Fashion - Pocketful of Joules

My Style: January Favorite Outfits

Geez, if I thought I was in sloth mode last month with my holiday break, this month’s snow days have certainly given me a run for my money. I basically wore this sweatshirt for a week straight. No regrets though… not one!

Luckily I put a little effort in earlier in the month and came up with a few favorite outfits to share with you. If you see something you like, I’ve made it easy for you to steal my style with links for each item, as well as some similar styles at different price points. If you want to check out previous My Style posts, you can find them here.

Look #1: Super Soft & Warm

The Sweater
On one of my visits to Nordstrom Rack, I passed by a rack, my hand lightly touched this sweater and I was sold. This sweater is SO SOFT that I call it my hugging sweater and I encourage people to come over for a super awkward – yet warm and comfy – hug from me. I bought it in dark gray and then liked it so much that I went back and got it in blue too. They have a few colors/sizes still available on the website here but if you live near a Rack you might have better luck just looking around for the Harlowe & Graham rack. I’m actually wearing the gray version today with my berry-colored skinnies (pic here).

The Pants
Ugh, I am such a broken record with these pants. I mean, what real fashion blogger-type person wears the same darn pants all the time? Whatever, I love them and have FOUR pairs (one still with the tags on, just waiting for its day to shine). It looks like they are all sold out on the Nordstrom Rack website, but they still have them on Amazon here: Democracy Women’s AB Solution and Booty Lift Technology Jegging.

The Boots
These are my trusty Naturalizer Wide Calf boots that I bought before last winter struck. At the time, I was thrilled to finally find a pair of knee-high boots that fit my (apparently) large calves and they have been a winter staple in my closet ever since. I even picked up a brown pair this past fall that I’ve been wearing to death too. Nordstrom Rack’s website hardly has anything from Naturalizer, but here is a similar pair from the Naturalizer website. There are also a ton of really cute riding boot options at DSW. I especially like the Lucky Brand Hanover Riding Boots and the Bandolino Blushe Riding Boots.

The Necklace
You’ve seen this necklace before and you’ll see it again, I picked it up a couple months ago on super clearance from Anthropologie. If you ever need statement jewelry, their clearance section is the BEST and they often have sales for additional money off. Right now I’m waiting for the Moondance Fringe Necklace or the Isemene Tassel Necklace to go on sale!

Look #2: Weekend Snuggles

The Top
I received this top in a recent Stitch Fix and finally broke the tags off to wear it a couple weeks ago. I love that the main body of the top is super soft and then it has those contrasting cuffs to add some interest. It reminds me of the Free People lodge top that all the cool girls wear. I’m obsessed with the black version and if it goes on sale that baby will be MINE! Have you seen anything similar for a lower price point?

The Jeans
I received these Kut from the Kloth Mia Skinny Jeans in my January Trendsend box (here’s the post) I love the darker wash and the slim fit… especially that they fit well and don’t give me muffin-top! You can find the exact jeans here.

The Boots
I saw these Uggs Studded Motorcycle boots at Nordstrom Rack time and time again, but they never got down to a price where I was comfortable buying them. So, I checked eBay and totally lucked out on finding a pair for 1/3 of the cost in my size. Heck yeah! If you like the motorcycle boot look, you may like these Vince Camuto’s on sale at Nordstrom for $119 or these Quilted Moto Boots for just $41.

Look #3: Donuts are Always Cool

The Socks
These fabulous socks were a gift from my friend Katie at Words for Worms and she made me promise to wear them to my next morning event at Krispy Kreme. You can find them at Target and here is a quickie link to them. Now, bring on the donuts!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my blogging addiction. Pocketful of Joules is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

My January Stitch Fix: Back to Work

With January being the month of the full-house purge over here, I was excited to see what Stitch Fix decided to send me. I know that sounds kind of backwards, but by purging so much I feel like it will help me be harsher than ever when deciding what to buy. Otherwise, the items would just join my sell pile in a few months. (PS, if you want tips for selling clothes on FB, check out this post)

I just got a really great box with some casual clothes from Trendsend a couple weeks ago, so I knew that I wanted to go in a different direction for my January Stitch Fix box.

Here’s what I told my Stylist:

Let’s go back to doing work-appropriate items. Dresses and skirts in heavier winter fabrics (fit and flare and swing skirts are best on my shape). I’m 5’7″ so nothing too short. I just pinned a bunch of new stuff!

{If you are interested in checking out all of my Fix reviews, you can click here. This Fix is #28… so I’m kind of a fan!}

Did she listen? Let’s see what I received. Luckily I was able to take pictures before the snow started coming down!

Item #1: London Times Leeah Dress – $64
My initial thought when I pulled this dress out of the box was that it is a perfect dress for work. The navy color, demure neckline and knee-length skirt combine to make it something that I can easily dress up or down depending on my day. The price is pretty great too! I was a bit conflicted on the lace though… not that lace can’t be work appropriate, but it seems a little juvenile for the office.

Sources: Similar dress and similar shoes.

The dress is so pretty though and fits really great, so I was considering it for our upcoming cruise. Until, I noticed that there was already a pretty bad loose thread pull on the very front of the dress. If it arrived already damaged, there is no way I’m going to be able to keep from making it worse with everyday life.

Keep or Return? I love the color and shape of the dress, but the lace overlay causes just enough issues that it’s going back.

Item #2: Adrianna Papell Evren Dress – $138
I just recently pinned this dress on my Pinterest page because I really like the way the circles grow in size as they near the hem. I do really like wrap dresses and think they are great for curvy girls, I just don’t tend to grab the ones in my closet too often because I feel the need to throw on shapewear when I wear one. I realized after I put this one on that I actually have a short-sleeved wrap dress in a very similar print.

Sources: Plus sized version of dress (I can’t find the standard version), similar shoes, similar blazer.

Well gosh, this dress is quite va-va-voom in the pictures, isn’t it? I expected the skirt to be a little more flowy, but it really does cling to every curve. Which is great for a date night, but not so great for the office. I tried it with a black blazer to see if that helped, but the clingy material makes me a little too self-conscious for a typical workday. If you are looking for a sexy dress though, I highly recommend this one. Even though it looks like a wrap dress, it’s actually a fake so you don’t have to worry about it opening up and showing the world your goodies.

Keep or Return? The dress is great, but doesn’t really meet the needs of my everyday life. Also, since I have a dress so similar (that I don’t wear much), I might as well send this one back and try to wear the one I have more often!

Item #3: RD Style Mulligan Airy Knit Pullover Sweater – $68
Here’s another sweater that I just pinned on my Pinterest page and I was thrilled that my stylist sent it over. However, it was a lot less over-sized than I expected. It also has a hem with a higher front and lower back.

Due to the open weave, the sweater is totally see-through, so I’m wearing a black tank top underneath. At first the ‘mullet’ look kind of turned me off, but it really is growing on me. However, there are some odd knit tie-offs throughout the sweater that make it look pretty terrible. Here is a close up of a couple of them:

Keep or Return? I do like the sweater, but the defects in the knit really bother me. Especially for the price! Looks like this one is going back too.

Item #4: Le Lis Alice Printed Faux Suede Swing Skirt – $64
In the past, I’ve had issues with the length of the skirts sent to me, so I happy that this skirt was almost knee-length. I also really like the floral print with the contrasting black waistband.

Sources: {Outfit 1} exact blouse, similar skirt, similar shoes. {Outfit 2} similar cardigan, similar boots.

I like so much about this skirt, but the fabric is just really, really weird. It’s like a mixture of old-school velour and polyester…? The worst thing though is that it is so full of static that if I walk more than a couple steps it starts riding up and sticking there. Not cool skirt. Not. Cool.

Keep or Return? Remember how I told you all that I was going to be super harsh and only keep what I truly love? Well, than it shouldn’t surprise you that this skirt is going back too!

Item #5: Gilli Jodie Textured Skirt – $58
Stripes are still having a pretty huge moment and I really like texture of this skirt and the little box-pleat at the waist. It’s like the ‘big fancy sister’ of your typical swing skirt… which I like. It is also knee-length, which is a HUGE plus for me!

Source: {Outfit 1} exact blouse, similar skirt, similar shoes {Outfit 2} similar cardigan, similar boots.

Here is a close-up of the fabric texture:

Keep or Return? I love this skirt and it’s a total keeper!

My Decision
I really think my stylist did a great job with this Fix and sent items that were more in line with what I was looking for. She really had no way of knowing that the navy lace dress was damaged and the sweater had weird stitch issues. If I truly loved either of them, I could have contacted customer service for a replacement… but I decided to take their defects for what they were, a warning that they probably wouldn’t stand up to my everyday not-walking-daintily-around life.

Usually I ask you what I should choose from my Fix, but I think the choice is pretty clear this month and I’ll be buying the striped skirt.

Do you think I made the right choice? Do you think I should stick with the same stylist or try someone new?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Stitch Fix, I pay for the $20 styling fee and any clothing I purchase with my own hard-earned money. If you enjoyed my review and decide to try Stitch Fix for yourself, the biggest compliment you can give me is by using my referral link. Thank you to anyone who chooses to click through and support my blogging addiction. This post contains affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission.

Psssst…Do you love checking out what other people received in their Fixes? I added quick links to every single one of my reviews on my Stitch Fix Reviews page!

2 Super Simple Styling Tricks

Do you ever notice how some people just tend to look put together? They could be wearing just a normal old white t-shirt and jeans, but somehow they make it look fashionable.

I think I’ve finally figured it out.

I mean, I don’t have it ALL figured out and I totally still look like a hot mess sometimes, but I figured out two super simple tricks making your clothes look better.

Are you ready?

Okay, here is the ‘before’ picture:

Yup, just hanging out here wearing a thrift store flannel shirt and jeans. Everything’s okay. I mean, I’m not accidentally showing a nipple or anything… so I consider that a win. But, it could be better with just two little changes.

Trick #1: Roll up your sleeves
Trick #2: Tuck in part of your shirt

Look now:

I’m wearing the exact same outfit, but by rolling up my sleeves and doing a little partial-tuck with my shirt it just looks… better. Right?

I realize that this isn’t rocket science over here, but every little trick that makes me feel prettier/sexier/more confident in my clothes is one that is worth sharing!

What do you think? Do you do the roll and tuck. Wait… did I just name it?! Is this a THING now? Hmmm…