Hooks the Look

Style Remix: Keep Calm And April On

Starting out the month with another style remix challenge. A title referencing “April showers” may have been more applicable given the overactive weather that many of us have been experiencing in recent months.

Instead, I’m choosing to offer up a different message, especially as it relates to fashion and style remixing for this less-than-predictable month. By the calendar, Spring has surely arrived in the Northern Hemisphere but the transition from cold and stormy to warm and sunny isn’t progressing very smoothly. It’s been more like two steps forward and one step back. Breathe deep, keep calm, and all will be well.

In my last post, I shared the results of my Mad As A March Hare Style Remix Challenge and provided a bit of background as to the origins of the ‘style remix’ concept. TL;DR? At the beginning of each month, I’m sharing the five pieces I’ve selected to be in that month’s style remix collection. Ideally, at least four of the pieces could be combined into a cohesive outfit. The basic formula for the collections would be a top, a bottom (e.g. pants, skirt, shorts), footwear, and an outer layer (e.g. jacket, sweater, blazer) which make up the core four pieces. The 5th piece would be a wildcard item that could either also be worn with the other four (e.g. a coat, vest, or accessory) or in substitution (i.e. a dress or a skirt or a duplicate item).

Originally, I’d set a goal of wearing each piece four times over the course of said month. However, based on my experience so far, I think that a goal of three wearings is more realistic although, I would strive for more. The pieces could be worn in tandem with others from the collection or on their own. Some of those outfits will be the featured looks worn in subsequent posts during the month or just appear as OOTDs in the results post. After all, don’t we all find ourselves wearing a favorite over and over again?

While the title of this post may be Keep Calm And April On, it’s not so easy to put together a 5-piece style collection knowing that the weather at the start of the month will likely be vastly different 30 days later. Or that the weather could greatly vary from one day to the next. An additional influence on my decision is that we will be taking a bit of a road trip to visit our daughter in Washington and I need to consider what weather we’ll run into there as well.


Needing items that can be flexible in terms of style, layering options, and weather appropriateness, the pieces I’ve selected for this month’s style remix challenge are; a lightweight quilted denim jacket, a bold striped button-down shirt, white jeans, and black cowboy boots. The wildcard piece is a chunky knit pullover vest. All were items I already own. Yes, the striped shirt is the same one I wore in the first of the 3 Black Blazer Spring Outfits featured last week and yes, it’s a new addition to my wardrobe. But, I didn’t buy it specifically for today’s post so it qualifies as “already owned”.

The jacket is by Chico’s and was a thrift store purchase some time ago. I had put it into a “to be sold” pile but I’ve seen that quilted details are trending so I’ve given it a second chance. It will come in handy for layering on slightly cooler days. The white jeans are the same ones I was wearing in my Size Denial And A New ‘Fit’ness Plan post. It’s probably a little cliché to include them (we’re no longer following the “white only after Easter” rule and all) but I think they are the best option for making a cohesive collection considering the rest of the pieces.

For my footwear choice, my first idea was to go with my strappy ballet flats (also seen in last week’s post) but I landed instead on my black cowboy boots. I did so because I think they will be a more versatile option for rainy days and for our trip to Washington. I rarely wear them. However, since I’ve been seeing cowboy boots in current style articles, I’ve decided to really test myself this month and get some more miles on them. And lastly, the wildcard item in this month’s style remix collection is my chunky knit vest. I got it about a year ago and while it can be worn on its own, I’ve also found it to be a wonderful piece for layering.

Let’s Wrap This Up

Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. Today’s featured post from the last link-up, VINTAGE ESCADA JACKET was added by Terri over at Meadowtree Style. On her blog, Terri advocates for developing a personal and creative style an example of which you can see in her post.

Towards the end of the month, there will be a wrap-up post that will showcase how I wore each of the pieces in accordance with the plan. I’ll be throwing in a few of “my favorite” new finds that I made that month into that wrap-up post as well. Those finds could be a recipe, a life hack, a social media post, or anything else that simply caught my attention and I felt was worthy of passing along. Now that Spring has arrived, how are you dealing with this season’s unpredictable weather? Do you have any plans for a style remix?


Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.

Photo credit: MMPerez

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18 Comments

  3. thisblondesshoppingbag

    Gosh Rena your challenge will be interesting and I cannot wait to see all the ways you style your pieces. I like that quilted jacket and the striped shirt peeking out. Thanks for the link up and I hope you have a great week!
    xo,
    Kellyann

  6. Gail Is This Mutton

    Your style remix is a great idea, and love how you’re mixing items that are currently trendy into the mix.

  8. Mica Away From The Blue

    I’m glad you gave this jacket another go! It looks really good with the white jeans 🙂 Those in-between seasons can be so tricky to dress for! It’s autumn here in Brisbane, but even a month into it it’s still feeling like summer! Has started to cool off a little in the mornings and evenings though which is nice 🙂

    Thanks for the link up!

  9. Nancy

    Good one that you dig out the jacket of the sale pile. Thanks for hosting! Just sat in the sun for 2 hours, what a delight!

  11. Joanne

    I try to style each day as it comes and just go by that day’s forecast; of course that can change drastically from morning until night too but usually not a much as by the week. I have been pulling out some lighter spring- like layers and have started tucking away some of my heaviest sweaters and fleece lined pants but I’m still not quite ready to do a full closet switch out just yet.

  13. Michelle

    Given the fluctuating weather during April and a trip thrown in, you’ve set yourself a difficult challenge. But you’ve chosen well, I think. I love seeing your striped shirt peek out at the collar.

  15. The Grey Brunette

    I wouldn’t have thought to wear a cream vest with white jeans but it works really well! I love the outfit, Rena and your style remix is an interesting idea!
    Hugs
    Suzy xx

  17. csuhpat1

    Looking very nice. Thanks for hosting and I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter.