1 Piece 3 Ways: Striped Top | NCsquared Life

Today I’m linking up with Work Clothes I Suppose and the theme is remix! So I’m showing one piece worn three ways. I practically lived in this top this past weekend so I thought it was a great candidate for the link up. I wore the first outfit for a day of shopping and running errands. Then I changed into these drapey/almost harem pants and heels to go to a small dinner party at a friend’s house. I wore the last outfit while travelling on our last daycation this past August.

When I first picked up this top, I couldn’t tell if the stripes were black or navy blue. Honestly, I still can’t tell so I wear it both ways!  Click through to see more photos and information about the three ways I’ve worn this top. Which outfit do you like best?

I cannot get enough of this cardigan. It’s probably the best purchase I’ve ever made in my life because I wear it All. The. Time. And it looks great with a leopard scarf! Last fall I wore this white tee/mustard cardi/leopard scarf combo with jeans and boots, thanks to Audry at Putting Me Together. But jeans and boots didn’t seem appropriate in the warm weather so I went with a striped skirt and oxfords. Not too shabby, eh?

And here’s the fun-ish one: I’m trying not to blow away in the wind!

Don’t mind me. I’m just showing off my bare legs and enjoying the warm breeze. I’m soaking up all of the nice weather we’ve been having lately!

Let’s talk about pattern mixing for a second. Honestly, I’m terrified of pattern mixing, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. I think the key is to keep the patterns simple and in the same/coordinating color palette. Of course, I could be completely wrong and if so, someone please tell me how to do it better!Either way I think this outfit turned out pretty well, and I like it. That’s all that matters. I wore it to Nick’s office and then to out lunch. I can’t wait for the weather to be warm all the time so I can wear it more often.

And here’s the fun one:

On Groundhogs Day, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, signifying 6 more weeks of winter. BUT I’m not sure North Carolina knows that. We had some cold weather, then some warm weather, then cold and warm again. I took advantage of one of the particularly warm days to wear some spring-like colors and pretend that winter was over. I’m really loving the pink and navy combination, and this bright pink blouse feels very Spring-y to me, especially because it’s sleeveless. Anyway, I wore this outfit to a small gathering to celebrate my friend’s acceptance to law school.

And here’s a fun one:

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!