Spring Dresses 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 "Spring Tops" and was picked by Me!

Spring is the perfect time of year to wear pretty dresses, especially since we have two holidays in spring:  Easter and Mother's Day.  I'm a dress/skirt girl.  A lot of women don't like to wear dresses anymore, but I love it.  I wear dresses and skirts all summer long, and I prefer them over shorts any day.  The dress I have on in today's post is three year old.  I last wore it on a snowy Easter Sunday at home during the pandemic.  You can read all about it in THIS POST and see how differently I styled it then.  You can also see what the dress looks like without the jacket in that post. 

I picked this dress for our "Spring Dresses" theme because I think pastel colors are perfect for spring dresses.  My only issue was we can still have chilly days in Wisconsin during spring, so I had to figure out a way to warm the dress up a bit as it is a halter-style dress.  I thought of wearing a white cardigan, but I ultimately went with a denim jacket to try and edge up a very feminine outfit.  I'm not sure I succeeded in that 😆

I think the dress looks much better with heels as shown in my other post.  The longer length of the dress requires heels to elongate the legs.  But since not everyone likes or can wear heels, I wanted to show what it would like with comfortable flats.

I'm still getting a lot of use out of my thrifted handbag.  I can't believe how many compliments I get on this handbag too...and for something that cost me pennies!  It seems every woman wants a good neutral bag and is having trouble finding one like I did.  Now I'm on a hunt for a spacious cross body bag for an upcoming vacation.  I have so many crossbody bags already, but it seems none of them can fit everything I need to carry inside.  Do any of you wonderful ladies have any recommendations?

The denim jacket is super old and is from JCPenney.

My comfy flats are even older:  they are from Payless Shoe Source.  I'm not even sure they are even in business anymore.  I miss them!

 Now be sure and check out all the pretty dresses the other ladies in my group are wearing and don't forget to link up with us as well.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits

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Bo ~ Bo's Bodacious Blog

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Joanna ~ 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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Rosemary ~ Distinctly Southern Style

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Ageless Style - "Outfit Challenged"

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. 

Hello!  Long time no see.  I am not back to a regular blogging schedule but I want to remain faithful to my blogging commitments so I will still participate in the Ageless Style Link Up once a month as long as they have it.  But before I begin the link up post I wanted to give everyone a little update on me and my family during the Coronavirus Pandemic.  

First of all, we are all healthy.  Everyone is still employed, although my husband

was told he can't work over-time anymore.  He always worked sixty hours a week our entire marriage, and now he is working a normal forty hours a week.  It's nice to have him home more, but the loss of money from over time will hurt.   We're also not sure how much longer he will even have a job, if this quarantine goes on much longer.  That is scary, but I'm grateful he is still working for now as I know so many Americans are not.  All we can do is take one day at a time for now so we don't fall into complete panic mode.  

My children and grandchildren moved in with us the day before the "15 Days To Slow The Spread".  It's been wonderful having them with us for the grandchildren have been a wonderful distraction for me.  I would be going out of my mind with worry if they weren't here with me.  Jason, my son-in-law is a private school teacher and has created an office for himself in our basement and is teaching his students on-line.  Ashley is a private voice teacher and has been teaching her students via the internet as well.  My other son Jordan is still in Illinois and still working full time.  Although he is very lonely, we all agree he should stay there while he still has a job.  But if he loses his job, he will move back home as well.

I know everyone is hopeful that this will end soon and life will return to normal, and I hope so too.  But, I really think there is a more sinister plot behind all of this, and life will probably never be the same again.  I won't get into all my "conspiracy theories" here as I'm sure many of you are aware of all of them already, but in preparation for the worst, we have been super busy planning and building a vegetable garden.  I've always had a massive flower gardens, but other than tomatoes and cucumbers, I never had a vegetable garden.  All the extra work of the normal spring garden chores, plus the new vegetable garden, and having more mouths to feed, has left me little time for blogging.  I still plan on doing an Easter post, because no matter what, I'm dressing up in my new Easter dress from TJMaxx (that I purchased before this whole nightmare began), and having church with my family in our living room celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  I feel like the "Who's" in "Whoville" in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas".  No matter what the world "stole" from me, I'm still going to sing "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today" on Easter Sunday and I hope you do too!

Now, on to the Ageless Style Link Up shall we?  The theme this month is "Outfit Challenged".  Shugunna challenged us to style an item in our closet that "we liked when we saw it, brought it home, but then never or rarely worn it".  I immediately thought of this Ivanka Trump dress that I purchased from Ross two years ago and never wore.  I purchased it for my trip to Savannah but never ended up wearing it because I thought it was too uncomfortable to wear walking around Savannah streets all day.  It hung in my closet then unused because I always felt it was too "dressy" to wear anywhere, including church.  I thought "Maybe I'll wear it to a wedding someday", but I always ended up wearing something else.  So, when Shugunna challenged us to style our rarely worn items, I decided now was a good time to wear this dress to church but to try and style it "more casually" so I didn't feel so "dressed up" in it.

 

To tone down the formality of the dress to make it a little more suitable for our "casual attire" church, I simply added a lightweight long blue cardigan from Stitch Fix.    It was also a great way to extend the wear of the dress into other seasons, as it is a sleeveless dress meant for warmer temperatures.

The weight of the cardigan is perfect for these cooler spring temperatures adding just the right of warmth.

 
I accessorized with a taupe clutch (also from Stitch Fix) and simple, elegant pearl jewelry.  I kept the jewelry understated to tone down the fanciness of the dress.

 

For shoes, I thought it was finally time to show my toes as all the snow melted.  I picked these open toed pumps from my closet.

Because it was a cool, windy day the day we took these pictures, I did keep the cardigan on all day.  But I also wanted to show you a few pictures of this dress without the cardigan.

 

Like most Ivanka Trump dresses, it is a very figure flattering dress but also modest.  I just love Ivanka  Trump's style and I'm in constant awe of how amazing she always looks.

And now, be sure to check out what the other Ageless Style ladies styled, and link up your outfits below.

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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Stitch Fix #28 Review

I'm so excited to review my April box from Stitch Fix because it was one of the best boxes I've received in a long time.  Everything was just my style, in colors I love, and items I could really use.  Now that I said all that, I'm sure it will come to no surprise to you that I KEPT EVERYTHING!!  My Instagram Polls were very positive too, on every item except one.  But I kept that item anyway because it was practical and I knew I'd wear it a lot this summer.  Now,  let's begin the review of my April box,  Stitch Fix #28.

Sole Society Handbags Emmet Clutch

Status Kept!

I love this clutch.  It's such a pretty color,  the round handle is adorable, and I like that I can use it as a cross body bag too.  That being said,  I almost didn't keep this bag because I already own a peach clutch.  However, the clutch I already own is very plain and just an open bag.  This one had a nice leopard lined interior and lots of pockets for credit cards.  It will be a lot more useful for me, especially when traveling.

The clutch polled very well, coming in at the second most popular item:  83% said "keep" and 17% said "send back".

Cosmic Blue Love Ava Button Down Top

Status:  Kept!

This pastel, vertical stripe top was the least popular item on Instagram.  Only 38% said "Keep" and 62% said "Return".  I have to admit, it was not my favorite item in the Fix, but I thought it was very practical so I kept it.  In hot weather, I like to wear a lot of tanks, but when I go inside stores or other buildings, I prefer to cover my shoulders.  This top is very sheer and lightweight, and it will make the perfect cover up over tanks.  I also really liked the colors and thought it would go with a lot of items I already own.

Original Post

This next picture includes two items from the Fix:  the embroidered top and the pants.

Pale Sky Emmy Embroidered Top and 

Lila Ryan Kit Button Hem Detail Skinny Pant

Status:  Kept Both!

This top was probably my favorite piece in this box.  I loved the embroidery, especially against the all white background.  The colors in the embroidery were so beautiful, and I thought the peachy pink tassels were super cute as well.  The style and fit of this top was great too.  A lot of boho tops can be so loose and baggy they can make me look heavier than I am.  This boho top has a nice, fit;  it's more narrow in the waist.  It came in at #4 on Instagram:  59% said "Keep" and 41% said "Return".

The most popular item on Instagram were the pants;  and I can see why:  They are cute!  The button detail on the hem is just adorable.  88% of my readers said to "keep" the pants and only 12% said to "return" them.  I love the color, the feel, the comfort, and of course the button detail of the pants, but I was worried they wouldn't stay up on me because they're were no belt loops, so I almost sent them back for that reason I alone.  I have worn them once since I bought them, and my worst fears came true:  they were constantly falling down on me while I was shopping and I had to keep pulling them up.  I will have to find a similar material and sew on my own belt loops as some readers have suggested.

Original Post

Leota Finnley Jersey Faux Wrap Dress

Status:  Kept!

This pretty faux wrap dress came in #3 in my Instagram Poll.  I absolutely love this dress!  The colors are so pretty, the fit and length is great, and it's super comfy to wear.  I can't wait till it's warm enough for me to wear it!  63% of Instagram pollsters said to "Keep it" and 37% said to "Return It".

Original Post

So there you have it...I kept it all!  For my readers who are often disappointed when I don't keep much, I hope your happy!  🤣  My pocketbook on the other hand, is not!

If you 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!

A “Faux Wrap Dress”?

Ladies my April box from Stitch Fix was one of the best boxes I've received in a long time.  I received this gorgeous, and comfortable "Faux Wrap" dress in that box.  As usual, I won't let you know if I kept it or not until after I review each piece separately and then do a review a post in a few weeks.

For those of you wondering, yes, you are getting another sneak peak at my new living room, but it is STILL not done so I can't do a big reveal post yet.  I'm still looking for a couple of pieces needed to complete the room.  I will say, although it didn't turn out as I envisioned it, I am accepting the new reality and enjoying it.  I ended up LOVING my new recliner (the piece I was most worried about) that you can see in the picture below,  and would you believe, I did not like the new leather chair in this room at all so I moved it to another room?  UGH!  What a huge waste of money that was.  This remodel has been a total disaster and has discouraged me from ever remodeling a room again, but I will tell you more about that in the big reveal post.  I have the feeling that will be a very long post. 

Anyway, back to fashion.  The dress is a comfortable, soft jersey knit.  It feels wonderful on!  The name of the dress is Leota Finnley Jersey Faux Wrap Dress.  It's called a "Faux Wrap" because it looks like a wrap, but you actually pull it over your head to get it on. It's actually quite nice, because you get all the benefits of a wrap dress (wrap dresses are figure flattering on everyone!) without having to worry about a breeze blowing it open revealing things you don't want seen.  It's actually an ingenious idea, and I wish all my wrap dresses were made like this.

I paired the dress with a faded denim jacket, nude sandals, and a clutch from Sole Society that I also received in this Fix.

The wrap dress is sleeveless, but it has a thick shoulder band so I can wear a regular bra with it.  I really detest spaghetti straps and I usually avoid most spaghetti strap dresses.  I like that it is sleeveless because I can wear the dress when it's hot but I can also easily cover my arms with a jacket or cardigan too.  Perfect!

I really liked the colors in this dress,  especially the teal.  I don't have anything like this in my closet already.  At first, I thought it was a bird print, but upon closer inspection I discovered it was not.

If you'd like to try Stitch Fix, use my REFERRAL CODE to receive $25.00 off your first box!

Have a Great Day and Happy Mother's Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!