Goodbye

Hello.

I've been furiously cleaning out my closet even more. I'd say I got rid of at least 1/2 of everything before we moved to Anchorage and I've probably halved the remaining again since we got here. I donated a ton, and consigned some of the best (which is going amazing). And I'm going to go through the closet again today - I only want things in there that really fit into my lifestyle and/or that I absolutely am crazy about. I'm also only allowing myself one clothing purchase a month which I hope will help me focus on more quality things that I love that fit well into my existing wardrobe. (October's purchase is the handmade embroidered blouse from Zara in the picture all the way at the top right.) So far I'm really loving my deeply edited wardrobe.

Also in the spirit of making my life easier, I've decided to stop blogging. I absolutely loved creating outfits on the floor but it was a huge mess, it took a lot of time, and it just simply doesn't fit in my life right now. I'll still be sharing what I'm wearing on Instagram (@Jennifer_heater) and Facebook (you can also drop a line at olivineandopal@gmail.com). It seems weird that I need to show off my outfits but it motivates me to keep me getting dressed in a way that I like and not slipping into the frumpy dumps. Which is really easy to do as a stay at home mom living in a city voted "worst dressed" by Travel and Leisure magazine. Heh.

Thank you for everything guys, the few of you that made the move over to Olivine and Opal with me, the people that have supported me for years, and the newer friends I've made. I'll miss it here, but let's be honest it's been coming for a while.

Real Life

I thought it'd be fun to put up some quick pics of me actually wearing the pieces I've been featuring. Here's the plaid blouse:

thrifted vest, purse, and heels, Target blouse, Free People denim

 



Look familiar? I swapped out the leather skirt for jeans because, well, life. I even got compliments from the other moms at pickup. Yessssss.

 

And here's the striped shirt:

 



thrifted coat, Target top, Free People denim, Zara boots

 



You guys wouldn't believe (well, you probably would) the amount of amazing coats to be thrifted here in Anchorage. I'm really, really trying to not fill my closet up (more than it already is). I had my cart stacked high but came home with just this one - the cocoon shape is really on trend and I liked the mustard-y color.

Striped Sweatshirt

I wear this shirt an embarrassing amount. I have a hard time saying no to any striped shirt but this one has just the right amount of slouch, weight and the sweatshirt shape is really au courant. It's also just long enough - hitting mid-hip. It's so perfect.

I know these aren't groundbreaking outfits, but I am trying to get more basics into my wardrobe and I hope maybe you'll get some inspiration too!

Target top, Zara shoes (ballet flats, similar, similar), Current//Elliott jeans, F21 cuff, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon

 



The easiest pattern mix - stripes and leopard. A swipe of red lipstick (this is a very wearable bright red for cool skin tones) and gold cuff dress it up but the worn jeans bring it back to day.

Target top, necklace (pretty alternative), Casio watch, Loeffler Randall flats (different color), Gap pants

 



A very gamine outfit. I added a large rubber men's watch to keep things from getting too sweet.

Target top, Sam Edelman booties (also pretty cute), Joie pants (similar, similar), Revlon lipstick in Cherries in the Snow

 

Are you guys feeling wide legged pants again too? I'm not totally ready to give up the skinnies but I find myself reaching for a more relaxed pant more and more often. I matched the lipstick to the necklace. I like pulling a color from my outfit and putting it into my makeup, using navy liner instead would also work. I'm going to wear this to an upcoming parent-teacher conference - it's pulled-together but not overdressed.

 

Target top, thrifted scarf, Delman flats, Iro skirt (similar, similar)

 



For this last one, I challenged myself to make an outfit I normally wouldn't wear. And since you'd need to have darker skin to really look amazing in it, I definitely wouldn't be the person to rock it heheh. Paired with some teeny gold jewelry? It'd be so perfect for a chic brunch with friends followed by a walk through a new museum exhibit.

Happy Fall Weekend With Distressed Skinny Jeans

thrifted cap (similar), vintage ski sweater, (check Etsy!), Current/Elliott jeans, Sam Edelman boots, ASOS and Olivine/Opal bracelets

 



I hope everyone has a good weekend!

The Sun After Snow

Free People top, James jeans, Victoria's Secret boots (similar, similar), Asos necklace (check Etsy and be prepared to want a lot of pom pom necklaces. I especially want this one, this one, and not technically pom pom-y very cute)

 



You can see a few melting bits of slush there at my feet. After yesterday's several inches of snow today is a sunny, balmy 46 degrees. I photographed my outfit sans jacket, I'm pretty sure there will be many future opportunities to show off my fine wool coat collection.

I hope everyone is having a great day - snowy, sunny, or otherwise!

Plaid Blouse 4 Ways Until Sunday

Today I had fun with this plaid blouse from Target but I think the ideas could work with other plaid tops as well.

Target plaid blouse, Massimo Dutti sweater, Gap skirt (on sale!), Zara shoes (cute heeled version) , Deux Lux purse (similar, similar), D&G sunglasses, Target hoop earrings

 

Pattern mixing is as stylebloggery (totally a word, spellcheck) as it gets. Still haven't attempted it?  Try a peek of plaid under a sweater with leopard (or striped!) shoes. Keep the rest of the outfit neutral and try to pull colors from the sweater (here, the gold accents) or top (blue purse and skirt) to keep things from going to crazytown.

 



Target plaid blouse, thrifted vest (similar), H&M skirt (similar, similar), thrifted shoes, thrifted purse, Target earrings

 

But if you are like me and big fan of visiting Crazytown pair the top with another bold pattern. The trick is to keep the patterns in proportion with each other. Or if the patterns are different sizes pull them together with a similar color scheme. Again, unless you are some kind of color/pattern mixing genius like Natalie Joos keep the rest of outfit simple. Oh man, if there was any kind of reason AND not 5 inches of snow on the ground I'd be wearing this.

 



Target plaid blouse, vintage skirt (expensive but similar, also expensive, sorry also expensive but pretty) , ASOS bracelet, Sam Edelman booties (only a size 9.5 left so here's a similar, and um these might end up in my closet)

 

I feel bad for this outfit. I did a terrible job of making sure it looked nice before I photographed it. I usually do all this while the 2 younger girls nap but today the baby woke up early and we made a game of me putting her on the opposite side of the room and her racing (crawling) to me, and me racing to photograph the outfit. Pretty hilarious.

 



Target plaid blouse, Maison Scotch tee (similar, similar, similar) Current/Elliott jeans, Steve Madden boots (similar, similar)

 

My floor person is trying to get away from something. Heheh. But at least "she" looks cute doing so. I realized my first 3 outfits were skirts and I wanted something weekend-y. Because plaid was made for weekends. And weekends for plaid.

 

So what do you guys think of this new format? Any feedback? Any comments or critiques would be most welcome!

Cold And Colder

I thought it'd be fun to style my denim jacket and corduroy skirt in 2 ways. Not radically different, I mean, the combo practically screams fall. So I dressed my floor accordingly:

 Gap jacket (thrifted), Maison Scotch tee (also cute), JCrew skirt (thrifted), and Bass loafers (thrifted, here's a penny loafer style)

I went with a real "back to school" feel with the first look. I've been wearing these thrifted old-school loafers a ton lately, they just feel really fresh again. Although now that I think about it the jean jacket and the loafers are probably both from the early 90s, maybe I'm just turning into one of those people who think everything was "better in the old days".*

Geez, this is getting weird. And here I was, trying to create a professional blog and all. Whatevs.

Gap jacket (thrifted), vintage sweater (thrifted, but check out Etsy for similar!), Jcrew skirt (thrifted), Sam Edelman booties, H&M scarf (similar)

And the second look I envisioned it even colder and those fallen leaves have turned to mush but the skies are still bright and blue.

Get the look:

Jean jackets-

denim jackets

And corduroy skirts-

corduroy skirts

*Not really. I've read "Brandwashed". Nostalgia, you won't get me!