Official outfit #2.

I started the 30 for 30 Challenge because I was feeling a serious lack of creativity and wanted a reason to love the pieces in my closet again – without feeling the constant need to go shopping. The original rule of the challenge is to create 30 outfits using the 30 pieces, but I found that some of the items I chose are rather plain and that some of the outfits needed a little extra umph to make me truly enjoy wearing them. Based on this observation, I’ve decided to use the 30 pieces as “foundation pieces” and go from there. The result: this outfit! The top, pants, and shoes are on the list. When trying to figure out the best way to complete it, however, I felt all the cardigans and blazers in my list were too boring. When I paired with this blazer (which is new and therefore not in the list) I loved the outcome. It’s definitely a winner.

The stripes on the blazer and shoes are the same color (navy).

And just for fun!

It’s a rainy Monday in my neck of the woods and I’m studying for my last final tomorrow so I won’t be leaving the house all day. What that really means is that I won’t be changing out of my pajamas so I won’t have a nice outfit to share with you today. Instead, I’ll leave you with the outfit I wore for family photos last month. For the last few years, we’ve had beautiful family photos taken by our favorite photographers – who also photographed our wedding and are available if you’re in the market – to put on our holiday cards. They offer an event where you have 10 minutes to take all the photos you can get for a very reasonable and inexpensive price. The photos always turn out gorgeously, as you can see, because Thad and Sarah are artistic geniouses!

As we do for every event in life, Nick and I coordinated our outfits with a pink/navy/brown color scheme. I’m wearing a pink sweater with denim (for my navy) and he’s wearing a pink button-front under a  navy pull-over sweater. Unfortunately, Nick wouldn’t let me dress up the dogs, even though Mia has the cutest little seersucker dress in pink!

These photos could also serve as engagement photos if we weren’t already married so I hope it gives you some good ideas for your own photos!

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