Pocketful of Joules

A few months ago, I started a new series based on some feedback on my PocketfulofJoules Instagram account. A very sweet Instagram friend sent me a DM saying how much they enjoy seeing different ways to style the same items over and over again as inspiration for their own looks. (Psst…you can find a bunch of these saved under the “OOTD Breakdown” highlight on Instagram). So, I thought it would be fun to start highlighting some remixes here on the blog.

You can find my previous posts here:

• My Style Remix with a Solid Colored Dress
• My Style Remix with a Simple Solid Colored T-Shirt
• My Style: Remix with a “Fancy” Tulle Skirt
• My Style: Remix with a Solid-Colored Linen Skirt

For today’s highlight, I’m going to focus on remixing with embellished cardigans.

Here are some of my favorite embellished cardigans I’ve collected over the years – including beaded, sequinned and embroidered:

The top left beaded version was purchased new from Nordstrom Rack when I was pregnant with Jack 13 years ago. It made a great ‘fancy it up’ layer for a simple maternity t-shirt or tank top! Every other cardigan has been purchased secondhand (brands: Kate Spade, Eileen Fisher and Anthropologie) and I see similar versions at the thrift stores and on Poshmark all the time.

I tend to wear patterns in my skirts or dresses, so I find that solid colored cardigans with embellishments are the easiest to mix and match within my wardrobe. While yes, a plain solid cardigan would totally work. Having one with a little extra something-something adds a nice layer of fun on what could be a pretty plain outfit!

Here are some outfits where I styled my beaded and sequinned cardigans. I love these year-round, but they can be especially great for taking a holiday outfit to the next level.

Here are a few ways I’ve styled the bottom three cardigans over the last couple years:

I hope you like this new series and please let me know if you have a particular item you want me to highlight for you!

One of my dear friends recently got married and invited my husband and me to her absolutely gorgeous wedding reception. We received the ‘save the date’ months ago, so I had plenty of time to freak out over the formal dress code. Because here’s the thing, over the years I have collected options for many different scenarios – working in the office, working from home (and being Team’s video ready), bridal showers, baby showers, and even semi-formal weddings and work events – but a FORMAL reception was out of my wheelhouse.

Typically, a formal event requires dark suits or tuxedos for the men and a floor-length gown for the ladies. While I have plenty of knee-length or tea-length dresses and skirts, I did NOT have a floor-length gown sitting around.

So, my first thought was to check the thrift and consignment stores as I’m out and about. And I did that for a few months. I even purchased a formal gown at the thrift, brought it home, tried it on… and immediately turned back around and returned it to the store. I struck out and was starting to get nervous.

My next thought was to try a place like ‘Rent the Runway’ and borrow a beautiful gown and then send it back when I was done with it. I looked at pretty much every single one of their gowns that were available during the timeline of my event and found one or two that I was heavily considering. However, we all know that often something that looks great online doesn’t look as great on our actual body types. So, I was nervous that I’d put all my hope in a dress, have it arrive and hate it. Or have it not fit. Even with the back-up dress option. Also, the rental rates are not cheap. I’d be spending $100 – $130ish to rent a dress that I may hate, I’m not able to alter it if it doesn’t fit well, and I don’t get to keep it if I love it. So, nope to that.

Finally, I decided to do some online shopping. My criteria: I wanted something that I absolutely LOVED on me, something pretty classic that I could wear again, and something less than $150. I also narrowed it down to something in black. I like how I look in black and it will be handy to have a formal black dress in my closet for any future events.

I ended up with three main options:

I was unsure on sizing, so I ordered all three options from Lulus, since they have a free shipping and small restocking fee for returns. I also sized up, because I could always make something a little smaller if needed. I typically wear a size 10/12/14 depending on the dress, so I ordered each dress in an XL.

This one ended up being my favorite: The Radiant Charisma Black Chiffon Runched Tie-Strap Maxi Dress for $88.

I loved the sweetheart neckline and the overall fit of the dress. It was surprisingly comfortable and there was even a little extra room in the waist area if I wanted to take it in a little. The only thing I didn’t really like was the floppy tie straps, but I had the idea to use the front two straps to tie it into a halter top and just snip off the back two straps. The length was great too with the booties I wanted to wear.

I found the dress that would work for me and $88 was a pretty good price. But, I felt like I could do better. So, I took my search to Poshmark – I searched under Lulus as the brand, and the exact name of the dress.. and found one new with tags for $39. THIRTY-NINE dollars!

I returned all three of the dresses I tried on from Lulus for just a small restocking fee of $6 total. And here is the final look:

I have high hopes that the photo the professional photographer took will turn out MUCH better than my blurry iphone pic! But, it’s not bad for a secondhand (new with tags) dress, secondhand (basically new) booties and some adorable tights from Amazon!

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