Review: The Outfit Additions Silk Collection

Today’s post is written by forum member Kim (“queenie”), who lives in San Jose, CA with her adoring husband and four teenage sons. In a house full of boys, girly time is precious and rare! So I asked fab, fun-loving, exuberant Kim if she’d like to road test some accessories from Outfit Additions, and here’s the result. Be sure to catch the opportunity to win a gift coupon at the end of Kim’s review.

I love to play with accessories to add style quotient to my outfits, so I was honored when Angie asked me to review some of the silk items from Outfit Additions. After browsing the website I chose the small wallet in carbonado, the clutch in cherry red and two belts — one in turquoise and the other in a lovely midnight blue vine design. The clutch, wallet and turquoise belt are 100% silk, while the midnight belt is 100% polyester.  I was quite impressed with the quality of these items. The fabric is of beautiful quality and each item is meticulously crafted. There are no loose threads or crooked stitching on any of the items I received. The colors are vibrant and rich.

Cherry Red Floral Silk Fabric ClutchCarbonado Silk Fabric WalletTurquoise Blue Daydream Silk Fabric BeltMidnight Blue Vines Fabric Belt

The small tri-fold wallet was put to use immediately. I like to carry two wallets — a full size to carry the myriad of cards and coupons that I manage to accumulate, and a smaller wallet that holds my driver’s license, bank card, credit card and cash. This is the wallet that I throw into my gym bag or grab for a quick trip to the store for one or two items. My current small wallet had seen better days, so I filled this pretty little wallet with my items and have been happily toting it along ever since. It feels soft and luxurious in my hands and services me quite nicely. The tri-fold design keeps everything put and I don’t have cards and coins spilling out into the bottom of my purse.

The clutch is actually more of what I would call a full size wallet. It has slots for several cards, cash and coins. I love the cherry red color of this clutch, although I would love for it to be designed more as a clutch handbag that I could fill with lipstick, cell phone and compact for an evening out. I did play around and snapped it over a long gold necklace I have. That proved to be a fun way to make it look more like a little purse.

Silk Accessories Close Up

To be honest, I was initially uninspired by the belts. While beautifully made, I was not thrilled with the design of the D-ring buckles and didn’t see the belts as ones that I could easily integrate into my wardrobe.  However, after playing around in my closet, I soon discovered that I was dead wrong. I used both belts to accessorize several different outfits from clothes that I already owned. I paired them with my fanciest black dress to create a slightly more casual outfit and was also able to add just a bit of pop and polish to a simple outfit of jeans and a knit top. I wore the belt both in the belt loops of my jeans and layered around my blouse or dress. I was pleased with both looks.

I would have preferred a more dressy buckle than the D-rings, but I played around a bit with weaving the belt through the buckle and found that creating a type of knot around the buckle and letting the end hang added some fun visual interest. The turquoise belt is 100% silk and will be a fun accessory to use in my wardrobe this spring. The midnight blue belt is 100% polyester and has a more matte finish than the silk.  This belt pairs well with the blacks and blues in my wardrobe.

If you’re looking for something different than the typical leather wallets and leather belts, stop by and browse the offerings of Outfit Additions. The selection of rich colors is quite enticing and the quality of the pieces is impressive.

Outfit Additions is giving away a $100 gift coupon to one lucky YLF reader. To enter the competition, please fill out this online survey. To confirm your entry, leave a comment here on YLF saying that you completed the survey. We will pick a winner by using a random generator. Please complete the survey and leave your comment by midnight, Wednesday 10th March.

Silk Accessory Ensembles

Fab Find: Clarks Smooch sandal

If you loved the Brulees I posted last year, you might like the Smooch in this season’s Clarks collection. I find them even more comfortable and the studs are an edgy cherry on top. Soft footbed, buttery leather, roomy toebox and an ever so slightly raised wedge heel. No buckle digging or strap rubbing.

The Smooch is superior quality to the fabulous $40 Voyage sandal I blogged about earlier this week. It also comes in wonderful colours and the red, champagne and black get my top vote. Great with skirts and dresses, or under leggings and jeans.

Indigo by Clarks Smooch - Champagne Indigo by Clarks Smooch - Red Indigo by Clarks Smooch - Black

I won’t be getting these sandals because I have enough pairs to see me through our short hot weather season. But I highly recommend the style if you need a comfortable flat Summer walking shoe. These probably would have been 8-hour city shoes for my fussy feet.

The power in your wardrobe

When I think of “power dressing”, the first image that springs to mind is actress Diane Keaton in the 80’s movie “Baby Boom”. She was a hotshot Manhattan business woman with a corner office, working 18-hour days in strong shouldered skirt suits and stiletto heels.

Power dressing is the type of professional attire men and women wear in corporate and government environments to make themselves look and feel authoritative, strong and capable. In essence, power dressing refers to outfits that make you look and feel powerful.

Most of us don’t work in corporate or government settings, but we all have moments in our day to day lives when we want to look and feel powerful. It often has nothing to do with business meetings and wearing career wear. Power dressing takes on a different meaning in this context.

I have a variety of outfit combinations that make me feel more competent and authoritative. I can’t tell you why they make me feel this way, but it’s definitely the case. Here they are:

  • Boots worn with just about anything. I feel like Wonder Woman when I wear boots. (Hopefully I don’t look like Wonder Woman, though).
  • Pencil skirts worn with low heels
  • Tailored blazers worn with jeans
  • Sheath dresses worn with dressy flats
  • Skinny jeans paired with voluminous belted blouses and high heels
  • A cravat style scarf

As much as I love wearing my suit, I don’t feel particularly powerful in it! Do you have wardrobe items and outfit combinations that make you feel powerful?

Roundups

Simpler Items

This week's list of top picks list is about basic pieces.

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Assorted Items

Items for Summer, both in and out of air conditioning.

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Casual Summer Vibes

This week's top picks are good for a casual Summer vibe.

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Summery Earth Tones

These items are for those who like to wear casual earth tones in warm and hot weather.

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Hints of Spring

Some tried-and-tested winning items to refresh your style for Spring.

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Dressier Items

An assortment of dressier top picks might be just what the doctor ordered.

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Denim shirt ensemble: bubble dress

Denim Shirt with Bubble Dress I suspected this might happen. So far, I haven’t worn my denim shirt casually at all. Instead, I’m having far too much fun building new smart casual and creative business casual outfits with my favourite new denim item. Oh, how I love the power of denim. Its ability to stylishly tone down a dressy item knows no bounds.

I really like blue (think ink, denim and cobalt), paired with black, white and cream. It’s one of my favourite colour combinations, which is why you see me wearing it often. I just don’t seem to tire of it like I do with other colour combinations.

Layering a button down shirt under a sheath dress is a common marriage, so why not pop a denim shirt under a fun polka dot bubble dress? Scrunch the sleeves and add hose, booties, necklace and tote and rock the day the mod way.

This outfit represents another comfortable daytime work look. For my next set of denim shirt ensemble posts, I’ll be putting the oh so trendy and controversial denim on denim look through its paces. I wonder what Jasmine will think of those outfits.

That’s it for this series of denim shirts in dressy ensembles. Which one was your favourite: bubble dress, ball gown, or dressy skirt?

Vintage white beaded necklaces

I adore the look of 50’s and 60’s plastic and glass beaded necklaces. This style of vintage jewelry appeals to me in fun colours like turquoise, red, green and yellow, but white really speaks to me too.

This type of jewelry aesthetic adds a great casual sense of humour to an outfit, whereas pearls, which have a vintage flavor too, feel a lot stricter and dressier. Pearls are a lot more buttoned-up. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I’m so fond of wearing pearls since I’m in tune with my serious and strict side.

Vintage white beaded necklaces can be your fun, carefree and casual alternative to pearls. Imagine them with breezy Summer dresses and bold patterned tops. Very fab.

Milk Glass Beaded NecklaceVintage Venetian Style Glass NecklaceCute White Vintage Plastic Floral Beaded NecklaceSuper Mod White Necklace

Etsy has a wonderful assortment that’s cheap as chips. There are long and short strands, single and double strands, and a good variety of bead sizes too.