If you remember, I was given a challenge this year: to wear everything in my closest, or if finds its way to the nearest Goodwill.  The problem that this creates, is that we all have pieces in our wardrobe, that for some strange reason, we love.  That ugly sweater.  Those shoes that haven’t been in style for 5 years. That dress that is oh so comfortable, but even a hippie wouldn’t wear.  For me, it’s an emerald green crushed velvet maxi shirt.  I openly admit that it has probably never been in style.  Do I love it none the less? Absolutely. This meant I needed to rise to the challenge.

Saturday night C and I went to a wine bar now too far from home, called Carpe Diem.  It was a great place to have a glass, and enjoy some fantastic company.  It’s also not exactly a casual place, which is exactly how I like it!

Being bitter cold out here in the northeast, my green velvet shirt was just begging to come out and play.   So how did I make it work? But pairing it with pieces that are more in trend.

Thanks to some fantastically stylish ladies (like Taylor Swift), the crop top has been trying hard to make a fashion statement for a while now.  This white cropped sweater adds an updated look to the green velvet, and balances the heaviness of the velvet, but drawing your eye somewhere else.  The skirt is no longer the statement, the sweater, and my bare mid-drift, take center state.

The moral of the story: If you love a particular piece of clothing, find a way to update it, and continue to work it into your wardrobe.  By adding more modern looking pieces, it is easier than you think!