As a follow-up to my “packing for a long” weekend post, below are some of the outfits I wore while we were there:

My travel outfit consisted of light layers & stretchy pants plus my tried & true comfiest sneakers. It was perfect for the plane flight & the drive once we got there.

The hardside carry-on suitcases are by Amazon Basics. We have had & used the blue one forever. Last time we traveled I blew out my little fabric one so we replaced it this trip with the orange hardside. Also, husband bought us these travel backpacks for this trip & they have replaced my tote bag system. All my clothes, shoes, underthings went into my carry-on & all electronics & toiletries went into the backpack.

The night we got there we joined his high school friends at one of their homes for a mini high school reunion. It was a great night of shared memories & delicious food. It was cool to meet friends I hadn’t met before & see ones again that I have.

Of course, we squeezed in some thrifting – step-son loves it which delights me! I nabbed a lot of things for myself & for the Poshmark closet. One of my favorites is this Topshop forest green leather jacket. So so good! Couldn’t beat it at $15!!!

And that, my friends, is it! Overall, I loved the trip & had as great a time as you can have over 3 days!

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The post What I Wore This Week – 5/8/23-5/14/23 first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

A list of the pieces I brought (a couple things changed from the photos, noted):

1 pair blue jeans
1 pair white jeans
1 pair yoga pants
3 tees (1 to sleep in)
1 tank top (not pictured)
1 button down
1 hooded sweatshirt
1 sweater
1 trench coat
1 dress – I ended up taking a different dress but didn’t end up wearing it anyway
2 pair sneakers – I swapped the NB for Nikes & added a pair of plain white sneakers, last minute
1 pair clogs
1 pair wedges
2 crossbody bags – one leather (not pictured), one nylon
1 pair leggings (to sleep in)

It turned out to be a very useful capsule for the long weekend. I wore everything except the dress & the button-down and felt I had a lot of variety for how few pieces I took.

The post Packing For a Long Weekend in PA first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

The post What I Wore This Week – 4/29/23-5/7/23 first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

1. At Home Dry Cleaning Kit

This is how I freshen up clothes that can’t be washed in the washing machine. It’s as easy as throwing them in the dryer with one of these pads & viola, you’re clothes are fresh & practically new!

2. Fabreze Fabric Refresher

This is how to freshen up clothes that don’t need a full-on dry cleaning. It’s as easy as spraying them lightly with this fabric refresher. It comes in many scents to suit your preference but I like the anti-bacterial version.

3. Ozone Generator Ionizer

This is for when you need to pull out the big guns. If your item smells of smoke or moth balls or any of the numerous offensive odors that can come with secondhand clothing, then put them in a trash bag & run this bad boy. It gets ride of those scents, as long as you don’t do too many at one time. My husband bought this for other things but we found it works on clothing items, including leather & suede.

4. Fabric Shaver / Sweater De-fuzzer

This is the fabric shaver I use to get all my sweaters up to snuff, whether that be to sell or to continue to wear them for a long time. Sweater buzzing is so soothing & a great thing to do while watching a movie on the couch.

5. Clothing Steamer

This is the steamer I started with & still use because it’s just so simple. It’s very handy & is small enough to take on your travels. I eventually upgraded to a full size one but that’s just because I do so much volume when I steam now.

6. Snag Nab-It Snag Fixer

I use this little guy to save sweaters that have snags. I used to use a crochet hook but this one just makes the job so much easier.

7. Hair Straightener

I use a hair straightener for easy ironing of hems, cuffs, fabric belts. I have had mine forever & rarely use it on my actual hair lol. Plus I hate dragging out the whole ironing set up, when this works wonders!

8. Lint Roller

Lint rollers are the most basic o the basic in clothing care. There are easy to keep handy & roll them down any clothes you’re about to wear that has hair, dust or lint. I always keep one near my closet & near my reselling desk.

9. Flocked Hangers & Clips

Flocked hangers are what you want for your closet. They help keep the shape of your clothing, use little space and keep your items from slipping off onto the floor. Purchase clips to coordinate since they are great for holding onto pants, shorts & skirts.

10. Lingerie Laundry Bag + Hanger

Put your delicates into a lingerie bag when washing. This keeps them from getting tangled up or caught on other items. And do not tumble dry – hang dry – try this hanger. The heat in the dryer will stress out the elastic fibers & cause them to lose elasticity much sooner.

11. Easy Button Replacement

I found a pair of really good velvet jeans (worn twice last week) at the thrift & got them home to find that not only did they not have a tag, they also we missing the main button! Instead of finding a button & sewing it on, I just ordered these little guys from Amazon. They are amazing! They just poke through the fabric & then the backside snaps on. And I had perfectly functional pants again!

The post Clothing Care Basics first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

The post What I Wore This Week – 4/17/23-4/28/23 first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

Moto Leather Jackets

I have one from a trip to Germany I took years ago. I scored this leather jacket in a TKMaxx & have hung onto it since. It’s got the sleek look of the moto jackets that have been having a moment. Key to this look is clean lines, stitching details, collarless, single breasted. Can be multi colored or classic black.

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Bomber Jackets

I snagged this one at the bins & am putting it up for sale shortly since it won’t get much wear in my Florida closet. It has a zip out vest liner which make it quite warm if needed. Also has lots of cool sneaky pockets. Key to this silhouette is the elastic waist. It can have a clean front or pockets. This one skews more classic but some have lambs wool accents – these were big this winter. I think the cleaner, more minimal are what works best for spring. But pull anything you have similar to wear with pleated trousers or long lean skirts!

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Leather Blazers

This one (below) isn’t exactly the style I’m thinking of here but it’s what I have deemed “close enough” since there’s no real reason for me to spend a bunch of money on a leather (or faux leather) blazer. It is minimal & a very 90’s style. If I wear it open with the collar spread it resembles a blazer, so it’s good enough for me. The typical leather blazer you want to look for is literally shaped like a blazer but in leather or faux leather. I think it’s a great style for spring time in most climates. It’s a nice polished finishing piece for most outfits.

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Leather Biker Jacket

What I am wearing below is what I consider biker lite. It’s from Calvin Klein & a super soft faux suede with gold hardware. In the 90’s, in high school, I had a badass black leather one that I hung onto for years. Till I wore it to visit the great cold north & a cat peed on it. Had to let it go then. Woof. Anyway, these usually feature an almost double breasted front where they overlap & zip up plus belts & buckles. Often in leather or suede. I consider these classics, always.

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For the pinners:

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The post What I Wore This Week first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

The entire workout outfit is hidden under the dress & the boots. So you’re not even WEARING leggings as far as anyone else is concerned. Ha HA! So tricky lol. I would recommend this one for when it’s colder out since you have a full 2 layers on. This one isn’t for summer, my dudes.

Above is what the workout outfit looks like. Mine are always alot alike – leggings, tank, clogs. But that’s for the yoga studio which is my workout of choice. To each their own.

For the pinners:

The post Work to Workout: Wrap Dress first appeared on Design Your Best Life.

The button down is linen so it’s great for the spring & coming summer. The pants are surprisingly well fitted for not being a major brand. I am super into these. The lace trimmed navy camisole adds a little dimension. And the booties are neither black nor navy & have a cute peep-toe. Everything here is from the Goodwill bins.

And I carried this Talbots cream leather lady bag again. It’s really nice – very classic & classy. It will be up in the Secondhand Betty Poshmark closet shortly so stay tuned. I’ll update here once it’s up.

For the pinners:

The post OOTD: Classic Button Down first appeared on Design Your Best Life.