Monday, April 1, 2019

Inspired By Black and White and Gold Dots

What is my first outfit of spring? Shockingly, not an outfit with colour! 
 Instead, I was inspired by this exaggerated 80s tie to do a black and white mix, with gold accents.


  • Shirt - J. Crew, thrifted; first worn here in February with floral and chains
  • Skirt - Ports 1961, thrifted; first seen here in October 2018 with pink and red
  • Shoes - Lola Ramona; last worn here in May 2018 with yellow and more black and white
  • Coat (below) - Tangerine Jill, thrifted; purchased here for $21.50


Reader Chalotalo (hello!) asked me how my creative process works for building outfits, for a week's worth, built ahead of time. I haven't done that this week, but it's like doing one outfit...only you do 4 or 5 at a time, and then pick the one you plan to wear the next day the night before.

I generally start with something I want to wear, whether that's a new-to-me garment or accessory, or something I haven't worn for a while. So for today, this tie.
 A tie requires a collared shirt, so a quick look through my blouses revealed only two (I usually have 1-3 of them in a given season) - and I got that "Aha!" when I held the tie next to this cotton polka dot shirt.

I want to wear everything that was stashed away in the spring/summer pile as soon as possible, so that I can properly assess each piece. Although I did wear this lovely silk skirt (it's even lined in silk!) as soon as I bought it in the fall, it was too cold to be a cool-weather item, so it's in the new section at the front of my skirt rail in my closet.
 Adding a black skirt - well, now we have a black and white theme going, don't we?

I know I have a white belt - the gold hardware on it led to my choice of gold accessories.
 It was a no-brainer to wear my black and white polka dot shoes! Did you notice the bows on the backs of them?

Outerwear - I've been waiting for the wardrobe swap-over to wear this lovely cotton/linen coat.
 I love the bright pink! I think I have a pink issue...I now have 3 pink coats.

I steamed it last night to make it look nice, and give the ruffles on the labels some shape.
 It was wonderful to wear!


  • Gloves - Danier Leather


The stuff:
 Note the striped soles of the shoes. I need to wear these more! That is a perfect heel for me.

Black, white and gold bling:
I really liked the necklace worn over the tie (which says, "Has a love letter won your heart") - it felt very fresh to me. Good thing I had a necklace with round elements (note that the belt also has round studs). I really went to town on the dot theme!


  • Belt - Banana Republic, thrifted
  • Silk tie - Escada by Margaretha Ley, vintage, thrifted
  • Necklace - Givenchy, vintage fair
  • Bracelet - Butler Fifth Avenue Collection, vintage, consignment - first wearing, purchased here for $15.00
  • Earrings - vintage fair


I love when an inspiration works out!

34 comments:

  1. Gorgeous outfit -- I LOVE those shoes, especially the bows on the back!

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    1. Thank you, Cynthia! I really need to wear those more.

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  2. Great fun with black and white Sheila. I work the same way when putting an outfit together - you just need a starting point don't you? And that pink coat, yes it's adorable. I've got a new pank outfit on the go which I fancy you may approve of... Have a super week, sweetie x

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    1. Yup, just one jumping-off item to spark that creativity, and you're good. I saw your pank! Love it!

      Happy week to you, my dear!

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  3. Oh my - those shoes are so cute!!! :) Lise

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  4. Shiela, I love how you've styled your outfit around the tie. Your thinking behind each outfit is wonderfully detailed. X

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    1. Thank you, Jess! Every choice I make is deliberate in my outfits.

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  5. What a fab outfit, I love the tie with the gold chain worn over the top and those spotty shoes, there's a bit of a 1930s gangster vibe going on!
    I'm just like you, I start with one item I'm keen to wear and build the entire outfit around it - today I'm keen to wear a vintage belt a fellow trader gave me on Sunday. xxx

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    1. Yes, I'm totally a fashion gangster (that's a better name for my post!), thank you, Vix!

      Nice - that's a great way to showcase a new piece, too.

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  6. I love seeing how you pull outfits together Sheila! :) I wish I could plan out outfits that far in advance. I used to, but often now it's a quick glance at my wardrobe before I fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day, haha! I'm following a lot of simple outfit formulas and just changing a couple of things each time I pull an outfit together.

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    1. You totally can, Mica - just pick your top/bottom/shoes and then take a moment to accessorize. It can be done, and it's a very calming, mindful thing to do before bed. But I get it - when you're ready for bed, you have to go. :)

      I love your formulas!

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  7. What a fun outfit to start Spring with! I'm loving the whimsical touches provided by the tie and polka dot (with a bow) shoes! Matching the gold in the belt with gold accessories was a brilliant touch. And then the unexpectedness of the pink coat! How divine that is! Note to self: must dig out pink coat! xxx

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    1. Thank you, Ann! Whimsy is important to me - I love the quirky touches. Pink coats are my catnip right now!

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  8. Love love LOVE this look!
    Bold and in-yer-face... simply fab.
    That tie is right up my alley.
    XXX
    Samantha

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    1. Thanks so much, Samantha! Isn't the tie awesome? I don't wear it much, but I love it.

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  9. Lovely outfit and the shoes are just wonderful! Loved all the accessories including the fab silk tie...

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    1. Thank you, Vronni! The tie is my favourite piece too.

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  10. What a great Spring outfit! The coat is a wonderful color for Spring and those shoes are incredibly awesome with all the dots, stripes and bows!!

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  11. Yeah! You know I love this look. And those shoes are gorgeous. I have black ankle boots with golden studded boots on the back. If I was your neighbor I let you borrow them ....... Because then I can borrow all things fabulous from you!😂😂😂

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    1. Thank you, Nancy! Good thing we don't live closer! Ha!

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  12. I adore a black and white mix! Also, polka dots, bows, and pink everything!

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  13. Sheila, thank you so much for sharing. I tend to work off of a formula and dress things up or down so your process gives me more options and a great jump start to warm weather outfits. Pink, black, white, and polka dots make for such a classic combination but "classic" does not begin to do your spring debut justice. The shoes and pink coat are the icing on the cake.

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    1. Thanks for asking! If you ever want to know something about me or how I do something, just ask. I have formulas as well, but I find that the outfits that have a jumping-off point tend to be the most successful ones.

      Thanks so much, Chalotalo!

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  14. Lovely 80's vibe and lovely polka dots and black&white!, and so interesting to read about the process of creating an outfit!.
    You totally rock your accessories! those shoes are so cute!!
    besos

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  15. I love reading your thoughts about outfit planning and how the choices are inspired!

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    1. Thank you, Mel-Bee! It seems natural to me, but I'm glad it's interesting for others to read about.

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  16. I always like a good black and white outfit, especially if there are polka dots involved. That coat is such a scrumptious colour.

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    1. Thank you! This was a favourite outfit of this month, for sure.

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  17. The polka mixing here is really fun She and I cannot believe you have 3 pink coats!

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    1. Thanks, Lorena! I may be getting carried away by pink... ;-P

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