I'm back for a very much overdue real outfit roundup. For any newcomers, this is usually a twice-weekly post in which I share the outfits I wear in real life along with brief explanations and links to shop the same or similar items.
I do like to remind my guests from time to time that you have multiple ways to keep up with my outfit choices besides waiting every two weeks for this post, although I certainly thank you for visiting.
1) You can follow me on Instagram where I share outfits with links to shop on the same day I wear them or within the same week at least.
2) You can download the Like to Know It app and follow my shop there. I actually update this almost daily.
3) Visit the Shop My Instagram tab at the top of this page. This page is linked to my Like to Know It shop, so it stays up to date and is always a good way to keep up with what I'm wearing.
Any of these three ways will keep you in the loop in a much more timely fashion as well as be a better way to make sure the clothing items you love stay in stock.
Anyway, on to what you're here for -- the post! It's been almost exactly two weeks since my last blog post and even longer since an outfit roundup, which should have been published last week. However, we had a week-long break off from school and both the regional and state hog shows, so I've been pretty busy and didn't actually have two weeks of outfits to share with you. Now I do, so here we go.
Sizing info: I'm 5'2" and weigh about 140 lbs. I usually wear size 6 or s/m in clothes and 7 in shoes.
We're starting way back in the week of Valentine's Day. As a teacher, and an English teacher at that, I felt obligated to dress in theme for the week, especially since I had assigned a two-part Valentine's Day project that week. But there's one thing you should know about me: I don't actually like wearing obviously-themed clothing, so I tend to focus on colors instead.
For this outfit, I went with a country song lyric graphic t-shirt. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the shirt says "Cowboy Take Me Away." It's an old song by The Dixie Chicks and an appropriate Valentine's vibe. I picked this t-shirt up at my local Tractor Supply on a whim, but you can find different versions pretty much anywhere. I linked to my exact one and a couple similar ones from Amazon.
I paired the shirt with this purple floral print skirt that I've had for a few years now. It's one of my favorites to wear and style all year long, and it's still available in all sizes. You can just barely see my lilac-colored flats poking out from under it. I actually bought these to finish out a Daphne from Scooby Doo costume several years ago, but they're really just a good color for spring...and I have these flats in a ton of colors.
This actually might be my favorite outfit from the week. I love a classic black-and-white color scheme with a pop of red, and this outfit delivers. My slip skirt is a few years old, and honestly I just don't see much out there that matches it, but I did find some cute alternatives that would work with this outfit and linked them for you.
My exact t-shirt is sadly only available in a few sizes now, but I linked to one with a similar silhouette; it's just missing the red, embroidered Bonjour.
Looking at this picture, I can objectively say that the square-toed Mary Jane flats were a good choice, but y'all, I just don't love them. I'm trying, but they're too square, especially since I've found some really cute ones with a more almond-shaped toe. I'm going to keep wearing these for now, but definitely expect to see me update these to a toe shape that feels more me sometime in the future.
Obviously the skirt had to be the star of this show. I mean, just look at it. So much fun, and before you ask, this is one that will not be relegated to only February. It's way too cute to be hidden away the rest of the year.
As you can see in the picture, the skirt is pretty long. To be fair, I am wearing flats and it's sitting pretty low on my waist to create kind of a dropped-waist look (I really like that silhouette for myself), but just be aware that it's got a lot of length to work with. The waist is nice and stretchy, though, so you can certainly experiment with placement. In fact, I think it could be styled as a dress if done the right way.
This was a fun outfit, too. It was actually a bit too warm for the sweater, but I bought it specifically to wear during Valentine's week and, by golly, I was gonna wear it. The buttons are shaped like hearts, and they are surprisingly functional although not exactly practical. I actually wouldn't recommend unbuttoning them at all; just wear it like a pullover sweater. The sleeves are cuffed as is the waist and it's trimmed in white.
Do these jeans look familiar? I am still loving them so much. These were definitely a good purchase decision. I decided to go with black accessories. You can barely see them, but my shoes are loafers that I've had for years. Thankfully, these never really go out of style, and I was able to find an almost-exact pair for you.
It's been awhile since I dabbled in mixing prints. Is that even still a thing people do? Anyway, I've had this polka dotted blue skirt for years; it's one of my closet staples, and I'm always looking for fun new ways to style it. This blue floral blouse felt like the perfect complement.
The blouse has a lace-edged Peter Pan collar, which I personally love, and banded puff sleeves. Y'all know I can't say no to a statement sleeve. The white flowers are actually embroidered, adding an interesting bit of texture. I love almost everything about this shirt. The one thing I don't love is that, on me at least, it wants to gap between the second and third buttons from the top, so right around my bosom area. I think I'm going to add a hook eye closure or something to keep it closed.
Let's talk about my shoes. How cute are they?! Mesh flats are everywhere right now, and I don't love them. These woven Mary Janes, though, are a step up and feel much more polished. I also love that they have an almond-shaped toe versus the currently trendy square toe.
This button-up denim skirt is one of my best purchases. It is so versatile and can be worn all year long. Sadly, it's on its way out and is now only available in a handful of sizes. However, the longer-length denim skirt is still current, and there are lots of those to be found. I linked to two different versions that I like (but probably won't buy).
Anyway, this pink floral blouse was featured in my Valentine's Day outfit inspiration post. It's gorgeous in person, y'all. The pattern reminds me of cherry blossom trees. It's got this beautiful gold thread woven throughout, and the fabric is just really nice quality. The collar and sleeves are lined in lace, which adds an even more feminine touch. As with the blue blouse above, I've got some issues with gapping in the same area.
I decided to match the gold thread in the blouse with my seldom worn but well loved gold sparkly ballet flats. I've had these for a really long time but don't get many occasions to wear them. I actually found a pair online that look exactly like mine, although they're definitely not the same brand.
I really love how this outfit turned out. The navy blue blouse felt unexpectedly fresh against the pale yellow of the skirt. It's hard to tell here but the skirt has blue woven throughout its floral pattern, but it's definitely not the dominant color. I tend to lean toward green for this skirt, but I love the juxtaposition of the darker color here, especially with the brown woven Mary Janes to balance it out.
Unfortunately, this exact skirt is no longer available, but the skirt itself comes in several other patterns, including a darker yellow, so I still linked to it. I tried to find something that matches this skirt more closely, but at the end of the day I really did not. Maybe one day this exact one will become available again. Who knows.
I actually did not wear this to teach in, but I absolutely would. I wore this over the weekend. We went to our local Mardi Gras parade, and I wanted to be comfortable but feel put together.
This dress is by Universal Thread, which is one of my favorite casual brands at Target. It's a drop waist style, but for me the smocked bodice did not want to stay pulled down all the way. Normally I would say going up to the next size would fix that, but I don't think that would fix it in this case. At the end of the day, it wasn't that big a deal for me. Side note, the dress does have pockets and comes in an olive green, as well.
Because the dress is sleeveless, and it's still only March, I felt like I needed a third layer, so out comes my tried-and-true dark denim jacket. Surprisingly, this one has finally completely sold out after being available for the last five-ish years. No worries, though, they've got a really similar one to replace it. The only difference I can see is that it might be a bit baggier, which is the style these days.
This outfit didn't quite work out like I hoped it would. I found myself fighting with the blouse all day long, and I wonder if I should have sized down. It's meant to fit looser, but I think it's too loose. Tucking it into the skirt proved almost impossible, and I kept having to adjust the neckline. The blouse itself is gorgeous but very thin. I layered it over a plain white camisole.
This skirt is such a fun pattern, but I didn't realize until I went to wear it that it has one of those waistbands that is flat in the front and stretchy in the back. Those don't work all that great for me for whatever reason, so I was pretty self-conscious all day about whether the front waistband was laying flat or if it had tried to roll up. Next time, I'll probably add a belt, although I have no idea which belt would work best here.
Now for the shoes. I saw these in Target and fell in love. I have very few white shoes, and those I do own aren't great for teaching. These feel like the perfect in-between. They're pretty and feel dressed up but they're flat so I can wear them all day.
