Denim and Pearls

My friend Jenni at InnerBeauty Girlz mentioned pairing pearls with denim in a comment here yesterday. I thought that was a great idea!

So I took two very basic items--a cream colored shirt and a denim skirt--and spiced them up a little with pearl and coral beads and gold shoes.

I bought the sleeveless shirt during a clearance sale at Penney's last year. I purchased the skirt at Walmart eight years and two children ago. It spent a lot of that time in a box in my closet. There were several years when it seemed that only homeschool moms were wearing denim skirts. (I am a homeschool mom but I try not to wear the stereotypical wardrobe.) When denim skirts started showing up in the fashion magazines again I watched the shapes and styles to be sure that this skirt would work. I like the ruffle--it gives the skirt an interesting detail without being too Farmwifey. (Farmwifey style looks great on a farm, but I live in a stucco house in Las Vegas.)

I added necklaces.

My husband is a bargain shopper with excellent taste. He bought the coral necklace at Marshall's or Ross, and the pearl bead necklace at Cost Plus World Market. I love the summery combination of colors.

I'm seeing lots of stretchy bracelets in the fashion magazines this year, and they're always worn in multiples.

The smaller bead bracelets came with the bead necklace, and I bought the larger brown bracelet at a jewelry booth at Mt. Charleston Inn when I was speaking at a retreat there. I love jewelry that holds memories! The green bracelet is part of a set of three that I bought at RiteAid for $5 four years ago. This was a fabulous investment--I wear at least one of those bracelets every week. Green is my favorite color, and I try to wear a little bit of green every day. It's my signature style detail.

Earrings:

These are probably the most expensive item of my apparel today. I bought them on vacation a few weeks ago in St. George, Utah. I don't usually spend more than $15 on earrings and these were $25. But I knew that I would wear them constantly. Big earrings are such a great way to add a pop of style to a simple outfit. I love the almost-paisley shape of these, and the blend of silver and copper. I thought the copper shapes echoed the color and shape of the coral in my necklace and also the color of my hair.

Gold shoes! They seemed like a fun unexpected choice with denim. They're a Ross deal. Yes, my pedicure is imperfect.

And last of all my purse. This is something I learned from Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad: choose a purse that echoes your hair color.

I watched this purse at Penney's, waiting for it to move to the clearance shelf and waiting for a discount on clearance.

I mentioned that I wear a little green every day. Do you have a trademark style item?