What I Wore in November
Outfits for Midlife and Everywhere it Takes Me
And in November, there were a lot of places! Fresh off the heels of Halloween we traveled to Grand Canyon—literally, on November 1. And we saw snow! We saw the Canyon, too, obviously, but also snow! Between that and our next trip to Berlin, Germany (where I neglected to take any outfit photos 🤦🏼♀️), we had a few birthday celebrations, house guests and Thanksgiving. And the weather finally cooled so I could wear sweaters and all my blazers, which you know I love.
As a busy mom in midlife juggling running my own small business, family stuff, attempting to have a social life and last but not least—corralling two feisty dogs, I wore my November outfits to:
Work at my desk in my office at home
The Grand Canyon
Volunteer at Dress for Success Austin
Co-working day with other women small business owners
School fundraiser
Girls Empowerment Network’s Radiant G Conference
Birthday dinner
Explore Berlin, Germany
Thanksgiving
Family gatherings
Forget Sweater Weather, I Love a Blazer
Autumn in Austin takes its sweet old time, so when the temperatures finally dipped, I was happy to pull out these favorites. There are few clothing items that I think all women need in their closets, but I can make a solid argument for a blazer. There are just so many styles to choose from that I’m fairly confident I could find one that works for everyone. That, and they are an excellent choice for achieving a pulled-together look, which is what so many clients tell me they long for with their personal style.
I honestly can’t remember where I wore the look in the top left, but the look at the top right was for a joint birthday dinner for my husband and a friend who share birthdays in the same week. We went to Space Cowboy which was a fun spot with interesting drinks, good food and enormous cotton candy for the birthday guy and gal. At bottom left is an outfit I wore to a networking lunch at Vinaigrette the day after the election (which is a story in and of itself) and at bottom right is an outfit I wore to volunteer at Dress for Success Austin’s Veteran’s Day event. I was on my feet more than I’m used to so sneakers were a must, and my Vejas were an easy choice because they’re more of a fashion sneaker but also offer comfort.
If not a blazer, I like to choose some kind of layer. A third piece simply gives an outfit a more styled, pulled-together and intentional feel. For example, take a look at how the denim jacket makes the woven sweater/jeans combo more interesting:
On the contrary, when I look back at my outfits that consisted of just a top and bottom, I’m less excited about them. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the outfits, and not every day calls for a put-together look. Some days just getting dressed and getting on with my day is all I can bother with. But if you ever find yourself feeling like your outfit needs just a little something more, try adding a layer or even a scarf.
But if you asked what my favorite outfit was last month, it actually wasn’t a three-piece outfit. It was this super simple top and bottom combo:
I know, I know, this look contradicts everything I just wrote about a pulled-together look but something about this one I just love. The pants quickly became a favorite; they’re the J CREW Sailor slim-wide pant in stretch corduroy and they’re so comfortable and so versatile. The shirt is a Universal Thread oversized button-down, and the shoes are old Free People. As you can probably see, the shirt isn’t ironed and the wrinkled, worn-in look is part of what appeals to me about this combo, along with the overall simplicity but most of all, how it made me feel when I wore it—clean, modern and most of all, comfortable.
