What to Wear: Week 2 Update

You might have noticed that it has been a long time since my Week 1 Update of What to Wear. No, there has not been some kind of glitch in the space-time continuum. I just haven’t been using my cards every week. But I did last week, hence the update.

Wait, cards? What are you talking about, Sarah? If you are a relatively new reader of Sarah’s Real Life, or you just need a refresher, see this post, where I break down one of the ways I decide what to wear every day. To me, great style is not just about picking out the trendiest new items; it’s about how you put different pieces together. And when you have a ton of clothes and accessories and shoes like I do, sometimes it’s hard to know where to start.

The items on my card for the week were:

  • Wooden bead necklace
  • Cropped jacket/blazer
  • Patterned cardigan
  • Yellow hair bow
  • Yellow pleated skirt

Check it out! These pics should all look familiar if you’ve been reading the past week…20120730-113554.jpg

My little card definitely came in handy this week! The wooden bead necklace was the perfect thing to add to my tourist ensemble and spice up my plain navy tee. The jacket was something I hadn’t worn in forever and was contemplating tossing, but once I wore it I realized I just had to embrace its costume-like quality and have fun with it! This silky cardigan was perfect over a dress for an evening out in Chicago. The yellow bow – I always forget I bought this little guy! – is a fun addition to any outfit. And I’m glad I challenged myself to fit this yellow skirt into a work-friendly outfit.

So…how do you decide what to wear? Leave me a comment! And if you want to be in the loop for future style adventures, use the links in the main menu (above) to follow me on Bloglovin’ or Twitter!

Art Lesson

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I’ve always been a fan of wearing colors, and I love seeing other people making exciting color choices. So for those of you scared of looking like a walking rainbow (although that sounds pretty awesome), here’s a little tip on one way to spice up your outfit palette.

Today I’m playing the role of your elementary school art teacher. Remember learning the color wheel? No? Tsk tsk. Well, the primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. The secondary colors are made by mixing different pairs of primaries, making violet, green, and orange. For each primary color, there is one secondary color that is contrasting, meaning that the secondary doesn’t contain the primary. Lost yet?

For example, both orange and violet contain red. Green is the only secondary color that doesn’t contain red, so red and green are complimentary colors. That means that when red and green are next to each other, they both make the other one look bolder (merry Christmas). Same goes for orange and blue, and yellow and violet. All these combos are fun to wear together.

If you just want to dip your toes in the color pond, you can try what I did here: take a bright necklace and pair with a contrasting top. Keep the rest of the outfit neutral.

Happy dressing!

Top: Target / Skirt: Ann Taylor / Necklace: Charming Charlie / Shoes: Nicole by Nicole Miller / Bracelets: American Eagle

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