Did you ever have one of those moments when you see something on Instagram, or one of your favorite blogs, or if we’re going old school, in a magazine…and you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was meant to be yours…
THE STORY
O.M.G…this velvet suit was one of those things for me. It all started when this Instagram post of Jennie’s literally jumped out and grabbed me by the throat…ok…maybe not literally, but when I got a load of that paisley velvet (and unbeknownst to me it was an entire suit) I knew I had to have it. HAD. TO. HAVE. IT. And being the good friend she is, Jennie already knew I’d be obsessed.
Once I saw the whole deal on her blog, the real obsessing began…You all know the obsessing that I mean. That back and forth conversation that we’ve all had in our head when we really really want something even though it might be a tad unnecessary. “I need this velvet paisley deliciousness…” “Okay, who really needs a velvet suit?” “But it’s soooo pretty…” “My life will go on without it…” “But wait, it’s on sale!” Conversation in my head over. The suit was mine.
And who knew? A thousand or so miles away, my beautiful friend Sheela was also jonesing for the very same suit. And thus this fabulous collaboration between the three of us came to be. We decided we would all style the suit both for “day” and for “play”. Today we bring you the “day” looks…
THE OUTFIT
One of the thoughts that ran through my mind while arguing with myself over whether or not to buy it was, how many ways can one really wear a purple paisley suit? As you can see, that concern was irrelevant. This week Jennie, Sheela and I are styling the suit for day with our own personal spins on it. (And nope, none of us knew how the others were styling it). Although it’s the same suit, it looks totally different depending on the pieces paired with it. And the beauty of it is (as with any suit), if you break the pieces up just think how cool the blazer would be with jeans or the pants with a casual cute sweatshirt!
I styled my suit for day with a black choker neck tee and my seemingly ever-present pink velvet boots. Truth be told, I bought the boots specifically to wear with this suit. The day that I wore this to work, I was told I looked like a 70’s rock star. Yep, I’ll take that thank you very much. Instead of a necklace I went with big blingy earrings. The colors of the stones were perfect with the suit.
Here’s a pointer in case you’re thinking of grabbing one of these suits for yourself. The pants run really large. I’ve actually got mine pinned at the waist because I couldn’t exchange them since they were on sale. I definitely should have sized down at least one size. The blazer seems to be pretty true to size though.
My friends…get a load of Sheela. I can not even with this. She is a vision of Prince-like perfection! The ruffled shirt underneath was a stroke of sartorial genius and those shoes…Is it weird for me to say that I just want to live in Sheela’s shoe closet? This to me is what a rock and roll goddess would look like if she had to get a day job.
Ahhh…Jennie. Pure polished professional perfection. If you had a single doubt in regard to whether or not you could rock this suit at work, doubt no more. Jennie just single-handedly took “professional” to an entirely new level. I love it paired with the crisp white button down. The colors of her brooch echo the colors in the suit beautifully, and her fishnets add the perfect sassy finishing touch!
I think my favorite thing about all three of our looks is that we took the same suit and spun it with our own signature vibes. Mine leans towards casual with the tee, and you all know that I “casual” things up whenever possible. Sheela always has a rock and roll flair to everything she wears, and Jennie has cornered the market on beautiful professional looks.
Don’t forget to stop by A Pocketful Of Polka Dots to catch Jennie’s take on our collaboration, as well as Sheela Writes for Sheela’s insights into our joint fashion venture.
**Be sure to be on the lookout next Friday when we once again style this same suit for a “play” look!
THE TIP
Velvet pantsuit. Get one. Now. You won’t be disappointed. The styling options are endless and, well, it’s velvet. And if you’re one who is into trends, according to an article that Sheela sent to Jennie and I, velvet suits will be big next Fall/Winter. Since it’s basically close to the end of “velvet season”, now’s the time to snap one up on clearance.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
And guess what? Since we decided to post our collaboration on a Friday, which also happens to be the same day Jennie hosts the Fabulous Friday Link Up, Sheela and I are co-hosting this week so scroll down and link up your fabulous posts!
Suit: Loft (Blazer) (Pants); Coat: JCPenney (Similar); Boots: Dorothy Perkins (Similar)
My favorite post from last week’s Fabulous Friday Link Up was the lovely Lee at Legallee Blonde. You guys know that I can’t resist a good graphic tee and Lee’s is stellar! Especially paired with the work appropriate bottom…love me a good juxtaposition in an outfit!
