preppy

How to Wear Your Chambray Button Down Three Different Ways

Published on April 5, 2018 by PeculiarPorter6 Comments

If you’ve been following along with me on Instagram you would see that I’ve been diving headfirst into the 10×10 challenge. For those who don’t know, the 10×10 challenge is a challenge that forces you to only wear ten items for ten different ways. For more information on what is included and discluded check out my story here.

Since I’ve been doing this challenge, I’ve been trying to come up with unique ways to wear my chambray button-down other than wearing it like a normal shirt. Here are the three aesthetics I’ve come up with during the challenge:

Casual

Layer the chambray top over a casual tee to create an effortless look.

For the days where it’s rainy and you’re running around doing errands, throw on a button-down chambray to add some texture to your outfit. I love wearing a chambray top like this because it is lighter than a cardigan while still giving you the extra warmth. Plus, it adds a little pop of color to an otherwise colorless outfit.

Preppy

Layer a stripe long sleeve shirt over the chambray top and have it peek out ever so slightly.

For the slightly chillier days, an easy way to warm yourself up is to layer a chambray top underneath a long sleeve shirt. In New England, this is the way we survive the awkward spring temperatures. In the spring, we never know if we’re going to be cold or hot so it’s better to layer and then take off the layers if we end up getting too warm. Plus, it automatically makes it look like you put a lot of thought into your look. If it doesn’t warm up soon I might have to wear this exact outfit for Memorial Day!

Feminine

Tie the dress at your natural waist to create a natural hourglass figure.

Out of all three of these looks, this one is my favorite. I’m a sucker for a good dress styled in a different way. If you recall, this dress was actually spiced up with a suede jacket before. To create a softer look for this bright dress, I decided to tie up a chambray top on my waist. The soft hue of the chambray top tones down the loud dress. Also, by tieing the buttondown at my natural waist it creates a very flattering silhouette. This is my favorite trick for making a dress into a skirt because it creates a very flattering contrast.

What is your favorite way to wear a chambray top? Let me know in the comments down below. Also, be sure to check out the rest of my 10×10 outfits on my InstaStory… only three more days to go!

As always,

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How To Make a Dress Warm For Date Night

Published on January 18, 2017February 13, 2017 by PeculiarPorter20 Comments

Hello darlings! I hope wherever you are it is a lot warmer there. Here in New York it is pretty cold but warmer than it is normally. The temperature is usually in the 20’s with the occasional day being colder or sometimes if we’re lucky warmer. No worries, my toes haven’t fallen off and they shouldn’t!

If you live in the cold, you know how almost impossible it is to try and figure out a cute date night outfit with still being warm. It definitely isn’t stylish to be cold, so I’ve come up with the perfect equation to stay warm but still look cute at date night.

The obsession with over the knee boots continues…

If you haven’t invested in over the knee boots now is the time to do it! They’re the perfect staple that will keep you warm and still look super cute. I scored these awesome Nine West boots for 70% off at the outlet. They’re originally $220 and I scored them for $60. Don’t start crying yet… their website has a similar sale going on with $40 off of $125, $30 off of $100, and $20 off of $75. Plus, over the knee boots are already on sale. If I didn’t just write a post about how I need to stop shopping so much… I would be all over buying another pair. If I were to get another pair it would definitely be this one. I love over the knee boots because they really do keep you warm. Most of the time I can get away with wearing tights, high socks, and boots and be totally a-okay for the day.

Sweater power comes to the rescue…

Another way to stay warm is layering a thick sweater over a dress. You have two options so you don’t lose your fantastic shape. A: tie a belt around your waist or B: fold the sweater bottom in half so it looks as if you’re wearing a crop sweater. For this outfit, I decided for option B because I thought the texture contrast was already a lot going on without the addition of a belt.

Mix up styles to create an interesting outfit…

My favorite part about this outfit is that it incorporates so many different styles in one. The Polo sweater is preppy, the American Eagle dress is girly, and the leather over the knee boots are edgy. The combination of the three styles definitely makes someone look twice without thinking you’re insane. The key to incorporating so many different styles in one is to make sure you have a common element. In this case, the white and black create a middle ground for all three styles.

How do you stay warm for date night? Do you try to incorporate different styles into your outfit? Let me know in the comments down below.

As always,

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For the Red, White, and Blue

Published on November 10, 2016November 12, 2016 by PeculiarPorter12 Comments

Hello darling! I hope your day is being filled with sunshine and fuzzy socks. If it hasn’t, hopefully, I can give you some words of encouragement. I know the past few days (or two years) have been a little overwhelming to say the least. It has been a long election cycle, and I think we can all agree that we’re thrilled for it to be done and over with.

I’m not going to get very political with you guys. I know that each and every one of you have your own brilliant ideas and have made an educated opinion about the situation. I was reading various social media sites and just kept finding post after post about how people say they don’t feel safe or that they don’t have a voice anymore because Trump is president. You have a voice. All of the work we have done in the past years to get America where it is isn’t going to go away. This one man and these four years that are about to come will not define America. I believe that our strong citizens will rise above this and hopefully be able to work together to make America as strong as it can possibly be. It all starts with being kind to one another and accepting everyone. No matter where someone comes from, how they talk, or how they differ from your life you should make an effort to get to know them. Each person has a story that is unique and can impact your life in a positive way. Don’t listen to poor rhetoric that degrades people, but listen to the American voices instead. America is great and will continue to be great if you let it.

On a less serious note, I decided to sport my patriotism because I believe America will continue to strive. I obviously needed to do that by sporting stripes and the colors of the American flag. This stripe button-down was found at Garage for $10 two winters ago and this red (I know it looks pink in the pictures, but I swear it is red) sweater is from American Eagle. I decided to throw on my favorite statement necklace, favorite suede jacket (I know you’re sick of it by now!), and my little suede booties.

I’m an American and I’m proud despite everything that has happen. I hope you continue to be a proud American with me.

As always,

Jogging my memory

Published on February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 by PeculiarPorter3 Comments

Hello darlings! Have you received or bought an item of clothing and thought “how the heck do I style this?” If you haven’t… you might just be a style queen. But if you’re like me than you’ve had this moment. Usually stalking Pinterest is the next step or just fumbling though your closet.

I received this pair of joggers for Christmas. I was immediately bewildered to how I would style these incredibly comfy pants. I’m really not someone who wears sweatpants that often. Wearing leggings isn’t something I do often… only to the gym and occasionally the weekend. But I didn’t give up. I had to figure out how I could wear these joggers.

I ended up styling them with a white shirt that I may or may not have shrunk in the wash and a flannel peaking out underneath it. The flannel not only looks chic, but it keeps me warm. A win-win if you ask me. Since the outfit still needed something, I decided to put this necklace on underneath the collar of the flannel. It makes the outfit a little bit more preppy, but sometimes you need to explore other styles!

After figuring out how to style joggers, I do recommend getting them! I never thought I would recommend a type of sweatpant but these things are extremely comfortable. These particular ones are from Abercrombie and Fitch. They have a lot of different selections if you want to check them out.

My coat if from Zara, both of my shirts are from H&M, my necklace is from J.Crew, and my shoes are also from J.Crew.

Sometimes you need to get out of your comfort zone and try new things. I’m going to be creating a few more looks with these jogger pants. I want to figure out how to style things I’m not that comfortable with. It’s always nice getting a new piece and figuring out how you can make it work in your wardrobe. Add a little spice to your life!

Have you ever had a piece of clothing that you thought “how am I ever going to wear this?” Let me know if I’m not the only one in the comments.

As always,

Define Your Style

Published on June 18, 2015August 7, 2015 by PeculiarPorter4 Comments

I was once told that trends may come and go but your style will last a lifetime. This means that basically whatever your personality is make sure that it is shown through your style.

There are a lot of different styles… you may even be a mix of all of these styles. I’m going to show you a few different styles from my favorite fashion pictures that I have collected over the time. All of these pictures are found on Pinterest. If you search the words in bold they come up pretty easily if you’re curious.

Romantic.

This style is typically lightweight clothes made out of lace, chiffon, or silk. Colors are pastel such as lavender, light pink, aqua, and mint green. People who have a romantic style typically wear delicate jewelry such as thin chains, delicate rings, and/or pearls. The clothes are often not tight and loose. This is somewhat similar to bohemian style except the color and texture difference. If the clothes are tight they typically show off the waist.

Bohemian.

This kind of style is typically very laid back with earth tones. People with this style typically wear shift dresses and play with a lot of different lengths of necklaces. This style has come more and more into fashion as of recently. I particular love this because of the different shift dresses. These dresses seem to make your legs look miles long and make you seem carefree and easy to talk to.

Preppy.

This is kind of the complete opposite of bohemian. People who wear this style typically have their clothes tailored to fit perfectly. You’ll see a lot J. Crew and blazers in their wardrobe and a lot of bright colors and big statement jewelry. They typically wear high heels or flats. You see this style a lot in New England.

Classic.

This isn’t really a style most people are aware of. I think its probably just a type of style I made up in my head. However, I typically categorize classic outfits with pieces that are nice and clean. Items such as a trench coat, a nice pair of flats, plain t-shirts, and a nice pair of jeans. It is very, very similar to preppy except the outfits are more muted and look more effortless.

Military.

This is more of a new trend than a style. However, I find more and more people wearing this type of outfit. It’s pretty much putting an army type style clothing piece and working around it. That might be an army jacket, army pants, or army jeans. To be honest, I just love the olive/army green color and hope this stays in style for a very long time.

Trendy/Street Style.

When I think of loud patterns and risky clothing pieces (like wearing a button down shirt as a dress), I think of being trendy or a street style type of outfit. People who wear these types of outfits somehow make the craziest patterns work together and look so cool. I applaud you.

Casual.

I ~~want~~ need to know your secret. People in this category throw something on and look so effortlessly cool. Literally, they just put a shirt on and a flannel on their waist and look so chic.

Here we have edgy mixing with romantic, military mixing with preppy and trendy, and romantic mixing with preppy and edgy. This is me showing that you can have fun with different styles! Don’t feel obligated to only wear one type of style. Experiment! You can go from bohemian, to preppy, to casual, to classic… who cares! Your style can honestly be anything. Whatever your mood is make sure you dress it accordingly. Fashion is an outward expression of how you feel and how you carry yourself. It’s up to you how you dress and carry yourself.

How will you dress the mannequin?

As always,