Hooks the Look

Style Remix: Gotta Be May

To the disbelief of most, the first of May is upon us. For me, that means the start of another style remix challenge. As you might’ve guessed with the punny title of this post, my guiding principle is (and will always be) I’ve got to be me.

In my most recent post, I reported the results of my Keep Calm And April On and shared 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 for that month’s style remix collection. Ideally, at least four of the pieces could be combined into a cohesive outfit. Typically, 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).

My goal is to wear each piece at least three times over the course of said month although I’m striving for more. The pieces could be worn in tandem with others from the collection or on their own with other items as most people would do. Some of these outfits will be the featured looks worn in subsequent posts during the month or they might just appear as OOTDs in the results post. After all, don’t we all find ourselves wearing a favorite over and over again?

Spring is truly in full swing in my part of the country. We won’t get much if any rain and the daily temps will be mostly in the mid to high-60s. Lighter but full-coverage pieces are the ones I usually opt for this time of the year. I decided to veer away from denim and to try my hand with a more neutral palette.


Unlike the style remix collections of the past two months, none of the pieces for May were bought secondhand. In fact, three of the five pieces are recent retail purchases. As I shared in Blazing Through Spring: Magnificent 8 Collaboration, I’ve developed a renewed fondness for blazers of late, especially the oversized silhouette. I have tried finding them in thrift stores with very little luck so I was thrilled to come across this linen-blend one while doing a bit of online browsing. It’s offered in petite and tall sizes and comes in three other color options including a charcoal stripe which I also bought. For reference, the one I’m wearing is a regular large.

Underneath the blazer is this multi-tiered dress. It also comes in other colors/patterns as well as petite sizes. Although it’s described as a shirt dress, the buttons below the waist are non-functional so the dress cannot be worn fully open like a duster (which I would have preferred for these photos). For reference, I’m wearing a petite large.

Then under the dress, I’m wearing these ankle-length barrel-leg chinos. Although they were bought in March, the first time I wore them was for these photos but it definitely won’t be my last (notwithstanding their inclusion in the May style remix collection). I’d been wanting to try this style of pants but hadn’t held much hope that I’d like how they’d look on me. These are really comfortable and surprisingly flattering I think. I’m tempted to buy a second pair to hold in reserve.

After I had decided on those three pieces, I then began to consider my options for footwear. I could have easily chosen the toe-loop slides I’d worn in my last post or the fisherman-style clogs I wore in one of the  Black Blazer: 3 Spring Outfits looks. Then I remembered the mental note I’d made after completing my latest semi-annual footwear rotation that I should wear my low-heeled mules now that the weather was warming up. I also have them in black but I opted for these animal print ones cuz “I gotta be me”.

The wildcard for this month’s collection is a scarf that I bought last year. I don’t usually associate Spring and scarves so this might present a bit more of a challenge for me but I’m willing to give it a go.

Let’s Wrap This Up

Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. Today’s featured post from the last link-up, Wearing Good Clothes When You’re Working From Home was added by Imogen over at Inside Out Style. In her post, Imogen responds to a reader’s question that “the idea of wearing good clothes is that you feel good as well as look good and this means the whole outfit, not just the top half that can be seen on your video conference calls.” That sounds like good advice to me.

I’m probably walking a very fine line by wearing all five pieces of my May Style Remix collection together. A taller, thinner celebrity in such a look might be hailed as fashion-forward in an InStyle article while others with my height/weight are likely to get a once-over and hear “Next!”. While the proportions of the look are a bit off, the concept is sound. And so be it, I gotta be me. These pieces weren’t selected because they all went together perfectly but for their versatility to go with other items in my wardrobe. What plans do you have for mixing it up in your wardrobe for May?

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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15 Comments

  1. marsha57

    Well, you may not be a celebrity, but I think this look is very fashion forward, and I love it! I can’t wait to see what you do with all of the pieces. Is the wild card always the same piece for the entire month, or is it truly a wild card and a fifth item you pull into the mix at any time? In other words, does the wild card change on an anytime basis? I love this concept, Rena! Thanks for the link party!!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

  2. Gail Is This Mutton

    It’s a great look, there’s a real harmony in the soft colors and subtle pattern. I’m hoping spring will finally arrive in May and I can start wearing cropped pants and city shorts

  3. Nancy

    Gosh your hair, I know I said it many times before, loving it! And I love trousers under a dress!

  4. thisblondesshoppingbag

    Rena, I love the layering and how I wish I lived in your climate – I’d be doing the very same! The dress is so cool over the trousers and the linen blazer and scarf really pull everything together!
    xo,
    Kellyann

  6. mireilleftm

    I like this combination. Of late I have enjoyed wearing some of my button down dresses over pants. I have one that I want to wear over my jumpsuit this week or next. Outfit is hanging in my closet ready for me! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with these pieces.
    http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

  8. Joanne

    So fun to get to see all the pieces all at once! I tend to wear scarves the most in fall/winter and rarely think to reach for them in spring/summer.

  9. Di

    Love this layered look in the muted, neutral color palette and your subtle pattern mixing! Looking forward to seeing what outfits you put together from your five chosen pieces. It’s a great way to get creative and remix what is already in your closet. Enjoy your week and thanks for the link up!

  12. Michelle

    These 5 pieces make a fun outfit. And of course it’s fashion forward! I’d much rather see an expressive, unique outfit rather than what everyone else is wearing. I like all of these pieces and look forward to seeing them again.

    https://funkyfashionstyle.com

  13. EsmeSalon

    Thank you for linking up with SSPS and giving me the opportunity to share here with you as well.