Hi, friends! And welcome to the first of many fun, holiday-inspired outfits here on the blog! The pre-holidays can get a little hectic for me with the end of semester projects and final exams, but I hope you’ll indulge me in posting these outfits a little later than I would’ve liked. It’s just what I have to do as a graduate student who’s a part-time blogger. 🙂
At any rate, I hope you found plenty of inspiration this holiday season on my Instagram (where you can get sneak peeks of all the holiday outfits that will go live here). This year in particular, I was taking part in the #castmejcrew contest. So as a disclaimer, many of the outfits you will see on here are full-J.Crew or at least inspired by J.Crew style. But I am in no way being sponsored by or compensated by J.Crew for any of these looks. While my intent was to bring my A-game to the contest, please know that I genuinely love J.Crew and likely would have put these outfits together in this way for you regardless of the contest. Also, you will be happy to know that most of the looks I put together used items I already owned and have owned for years. I will try to link similar options available this season for anyone interested in adding something new to their wardrobe. I will also link exact styles of items purchased this year when appropriate.
So without further ado, let’s get into the first fun holiday look of the season!
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Today’s look is all about styling your pastels for the holidays. Because who says holiday outfits have to be exclusively red and green?!
One of the ways I find inspiration for my outfits is through photos I find on the internet. And guess what? There is nothing wrong with that! Taking inspiration from one thing and then making it your own is a fantastic way to try out new styles or to make your wardrobe feel fresh and new again.
For this look, my inspiration was taken from here and here. And in full disclosure, one of my first thoughts was that I needed to go out and buy a new sweater that was bright and colorful to fulfill this vision. Wrong! Buying should never be the first thought. And I share this with you now because I want you to learn from me and to know that I’m not perfect and am still learning to be less driven by consumerism. It’s a process and I’m going to share my process with you one step at a time!
So after sitting on the idea for a couple days (one of the best tactics for learning to not impulse purchase items), I remembered that I already owned a fun, festive, fair isle sweater that I could use to bring this vision to life. And guess what?! When you use items you already own instead of recreating a look verbatim, the look instantly becomes your own.
P.S. – You may remember this sweater from this post and this skirt from this post, both back in 2016. That’s right! I’m re-styling pieces you’ve already seen on the blog. What a fascinating concept! I love it! And I’m hoping to do more of that moving forward into the new year.
Anyways, I thought this was such an eye-opening lesson for me that I just had to share it with you! I love the idea that you can open your closet, look at it in a new way, and make a whole new holiday look using pieces you already own! Because honestly, the holidays only come around once a year. So why buy all new pieces you can only wear for a limited amount of time?! I say get the biggest bang for your buck by utilizing your wardrobe in new ways year-round.
The formula here is so simple. Find a pastel sweater, layer it over a classic blue or chambray button-up, add on a sparkly skirt, and throw on some tennis shoes. It’s a fun, casual look that would be perfect for getting together with friends or exchanging gifts with loved ones. Not too dressy or formal with the sneakers, but also not too casual either with the sequin skirt. I love the balance this look found.
For styling sweaters over button-ups, I like leaving the top button undone to give the look a more casual vibe. (Anyone else feel super stuffy and constricted when buttoning that top button?) I also love adding on a sparkly necklace to make the transition from sweater to button-up a little more fun and festive.
Next, I like rolling up the sweater sleeves a little (to 3/4 length) and covering the ends with the cuffs of the button-up. It gives the look a more cohesive feel and covers any discrepancy in arm lengths between the sweater and button-up.
And finally, I leave the hem of the button-up untucked. You could just as easily tuck the button-up into your skirt or pants and have a great outfit, but I like that this styling technique brings more attention and definition to the layer. (I’m personally a huge fan of effortless-looking layering.)
P.S. – These glitter sneakers are the one new item in this entire look. I just couldn’t resist! They are from Old Navy and are incredibly comfortable. J. Crew has a similar option here. They are such a fun, festive way to stay comfy over the holidays. And they can be styled after the holidays with jeans for a casual date night look.
So that’s how I would style a pastel fair isle sweater for a fun holiday look this season (plus a few tips on how I layer sweaters in the winter).
What about you? Would you ever style a pastel sweater for the holidays?
You might also like…How To Wear A Skirt with Sneakers and Another Pastel Holiday Look.
Photos by Noah Berg
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Get the Look…
Sweater: J. Crew (similar; last seen here) | Button-Up: J. Crew | Skirt: J. Crew Factory (similar; last seen here) | Shoes: Old Navy (similar) | Necklace: J. Crew Factory (similar)
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