Fashion Archives - Pocketful of Joules

Goodbye Summer: My favorite & most worn summer outfits

This summer was kind of a weird one, since most of the US was on some form of Stay at Home order. Where we normally would have traveled, spent time at outdoor festivals, and hung out at the pool… we didn’t do any of those things. Instead, we had lots of home time and a long weekend in Ocean City.

And, I haven’t worn ‘work clothes’ since March.

Which is sooo weird to think about it. Because I remember at the beginning of the quarantine that I did my closet switch-over assuming I would go back into the office. However, I haven’t worn ANY of my summer office clothes. In fact, soon I’ll be packing all my summer clothes away again, in favor of tights and layers.

Since I had a much more casual summer than normal, my summer favorites will also lean more towards the casual side of things.

Summer Outfit #1: Bringing My Own Sunshine!

This skirt has been on repeat this summer, ever since I scooped it up at the J.Crew Clearance sale. It’s got a super stretchy waist, pockets and hot pink pompoms around the hem… what’s not to love?! I tend to reach for this skirt when I have errands to do on a gray and rainy day. I just keep re-wearing it with different graphic t-shirts and Birkenstock sandals.

Summer Outfit #2: Simple and Easy

Black v-neck tank top and jean shorts. Boom. DONE. Am I reinventing the wheel? Not at all. However, it’s simple. It’s easy. It looks good for a billion different occasions… painting, lazing on the couch, going to the grocery store, hanging with family at a socially distanced picnic. This tank top is from Madewell and it is one of my favorites… I do recommend going up a size though so that you can throw it in the dryer without fears of shrinking.

Summer Outfit #3: Make it Exercise… but with a Side of Snark

I wish I had gotten my leggings in this photo, but I’m wearing these and I’ve already talked about how much I love them. My morning walk uniform is basically a snarky tank top from Inspiration Fit, leggings, and sneakers. I love the fitted tanks from Inspiration Fit sooo much, even though I have to size up to an XL so that they fit my boobs. I also own such gems as: “May your coffee be stronger than your children”, “Posh, Baby, Ginger, Scary, Sporty, Pumpkin”, and “Happier than a Seagull with a French Fry.”

Summer Outfit #4: All Thrift, All the Time

Having nowhere special to go has certainly helped me blur the lines between ‘work clothes’ and ‘home clothes” and a lot of that is due to thrifting. I never would have thought to throw on a $200 Eileen Fisher skirt with a tank top to sit in my home office or run an errand. However, the fact that I thrifted it for just $7 makes me much more open to wearing it more often! This stretchy black skirt was paired with a bunch of super casual tank tops over the summer because it is so comfortable and can be thrown in the washer and dryer. It also makes me feel a little bit fancier than wearing my pajama shorts around the house all day.

In Maryland, we probably have another few weeks or so of summery weather and then suddenly fall will be here, so I’ll be repeating these outfits as many times as possible before I start throwing on the layers!

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My Favorite Workout Leggings WITH POCKETS

This is not my butt. Just wanted to make sure that was super clear. However, these leggings do make my actual butt look almost this good because these are magical leggings.

Let me start back at the beginning though… my search for the perfect leggings.

I have leggings. I have multiple pairs of leggings.

Some are okay, some are terrible and some are fantastic… but have no pockets. And why do I need a pocket, you may ask? Well, a couple months ago I decided to start each weekday by going on a walk around my neighborhood before work. I throw on my workout clothes, push ‘start’ on my iWatch, hit ‘play’ on my Spotify playlist on my phone, and walk. And it’s great!

It helps me feel less achy throughout the day and I like starting the day with a little bit of exercise. Since Jack’s been home with me, he walks with me… and I like that too, because he’s adorable and apparently in the mornings his brain is filled with SO MANY questions and I love to hear what’s going on in his head.

Anywho… as I mentioned, I like to listen to Spotify on my iPhone while I walk. Which means, I like to stick my phone in my pocket so I can be hands-free while also moving and grooving. Which brings me to my quest for leggings with pockets.

Not just leggings with pockets, but flattering AND comfortable leggings with pockets.

Like Goldilocks, they had to be juuuuussst right. They had to suck me in, but not too much. I wanted them calf length – not bike shorts length or ankle length. And they couldn’t be super expensive, because $60 – 80 for workout leggings is a bit crazy.

Which brings us to the perfect leggings: IUGA high waisted yoga pants. They are $21.95 and they come in a bunch of colors, but I own the space dye purple and the space dye gray. I think the slight pattern makes them even more flattering. The high waist is perfect for yanking up over my tummy and once you have them on, they don’t budge at all.

And the best part… pockets.

I mean, they make my butt look fantastic too. But really, it’s all about the pockets. I slide my housekey into my left pocket, and stick my phone in my right pocket and I’m good to go.

Laundering instructions say to put them inside out before washing, which I do. I then wash them in the machine with cold water and let them hang dry. I’ve been alternating between the two pairs all summer and they still look perfect.

So, if you’ve also been wanting some reasonably-priced, flattering leggings WITH POCKETS… I highly recommend these!

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DIY Embroidered Jacket Project

In last week’s Thrift Haul post, I shared the washed pink jean jacket that I thrifted for $12. While I’m typically not a pink kinda girl, I thought the muted clay color was really interesting and that it could be a fun backdrop for a little DIY project.

My initial thoughts were that I’d try some embroidery, similar to Johnny Was pieces… but without the $300 price tag. I also thought I’d try adding in a super fun fabric as lining to cover up the ‘wrong side’ of the embroidery that would have been visible.

I popped over to Joann Fabrics to see if they had any fun embroidery options and found a few Stitcher’s Revolution Iron-On Transfer Patterns that were close to what I was looking for. I purchased a few to try out, but ended up using this one for this project: https://amzn.to/31zFgpP

I started with the back and ironed on one of the larger designs.

I had never done embroidery before, only cross-stitch, so I watched a couple YouTube tutorials to teach myself the backstitch, French knot and chain stitch. I had a bunch of embroidery floss on hand from other projects, so I just picked each color as I went and ended free-handing part of the design for funsies.

After I finished the back, I decided to add a little bird to the front as well… so I sliced and diced an existing bird into what I was looking for and ironed the guide on. This one went much quicker, since it was smaller.

Once I finished the front bird, I then thought I’d sew in a lining. However, I didn’t get too crazy with lining sewing, since I’m not a very experienced sewist. I basically cut the lining to the shape of the middle back placket, folded and ironed each raw side down, and then sewed it along the seams. It was relatively easy and turned out great. Not only does the Rifle Paper Co Wonderland fabric cover the ugly side of my embroidery… it’s is also fun pop of pattern when I take the coat off!