Chambray | Abundant~Life~Initiative

Spring is approaching and in Northern California, one day its seventy degrees outside, and the next, cold stormy weather. My colorful jeans have a late eighties, early nineties vibe, but the skinny shape makes them 2014.

A wool turquoise jacket, a denim chambray shirt layered over a burgundy tee shirt, with abstract patterned jeans and leather booties. Gold hoops round out my look.

Without the picture color tinting and the jacket.

My jeans are from Forever21.com and I got them on sale for $8. I also purchased my chambray shirt from Forever21.com.

I love this American Rag shirt from Macys.com. I got it just last week for $8. On rainy days, a beret works great for hiding bad hair days. I love my Born boots – been wearing them for four years now, and they’re still looking good (with the help of my shoe cobbler, of course).

My take on the Pantone color of the year, Radiant Orchid.

My mother of pearl earrings go with a lot of outfits.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Image courtesy of Worakit Sirijinda, published on 18 June 2011, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Forever21.com, overalls available for $32.80

As a California native, there isn’t a day denim isn’t donned on my derriere. There are a few denim trends fading, while others are showing staying power. Can you guess which looks are here to stay this coming spring, and which ones we are saying au revoir to? We are moving away from the 1980s inspiration to the 1990s era.

Colors and Hues:

Fairwell to brightly colored jeans. I will pack away my bright, fire engine red skinnies for another season.
Say hello to light washed denim (not to be confused with acid wash) to medium hued jeans.
Say yes to indigo colored denim…will balance brightly colored florals that are en trend this spring.
Denim on denim. The denim suit is a light colored denim chambray shirt with dark denim, vice versa or tailored with unfinished. Be sure that the denim on top contrasts with your outfit’s denim bottoms, for a modern take on this classic trend.
Hey there to prints. Prints on jeans have been around for a few seasons now, and we’re not quick to let it go. The prints will be more southwestern or Aztec inspired.

Styles:

Overalls and rompers. 2014’s overalls are more tapered and feminine, and preferably with a weathered look. Because today’s overalls are tapered, the question then becomes what shoes to wear. The model in the Forever21 picture is wearing high heels, but chunky heeled booties are okay, too.
All things denim – shorts, hats, jackets, blazers, shirts, skirts, and dresses.
Boyfriend jeans, another relic of last summer.

Finishes and Embellishments:

A hole here, a rip there, it’s all good this season. Torn jeans seem to look better with lighter colored hues, so leave the dark jeans tailored and pulled together.
Flower prints will carry over from last summer to this spring, as flower prints were a rage at the end of the 80s, and a big part of the early 90s.

-Curator of all things stylish, Kimberly Jo Cooley