Five Free Style Tips to Up Your Fashion Game Right Now

I hope your Easter weekend was wonderful! Our was! The music at church was amazing on Sunday morning, and it was so sweet to remember the glory of the Resurrection! After church, we had brunch with family.

I do my best here at Empty Nest Blessed (I sound like a big corporation – LOL!) to keep you up-to-date on the freshest fashion looks, and today I’m sharing some little style tweaks you can make to help you feel confident when you head out the door in the mornings. My tips are easy and free to implement—probably from what you already have right in your closet—but I’ll also be making some suggestions if you want to pick up something to help you tweak your look. ????

Free Style Tip #1: Embrace Easy Trends

New styles come and go, and it can be hard to keep up with all the trends. Add to that the fact that there will be some you just don’t like (I skipped the gladiator sandal trend altogether!), and some that just don’t work on your body type. But there are others that are simple for everyone to embrace, and you may very well have the pieces you need already in your closet.

1. Pearls – You know you’ve got ’em. (And if you don’t, you can find a pair of faux pearl studs for $10 here.) Wear them. Everywhere! Dress them up or down. I just bought the cutest pair of pearl embellished sandals!
2. Tweed – It started when white pants and shoes broke through into winter, and now we see fabrics and finishes that were typically worn in one season accepted year round. Think tweed, leather, and suede. I love the tweed trend, and the jacket I’m wearing in this post has black, pink, red, and silver threads all woven together, for a truly seasonless look, (And it’s 50% off right now.)
3. Fringe – It’s a fun hemline, and now it’s not just for jeans anymore! You see it on the jacket I’m wearing in this post but also on the hemlines of tops and even shoes.

Free Style Tip #2: Roll ’em up

Last year, you saw everyone making ½” cuffs of their jeans about rolling them two to three times. This year, the fresher look is one larger cuff (think 1½-2″ wide). For reference, check out the way I rolled the hems of my jeans in the images in this post.

Free Style Tip #3: Read (Between) the Lines

Wear today’s most flattering lines and looks for midlife women:

Square neck tops and tees

 

Short-Sleeve Boatneck Tees

Thanks to Duchess Meghan, this comfy and wearable look is here to stay for a while. The best news? The short-sleeve tees that feature boatnecks often have longer sleeves, making them perfect for covering up that pesky upper arm area. Here are a few that I recently featured in my recent collaboration with Walmart. (They’re $10.88 or less right now.)

 

Neck Scarves

I don’t need to tell you why these are flattering to women (ahem!) of a certain age! Do you have square scarves in your closet or drawers that you can turn into a neck scarf? If not, consider picking up an inexpensive one.

 

Cape Style

Again, thanks to Duchess Meghan, the beautiful lines of the cape dress are an emerging trend in fashion. (Google “Meghan cape dress” to see what I mean.) The cheat? When you’re chilly, try wearing your cardigan, blazer, or even your jeans jacket the newest way—over your shoulders. It creates a flattering, ladylike silhouette that you’ll love, I promise!

Free Style Tip #4: Learn to Love the “Front Tuck”

To define your waistline, take two fingers and tuck in that hip-length tunic top or tee right at the button of your jeans or pants. Then blouse the rest of the top out on the sides and back for a very of-the-moment look. Bonus points if you add a belt! It doesn’t have to be the Gucci logo belt that everyone is sporting right now. You can find inexpensive belts like this darling navy gingham belt for under $15 at places like Target.

 

Free Style Tip #5: Be Brave and Bold with Jewelry Choices

I’ve always thought that my face was too small to wear big earrings! After deciding that the big jewelry trend wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon (!), last year, I finally gathered my courage and bought some statement earrings. Now I can’t get enough! (BTW, be sure that you only wear one type of statement jewelry at a time and keep your other pieces simple—or even absent!)

Multicolored

Think jewelry when it comes to embracing the versatile multicolor trend that’s everywhere right now! Multicolored pieces will go with everything in your closet!

• Stacked bracelets – This is a fun place to add color or texture to your look. I love these from one of my favorite brands for accessories.
• Stacked rings – If you love this look, I think Baublebar has the best selection!
• Statement necklace – I bought this one last year, and I wear it several times a week. It wasn’t cheap, but I think the wooden beads make it unique.
• Statement earrings – Look for lightweight resin or summery rattan for wearability. I love this line on Amazon where every piece is 7.99! (Another good and affordable source is the Sugarfix by Baublebar line at Target.)

The Metal of the Moment: Rose Gold

Did you see these rose gold beauties in this recent Instagram photo? I love this beautiful metal, but it’s not just for jewelry! I built an entire outfit for last week’s photo shoot around this blush jacket with awesome rose gold buttons!

 

Sparkle with Drusy

If you like sparkle, affordable drusy is a great choice! Kendra Scott led the way on this, but now you can find great Kendra drusy dupes on Amazon!

 

Pink Knit Shell | Tweed Jacket (50% off) | Gray Denim Jeggings | Laser-Cut Booties (Surprisingly comfy!) | Handbag (Preowned) | Necklace (Preowned) | Earrings | Plumping Lip Gloss (Color: Sun Diego)

 

I’m laughing in this photo because the wind was blowing at like 40 mph while we were shooting these photos! I adore this look, but especially the tweed jacket and the booties! The jacket has pink and red in it, so it goes with half of my wardrobe! I’ve worn it to church, business meetings, and even with jeans on date night to keep me warm in a freezing movie theater. (What’s with that, BTW?!????) These laser-cut booties are easy to walk in and shockingly comfortable. I even wore them to the Makeup Class for Women Over Fifty that I hosted back in February and stood on the hard floor for hours with no problem! The laser-cut trend is one I didn’t talk about in this post, but it is very of-the-moment, and a few of the belts I linked to above featured it!

I tried hard to give you lots of free style tips and examples in this post! Hopefully, you’ve got what you need already in your closet to put your on-point look together. If not, know that everything I linked to (except my outfit) is under $45, and most things are way less!

Blessings,

 

 

 

Photos by Megan Weaver.

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