Three Ways to Wear: Striped Blouse
As you all know, I love wearing color and lots of prints, but I still always shop with multiple outfits in mind. How can I get the most out of this piece? How many different ways can I wear it? What do I have at home that I can wear this with? These things are always floating through my head when I’m shopping for myself or helping others pull together wardrobes. Fun fact: this is something I learned from my father (a man who I’d never seen shop for himself – but always told me to shop with my current closet in mind)!
As an expecting mom who's in between maternity clothes and regular clothes, let me tell you - it has been a challenge figuring out what to wear on a daily basis! Not to mention, I'm trying to go as long as possible without having to buy anything maternity. Haha. My style philosophy is quite simple. Only buy/keep/wear things that you love and that bring you joy. That way, when you get dressed every day, you'll always be Dressed in Joy, and you'll always feel good!
For this post, I’ll be featuring a sheer striped blouse as my 3 ways to wear item. Stripes are everywhere this season, and this is a classic silhouette that you can wear anywhere – to work, to run errands and in the evening. This particular one is about 3 years old, from Old Navy, and it’s a bit oversized, so it fits my pregnant belly (for now!). As a lover of prints, I always find a way to shake things up a bit and mix prints together. I know print mixing isn’t for everyone, so I’ve also included a couple other ways to wear this blouse, that are just as stylish. Any of these looks can be worn with any light-weight blouse you have, striped or not. I hope you enjoy!
With denim shorts:
Seeing this look now you can understand why I emphasized wearing “light-weight” blouse. I love this look because it elevates your denim shorts just a bit, while still keeping the look casual. I threw on my favorite suede Pumas from Solange’s Word to the Woman collection a couple of years ago for a pop of color.
With floral pants:
Something I always say when it comes to mixing prints together, is treat stripes (& camo & leopard) as a neutral. Pair stripes with pretty much ANYTHING, and it will work, I promise! Here, I’ve paired my striped blouse with a pair of floral printed pants from H&M. This works really well because the pants are black, which pulls from the black in the top. I’ve added a white solid layer that pulls the whole look together since white is in both pieces. I chose a simple shoe to keep the focus on the outfit!
With a skirt:
This one is a little unorthodox, but totally works, pregnant or not! Initially I pulled the skirt up over my belly but thought, what if I wore it as a dress?? Once I did that, it totally changed the look of this Forever21 pleated skirt. Now it looks like a babydoll dress and works so well for me, especially, since I have this extra load I’m carrying around these days! :-)
I hope this gives you a little glimpse into my personal style, and a few ideas on how to style your bump if you're expecting!