The other day at the grocery store, I saw one of the coolest things I’ve seen in awhile…
THE STORY
…at least in these parts anyway. I was at the actual real grocery store (as opposed to Walmart) and I saw a woman who gave me something to aspire to when I’m in my 70’s and 80’s. Granted, she had your stereotypical Mayberry grandma hair. You know what I mean; that beautiful white, carefully coiffed, light and airy like cotton candy hair. From the neck up you could just picture her baking you up a batch of her famous chocolate chip cookies. But from the neck down, girlfriend was killin’ it. She was using the shopping cart as kind of a psuedo-walker, but even though she wasn’t getting around like she used to, she had obviously put some time into getting ready.
She was wearing boyfriend jeans, honest to God boyfriend jeans, not mom jeans. On top she was sportin’ a long sleeve leopard print tee and a fabulous necklace. She finished her look off with a silver glitter belt and white Adidas. And this was not a case of a more than slightly eccentric older lady snatching up whatever she found lying around her house and throwing it on like some over the top bag lady. Oh no. This outfit was styled with purpose. And panache. She completely embodied what I along with pretty much every other blogger over 40 espouses on a daily basis; there is no age limit or expiration date on personal style. Fashion is fun. Getting dressed should be a blast. The only barriers are the ones constructed in our minds. And this fabulous lady is a testament to the fact that those barriers need not exist. Not now, and not when we’re 75.
THE OUTFIT
I had quite an obsession with galaxy print a couple of years ago, and this galaxy print skirt was acquired during the height of my obsession. It is my most prized piece of all of my galaxy print garb. Galaxy print is no longer “trendy”, but you all know that is of absolutely no consequence to me. Actually I prefer it that way because then not everyone (and their grandma) are wearing it. The “83” graphic tee? I’ve been on a sort of casual hunt for a tee with “83” on it for years. It’s the year I graduated, and for some reason unbeknownst to my logical mind, my illogical mind really wanted a tee proudly proclaiming “83” even though I might be the only one who got the message. A few years back I found an “82” tee that worked as a lame substitute. I happened upon this online at Forever 21, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend the $7 shipping for a $10 tee. Lucky me, I discovered this in-store a week or so ago when I took my mini shopping for her birthday. Now my life is complete. Okay, an exaggeration perhaps, but at least finding this particular graphic tee has freed up brain space to obsess over something else.
THE TIP
Okay, this outfit is kind of a mish-mash of stuff. There’s no theme; no main idea. It’s quite simply just a bunch of things that I love that I happen to think work together. Although it may seem random, the common thread is color. The colors all tie together and therefore, in my opinion, make the outfit cohesive. Even if you’re feeling adventurous and longing to unite a bunch of randomness, try to find a commonality among the pieces whether it be color, print or texture. If there’s a common link, it will appear the items go together as opposed to looking like you rolled out of bed and got dressed in the dark with pieces you found on your bedroom floor.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Skirt: Boohoo (Similar); Tee: Forever 21 (Similar); Vest: Old Navy; Boots: JustFab (Similar)
