Wardrobe Planning Hits and Misses Volume 1 Week 13

By the end of last week I was feeling a bit bloated so I asked stylist Natalie King of Nat King Couture to help me choose outfits that would be comfortable and flattering in that condition (click the picture below to watch our wardrobe planning video).  Natalie was totally up to the challenge and had some great ideas so let’s see what she came up with.

On Monday I felt like a million bucks in this Blueprint Stephanie dress by Nicole Miller that arrived in my Rent the Runway Unlimited shipment.  And bonus, it was super comfortable!  I didn’t even need my sweater yet I felt comfortable walking outside in the heat.  Not only did the gathering at the waist help hide my belly, but I think the pattern did too.  I will totally wear this style dress again.  Possible downside, the dress was probably comfortable because it was made from a soft cotton knit so I’m curious as to how well it will hold up.  The beauty of renting is that I got it on the front end and it was in great condition the day I wore it.  I also really loved the pop of color we added with my Michael Kors “summer red” platform sandals, my J. Crew cardigan, and red Coach bag.

I was a little concerned about the blue and purple floral pencil skirt from Cremieux because of the waist band while bloated thing, but it turned out alright – I may have over exaggerated the extent of bloating in my mind a bit.  What surprised me was how much I liked wearing this skirt with black and purple!  I’ve always viewed this skirt as a sprint/summer piece so it never dawned on me to pair it with dark colors.  The black top was very slimming particularly on the outside with the navy belt at my waist and the black on black effect with my Brooks Brothers jacket was even better.  Pairing this light blue 90″ strand of beads (Wink by Premier Designs) tied the lighter colors from the skirt back in nicely and of course I always love any excuse to wear my favorite purple booties from Michael Kors.

On Wednesday I grabbed the extra outfit Angela Britt had styled for me from the week before (see Wardrobe Planning Hits & Misses Volume 1 Week 12) which also included a pencil skirt.  This black skirt is part of a Brooks Brothers suit that I have had for well over 10 years and which has undergone multiple tailoring sessions to take it in a bit.  I found that wearing these skirts actually helped me exercise a little discipline throughout the day when I was tempted to snack inappropriately or overeat – it seems like I heard a tip last November suggesting you should wear snug fitting clothes to Thanksgiving dinner to help prevent overeating.  Once again, my new Vince Camuto white jacket kept the dark colors fresh for summer and it was so fun wearing my grandmother Sara Lee’s vintage necklace combined with a more recent midnight crystal embellished chain from Charming Charlie’s.  My super cool LAMB lace up heels rounded out this outfit nicely by continuing the animal print theme.

I was really looking forward to Thursday because I couldn’t wait to wear this floral Ruffle Sleeve Wrap Top from J.O.A.  This was another Rent the Runway Unlimited Plan item and I really enjoyed wearing it.  Two observations about this top: (1) The blouse was definitely a big constraining limiting the range of motion for my arms, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as I would have expected given that situation.  (2) The tie on the blouse came undone a few times which was a little annoying, but not as disastrous as it could have been had I not been wearing a white camisole underneath.  I used a simple bow at first, but once I started double knotting it, the tie stayed in place.  The white cropped pants from White House Black Market were a little concerning given the bloat situation, but with the peplum from the wrap top covering my waist and the top of my hips, they worked out just fine.  Actually, the slight stretch in the pant fabric was comfortable, but also felt reinforcing – sort of like shapeware.  My new Invanka Trump nude pumps along with my White House Black Market white sweater duster rounded out this outfit nicely.  Last week I noted that the pumps were a little uncomfortable because of some stitching poking at the inside of my heal, but this time that didn’t seem to be a problem.  I guess some shoes just need to be broken in.

My new client schedule allows for every other Friday off including this one so Natalie’s Friday gray denim outfit will have to wait for next week.  Instead, on Friday I wore the Cynthia Rowley print blouse that Dionne and I got in our TJ Max haul (see Weekly Wardrobe Planning Hits & Misses Volume 1 Week 9) with some cropped jeans I’ve had for years from Ann Taylor Loft.  My Crown Vintage mules got a lot of wear during our trip to Galveston as well both on Saturday morning with my DYI dress and then Sunday afternoon with my white shorts and Ralph Lauren t-shirt that I also acquired with Dionne in our Marshall’s haul.  We also managed to fit in a quick trip to the beach where the Closet Reboot mascot (my Labrador retriever Sandy) got to play in the ocean for the first time.  At the beach, I got to wear the new Pool to Party cover up by Subtle Luxury that I recently acquired during my trip to Cuero, TX.

Saturday night, I got to wear  the Navy Midi Wrap Dress from Slate and Willow also included in my last RTR Unlimited shipment for dinner at Number 13 Prime Steak and Seafood.  Although it was a bit lower cut than I’m used to, I actually loved this dress!  I did use a safety pin to secure the wrap together above my chest – otherwise it would have been way to revealing for my comfort level.  My Steve Madden nude sandals worked perfectly for a nice dinner and I ended up double hooking the Harper necklace from Premier designs so that it covered the chest area above my cleavage line.  It was a lovely weekend and I was so happy to get to wear a few more of this summer’s looks before the end of the season next week.

Speaking of the last chance for summer clothes – please check out this week’s wardrobe planning video with Alla Nowowiejski where we talk about which 2018 summer trends we incorporated in our own wardrobes and which ones we’re kind of hoping go away before next year (see link below).  Which were your favorite trends for this summer?  Please leave me a comment and let us know!  In the meantime, have a fabulous last week of summer!  XOXO, Misty Ann