Style Tips for Spring Outfits

26 Comments

1. both outfits are really pretty but I feel they are for someone younger than myself but if I was wearing the dress I would wear it with a pair of dressy brown sandals that had a little heel and strap, and the pants suit I would wear the jacket open with a tank underneath with a statement necklace and again a dressy sandal

2. Thanks for starting this off today, Janet!

3. I like to wear classic clothes, but that dress appeals to the “romantic” in me. I could see a young tall lady (who doesn’t need a bra) wearing it with gold strappy heels and a picture hat to a garden party. The pants outfit is beautiful. I like it with the belt and brown loafers. Maybe a trench coat over the shoulders. Here comes the. classic in me. 😄

4. Thanks for joining in, Marcia!

5. I would use raffia or straw for these outfits. The leather belt looks too heavy for spring to my eye, especially in black. I do not belt anything, so if I tried the suit on without one and it looked shaped enough for me to wear, I would likely use a big pin or necklace to pull some attention upward. To make that unusual mustard color (I like it!) work for spring, I would use a straw market bag or a spring colored cloth or leather one, maybe in turquoise or orange. I have some Rifle Keds sneakers that have a multicolored floral canvas and a rope sole that might be pretty with these. The cutout on the dress would be problematic because I need a bra, and strapless ones hurt. I’ve never gotten used to showing off a bra of any kind. I would pass on the dress for this and other reasons, but if gifted it, I would put it with a swimsuit for poolside.

6. I wondered if anyone would pair the dress with a swimsuit. Thanks for the details, Linda!

7. I like the color of the pant outfit. I would wear the pieces separately and give the belt away. I would wear the jacket open with coffee brown ankle pants and tank top. I’d add a necklace of colorful fabric wrapped beads, small gold hoop earring and gold sandals. I’d also wear the jacket open with jeans and a cream scoop neck tee shirt, my gorgeous Mexican silver & turquoise jewelry and tan ballet flats. I don’t often wear dress pants so I’d wear the pants to church with an ivory eyelet blouse, understated gold jewelry and gold sandals. The dress confounded me until I read Linda’s suggestion. It would make a good swimsuit coverup for a taller woman.

8. I like Janet’s responses and agree with her choices. The sandals and handbag worn with this dress might also include some woven aspects to dress it a bit more casually. With the pants ensemble I’d include some metallic in the sandal and clutch. But overall, I like Janet’s ideas!

9. Thanks Kathie!

10. Thanks for adding a ditto to Janet’s ideas, Paulette.

11. If gifted this outfit, I would need to really make some changes to work for me. So I would style the pumpkin ale outfit outfit by replacing the jacket with a black linen jacket.Then I would add a white sleeveless top, gold ballet flats and gold and silver necklace. Conversely, one could keep the jacket, add black pants and a black belt. Same gold shoes or sandals.

12. Thanks for being creative, Kathy!

13. The dress caught my eye, and especially when I saw the open back. This would be adorable on my neighbor, a 30-something yoga instructor with lots of body confidence. I could imagine her wearing this to one of her father’s band gigs around town, maybe at a winery this spring. She’d wear it with her white tennis shoes so she could get up and dance with her husband, and she would not bother with a wrap, as her hubby would offer his too-big jacket if she got cold. Her only adornment would be a pair of artisan-made earrings she had fashioned out of old spoons (and sells at the farmer’s market). All very bohemian and lovely.

14. The idea of using the dress as a beach cover up is the only thing I can see it used for because of the back. I would not be able to wear either personally as they are not in my color palette. But on an Autumn, the mustard suit without the belt, open with black or ivory tee might work. Best if separated and top worn with column of black, tee and black pants. Black shoes in woven flats, straw bag and hat and good jewelry.

15. I have enjoyed reading how others would style the dress, but it is so far away from my style or anyone in my family that I won’t attempt to style it. The pantsuit on the other hand is something that I could see either daughter wearing to a business meeting or lunch. For one, I would open the jacket & style it with a tank in toffee brown or perhaps olive. She would wear it with dangle earrings, a bracelet or two & wedge heels in black. For the other, I would keep it as is but use a narrower belt in black. She would wear it with hoop earrings, a statement necklace & black heels. Both of them would use a tote bag so they could have their laptops of tablets with them.

16. Love the story you created, Connie!

17. Thanks for styling someone else!

18. Thanks Becky!

19. The dress had 5 star review on the website; it is good to know that the woman thought the satin was substantial and had a nice drape. Thinking of a friend’s tall DIL, I think she is savvy enough to overcome the open back situation without an issue. Oh, to be young and lithesome! I see this as very warm, and I am surprised to see it paired with silver or dark shoes as ‘ways to wear it’. I see it with gold or bronze strappy sandals, high heeled or not, gold bangles, and gold hoops. I think this looks like it needs delicate attention, and it should be worn when warm enough to keep it successfully uncovered.
    The suit is very interesting! I love mustard but need to ground it. I would enjoy it as part of a travel wardrobe, ditch the belt (as Kathy mentioned), and break it up. I would love the pants with a variety of tops and footwear to give it different looks. Right now I will pretend I am going to an 80* vacation town. I would pair the pants with a bitter brown 3/4 sleeve length top, my multi colored brown gladiator sandals, my large wooden bangle, and straw hoops. My summer brown straw fedora would be in play. Another evening (cooler), I would pair the jacket ( after removing belt holder) with my creme frayed jeans, brown glads, and a creme top. A multi colored scarf and mustard dangling earrings would take me to dinner. Fun exercise. I love reading responses!

20. I see you and Jess dressed for a spring/summer baby shower. Jess would add a pearl choker or single pearl drop gold necklace and the flower sandals shown with the flowered jeans on Tuesday. You would wear the pumpkin pieces with your green purse you showed Tuesday, add a gold scarf tied around to the back of the jacket like a lot of women showed on the Milan trench coats, just tight enough to show a waist, then add one of your cloth bead necklaces in a mustard and green print. Wear the new Travelspar Easy Spirit shoe in gold and you would be ready to go.

21. Love all the detail, Deborah! And love the hat idea!

22. Happy to be your style inspiration!

23. I would style the suit by first removing the belt. Then I would add a denim shirt to bring color to my face. I would wear a flat shoe in a natural shade and perhaps a navy purse. Earrings would be a hoop that would be a gold and silver combination.
    For the dress I would leave it as it is and add a pretty pair of natural shade shoes with a low heel. A small purse in a light tan.

24. Good work, Audrey…thanks for joining in.

25. I really liked the dress until I saw the back, which would be hard to wear at my age. It’s interesting to me that no one suggested topping it with a lightweight cardigan to cover the open back, which was my first instinct. However, after seeing this dress in person in the store it looked more like a nightgown, to be honest. I can see a tall, thin bride wearing it for a shower or other bridal function and think it would look beautiful on my 20-something niece with her brown eyes and darker coloring. I think simple, delicate jewelry would be best suited to the dress. I checked out the silver shoes shown with it online and thought they were not a good combination. If wearing a metallic shoe, gold would be much more flattering with these colors, but today’s young fashionistas would probably wear sneakers or platform sandals with this style.

    For anyone who is interested in the gold suit, I had to visit a JCPenney store in person yesterday to return an online purchase that didn’t work out, so I stopped by the Worthington collection to see this suit in person. It was on sale for 30% off, with a coupon offer for an additional 20% discount, so I actually came home with the jacket, pants and a matching polyester print long sleeved top with flattering ruching across the tummy. Not sure if I will keep this outfit, as it is a serious color departure for me, but I really liked the suit fabric and the way it drapes, even in the unlined pants. The color is like a warm gold, more of a caramel or butterscotch to me. Sizing was surprising, possibly due to the full cut of the pants. I’m pretty solidly a 12 on the bottom these days, but I can wear the pants in size 10. The waist is slightly tight, but they fit well through the hips and thighs. I don’t generally care for the shorter cropped pants, but there is a deep hem of about 1.5 inches that I would let out if my seamstress can help me make the jacket less bulky. I could wear the jacket in size 10 unbuttoned, but to button it required a size 12. My greatest concern is the look of the oversized shoulder pads and the curved shape of the sleeves. I felt like a linebacker in the jacket, but liked the look of the pieces together as a suit. As many others have mentioned, I would remove the brown “pleather” belt and the string belt loops. The matching top was an ivory background with gold design. I like the ruched style, but not the 100% polyester fabric, which would be hot and sticky much of the year here in north Texas. To style the suit on warmer days, I would add a solid tank or shell underneath in ivory, olive green or a complimentary shade of brown. I have a JJill sweater shell in oatmeal with gold and tan flecks in it that look good with this, and I could wear the matching cardigan with that shell and the pants for another look. I would wear natural or brown leather sandals with it in a block or wedge heeled style for dressier occasions, and tan leather flats or low wedge sandals for more casual outings. I would wear the dressier version of this outfit for an initial meeting with a prospective bride and her entourage, since I like to represent our church in a very professional manner. For wearing to church or a semi-dressy event like a spring shower I would wear a softer top, possibly add a silk print scarf as a belt and wear more delicate jewelry and a wedge heel sandal. For something more casual where I wanted a current or trendy vibe, I would choose flat shoes or sandals, more “artsy” earrings and a pendant necklace. I will be attending a “fashion week” event next month at a local art museum and can see these pieces working for that, as the shape of the pants and jacket seem current and fashion forward. I need to get some feedback from trusted friends on the “linebacker” look of the jacket and whether or not I can wear this color, but if I can replace those thick shoulder pads with some that are less bulky, the price might make this a good buy to freshen up my spring closet. I’m happy to answer any questions about the suit if anyone else is thinking about trying it. Part of my brain says “try something different!” while my more reasonable side is saying “This outfit is not flattering on you and will look dated very quickly.” If anyone else tried it on I would be very interested in hearing your take on it. Thanks to Pam for putting this unique suit on my radar screen – without this post I would have breezed in and out of JCPenney without ever visiting the clothing department.

26. I like the color of the pant outfit. I would wear the pieces separately and give the belt away. I would wear the jacket open with coffee brown ankle pants and tank top. I’d add a necklace of colorful fabric wrapped beads, small gold hoop earring and gold sandals. I’d also wear the jacket open with jeans and a cream scoop neck tee shirt, my gorgeous Mexican silver & turquoise jewelry and tan ballet flats. I don’t often wear dress pants so I’d wear the pants to church with an ivory eyelet blouse, understated gold jewelry and gold sandals. The dress confounded me until I read Linda’s suggestion. It would make a good swimsuit coverup