Spring is finally here, and I'm ready. This winter has felt like a winter of Game Of Thrones proportions, and I'm over it. OVER IT. I'm ready to say adieu to heavy jackets and snow and bonjour to new blooms and bright colors.

As this is the season of new life, I thought I'd give a few items in my closet the same opportunity. For this Mini-Lab, I chose three loved-but-neglected pieces, and created new outfits around them. Each outfit had to be a combination I've never worn, and, of course, break the rules. 

Let's get to it!

OUTFIT #1

NEGLECTED ITEM: ASOS Short Trench Coat

BROKEN RULE(S):

1. Black is always best.
2. Don't make your feet look any bigger than they already are.

THE OUTFIT: So, blogging fail on my part, I was wearing a navy and white long-sleeved striped T underneath the jacket, but it's not visible in the photos. The T-shirt, in combination with the dark denim, trench coat, and ladylike red bag felt a bit too straight-laced for me. I added the rust and white checked scarf for some pattern mixing, and the Converse to loosen it up a bit. 

THE EXPERIENCE: I wore this outfit to meet with a wedding vendor, and felt really good about it. I felt put together, but still fun (a great description of what we hope our wedding to be!) and, as all of my outfit was mostly cotton, I was comfortable, too.

REPEAT-ABILITY RATING: 5/5 - I'll definitely wear this combination, again.

Time for a Trench?

OUTFIT #2

NEGLECTED ITEM: Maroon "give me a break" Sweater from Zara's Boys Department

BROKEN RULE: Women shop in the women's department.

Zara thinks that 13 year old girls are 5'4, so I frequently shop in their children's department. I've gotten some of my favorite jackets there (they fit my shoulders!) and they're half the price of the adult section. This winter, I got the pictured sweater in the boys department. It's great quality for the 20 bucks I paid for it, and I love its sassy slogan.

THE OUTFIT: I thought pairing this sweater with a flowy skirt and lace-up boots would be a fun juxtaposition of shapes and styles. Conceptually, it was a decent idea. In reality.... well, you can see the photos. 

THE EXPERIENCE: This day turned into one of those work days where I stayed huddled next to my computer. Christian worked from home, so he saw this outfit. We took a break near the end of the day to buy dog food, so the man in the pet store also saw this outfit, and I think that's more than enough. This combination was bunchy (SO BUNCHY) and largely unflattering. 

REPEAT-ABILITY RATING: 0/5 - I will never wear this outfit again.

Fancy a Clever Sweater?

OUTFIT #3

NEGLECTED ITEM: Denim button-up top

THE BROKEN RULE: Only double-denim if your denims are decidedly different.

THE OUTFIT: This outfit is brought to you by a Madewell ad. In said ad, they combined denim on top and bottom in very similar shades. I've always thought that to mix denims one should be far lighter than the other. However, while seeing the ad I thought, "Well, hello! I could be into that." So, I tried it. I combined this oft-neglected denim button-up, and high-waisted Madewell jeans, and was surprised by how much I liked the combination. To calm down any Canadian-tuxedo vibes, I added a polka-dot cardigan and my maroon Kate Spade bag. The black booties were for necessity rather than style. It was pouring rain, and I didn't want to ruin any of my cute shoes. 

THE EXPERIENCE: I had a busy, busy workday and appreciated that this outfit didn't limit my mobility. I was comfortable, but also still felt a bit interesting and put together. 

REPEAT-ABILITY RATING: 3/5 - I'll repeat this denim on denim pairing, but would like to try a different sweater and shoe combination.

Doubling Down on Denim?

How do you approach dressing for spring? Have you tried a similar challenge with your neglected pieces? I'd love to hear about it! 

I'll be back on Tuesday with another post!

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