From My Own Closet: Glittery Dolman Sleeve Sweater and Jeans

Sweater, Cami, and Necklace: LOFT Outlet

Jeans: Grane from Macy's, with style alterations

Shoes: Steinmart

Scarf: Made by Me

We're finally getting some sweater weather here in SE Texas. It was a lovely 45 degrees when I walked out the door this morning! By the time we got out of church... different story.

I love this sweater for many reasons. First, it has a roomy fit that's not too clingy but not too baggy. A lot of tops of this style have a too wide neckline or are sheer or have some other fault. Not the case here! After a few wears and washes, the neckline does seem to have gotten a little bigger, so I wear a cami underneath. You can't really see it in the photos unfortunately, but the sweater has gold metallic threads throughout, making it extra special. It has a subtle shine appropriate for anywhere.

I picked the scarf for the blood orange color. That with the gold is a color combo I've seen a lot in store displays lately and I'm really loving.

The jeans were originally flared when I got them; for some reason, flared jeans have a little more ease where you need it than skinnies do. Anyway, I left the upper thighs and above intact and narrowed the legs below the knee to make skinny jeans. I love having jeans now that can be worn with boots!

I'm so glad I've finally completed another blog post. It's been two weeks since my last one, and I was getting afraid maybe blogging was another short-term interest that I wouldn't really ever get in the habit of. Doesn't it seem as though every time you want to put together a post, you don't have time, or it gets dark before you get around to it, or your sister with the camera is busy? Or maybe it's just me? I've still been keeping up with a lot of the blogs I follow, and I must say, I really feel like the novice I am right now.

If you have any comments or suggestions remotely related to this post, I'd like to hear about it. I so appreciate all of you who read, comment, and follow my little blog.

A Bit of Wisdom from my Mother

I just wanted to share something with you all that my mom told my sisters and me today. It's not about modesty specifically, but it is about purity, and that's one application.

Think of each guy you meet as belonging to someone else, because ultimately they will belong to someone.

There are hundreds of millions, even billions, of men in the world. You will marry only one. The rest belong to others.

You need to think of each man as already married- and yourself as already married. Interact with a single man in the same way you would interact with a married man. In your conversations and actions with men, take your example from the married women at church in the way they talk to and act with men other than their husbands.

Even in courtship, keep this in mind, because no one belongs to you until you are actually married.

I'm blessed with an amazing and wise mom (and dad!). I love you both!

From My Own Closet: Mixing and Matching (Or is it Mismatching?) Prints

Top: LOFT Outlet with alterations*

Skirt: LOFT Outlet with alterations*

Shoes: Steinmart

 This is the second time I've worn this outfit, and I'll be honest, I really like it. I bought both the skirt and the top from the same store at the same time, and the colors of the stripes in the top pop up in the dots on the skirt. The colors of the season, I guess. I'm sure the store merchandisers did not at all intend for the two items to be worn together- and neither did I when I bought them. But I hadn't done laundry in a while, and had to work with what was left. Necessity is the mother of invention right? I think it works because the stripes as well as the dots are both small-scale prints, and the colors are repeated on the top and the bottom. But when I was going outside to take pictures, my mom said, "Going to take pictures of your mismatched clothes?"

So, dear fashionable readers, what do you think? Hit or miss? If it doesn't work, is there anything I could do to, any accessories I could add or change, to fix that?

*To make it a little bit more modest, I added the solid colored panel at the bottom of the skirt (So easy to do- and I think really adds to the character of the skirt anyway) and gathered the armholes with elastic thread to prevent them from gaping.

Jen at Modern Modest Beauty is doing a giveaway at the moment for a $50 Mikarose gift card. Why don't you go ahead and pay a visit to her beautiful blog and enter as well?

From My Own Closet: Color Blocking

T-shirt: New York & Co. (Burlington)

Skirt: Emilie Couture (aka Made by Me)

Sweater: LOFT Outlet

Necklace: LOFT Outlet (You can't even really see it, but anyway)

Earrings: Claire's

Shoes: Steinmart

I've had the purple top for three years and the skirt for four, and I never thought to put them together until today! (If you don't regularly shop your closet: DO IT! It feels like getting new clothes for free!) I really like the result. It works because both colors are jewel-tone hues (I don't know what it looks like on your monitor, but that blue is brilliant- almost a turquoise). I toned it down with a black sweater and accessories for work today, but I can see a gold belt and strappy heels with this color combo for evening. I did add a little gold in the jewelry.

What do you think? Does it work for you? What fabulous modest color blocked outfits have you put together?

From my own Closet: Black and Blue

 Dress: Emilie Couture (aka made by me)

Sweater: LOFT Outlet

Necklace: LOFT Outlet

Belt: Kohl's

Shoes: Steinmart

This is the first time I've done a photo shoot like this. I think I need a bit of modeling coaching! But my sister did a great job with the photography despite the small space we were in.

Lately I've been seeing a lot of royal blue paired with black. This dress isn't quite the same shade of blue as has been dictated to us by the fashion powers-that-be, but I don't care a bit! It's still strong enough to hold its own against the black. I wasn't even thinking about this when I put the outfit together, but don't the different textures look really good together too?