Red Military Blazer with Gold Buttons

January 1, 2018 by Virginia 24 Comments

Happy New Year! *insert crazy noisemaker effect here* Our new year is already off to an interesting start, as the photos of this great red military blazer with gold buttons were taken after a night of getting up every hour and a half to check on the defrosting of our frozen pipes due to a broken window and dysfunctional furnace in two of the units in our home! *sigh* This has been a very difficult year for my husband and I financially and truth be told, I’m pretty happy that 2017 is in the books. I’m looking forward to getting new renters and finally adjusting to my new job, to my husband finishing school and starting a nurse practitioner program. There are all kinds of possibilities in the new year so bring on 2018!

I have been excited to share this outfit for a few weeks now because it just seems so Christmassy to me. After family left and schedules worked out, we were finally able to shoot this outfit. It’s not super fancy but I love the simple pattern mixing. Our town is gorgeous this time of year with wreaths on the lampposts and candles in all the windows. This red military blazer with gold buttons just fits with the festive feel.

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I’m obsessed with Balmain blazers and was on the lookout for an affordable look-a-like. It’s hard because so many of the good ones sell out quickly. This red military blazer from Missguided was a birthday gift and I love the bright color and pretty gold buttons. In person it doesn’t look like the version on the website, but I still love the pop of color. The fabric is like a thick t-shirt material and the jacket is unlined. The picture on the website shows the jacket buttoned but there is no way to button the jacket and the pockets aren’t real. That’s your fair warning. But, it’s very comfortable and if you just want an affordable Balmain look-alike, this is an option.

The rest of the outfit is made up of items that have been in my closet a number of years. The scarf was a Forever21 purchase a few years ago to add some holiday flair to my black peacoat and I always pull it out this time of year. Make sure to check out last year’s Holiday Outfit Inspiration post for more ideas of how to wear red during the Holidays!

Get the Red Military Blazer with Gold Buttons Look

Red Military Blazer with Gold Buttons, Missguided.
Striped Turtleneck, Forever21. Similar.
Similar Distressed Skinny Jeans, American Eagle.
Plaid Scarf, Forever21. Similar here and in widget below.
Similar Leopard Heels, Nordstrom.
Baublebar Mason Ring, Nordstrom. Similar in widget below.
Michael Kors Two-Tone Pave Watch, Areatrends.com
Sugarfix by Baublebar Earrings, Target. I know, I wear these every post! But they go with EVERYTHING!
Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Striking, Walmart.

Clickable Outfit Widget

Thank you so much for stopping by! This little old blog of mine has seen a lot of growth this year and I’m so thankful for all of you who stop by and help make it successful!

Happy New Year!

-Virginia

Patriotic Outfit for 4th of July Celebrations

July 3, 2017 by Virginia 17 Comments

Happy 4th of July friends! Man, I gotta tell ya. There is NOTHING like experiencing the fourth of July in New England! As a Social Studies (particularly a Government) teacher, I get especially geeky about how historical everything is in this area. I shot these photos of my patriotic outfit after we celebrated “Freedom Sabbath” and decked out our local church in red, white and blue! Everyone dressed up in their own patriotic colors and we celebrated the freedom we have in Christ, along with the freedom we have to worship. What’s crazy awesome is that my church is over 300 years old and Sam Ward (Governor of Rhode Island, delegate to the Continental Congress, and one of the founders of Brown University) was a member of our Congregation! He died of smallpox during the Continental Congress, only three months before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Be still my little historical heart!

As I said in this post, I adore the 4th of July. Some of it could be because I grew up in the Midwest where we celebrated our freedom as a community (with fireworks!) and a lot of it probably (yes, definitely) has to do with being a Government teacher for ten years. Even though I’m no longer teaching government, there will always be something special for me about red, white and blue!

In recent years, patriotism in our country has suffered. I’m not here to lecture on this or to excuse our country for the things we’ve done that are wrong, but there is something to be said for our having freedom as a foundational principle. We have our issues with freedom at home, for sure, but I taught Comparative Government. We studied places where bloggers were blacklisted, journalists murdered, and people jailed or murdered for practicing their own religious beliefs. Call me old-fashioned, but I am thankful that freedom is “in our blood” as a country and true patriots will love their country enough to fight to keep it that way. I’m a patriot (don’t worry Seattleites, not that kind of Patriot!) and so on the 4th of July I don’t just celebrate being able to barbecue in the backyard (though I do love that…) but the kind of country that is willing to stand up against tyranny today as in 1776, at home as we have done abroad.

The photo of the canon above was taken across the street from our house. Our whole town decks out for the 4th of July, with bunting on every public building and the streets downtown lined with flags. Last week, we had a Summer Pops Concert in our local park and at the end, when the orchestra played the National Anthem, the entire place (over 1,000 people) stood and sang the national anthem together. It was moving. Patriotism is not dead in New England and I’m proud to be part of this kind of community!

Enjoy your holiday with family and friends, experiencing the freedom we have to do so! Most of the items I’m wearing in this patriotic outfit are from previous seasons, but they are classics to have in any closet and some of you may even have versions of these already. If you’re still trying to think of a patriotic outfit to wear tomorrow, pull out a blue top and some white shorts or skinny jeans. Then, grab some patriotic ribbon and use that as the finishing touch! That’s what I did! My trick to tying in more of a color (in this case, red) to an outfit is to wear it as a lipstick and add a ribbon to your hair! Try it!

Happy 4th of July! Thanks for visiting! (Check out this post or this post if you need more outfit inspiration!)

Get this Patriotic Outfit Look:

Blue Lace Peplum Top, Forever 21 (0ld). Similar | Similar | Similar
White Skinny Ankle Jeans, LOFT (old). Same Brand | Similar under $50
Red Ankle Pumps, DSW (old). Almost Exact | Very Similar
Ribbon as headband, Walmart.
Crystal Statement Necklace, Shinymix.com (old). 40% off at Shinymix through the 4th with code: July4
Ray Ban Original Aviators, Rewards Points! (also here)
Stila’s All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, Sephora.
Corley Earrings, c/o Kenda Scott. Also here.
Baublebar Ice Lateral Ring, Baublebar (old).
Rachel Double Ring, c/o Kendra Scott (old). Similar.
Michael Kors Two-Tone Darci Watch, Areatrends.com. Also here

Holiday Outfit Pinspiration

December 12, 2016 by Virginia Evans Leave a Comment

Good morning! Today I have a little Holiday Outfit Pinspiration for you all! When I first got into fashion, I used Pinterest as a place to find and collect ideas for how to wear some of my favorite items in my closet. It inspired me to try polka dots with plaid and sparkle tank tops over button down shirts. It’s a great place to go to get ideas.

During the holiday season I find myself on Pinterest a lot, gathering ideas for decorations, DIY Gifts, and recipes for holiday meals. So, lately I have found myself going back to my Winter Fashion board and checking out the ideas I’ve collected from the past. Today I want to share a few of those Holiday Outfit ideas with you and how I recreated them using what I have. I don’t claim to have come up with any of these ideas on my own, and I will link the original if I can find it. But maybe it will inspire you to go on Pinterest and get a little Pinspiration for yourself!

Pinspiration Holiday Outfit Look #1

Holiday Look Red Puffer vest Plaid

(Pinterest, Dead link)

Recreate this Look!

I wish my recreation had more white in it, but when recreating Pinterest looks it’s good to work with what you have! I still like the effect and I never would have thought of putting them together on my own!

Plaid Shirt, JCPenney (old). Various options in widget below.

Red Puffer Vest, JCPenney. Goes on sale frequently!

Michael Kors Two-Tone Darci Watch, areatrends.com.

Stila Beso Red Liquid Lipstick, Ulta.

Pinspiration Holiday Outfit Look #2

Holiday Polka Dot Top and Herringbone Puffer Vest

(Pinterest, via Jane.com)

For this look, I had almost identical items already in my closet. The only thing I didn’t have was a cherry red sweater. So, never fear! You can do this look if you have a red long sleeve shirt! I thought it would be really lumpy over the top of the polka dot top, but it wasn’t bad! Since I had a crew neck top instead of a V-neck top, I created a V at the top with a v-shaped statement necklace.

Recreate this Look!

Polka Dot Tunic, Shein.com. Most similar polka dot top. Another in widget below.

Red Long Sleeve T-shirt, Old Navy. Red Long Sleeve Crew Neck Shirt from Target.

Herringbone Puffer Vest, Jane.com. Inspired by J.Crew Herringbone Print Vest (on sale!). Similar but Shorter Herringbone Puffer Vest.

Statement Necklace, Shinymix.com. Similar Statement Necklace (also this one).

Stila Beso Red Liquid Lipstick, Ulta.

Ok, that’s all for today! Make sure to check out my Winter Fashion pinterest board for more inspiration!

If you put together a pinspired holiday outfit, make sure to let me know in the comments below! I would love to know how you recreated your favorite pinterest outfit!

Thanks for visiting! It means so much to me!