leg Mavi jeans this season, which I am really enjoying and they seem to have been my go-to-pair this past winter.

Here I am wearing my newest pair of denim: Straight Leg Jeans by Mavi.

For this month's "Stylish Monday" post I decided to pull a VERY OLD denim dress from closet. This dress is so versatile and classic which explains why it has lasted so long in my closet. It is meant for warmer weather, but I can make it work for winter with the proper styling companions like a cardigan, tights, and booties.

I could literally wear any color cardigan with this dress, but on this day I chose a grey cardigan with an aztec print.

For footwear, I chose combat boots for both comfort and safety on ice covered sidewalks.

And now to show you how versatile and OLD this dress is, here are a few other ways I've styled it in the past:

With a suede jacket and ballet flats.

With a sunhat and sandals.

With a black cardigan and booties.

With dress shoes

Have I inspired you to add a denim dress to your closet if you haven't already? They are so versatile, you will never regret purchasing one.

And now let's see what the rest of the ladies in the group are wearing.

Nina

Nina - Sharing a Journey - Are you tired of jeans? Skinny jeans were with us for such a long time I actually was bored. Things have changed my friends, it’s time to try the new silhouettes .

Emma

Emma - The Style Splash - Until recently, I had never owned a denim dress or skirt…and then I bought two denim vintage dresses on eBay! I love the style of this dress, with the shoulder pads and embellishment. Oh, and it has pockets too!

Nicole

Nicole - High Latitude Style - This look triples on denim with the shirt skirt and booties.Unfortunately, denim or the good old blue jeans are not a good idea in winter in Alaska. It dries too slowly and hence your sweat may freeze. Therefore, denim is either a cover-up in summer in the form of a jacket or mosquito protection when gardening in the form of jeans. Ever since my college time, I had a denim skirt despite they don’t drape nicely.

Ada

Ada - Elegance and Mommyhood - A pair of dark wash skinny jeans will never ever go out of style - I don’t care what “the style experts” say. Dark skinny jeans are something every woman needs in her closet. I paired mine with the color of the year in a gorgeous shade of lilac.

Julie

Julie - Fashion Trends and Friends and Instagram FashionTandF - Dark wash, light wash, distressed, high, mid and low waisted, flares, bootcut, wide leg, skinny, curvy fit, boyfriend…so many choices with colors, fit and style! How do you even begin?! I’m taking the mystery out of how to style your body type and sharing my current favorite jeans!

Nancy

Nancy - Nancy’s Fashion Style - I am, and never have been, a huge denim lover. Although I have to say that I already own 3 pairs of jeans! But I did love this jumpsuit years ago, it was a bit snug so gave it away. Might have to shop for another one! I think I will love denim one day!

Shelbee

Shelbee - Shelbee on the Edge - I am embracing the resurgence of the 90s denim trends with my oversized black distressed dad jeans. I remember wearing my dad’s jeans exactly this way 30 years ago!

Suzanne

Suzanne - Ask Suzanne Bell - Think jeans aren’t for you? Think again. Like many women, I hate shopping for jeans. It's a pain in the butt. So perhaps you've given up - convinced yourself that jeans are not for you. Like swimsuits and bras, jeans are not a one style fits all. But with some guidance, I think you will find that jeans can be a classic staple. Find the fit for you, and you’ll have a wardrobe workhorse for life.

And Me!

Amy - Amy’s Creative Pursuits - Denim dresses never go out of style, but they are really trending right now. I have had this denim dress in my closet for years. I normally wear it in the warmer months, but here I styled it for cooler temperatures.

Have a Great Day! Amy

Linking up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

And now be sure to link up your favorite denim or fashion looks with us too!

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Ageless Style - Back To School

Ageless Style is a monthly style challenge and link up for women "over a certain age". Each month we pick a different theme and style an outfit based on that theme.

Hello and welcome to a new Ageless Style challenge and link up. This month's theme was chosen by Leslie and she picked. "Back To School". Leslie challenged us to:

"Plan an outfit that would be something you would have worn for the first day of school. Did you dress up? Dress to impress? Or go casual and comfy? Maybe you had a new backpack or purse? New glasses? New 'do? New shoes? I think what I would hope we could all do is just have fun with this prompt."

As has been the case with most of my style group challenges lately, I found this challenge to be, well, challenging. I honestly don't remember what I wore when I was in school. For grammar school, I remember we always went back to school shopping, but it was never extravagant. Just a few new pairs of pants, a new pair of shoes, and a couple of tops. I don't remember trying to impress anyone in my dress. I came from a lower middle class working family so there was never a lot of "extra" money lying around to buy clothes just to impress people. The only thing I remember wearing all the time was denim. In high school, the Levi brand was the most popular. I remember spending $20 on my first pair of Levis (ha ha, they'd cost about $80 now) and thinking that was a fortune! I could only afford one pair, so I wore that same pair EVERY SINGLE DAY of school, because to wear any other brand would be considered "uncool". I can still remember my dad saying "You paid $20 for a pair of jeans! Are you nuts?" Ah, times were certainly different then.

So for this month's challenge, I decided to do "An ode to denim". I didn't want to dress up like I did in high school, that would be silly. I don't wear Levi jeans anymore (although I think I might have one black pair in my stash), but I still do have a love for denim. My love for denim has broadened over the years to more than just jeans. I now own denim jackets, denim tops, denim skirts and dresses...you get the idea. Therefore I pulled this old chambray (softened denim) dress out of my closet. You've seen me wear this countless times on my blog. It's one of my stand by favorites. It is so comfortable to wear and very easy to style.

I was going to have my picture taken by our small town's high school but hubby suggested this cute old one room schoolhouse in a nearby park instead. I thought it was a great idea.

It was a warm day on the day these pictures were taken, but because it's supposed to be a fall post, I grabbed a lightweight taupe jacket to wear over the dress. I also switched my bag from the white one I usually carry all summer long, to this brown one.

For footwear, I chose comfy ballet navy blue flats; also more appropriate for fall instead of sandals.

For jewelry I went with natural colors of blues, taupes, and browns.

I also learned a little trick in styling this shift dress. It comes with a matching fabric belt. I've always worn this dress with the belt tied in front, no belt at all, or a leather belt. But this was the first time I tied the fabric belt in back. I absolutely LOVED it this way and couldn't understand why I never thought of this before. As most women know, shift dresses can sometimes make you look heavier because they have no shape to them. But by tying it in the back, I cinched in the waist, making it more form fitting.

What a difference tying the bow in the back made. It looks like I actually have a waist. When I tied it in the front, the bulk of the bow fell right on my tummy accentuating my tummy.