casual style


Pop of green on a cold day

Wearing: sunglasses / star necklace c/o Lois Hill (under $100, use code CathyO-20 to save 20%) / black long sleeve tee / black sweater coat / spring nail polish / bracelets c/o Lois Hill (use code CathyO-20 to save 20%) / green shoulder bag / straight leg jeans (under $100) / golden boots /

We had a tiny little glimpse at spring, and then boom! The weather swung back to winter! Thankfully this sweater coat is super cozy and perfect for staying warm when the weather drops into chilly temperatures.

In order to spice up this basic black sweater coat, I added this beautiful silver jewelry and a pop of green. After all, green is predicted to be one of the top three colors of 2023! So, if you like green, this is your year! Love that!

My spring 2023 trend report is coming up very soon, and one of the topics I will discuss is jewelry. As we move towards anonymous handbags, and far away from loud logos, the trends in jewelry are returning to a more classic and investment minded look. This year, it is time to invest in timeless pieces that can be layered or worn alone. Jewelry should transcend trends, and be something you can invest in. You will want to look for pieces that can be worn for years, even decades. Jewelry you can pass down to your children is main goal. Of course, the early 2000’s bling look is currently reserved for dressier, or formal, occasions. This means for our daily jewelry pieces we want casual investment pieces, or investment pieces we can wear with both jeans and our little black dress. This is why I am in love with Lois Hill Jewelry. They have beautiful, crafted pieces you can layer, wear alone, dress up or down, and wear forever. Love that!

In addition to timeless jewelry, the color trends for 2023 are happy and bright. As you know, magenta and shades of red or pink are hot this year. In addition to magenta, red, and pink, we are looking at colors from the orange family and also the green family. I am not a big fan of the orange family, but when it comes to green, I am huge fan! I love green! Since it is still winter, my green handbag is perfect for rocking the green trend. As I shop for spring, I will be keeping my eyes open for more green; and pink. I love pink too!

Stay tuned! My complete spring 2023 trend report is coming up next on the blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


Express jeans review

OK, so I want to make this perfectly clear, this is NOT a sponsored post. Although I received gifted product from Express back in 2017, this article has nothing to do with that past relationship and is purely my opinion. Now that we cleared that up, I really love my Express denim!

I have always had Express on my radar. It was a fabulous place to shop back in high school, and I have been a customer this entire time. If you have been following along, then you may have noticed occasionally seeing pieces from Express pop up on my blog. This past year, when I was trying to replace my wardrobe due to my weight loss, Express was an easy place to go to stock up on the latest styles of denim and round out my casual wardrobe.

Express has tons of denim styles, so finding jeans in the right styles was easy. In addition to offering a ton of denim styles, they also have jeans in short, regular and tall lengths! Say what?! As someone who is 5’4″ and in love with wearing jeans, my height has always made shopping for jeans challenging. They are always too long, and if I wanted to have them shortened, there are very few styles that can actually be shortened without compromising the bottom half silhouette of the jeans. Flares and boot cut are always challenging, and anything with an interesting hemline would be compromised. Finding jeans in short lengths, is a godsend! In addition, if you are tall, I know you struggle finding jeans which are long enough; my dear friend has this problem!

The jeans I have purchased from Express over the past year, have held up really well in the wash. I wash them on warm and hang them to dry. The sizing is fairly consistent, which makes it easy to buy their jeans online. Express also sends out coupons if you shop with them a lot, and they also have occasional deals online such as buy one, get one 50% off. If you are just looking for one pair, they are usually priced under $100 already, so buying Express jeans is a guilt-free purchase. Love that!

So, if you need to update your denim wardrobe, now that skinny jeans are over and we are moving into a world of straight jeans, flare jeans, bootcut jeans, and wide leg jeans, then Express is a great place to stock up on new styles without breaking the bank. Love that!

Here are the styles I have purchased and love; I am sure you have seen them on the blog! Click on your favorite for shopping information.

What are your favorite styles of denim right now? Are you ready to give up your skinny jeans? I struggled with this one!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


Straight jeans in 2023

straight leg jeans
mansur gavriel m frame baguette
street style san jose
outfit ideas over 40

wearing: golden hoop earrings (under $100) / polka dot top / G buckle belt / black puffy coat (on major sale!) / straight leg jeans / spring nail polish / black handbag / lug sole boots /

Well, now that skinny jeans have been declared over, I have been on the hunt for an alternative denim style. Many straight leg jeans on the market right now are on the verge of being wide leg jeans. While I love a good pair of wide leg jeans, or flare jeans, I wanted to update my denim wardrobe with something closer to skinny jeans, without being a skinny jean. I am so happy I found this pair!

This pair of straight leg jeans isn’t too wide, and they offer the unfussy feel of a skinny jean. Love that! Plus, they were priced under $100, love that too!

I paired my new pair of straight leg jeans with a polka dot tee and my go-to puffy jacket; which happen to be on major sale if you are still looking for a puffy jacket. Since it was raining outside, I chose to wear my lug sole boots and of course, topped it all off with my new handbag! You can check out my review here.

umai hot dogs valley fair chicken sandwich

We are in need of a new sofa, so I wore this outfit to go sofa shopping. We found the perfect sectional sofa for our family room! Love! After picking a new sofa, we tried the new food counter in the food court at Valley Fair, Umai Hot Dogs. I wasn’t in the mood for a hot dog, so I got the chicken sandwich and french fries. It was really yummy! My Mom had a hot dog and loved it. We will go back!

I am excited to wear these straight leg jeans throughout the rest of the winter season and into the upcoming spring season. They are comfortable, and the perfect replacement for my skinny jeans. Love!

Are you a fan of skinny jeans? Have you found an alternative to them yet?

Shop my straight leg jeans outfits online:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

it bags 2023
san jose style bloggers over 40