Statement Sleeves

Have any of you gone shopping recently and wondered "What's up with all the weird sleeves?" 🤣  Seriously, my girlfriend and I took a little shopping trip last week and it seemed every single garment had an unusual sleeve design.  Trying to find a top or dress with a normal sleeve is about as difficult as trying to find a pair of jeans without holes in them!  :)

Whatever your thoughts about statement sleeves, they are definitely trending.  I must admit, I have had a hard time with this trend because my arms are big enough and the last thing I want is more material there to draw even more attention to them.  Statement sleeves are something I love to see on everyone else, but me, not so much.  But then I feel that way with just about every fashion trend.  We are always our own worst critics.

Nevertheless, with most trends, I eventually find a style I can work with and this pretty dress from Francesca's was my answer!

The sleeves are on the loose side and the material is thin, so it doesn't add a lot of extra bulk to my arm.

 And isn't the embroidery on the sleeve just gorgeous?

For jewelry, I chose a red and gold multi strand necklace to echo the colors in the embroidery on the sleeve.  But I really didn't like the way the necklace looked with this dress.  I think I tried just about every necklace in my collection with this dress, and I wasn't happy with any of them.  I would love some some suggestions if anyone has any.

I also wore a gold bracelet to coordinate with the gold in the necklace.

And I carried my usual burgundy handbag because it just seems to go with all my fall outfits.

I bought this dress a couple of months ago when Francesca's had their amazing "$20.00 for anything in the store if purchased in increments of two" sale.  I know, what a deal, eh?  I signed up for their emails so if they ever have an amazing sale like this again,  I'm ready!

I wore my old Over-The-Knee Boots that I purchased last year from Famous Footwear.  They are by Steve Madden.  These boots have a shorter shaft, so if your still on the fence about this style of boot, this might be a good choice till you get more comfortable wearing OTK boots.  However, be aware that the shorter the shaft, the more likely the boot is to slip down.

The boots have a buckle in back and on the front.  If you are in the market for an OTK boot look for boots that tie in back instead of a buckle.  They tend to stay up better because you can tighten them as much as you need to.

 This dress has a very low back, which I am actually uncomfortable with.  Hubby of course loves the open back.  It also has a black strap going across the top of the back.  You can kind of see it in the picture below.  My hair is covering it a bit.

I really like the looser fit of this dress.  A lot of jersey knit dresses can be very clingy, which I don't like.  It is a thin material, and although I bought it for fall/winter, I think it would work better in the spring/summer in my climate.  I purchased a burgundy sweater vest after I took these photos and I'm anxious to try it with this dress.  I think it will cover up the open back and make the dress a little warmer so I can wear it during the colder months of the year too.  

So what about you?  Have you purchased anything with statement sleeves yet or are you still on the fence?  I'd love to hear from you!

Unfortunately, this dress is no longer available on-line but you might still be able to buy it in your local Francesca's store.  I still saw it hanging on the rack in my local Francesca's last week.  They also have lots of other fabulous dresses with statement sleeves on their website.  Here are a few I have my eye on!

This gorgeous teal dress I tried on in the store but I didn't buy it because it was really clingy on me.  However, now I regret not trying it on in a larger size, because I really love it and maybe a larger size would not have been so clingy.  Oh well, I'll keep an eye on it in case it ever goes on sale.

I love this wrap dress.  The pattern is perfect for fall and the sleeve detail is loose and thin so I think it would work for my body shape.

I love this dress, but I decided to stop buying anything with cut-out shoulders because I don't think they are flattering on me.  Another style that I love on everyone else but not on me!  But isn't the color and print so pretty?

This cute LBD has two trends:  criss-cross straps and statement sleeves!  So pretty!

A lot of Francesca dresses are on the short side.  Keep in mind you can also wear them as long tunics if you think they are too short.

This pretty fall floral dress has a lovely bell sleeve with a keyhole opening at the chest.  

All these dresses can be found on the Francesca's Website!  Which one is your favorite?

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

P.S.  If you haven't checked out my new Facebook Page, please do!  I'd really appreciate it if you liked and followed too!

Crushing On Embroidery

On Monday's Fashion Post  I shared how when I fall hard for a trend, I tend to overdue it and buy everything in that trend.  Velvet and Embroidery are my favorite fall trends this season and so far I've purchased two velvet tops and three embroidered items (jeggings, top, and a bomber jacket).  On Monday I showed you my new embroidered jeggings,  and today I am showing a new embroidered top.

I picked up this pretty embroidered top from Francesca's when they were having a special 2 for $20 each sale last month.  This top actually embraces two trends:  embroidery and a criss-cross strap front.

I wore this top both with jeans and these olive colored skinnies.  They are the same green as the green leaf in the embroidery.

Is this embroidery gorgeous or what?

For jewelry I wore an old pink and peach multi-strand bracelet and a new necklace that I also picked up during Francesca's big sale.

My white booties are also from Francesca's, but they are a couple of years old.   I know,  you're probably bummed.  Every time I wear them women ask me where I got them.  White booties are so hard to find!

The bomber jacket is from Macy's (old) and the burgundy bag and olive skinnies are from JCP (old).

Lysa Embroidered X Neck Cupro Top,  Rhina Freshwater Pearl Necklace

So what about you?  Are you embracing any trends this season?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

A Romantic Dress From Francesca's

There is the most beautiful field of sunflowers growing along side the highway we take to church every week.  I asked my husband if we could stop and take some pictures one Sunday, because I LOVE sunflowers!  They are my absolute favorite fall flower.

This gorgeous dress is from Francesca's.  I went to the mall last week to pick up some lotion from Bath & Body Works  and ended up coming home $150.00 poorer because of Francesca's.  But I couldn't help myself!  They had an amazing sale that I have never seen Francesca's do before.  Every clothing item in their store, no matter what the original cost, was $20.00 as long as you purchased them in increments of two.  And their jewelry was on sale too!  Only $10.00 for anything if you bought in increments of two.  I left the store with 3 dresses, one top, and six pieces of jewelry!  Not bad for only $150.00

The dress is a vintage/romantic style.  It has a tie in the back neckline with a large V Shape opening.

My black straw hat is old.  I think I picked it up at JCPenney.

 I love the color and print on the dress.  I like the vertical line of the flowers, instead of having a flower print scattered all over the dress.  There are also beautiful tropical birds on it in addition to the flowers.  I'm a huge bird lover, especially tropical birds, so the bird print is a huge plus for me!

The champagne fringe and bead bracelets were also purchased at Francesca's.

I wore gold rings, and carried a blush clutch (old, Charming Charlie's).

Because the dress is on the short side, and I was going to church, I wore burgundy flats (old, Express).

These old pink earrings have been in jewelry box for ages.  They went perfect with this dress!

It was warm the day I wore this dress, but I can't wait to style it for fall with a kimono or cardigan, booties, or leggings/skinny jeans underneath.

The dress is still available HERE and the bracelets are still available HERE.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!
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Brown Spring Jacket

Hello!  I'm back from a wonderful Easter weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...my hometown.  Today's fashion photos were taken in my old neighborhood...Bay View... in front of the historic Avalon Theatre.  I'm going to share more about our fun weekend and this beautiful theatre in Wednesday's Travel post.  You will also see more of this outfit then too!

If you remember Friday's fashion post, I wore my Blush Spring Jacket and talked about how I have a plethora of light weight jackets that I rarely use because they are not practical for my climate.  But I keep buying them anyway because I get great deals on them, and, well, they are so darn cute I can't resist. :)

I decided to try and cycle through my jacket collection and wear each jacket at least once before the weather gets to warm.  The one I have on in these pictures is my brown faux leather jacket by Guess that I picked up at T.J. Maxx a few seasons ago.  The last time I showed it to you was in 2013 in THIS POST.

 It was in the upper forties/lower fifties when these pictures were taken.  For us Wisconsinites...that's a warm winter/spring day.  I know a lot of my southern blogging friends would be donning knit scarves, mittens, and parkas in that weather, but most of us here shed our coats when the temps hit those highs in spring!

 This is the time of year I actually use scarves the most...not winter.  I don't feel I need a scarf too often in winter because my coat zips right up to my face and I usually have a bulky sweater on.  But in the spring or fall when the temperatures fluctuate so much, I depend on scarves for that extra layer of warmth and also because I can put them on and take them off so easily.

My scarf has a tribal print on it and was purchased at Forever 21 several years ago.  It's one of my favorite scarves and gets a lot of use!

 I wore brown/gold half hoop crystal earrings (old.  JCP).

My purse is by London Fog, purchased at Stein Mart and it was a birthday gift from my daughter last fall.

I played off the print and colors in my outfit, and wore a multi-strand, multi-colored bracelet on my wrist.

My shoes are from Francesca's (old).  These are one of my favorite pairs of booties that I own.  But if you don't like to attract attention, these booties are not for you.  Every time I wear them, people comment on them.  All good things though!  They are just very unique, so women notice them.

I have worn them without socks many times, but this day I chose to wear socks for comfort reasons.
I picked a white sock so they'd be a bit less noticeable and blend in with the shoe more.

 I wore a white peplum top from J.C. Penney under my jacket (Last scene HERE).

 

 My bottoms are Kut from the Kloth distressed boyfriend jeans from Stitch Fix.

Finally, on a side note, if your a blogger 50 years of age and older, we'd love to invite you to participate in a blog series specifically designed for bloggers over fifty.  It would be a great opportunity to meet bloggers in your own age group and also help promote your own blog.  You can read more about it HERE.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!