How I Really Dressed for My Day in Arizona

Happy Friday! Since I traveled across the country from Arizona to Ohio on Monday, this week has felt a little wonky. But indeed it is coming to an end. I’ve gathered photos of the outfits I wore while in Arizona to share with you. This is how I really dressed for my day while shooting photographs and videos last week.

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I like to focus on why I wore what I wore and how I put my looks together in these weekly posts. So I may not call out each item shown. You’ll find links to anything that is available in the captions under the photos. I’ll also share fit information there IF the garment doesn’t fit true to size (TTS). I try to be transparent about gifting; gifted items are indicated with a C/O beside them, meaning they were given to me “courtesy of” that brand. Finally, I’m 5’8″ and about 160 pounds, so I normally wear a misses 10. I have even proportions and an hourglass shape.

How I Traveled Sunday

Just in case you don’t know, we lived in Arizona for 14 years and moved to Ohio in 2019. We absolutely love our new home, but we enjoyed living in the Southwest, too. That’s where our kids finished school and then graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson. So for the last two years we have journeyed back there to take spring fashion photographs and videos in the warmth and sunshine. We’ve chosen Tucson for that work trip because that’s where we frequently shot photos for the blog when we lived in Sierra Vista, so we’re familiar with the best places and the times to shoot.

So Sunday, March 1, we traveled to Tucson from Cincinnati. I chose to wear a pair of my new Rag & Bone Miramar jeans. You may have heard about these that look like traditional denim jeans, but are actually fleece fabric. So you look like you’re wearing jeans, but you feel like you’re wearing sweat pants.

I put together a casual, but elevated look with the jeans and a tee and blazer. I completed the look with retro sneakers and my tote bag. I wore the only jewelry I took on the trip. I knew it was a little questionable to wear a linen blazer on the airplane, but it worked out well. The main reason I chose this jacket is because I knew it would be 90 degrees when we landed in Tucson. Yeah, it really was that hot. So this outfit worked well for the whole day.

What I Wore Monday

Monday I worked at my computer in the morning and then spent rest of the day ironing the clothes I’d packed for the photo and video sessions. James got out and went to the grocery store and such. That evening we did shoot photos in the neighborhood where we were staying, so we didn’t have to go far.

We’ve been staying in the historic Sam Hughes section of Tucson, and we absolutely love it there. We’ve been able to rent comfortable homes both times, and the neighborhood is charming and an easy place to find photo ops. That evening we went to dinner at a favorite Mexican food restaurant and I wore my dark wash ankle jeans with this pretty blue and white striped shirt. I think this top is such a flattering option if you don’t like tucking your shirt because it helps define your waist. It fits true to size for a comfortable, slightly oversized fit.

What I Wore to the Movies and a Baseball Game Tuesday

Tuesday morning bright and early we were out the door for a photo shoot across town. Then I did a little work at the computer before heading out for the day. Our bungalow had a nice little work area just off the primary bedroom, so even working at the computer felt fresh and new. Anyhow that day we also had lunch at In-N-Out – one of our favorite hamburger restaurants that we miss terribly living in Ohio – and then went to a matinee showing of Solo Mio, a delightful and clean movie about a man (Kevin James) left at the alter in Rome, Italy, who then stays for his prepaid honeymoon alone.

I knew that after the movie we’d be heading straight for the University of Arizona baseball game, so I wanted to wear team colors. One of these days I’ll get me a University of Arizona t-shirt to wear, but meanwhile I opted for my red (from last summer) Soleil linen pants with a white tank and my new denim jacket. I completed the look with minimal jewelry and my Tory Burch sandals. This outfit worked nicely for everything I did that day.

How I Dressed for My Day Wednesday

Wednesday morning we got out early for another photo shoot and then I worked from “home” for the rest of the morning. At lunch I met up with a friend from Sierra Vista, where we lived for those 14 years. She drove up and we met at Chili’s to catch up over a long lunch.

For my lunch I wanted to dress casually but also sharp. I chose to wear my full length wide leg jeans with my striped button-up shirt. I completed the look with a belt and platform sneakers, to accommodate the length of the jeans. That evening we shot more photos before walking to dinner at a new local restaurant. If you’re ever in Tucson, I highly recommend both Sonoran House and it’s neighbor, Redbird Scratch Kitchen & Bar. We were able to walk to them and we frequented these restaurants during our 8-day stay.

What I Wore on My Spa Day

On Thursday we got in a long morning walk to the University of Arizona campus before I headed off to my spa day at Hashani Spa at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort. If you book a spa treatment at Hashani you get access to all of their amenities for the day, which included steam room, whirl pool, relaxation areas and an outdoor lap pool. So I definitely made a day of it.

I arrived at the spa in my lightweight Varley wide leg pants with a white tank top and my blue corduroy jacket. I hadn’t been able to pack an overnight bag or similar duffle for the spa trip, so I just put my swimsuit and coverup in my leather tote bag and carried along my Tumi cosmetic bag. I had the most delightful day at the spa. The two services I had scheduled – a signature facial and a lymphatic renewal massage – were perfect, and then I spent the afternoon poolside, occasionally getting in to swim a few laps.

I showered, washed my hair and put on makeup at the spa before James picked me up that evening. I changed into the same outfit, but this time with the matching blue corduroy shorts. We went back to our bungalow and then walked to dinner.

How I Dressed After the Photo Shoot on Friday

Even though we had shot a lot of photos, I was beginning to panic by Friday. I still had a lot of clothes that I had not gotten to. So we shot photos that morning and evening, starting even earlier that day. For reference, in case you know Tucson, we shot a lot of photos at La Encantada outdoor mall in the Foothills area. I actually used to work at Talbots when it was located there, back in 2015 I think it was.

When the photo shoot ended that morning I had on the blue and white drawstring top again, but this time with 31″ white jeans. So I just wore this the rest of the day. I completed the look with sandals (similar) and my Gorjana jewelry, which I wore all week. I also wore this outfit to lunch at our favorite Sonoran hotdog place, another movie that afternoon and then out to dinner in the evening.

What I Wore Saturday

Saturday morning we started the day with another good, long walk. We stopped for coffee at the Sonoran House and then headed back to the bungalow. We shot this week’s video during the day, and then we just spent the rest of the day taking it easy.

After the shoot, I must have ended up in these comfortable, lightweight pants from Varley with the long sleeve top from Veronica Beard.

What I Wore for a Video Shoot Sunday

Sunday morning we got up very early to shoot a video while walking through the Sam Hughes neighborhood. It’s a video just for my YouTube members, and I’ll be publishing it sometime next week if not before then. It was our first time to shoot a walk-and-talk, so started quite early. It was fun and I think it’s going to make a great little video.

I wore the outfit above, minus the shoulder bag. I think we may have gone to lunch or brunch afterwards.

What I Wore Sunday Evening

That evening we shot more photos – our last chance for a shoot. And yes, I did indeed get through everything I’d brought along to shoot – two full suitcases worth! This black skirt was actually kind of hiding in the closet amongst all the more colorful things, and I almost missed it. I really had brought it more to wear, not necessarily for photos. But in the end I decided, why not? So I’ll be showing a few ways to wear it next week.

The skirt is in a beautiful Peruvian Pima modal fabric, so the drape is lovely and it feels amazing. That evening for dinner I wore it with a new favorite ribbed tee and my white denim jacket for a very relaxed, casual date night look. Per the size chart, I’m wearing a large in the skirt. I would have worn these heeled sandals, but again we were walking to dinner.

Monday Travel Day

Monday we traveled home. It was supposed to be a fairly short travel day with only a very short layover in Dallas-Fort Worth. Unfortunately our plane had problems so we sat at the gate for well over an hour, making the day a little more tiring and longer. All the same, I felt very comfortable in my travel outfit.

I’d failed to wash my travel jeans during the week, so I opted for my full length wide leg jeans instead. Otherwise I wore pretty much the same outfit I’d worn for the trip out.

What I Wore Thursday at Home

You’ll notice I’m missing outfits for Tuesday and Wednesday this week. That’s because, after a full week of wearing literally half a dozen outfits a day, I was tired of getting dressed. LOL! Those two days I gave myself a little grace as I adjust to the three hour time jump from Arizona to Ohio (Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings, so they’re basically on Pacific time now), and wore activewear all day. But Thursday I rallied and put on a real outfit.

I felt comfortable and pulled together in my biscuit colored wide leg jeans and a soft lavender cashmere short sleeve pointelle cardigan with platform sneakers. Tuesday and Wednesday had been warm and our daffodils popped up, but it turned cold again yesterday. So I felt like this outfit was a nice compromise between the coming spring and the lingering winter.

So that’s how I dressed for my trip to Arizona and this week. I hope you got a little outfit inspiration. Thanks so much for dropping in. Have a lovely day!

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