Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, fashionistas and clothes-wearing friends. It is the third Thursday of the month which means it is time for Ageless Style 10.2023. Last month it was my turn to select our theme and I chose southwestern flavor. The month before that, Jodie picked summer denim for our prompt. This month our October birthday girl, Marsha, chose party looks for our prompt. Since I am not much of a party girl, I wasn’t sure what to put together.
Ageless Style 10.2023
Going to share a couple of party looks in honor of Marsha’s birthday. The first one is dressier. Might wear it to meet Marsha and her husband for dinner out. The second look is much more casual. If Marsha and I were having a birthday lunch, it would be an outfit I might wear. Or maybe spending the day shopping and stopping for a glass of wine afterward.
Dressier Party Look
My first inclination for a party look was something I would wear for a fancy birthday or holiday party. Maybe something for the Christmas holidays. I decided to put an outfit together with this green pleated midi skirt from New York & Company. My skirt is a size medium and I am happy to report it is a little loose around the waist. Woo-hoo!
Originally planned to pair the skirt with either a gold-tone sequin top or a metallic silver turtleneck. But I wasn’t just crazy about the way either looked with the skirt. Maybe I am just not in the Christmas or holiday spirit yet! Tried a black short sleeve sweater with the skirt and felt like I was on the right track. Then switched it out for this H&M pearl embellished sweater that I really love. It seems to work with so many different options on the bottom.
Debated between black heels and nude but the nude won out. I would wear this to dinner, church or a party!!
Even though I am a very reluctant party-goer, we have been invited to 2 parties at the end of the month. The first one is a 75th birthday party for one of PC’s baseball buddies. Not sure how we will be dressing for it. If it is a dressier event, this outfit would work, or I could pair the sweater with a pair of black pants and boots for something a bit more casual. A 75th birthday is a pretty big deal in my book so we might be getting all dolled up.
I love these clip-on pearl and rhinestone earrings. They make me feel festive and fancy and feminine. All the Fs. This week I have been putting out my fall decorations. Painted the pumpkin on the right and created the pumpkin collage on the left.
Dia de los Muertos
Have also put together my Dia de los Muertos altar. I have created an altar almost every year since my 3-year-old nephew Andrew died of Wilm’s Tumor. The Dia de los Muertos holiday is one I first learned about when we moved to El Paso. Initially, I was shocked that people would celebrate the passing or death of a loved one. But as I learned more about the holiday I realized it was more a celebration of life.
This year I set up my altar on the dining room buffet. In the past few years, I have set it outside the front door. Sadly, we have had a number of thefts and incidents of vandalism to decorations in our neighborhood. Thought it better if I put my display in the house this year.
More Casual Party Look
After I took the last picture in my skirt and sweater above, it occurred to me that most parties we would attend - again, very reluctantly - would be more casual. Maybe a BBQ or potluck. This would also be something I would wear to pal around with our birthday girl.
I don’t wear black much as I prefer color…especially GREEN. But I like the way black looks these days with my salt and pepper hair. Have gotten so much wear out of this Old Navy striped knit tee. Picked up this Roxy funky plaid shacket on Poshmark. It is the perfect weight for fall evenings. Added Loft black corduroy pants and black combat boots.
I have had these fun black and white striped earrings forever. Because my original piercing in both ears has almost ripped through, I have to be careful with the weight of the earrings I wear. These are light and comfortable.
Still Breaking Records
Even though the calendar says we are mid-way through October and well into fall, our temperatures would have us believe we are still stuck in summer. The high for today was forecasted to be 93*. Ridiculous. Was glad I snapped these pictures early this morning before the sun got hot.
The tree over my left shoulder is our Mexican Elder. I was certain we had lost it in the heat of this past summer. Almost all of its leaves had dropped off in July. Then PC came up with a great way to deep water it. He inserted 4 PVC pipes into the ground around the drip line of branches. Now he can put our deep watering tool into the pipes and get the water down to the roots. And our Elder is much happier.
I am seeing quite a bit of corduroy this fall season. Knew if I held on to my corduroy pants long enough, they’d come back in style. They are a little dressier for substitute teaching than most of my jeans would be. JCPenney has this darling corduroy skirt I’ve had my eye on but it sold out in all sizes almost immediately. No wonder because the price was great, and it came in 2 pretty fall colors. Check it out, here. I visit JCP online almost every day hoping they’ve restocked the skirt in my size.
Your Turn
What kind of party look would you put together? Would it be dressy or casual or somewhere in between? We have been invited to a costume party. Thirteen years ago, PC dressed as a Union soldier and I dressed as a Southern belle. I know, I know, in some circles that would be somehow politically incorrect. He wants to wear the same costumes this year. Was so relieved to pull out my dress and discover I could still get it zipped.
Hope you will join me in visiting the blogs of my friends to check out their party looks and to wish Marsha a happy birthday, of course.
Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Bo ~ Bo’s Bodacious Blog
Blog / Instagram /Pinterest / Bloglovin’
Joanne ~ My Slice of Life
Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle
Blog /Instagram
Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Rosemary ~ Distinctly Southern Style
Blog / Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook
Now it’s your turn to share a recent look.
Thank You
Thank you for stopping by to visit. I am over the mountain today to see my babies and take them to school, then off for the dreaded grocery store. We have a 3-day weekend so hope to do something fun. Cami, our 3-year-old granddaughter has her first gymnastic performance on Sunday. That should be very entertaining.
Hoping to get a book review post finished, and something put together for the wonderful trip I had to visit my sister in Tennessee. Hope you will stop back by to visit again in the near future.
Hugs and kisses,
These are both wonderful outfits!
That pleated skirt is adorable on you and I love the color! I have been seeing a lot of corduroy too and just brought home a corduroy dress in a beautiful fall color and I wore it to Ireland for one of the work events.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I just love that you included two options and a round of applause for the print mixing.
As for your upcoming party, it’s fun to get all dolled up. You’ll definitely have to share that with us.
I love your dressy outfit too. That skirt can be so versatile, and I think they work for all seasons.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Hi, Leslie - Despite being a self-proclaimed ‘non-party gal’ you look great both in your dressy and casual party styles. Awesome photos!
I hope it cools off for you soon! I love your print mixing and the nude shoes with that green skirt outfit. I think it’s a lovely combo!
Oh, gosh! I really wish we did live close so we could celebrate our birthdays together! We could celebrate four times…one time (each) dressing up and one time (each) dressing casually! I love that your skirt is looser…those workouts are paying off! But, you look gorgeous all the time, my friend!
Have a fabulous weekend!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Your skirt is such a pretty shade of green and is perfect for your party look! Also loving your casual look - the corduroy gives it added texture. Glad your tree made it through the heat. What a great idea to keep it watered!
Jill - Doused in Pink
Oh I absolutely love that skirt! Perfect to dress up or down, the outfit looks great on you 😊
I am shocked that you are not a party goer person. I always see you as someone who is super friendly, approachable and lots of fun. But I get it. Sometimes we are all of those things, but also like to just hang with the people we know in quieter and intermate settings. Anyway, I love that green skirt on you!!!!! You have the perfect holiday outfit in that skirt! It looks so good on you and makes you look even taller. I actually really like the white with it and then adding some gold toned jewelry and you are ready, or like you mentioned some sparkle and sequence if you really want to glitz it up. I also really like the casual outfit but oh boy the weather doesn’t seem like it got the memo that it’s fall. Here we skip over nice fall rather quickly as well, but dive right into winter cold so I think I would rather have the summer. LOL.
Have a lovely weekend ahead.
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
You look beautiful. Enjoy your grandbabies.
Hi Leslie!
Love that pleated green skirt on you with the bejeweled sweater, very lovely! I hear you about parties, I prefer smaller get togethers. I do love dressing up, but that is just me! The mix of the stripes with the plaid jacket looks great. I have been wearing combat boots too, they are some of my favorite. Love your Day of the Dead table! So sad you can’t display things outside because of vandalism. My mom put Halloween candy in a bowl last year and put “take one”, needless to say, that didn’t work!
Happy Monday!
jessxx
Joyce Daley
I love everything about the skirt, top, and nude heels. I love to dress up and sometimes find that easier than the ‘in-between’ type of event dressing. Have a great day!
Leslie, you’re just so darn cute. Love these outfits.