Sale Season!!!

We're in the wonderful limbo between Summer and Fall when most retailers have great sales on pieces that can still last through Fall and sometimes even into Winter.  Since Summer season clothes are on sale now, there are a lot of pieces with great, bright colors that can still be worn into the fall and winter.  In my last post I showed an outfit with more subdued pale colors, but don't be shy about wearing bright punches of color in the fall and winter -especially when you are feeling pale!  Nothing fixes that drab feeling better than a pretty color near the face.

My inspiration for this outfit comes from a great cashmere sweater that I found on sale at J.Crew for $49.99.  (Most of the pieces in this post are from J.Crew - they have pretty great sale prices, if you, like me, can't afford J.Crew's regular prices).  I love this dark yellow color for the fall, because it also goes well with rich oranges, browns, and reds that we see all around in the Sept-Nov months.  This sweater is great because it has a rich color and a nice detail in the ruffle on the edge of the sweater. 

Cotton Cashmere Ruffle Cardigan in Spicy Olive

Pair the yellow sweater with a neutral bottom.  In this case I like navy, also on sale at J.Crew for $75.  This piece is definitely one of the "foundation" pieces I was talking about.  Since it is wool it can last you through winter and since it is neutral you can get a lot of wear out of it by pairing it with different tops - people at work won't even know its the same piece.

Wool Crepe Pencil Skirt in Navy

The skirt and sweater colors might look a little harsh together, especially if paired with a stark white...  I would pair it with a champagne or beige colored top underneath the sweater, to soften the look.  There are many options available in a beige cami, but I like the delicate feel of this top from J. Crew for $39.99

Silk Double Cami in Champagne

For accessorizing, I would use something like this patent leather belt - the tortoise adds a bit of pattern to the outfit that it was lacking from using all of the solid pieces.  In this case, you wouldn't want to overdo it with a pattern because the yellow of the sweater is already the showcase of the outfit, but using a small pattern to break up the solids will add interest to the outfit.  This is also a foundation piece that can be worn in many, many outfits. ($39.50)  You could wear this belt around the waist to cinch the sweater together or down at the hips, on top of the skirt.  For women with a pear shape, wearing it around the waist would help accentuate your slimmest part.  For women who want to add a little fullness to their figure, accentuating the hip by placing the belt on top of the skirt would also work.

Skinny Tortoise Patent Leater Belt

For shoes, I would go with a simple, elegant brown shoe.  I like this one from Nine West ($79), but depending on your budget, there are a ton of options to choose from in this style.  I like this shoe because the leather looks a little worn in, which is a nice contrast for the rest of the very "put-together" look.

Nadia in Cognac Leather

For earrings, I always like to go to Forever 21 because their stuff is cheap and if it goes out of style, who cares!  I find that the jewelry can tarnish pretty quickly, but I like both of these earrings below because they don't have too much metal on them, so they wouldn't show wear as quickly.

(L) Cascading Lacquered Shells $4.8, (R) Bead Cluster Earrings $2.8

Hope you enjoy my color inspiration and can find away to pull this tip into your wardrobe next time you need a little pick-me-up to get you through the work day!