I’m not a huge fan of pants, but I do think that wearing skirts and dresses requires a different mindset in the morning than wearing pants. It just feels as if wearing a skirt or dress requires more effort and more commitment that wearing pants. However, pants can get a bit boring, and I find that skirts and dresses bring more to an outfit than pants and jeans. Of course this means that when I discovered my love of overalls, I absolutely had to style them in a multitude of ways.
I had a pair of overalls before but they were shorts, and sadly (or maybe not so sadly, since apparently I’m pretty short) I’ve outgrown them. It didn’t bother me much since it’s winter right now and they weren’t of much use this season. However, I was dying to get a new pair, this time with legs, but I just couldn’t find the one. I wanted a dark wash denim or black pair, with a skinny leg, and I wanted pants, but not a jumpsuit. Oh, and I wanted all this on a budget. As you can imagine, it was hard to find the perfect pair, and I was looking for weeks. But I guess not finding a pair in the mall was the last straw, because I took to desperately online shopping, though I was positive I had checked every last store.
However, I had not, or the inventory had changed, because I found the perfect pair of overalls on Charlotte Russe. They were a bit pricier than I’d hoped, but it was as if the overalls were calling my name; they went on sale for 1 more day after I’d found them, and my size was running low in stock, so I snapped them up, and waited.
On to the flip side of one of these outfits, the shirt(s). I was shopping with a friend at the mall this past weekend, and while I was on the hunt for some specific items, I couldn’t find any that I was looking for. But… I didn’t want to leave empty handed, so that led me to doing a bit of “see what I like and buy it” kind of shopping. It’s not the best method, but it is my most common one. My piggy bank certainly doesn’t thank me for it and it’s certainly a tad lighter, but shopping like this is quite fun, and you do end up with more pieces to work with in the morning. That’s how I ended up with this black mock neck bodysuit, and this graphic t-shirt. It’s even in a mustard-y yellow which has been one of my favorite colors and inspirations recently, and it’s slowly making its way into my closet.
Ahhh…. Have you been clued in yet? If not from the title, but from that not-so-sneaky little link right up there. Yes, it’s finally time for the outfit part of the style and inspiration blog series. I do like this style of posting, and I might do it again, but I don’t know how to correlate the post titles so that you can tell which inspirational post goes with which outfit. Any suggestions?
Anyways, when I got these overalls I couldn’t pick just one outfit, and I certainly didn’t want to leave one out, so I just had to do them both… Hope you enjoy.
Style #1 – Wonder ’90s
What I Wore: Refuge Collection Distressed Black Denim Overalls – Charlotte Russe // Contemporary Ribbed Knit Striped Top – similar here and here//
I guess overalls in general are pretty ’90s inspired but that’s OK. We’ll all pretend to know otherwise. Obviously I knew that the t-shirt had to do with the ’90s while shopping, because well… I didn’t know that body suits were a big thing in the mid-’90s though. I mean, how could I? In pictures it’s practically impossible to tell the difference between a bodysuit and a shirt. Plus, I wasn’t alive in the ’90s, so it’s not like I heard anybody talking about them. But I went home after purchasing this one to see what the point of a bodysuit as opposed to a shirt was, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were a pretty big thing in the ’90s, so I knew that I had to style these with overalls for a secretly ’90s inspired outfit.
Other than for layering purposes and for tucking into shirts, skirts, etc. I couldn’t really find a purpose for bodysuits as opposed to shirts. However, I do have one little secret: you will most definitely feel like a superhero while wearing this, which I must say, makes you feel a bit more confident. It also just feels cooler and is a great alternative to the so commonly worn crop tops that I think get shorter and shorter with time. May I just say that I’m kind of tired of the trend? Also, why pay so much for such a little bit of fabric?
Unfortunately as I was shooting these pictures, my flower crown got cut out, but if you’re interested in seeing how my orange and yellow cat ear flower crown looks, you can see that here.
P.S. When I bought the overalls they were $34 dollars, but now they’re only $20, just not in my size. Grrr….. But I guess that’s good for you.
Style #2 – Earn your stripes
What I Wore: Refuge Collection Distressed Black Denim Overalls – Charlotte Russe // Mock Neck Bodysuit – similar style here and similar color here// Wonder ’90s Graphic Tee similar color here //
This shirt has really grown on me. I was hesitant when buying it, especially with that pesky Forever 21 return policy, but I took a chance, and it’s paid off. One of my only hesitations when picking up this piece was the length of the top, but it’s quite stretchy, and not cropped. The other was really due to the style and the color palette. I thought it looked a bit too much like an unappealing shirt you’d find in a thrift store from the ’70s, but it’s really growing on me (pun not intended, unless it’s funny, then I totally meant it). Honestly, the only thing that could make this shirt any better would be a mock turtleneck.
This is a pretty simple and effortless outfit from me, but I think that’s the beauty of the overalls. They’re so easy to throw on with practically anything, and they still make the outfit a bit more unique than a plain ol’ pair of pants. I especially love how the black in the stripes and overalls ties the pops of color together a bit.
Overall*, I can say that I’m both a bit obsessed with overalls, and with bodysuits. They’re both excellent layering pieces, and bring a lot to an outfit. Believe it or not for the bodysuit: the mock neck I have does add a little detail to an ensemble, and little details do make a difference.
*See what I did there? 😉
Do you love overalls as much as I do? How do you style them? What’s your biggest style inspiration right now, and where does it come from? Let me know in the comments!
Lots of love…
