UPDATED: I got so many requests for live pictures, I threw the outfit on and took some mirror selfies. You’ll find those at the bottom of today’s blog post. Enjoy!
Happy Monday morning! I’m kicking off a new style series here at Dressed for My Day. I’ll keep this one really simple, but hopefully it will be impactful all the same. I’m providing just one graphic with a favorite fall outfit formula. Today that outfit formula is modern jeans + a button-up shirt. And best of all? I’ve curated the look with higher end options and lower priced options. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this new high/low post option.
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Wearing a slightly oversized button-up shirt is so on trend, but it’s a classic style, too. Pair a white one with your favorite wash of blue jeans and you’ve got a timeless, but oh so modern outfit formula for fall. I like to wear this outfit formula with mid wash jeans, but depending on the contrast in intensity between your physical features, you may prefer to pair your white button-down with lighter wash or darker wash jeans.
For today’s high/low outfits I opted for wide leg, full length, high waist blue jeans. I’ve tried both of these and love them. For the high look I’ve used the Sasha by Paige. I recently got these in and absolutely love them. I’ve ordered both the 31 and the 30, but the 31 arrived first. They fit, but are loose in the waist. So I suspect that the 30 should do nicely for me.
For the “low” outfit I used Chico’s trouser jeans in lotus indigo. My friend Shelly wore these in London and they looked amazing on her. I tried them on in the store recently and can attest that they feel so comfortable. I would need the 1.5 Chico’s size in those. The 1 fit, but they were a little snug across the hips.
For the “high” outfit I’m showing the Citizens of Humanity Kayla shirt. Of my several white button-ups, it is probably my favorite. I appreciate the lightweight but beautiful cotton fabric, the size of the sleeves, the placement of the buttons and the buttons on the sides of the sleeves that secure the “roll-up.” But that Gap button-up shirt is a classic, too. The fabric is a little more substantial, but still very soft and full. If you’d like a white button-up with a more interesting details, check out this eyelet ruffle option or this puffed sleeve option, both from Gap.
You can accessorize this simple, no-fail one+one formula with the leather or suede accessories of your choice. But it’s so on trend to coordinate your belt, shoe and handbag colors. And against a backdrop of denim and white, keeping them all one color will look so sharp
I’m crushing on cognac or saddle leather colored leather these days. So I created today’s high/low looks with this rich, traditional leather color. I doubt all the leather pieces match exactly. That’s okay. You just want it to look intentional and close.
HIGH: white shirt // jeans // shoes // shoulder bag // belt // lipstick // sunglasses // earrings LOW: white shirt // jeans // shoes // shoulder bag // belt // lipstick // sunglasses // earrings
At this time of year, I like wearing my full length jeans and a white button-up shirt with mules or clogs. They’re a great transitional shoe for moving into the cooler temperatures. And yes, you can wear them with socks later on if you’d like.
I completed the elevated casual look with classy gold hoop earrings a pretty lipstick and noteworthy sunglasses. Don’t forget; these little details are the ones people often notice first when they first see or meet you. That lipstick on the left, Estee Lauder’s Rebellious Rose, is what I switch to every fall. Estee Lauder says it’s a classic shade that works beautifully for most any skin color or tone, and I find that to be true.
By the way, not all of my higher end items are extremely expensive. And some of my “low outfit” items are a little higher than I had hoped. The cost of clothing, like everything else, has simply gone up. And while I did try to find truly low priced offerings to share, I also will not share items from brands I’m not familiar with. It’s more important to me that I be able to share with you items I truly believe you may enjoy, rather than things that may tear up or not look good right out of the bag.
Below I’m sharing some mirror selfies I took this morning with the outfit on. I can’t always do this if I don’t own them myself. But I just received the size 30 in the Paige jeans this morning, so I decided to share the outfit with you. The pictures aren’t the best, but they’re all I have for now. 😊
Let me know if you enjoyed this format…just for a change, not a daily thing of course. I thought I might do one of these a week for a while though if you like them. And if you do, let me know of other types of outfits you’d like to see me put together in high/low options. Have a great day!
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Blessed for My Day
Are you easily offended? I have to confess, if my buttons have been pushed enough at the time, I can get offended, sometimes at the least little thing that sits wrong with me. That’s a problem. When we walk around with a chip on our shoulder or feeling like a victim, we’re more prone to insist on having our own way, lash out at others, grow bitter and see things from a faulty perspective. We become self-focused and have a hard time empathizing with other people.
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent some of his disciples to inquire of Jesus whether He was indeed the true Messiah. I think he wanted to know why he was in prison if Jesus was indeed the Messiah he had been proclaiming would come. Jesus sent back a message to John, encouraging him to look and see what God was doing. In other words, He encouraged John to look beyond himself and his circumstances to see what God was doing around him. I’ve learned that when I begin to feel offended or bitter that same prescription works well on my soul, too. Appreciating what God is doing around me helps me to see things differently and takes my focus off myself.
And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” ~ Luke 7:22-23
Hi Kay,
I really like this new format. I think once a week is a good schedule to include in your newsletters.
Thanks so much for sharing, Carolyn. I appreciate you taking the time.
Yes, love this style format and would enjoy seeing more like this. The BFMD message is very timely, too. Thanks!
Thanks for letting me know, Annette.
Hi Kay. This type of post is one of my absolute favorites. I think most followers will agree. This post shows we can look current and put-together for our day wearing budget friendly attire. I would love to see this type of weekly post. So many ideas for us ‘mature’ ladies such as dresses wits booties, cargo pants outfits, sweater blazers, etc. Maybe choose some of your most viewed posts and do either the High or Low version. Hope your foot gets better. Have a great day.
Thanks for the input, Peggy. Those are great ideas. And I really do need to use some of my most popular posts for this. Great suggestion!
Hi Kay,
I like the “high/low” idea and format! Good idea! I appreciate that you’re creative and try new ideas.
I hope that your foot feels better soon!
Best,
Wendy
Thank you so much for sharing, Wendy. I appreciate you taking the time.
Hi Kay, Jeans and a white blouse are my go to outfit for cool/cold weather. I can add a cardigan, blazer, or denim jacket if needed. I really like the high/low format. The low choices are good quality, so thank you for that.
I liked the format. The opportunity to compare higher and lower end items that are so similar makes shopping and looking and feeling good easier. Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing, Tracy.
I enjoyed the new format. Very simple to follow. Looks very modern.
Thanks for letting me know, Lucy. I appreciate your feedback.
Hi Kay.
As always, I love your posts. I look forward to seeing them every morning. I love that you give examples of high and low.
I love the format.
I hope your foot gets better.
Have a blessed day.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Karen. I really appreciate it. And I definitely appreciate your well wishes. I probably need to stop and ice my foot right now!
I enjoyed this format today. You give us so many real photo shoots, that I feel confident imagining what these styles would look like on my body type. Thinking it would be a nice break for you also to not have to model on some days. The format was very organized and easy to follow. A winner!,
Hope your foot heals quickly. An excellent BFMD. I am more sensitive when I get really tired, so I try to take care of me. Lol.
Thank you
Yes, I’ve heard that when we get our feelings hurt or get angry we should HALT and ask ourselves if we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired because any of those things can make us a little more fragile.
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback about the post. That is exactly why I tried this new format. We spend so many hours each week on photos and videos, but I still never seem to have all I need to share the things I want to share. So I just thought this would be a good option for those days when I don’t have photos in the can, but I do have something I want to share. My main goal is that I always provide you all something of value, not just filler.
I love the high/low format. I didn’t see the labeling at first and I guessed correctly, but only because of the belt. They both are terrific!
Thanks so much for sharing, Martha. I really appreciate the feedback.
I like the format. And this style is giving me thoughts. I’m sorry waisted and have learned to stay away from these shirts. However, the whole cognac thing has me 😍 thinking about going shopping!
Oh, technology. I obviously meant short waisted. Also, I am super sensitive by nature and it drives me crazy I really do try not to get my feelings hurt.
Yes! Take from these posts what you can. You’re so smart to keep your own body shape and proportions in mind when viewing anything I post here. Thanks for sharing, Caron.
I have stopped struggling with certain styles (such as these shirts) thanks to your teaching and guidance on determining proportions. Many thanks!! It answered so many questions I had.
Hi Kay:
I enjoyed this format. Who knew Chicos was “low end”? hahaha. Just kidding. Actually, I just bought a pair of the Chico’s trouser jeans and love them. They are lighter weight and that makes them more comfortable and feel more like “trousers” than jeans. I appreciate that you try new things on your blog and that helps keep it fresh. Thank you for all you do!
Thanks so much for sharing, Karen. I’m glad you like the format, just something for every now and again when I don’t have photos at the moment. Plus, I did in fact put a LOT of time into curating the two looks. And no, Chico’s isn’t exactly low end. Hahaha! But my goal was just to stay under $100 with the jeans. I barely eeked under that!
Love this new format! I liked how you kept the outfit simple with great accessories. I read recently how accessories make the outfit and I often neglect that area. I have a great white shirt and jeans and am going to try wearing this today! Sadly, I don’t have cognac shoes but will try my light brown loafers. Thanks for keeping us mature ladies stylish!
Perfect! That’s something I neglected to say in the post, that most of us probably have a lot of this in our closets. And then you can choose between high and low options for the places you need to fill in the gaps. Thanks for sharing, Brenda.
I love the high/low combos. I too like to mix my options. Last year I splurged on a pair of Paige jeans and let me tell you they are worth every dollar! I feel and look fabulous when I wear them. I definitely want to see more high/low. Thanks!
Thanks for the input, Vicky. I appreciate you taking the time. I just got the size 30 in in these Paige jeans and they fit like a glove. I’m getting photos up shortly here in the blog post. They are amazing.
I like the high/low aspect of the post. Gives you more options and you can pick a higher item or too if you want because another item is lower in price. Nice BFMD.
Thanks Sherry. And I’m glad you liked the BFMD.
I really enjoyed this format. There are some trends that I would like to try but I don’t want to spend a lot to see if I like them. Thanks for mixing it up.
You bet! I do love seeing photos of people wearing things, but sometimes style boards help me to see things in a different way. So I like having a few posting options. Thanks for sharing.
I like the high low post. I would enjoy more. I appreciate that you pick things you are familiar with. I have a suggestion. I recently bought a maxi skirt (denim) to try new trend and would love to see it styled. I would also like to suggest that on high low posts graphic you include total cost of each if ordered all of it. To see the difference. Although I personally would probably order a few from each side. But it is helpful to know as well as I am just plain curious!
Thanks for sharing and for the suggestion, Kristin. I’ll see what I can do about that. I’m glad you liked the outfits, too.
Hi Kay, your poor foot , hope the ice , resting with foot up and ibuprofen work and you don’t need to see a Dr .
Loved that new format you did 👏🏻👏🏻❤️And I love the jeans/white shirt combo and like you say with the cognac or tan accessories really classy ❤️.
Wonderful. Thanks so much for chiming in and for the well wishes. I appreciate it, Kym.
Hi Kay, I really like this format. I am not good at accessorizing; I tend to wear my diamond studs every day. But I do like the Bony Levy hoop earrings, I might give them a try. I’ve also noticed that the Julie Vos jewelry seems to be popular and is very pretty. And I can vouch for the Madewell handbags, I have a couple and they are stylist and lightweight. Sometimes the heavy leather handbags are hard on my shoulders even if I carry them on my elbow. I needed that BFMD, thank you.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Dena. I really appreciate it.
This is a nice change but I do like seeing how you model them too to get a better idea of the fit. Blessings my friend!
Absolutely. And I’m not stopping that by any means. It is just nice to have a viable option for when we don’t have photos in the can, so to speak. But I actually have my assistant working on putting in a few mirror selfies that I took this morning. Hopefully that will help.
I think I’m in the minority here because I prefer to see clothing on a real person (you). And repeating the same graphic 5 times just confused me. But if it’s helpful for others and you like doing it this way then Im fine with it too.
Hahaha! It’s not that I like doing it this way. But we spend hours and hours on photos each week, and it seems like we still never have enough for all I want to do. So I just thought this would be a nice option for occasionally. But I do appreciate your input. Thanks for sharing, Pam.
I can understand that taking photos is time consuming, so if this format helps with that then that’s great.
(You look fantastic in the photos of you modeling the outfit! Just saw them when I went back to comment again. Thanks for adding them!)
I see that there are a lot of people liking the format of today’s post, but I don’t care for it. I like to see clothes on someone if I’m going to order it online. Also I find that my interest in what you are showing just isn’t there. It has nothing to do with high/low but in not seeing items on a person. Modeling them is more interesting, especially when on over 50 bodies instead of 20 year olds. Just my 2cents.
Thanks for sharing, Jackie. I do appreciate your input.
Jackie, you make some good points. I agree about seeing something on a “live” model to check the fit, especially when considering ordering online. But I also like the high/low format, especially when some of the looks are virtually identical. I think there’s room for both approaches in Kay’s posts. 🙂🇨🇦
Love this new “High-Low” outfit presentation. Thanks!
Thank you for letting me know, Marcella.
I like this format. I’ll have to admit even the low option is out of my price range, but I can still shop the look.
Thanks for sharing, Teresa. I knew that would probably be the case once I got going on this. It’s definitely not easy to put this kind of post together. I spent as much time on it (if not more) as I do a regular outfit post. I try to only recommend things I’ve actually tried on or at least have familiarity with, so that kind of restricts me. But I will certainly try to go a little lower in price in the future. I appreciate you sharing.
I like this new high/low description, at least once a week! I can’t see that Chico’s is a low price store (until they have sales). Ha
Yes, I enjoyed this format – but then, I enjoy them all!
Kay, I am really enjoying the high/low content. I guessed wrong on which one was high. I must admit some of the low is not that low for me! Haha
I would love to see more posts like this one, with high/low in basics.
Thanks so much!
Barb
Hi Kay, I like this new format. It provides options as not everyone has the means to buy high end. It also gives a quick view of two complete outfits. I still like to see you modelling the clothes because it gives me a better idea of how the clothing will work for me.
Hi Kay,
Found this format very enjoyable and thought provoking. Thank you
Thank you for the high/low comparison format. This is very helpful and encouraging for me!
Those are great mirror selfies. I love the high-low comparisons. Often the lower priced items are easier to find locally. You really rock that classic look. I might try it for myself.
And any blazer added would do, too!
Thanks for showing both High and low prices. It really helped.
I like the high/low choices. Sometimes I like the low priced better.
Does anyone else have daughters who are trying to get their mothers to buy fairtrade brands? I’m starting to watch documentaries on the subject and it is shocking. That cheap garment you buy is very possibly made by a person in forced labor or very poorly paid. It could even be made by a child! I would be interested in brands that are fairtrade. I think it is better to have a smaller wardrobe of brands that use humane labor though they are more expensive, than cheap brands who are mistreating people.
If you like to buy inexpensive clothing, you may want to check out where it comes from. I am just now starting to learn about this. It is sobering. Kay often mentions fairtrade brands. I will pay more attention when she does.
Kay this is great! Love this formula and will give it a try myself. You look so good wearing it and see why you love the brown bags and shoes. I do as well! Hope your foot gets much better soon!
I love the idea of 1outfit , 2 price points. We’re retired and live in mountain community so getting to stores isn’t always the easiest. So all your information is SO helpful and appreciated. I mean you do all the hard work. Thank you ♥️
Like photos of the back of jeans! (and clothes)
Also think your new haircut is on trend and is a great style for you, especially flipped out!
Enjoy your emails every day. First email I read! Good way to start the day! Prayers 🙏
Thank you so much. That is extremely kind and encouraging.
I like this new format a lot! it helps me think about what I have in my closet already, and then how to combine them. I especially like the tone of the handbag, shoes, and belt with the white and blue. it looks very high end no matter what.
Love the blessed for my day message. It’s something I’ve struggled with. I love both jeans and how you styled them. I have versions of everything. I will certainly be copying you.
I absolutely LOVE the high/low article. Please keep doing this. As you said, the High items are too expensive for me. The low ones gives me hope!! 😀
I really like this format, and this particular style. Thank you Kay. I’m glad that you enjoyed London. We recently traveled to the Cotswold’s in England and loved it! Did not spend time in London – next trip! Be well.
Love the high-low format. My budget will definitely not allow for the high-end. Great idea! Thank you!
Yes!