How to Wear a Cardigan: Look #3 Another Style from Soft Surroundings

 

So far this week, we have seen two cardigan styles during the HOW TO WEAR A CARDIGAN week: one was an artistic floral and one was a colorblock.  Today is soft plaid topper that some have called a cardigan and some a jacket from  Soft Surroundings.

I love to wear plaid.  It says bold, confident, classic and fun to me …all at the same time.  Recently, I saw this quote on a retailer email: “Fashion has to reflect who you are, what you feel at the moment, and where you’re going.”  I am not going to mention the brand, because my issue is not to cause them any problems, but I have huge issues with the quote.

When I went through my reinvention at age 50, I had no idea who I was, but I knew who I wanted to be.  So, I began to control the messages my clothing said about me and then I understood what my personal style is.  Secondly, there are many mornings I get up and I am not feeling it.  Perhaps, I had a bad night’s (lack of) sleep or I just don’t want to go to work that day.  If I dressed for work the way I feel at the moment, it would be a train wreck.  Often dressing better than I feel turns my attitude around and helps go out into the day joyful and confident. For that statement to be in a quote about fashion….I was very perplexed.  Finally, as I write often, I usually dress better than where I am going.  If I truly dressed for the grocery or to just run errands, it would be another train wreck!

Whenever, you get these random, lofty quotes in your social media or email, think about what they really say to you.  There are many, like this one, that just don’t make sense.

Back to my plaid cardigan from Soft Surroundings.  I was happy to see hot pink remain on trend for cooler weather, because it truly looks amazing with black and white. I watched one news anchor interview a new book author this week and both wore hot pink, black and white.  So I wore my hot pink top with this to give you an idea of how the colors mix.  I did have a sales representative call this a cardigan rather than a jacket because it has little structure and is softer than most jackets. But the name of the garment is the St. James Jacket.  You can see there is a little brown in the plaid and I believe that is why the pink looks so good with it.  Browns and pinks would live in the same family.  I prefer the neckline with a V Neck or camisole garment rather than a collared shirt.

This is just another fun way to look at cardigans…completely different styles.  Now, do you agree with me on the quote…. Do you dress how you feel at the moment?

There is more below from Soft Surroundings!  You will see that this plaid topper is on sale right now. Just follow the slide show to the site. Thanks for being here this week and every week!

KEEP SMILING!

18 Comments

  1. The first thought for me was that this jacket with black/ white plaid would look pretty paired with red pants & black top. Nice! I love plaids. The collar and longer length on this jacket make it very appealing. – Pam, I’m with you on some of these “meaningful” quotes floating around…some can be rather questionable…lol.

  2. I believe that that how you feel at the moment is after you dress. As you acknowledge, sometimes you start off not feeling your best, so you put on an outfit that lifts you up and now you’re dressed how you feel!
    Smiling back.

  3. You are exactly right about dressing better than you feel. It helped me years ago when my husband passed away to get my day started and be able to go to work and move forward. When you look your best, you feel your best and your world opens up!

  4. Dressing for how you feel at the moment is what leads to wearing pajama pants at Target. Wearing something I feel good in makes me more productive, even when I’m at home. Each time I go out, no matter what the reason, I treat it as an event.
    I love today’s outfit.

  5. Dressing your best helps put a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
    When I moved from the Chicago area to Houston Texas, I found that more often than not, I was “over dressed”. It gave me a confident boost when I was in a crowd of people I didn’t know.

  6. Thanks Jennifer! I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the pink but when I put them together I liked it.

  7. I’ve learned that how I dress affects my energy levels. I have a meeting this evening and while what I’m wearing would be appropriate (white t-top and denim skirt), I’ll probably change my outfit anyway. If nothing else, I’ll add jewelry and a cardigan or topper to combat the drop in temps when the sun goes down. I’ll probably put on a more colorful tip just for the energy boost!

  8. I agree Nancy… it does affect my energy levels. Good point and I am highly jealous your temps drop at night! We aren’t there yet!

  9. I would definitely not dress for how I feel at the moment. When I come home from work, I hang up or put my clothes in the hamper. Then while I’m still in the closet, I choose and lay out the clothes I will wear tomorrow. This gives me a chance to choose accessories without morning panic and to fix any issues I didn’t catch on the last wearing, like a dangling button. If I dressed for how I felt I would be braless and sockless 🙂

Comments are closed.