Today is day four and my last day of participating inSarah’s Real Life Take One, Pass it On Challenge 2.0. At first I was going to “take” the blazer from yesterday’s outfit but I realized I’ve already done that and it would be too easy because I re-wear blazers all the time, so I decided to take the skirt instead. When I paired it with this top, I thought “hello, retro!” and hence the title of this post was born.  To me, monochrome is one of the coolest looks but the hardest for me to put together. This is probably because when I’m shopping, I worry about buying too many items in the same color and ending up with a boring wardrobe.

I know I’ve said I don’t usually like ruffles, but they must be growing on me because I think they make this button-front so cool! That little something extra takes it from boring to fun in no time flat.

To give this outfit a little sparkle, I added my pinterest jackpot sequin blouse. I LOVE the look of this blouse over the plaid button-front.

Button-front: J. Crews (thrifted) | Blouse: The Limited (thrifted) | Skirt: Banana Republic | Tights: Target | Shoes: Crown Vintage via DSW | Sunglasses & Earrings: Target | Bracelet: Old Navy

Take One, Pass it On Day 4:

On day three of Sarah’s Real Life Take One, Pass it On Challenge 2.0 I’ve “taken” the pink sweater from yesterday and “passed it on” to this cute little outfit. The monochrome of the pink and maroon look great, and the cognac in the boots are the perfect complement. You might not be able to tell, but my miniskirt is corduroy, which adds a nice texture to the ensemble. Had it not been so chilly out today, I might have worn my oxfords instead. But the boots kept my feet and legs nice and warm.

This blazer has elbow patches, which always makes me think of a college professor. It should probably be associated with students because I find that now, as a student again, I spend a lot of time with my elbows on desks taking notes or listening intently to lecture. The patches help prevent my elbows from rubbing holes in the fabric, right? Let’s go with that.

Sweater, Blazer, and Skirt: Banana Republic | Boots: Steve Madden | Necklace: Francesca’s | Bracelet: Old Navy | Earrings: Target

Take One, Pass it On: Day 3

On day two of Sarah’s Real Life Take One, Pass it On Challenge 2.0 I’ve “taken” the plaid blazer from yesterday and “passed it on” to dress up this pink sweater and jeans combo. I have to tell you, I haven’t had this blazer long, but I think it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. I have a black one already, which is nice, but the plaid makes any outfit so much more interesting! I might just start passing it along to everything!

It was really windy out while I was trying to take these photos so my hair was all over the place, my hands were freezing, and my camera kept getting knocked over. I wanted to get a close up of these cutie booties but I was struggling so much just getting regular outfit photos that I had to give up. I’ll feature them some other time, though, because they’re awesome.

Blazer: Target | Sweater and Jeans: Banana Republic | Shoes: Target | Necklace: Hawthorne Collection online

Take One, Pass it On: Day 2

I’ve decided to try Sarah’s Real Life Take One, Pass it On: 2.0 Challenge. As Sarah explains on her blog, the way  the challenge works is participants will:

• Start out by wearing any outfit you want to wear.
• The next day, take one thing from the previous day’s outfit and wear it again in a new way.
• The next day, take one thing (besides the already repeated item) from the day before, and…you get the idea.
• Do this for as long as you want!

Yesterday, I wore an easy outfit for working on a group project. Today, I’m “taking” those jeans and “passing them on” to today’s outfit (see photo at the bottom for recap). This is my first real attempt at pattern mixing and I’m pretty sure that polka dots and plaid are BFFs.

And these shoes! I’ve been looking for a pair of oxford/brogue style shoes for a while (heel optional) and finally found these. The color is flawless and the heel is just the right height, but those laces have got to go! I’m going to change those out and then they’ll be perfect. And look how great they are for playing in the leaves!

Top: Old Navy | Blazer: Target | Jeans: Old Navy | Shoes: Crown Vintage via DSW | Sunglasses and Earrings: Target | Necklace: Old Navy

Take One, Pass it On: Day 1

When I was working 9-5, it was Monday through Friday and my weekends were free. When you’re a grad student, you’re ALWAYS working. This is what I wore to meet my study group on Sunday to work on a project that is due next week. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for that, I would have staying in my pajamas all day. But, It was a beautiful day with the temperature around 70 and very few clouds in the sky. I apologize for the less-than-stellar quality of these photos, but I’m in a different location than usual and have to figure out the best lighting.

I just got these booties this weekend and I am in LOVE; I’ve hardly taken them off my feet!  On the other hand, when I purchased this flowy vest, I wasn’t sure I would get a lot of wears out of it. In fact, I wasn’t even planning on wearing it today until I saw all the wrinkles in my shirt (please don’t judge) and realized I should throw something on over it to cover them up. This vest is a clear winner. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner!

 Top: Target | Vest: Ross | Scarf and Jeans: Old Navy | Booties: Target

What do you normally wear on the weekends?