Full-time blogger Jess Jannenga (50) lives in North Carolina and documents her outfits over at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Jess does her own thing, mixing on-trend pieces with touches of boho, Modern Classic and the occasional retro vibe. She loves colour, wears earth tones like it’s nobody’s business and likes to have fun with patterned footwear. Arty statement necklaces and earrings are an integral part of her style, as is her stunning long red hair.
“My style has evolved in part due to my condition, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disease. When I began my blog, nearly 5 years ago, I had to wear flats or more supportive shoes, and now, that my condition is more managed, I can wear beautiful block heels and more attractive shoes. I didn’t wear denim much then either but have found pairs that are soft and stylish. I like to think of my style as classic and feminine, with a love for color.”
Earth tones and Autumn colours look wonderful with Jess’ gorgeous red hair and complexion, and she sports them regularly. Here she’s put together a polished casual look with lots of textural interest. She’s tucked a silk leopard print shirt into mid-rise black straight leg jeans. She’s added a pair of leopard print booties in a different shade of brown, which makes for some fun pattern mixing. Throwing on a sassy suede moto jacket in a third shade of brown creates further outfit depth. The croc-embossed leather satchel is the fourth brown element that adds even more texture to the look. A dark red pendant necklace and long gold statement earrings complement the colour palette beautifully.
Jess wore this wonderful floral print dress to celebrate her 50th birthday. The vivid red flowers against the light pink background look amazing with her luscious red locks. The elegant midi length looks great on our 5’9” blogger. A self belt emphasizes the waistline, while the ruffled cap sleeves create feminine flair. Jess has paired the festive frock with dainty ankle strap sandals in a low-contrast blush colour that elongates the leg line. A bone chain-strap bag with quilted detailing, chunky rose gold watch, glam oversized tassel earrings and tortoise-rimmed sunnies are the accessories of choice. And isn’t the turquoise nail polish a cheerful touch?
Our blogger’s cheerful lemon top made me think of Angie’s Italian lemon-patterned mules. Jess is wearing her lemon blouse with crisp white skinny jeans that echo the top’s white background. The elasticated style creates a faux peplum effect that accentuates Jess’ waist. Her neutral platform espadrille sandals have glittery gold embellishments that add subtle shine. In combination with the charming circular straw bag they amplify the boho-lite Summery vibe of this outfit. As always, Jess’ jewellery game is on point. Here the statement ball earrings pick up the colours of her top, while the eye-catching emerald necklace complements the green leaves:
“I have bought my vintage brooches and earrings on Etsy, I have found great pieces through Poshmark, and have been fortunate to work with many jewelry brands through blogging, adding to my collection.”
This is a fab example of Angie’s Shorts and Pretty Tops outfit formula. Jess has styled a pair of casual denim shorts with a not-so-basic white knitted top. The drape of the corset-style tank top gives it a bit of a Grecian vibe. Our blogger has a great eye for detail, and paired the top with lace-up eyelet espadrilles that echo the corset ties. A bib necklace in pastels adds sparkle and colour to the neutral outfit. Jess’ long pendant earrings consist of white fabric flowers that look like fluffy cotton clouds from afar. A crinkle-effect envelope clutch also adds textural interest. Rusty-red lipstick and Jess’ trusted tortoise sunnies finish off the look.
Jess built this look around a brown-toned plaid dress with on-trend Western vibe. The drop-waist dress with zipper neckline is a statement in itself that doesn’t need extra bells and whistles. Jess went for punchy pattern mixing with the cream and beige snakeskin booties that add a touch of rock ’n’ roll to the look. The pointy-toe style lengthens the leg line as do the nude fishnet hose. Jess kept the jewellery fairly simple with gold with amber teardrop earrings peeking out from under her hair and a dainty leaf necklace. The dark eggplant bag adds some unexpected colour that works great with the colours of her dress.
This shade of warm, earthy and rich mustard was made for our red-haired blogger. My word, it took my breath away! Jess has tucked a flutter-sleeved floral print blouse into grey skinny jeans. Because the top has a grey background it creates an elongating column of colour. Adding a mustard open-knit cardigan in a mid-thigh length also creates vertical integrity. Light cognac booties don’t match but work well with the mustard. Our clever blogger then took a silky mustard-coloured belt from a dress in her closet and styled it as a scarf. Pinning the gold grape brooch to the scarf adds a retro touch. Jess’ teardrop earrings came out to play again as well. Rusty-red lippie and Jess’ trademark marvelous locks finish off the look to perfection.
I can’t wait to hear which look you love best. Let us know in the comments, and then hop on over to Jess’ blog to browse the rest of her beautiful outfits.
