Flowers And Spikes (And Some Now-And-Later Inspiration For You)

You know what’s a great addition to your spring wardrobe?

A lightweight blouse in a pretty, feminine pattern.

I was never much of a “blouse” girl – slouchy t-shirts have historically been more my thing – but since I’ve started picking up a couple here and there I’ve discovered that, sort of like a great blazer, they’re such an easy way to add a little polish to just about anything; they can dress up casual outfits and add a breezy, relaxed element to fancier ones. And they totally work all year long, which is a nice bonus if you’re looking to invest in a piece. Oh, and you can find bazillions of gorgeous blouses with very cool patterns at thrift stores, if you’re willing to do a little hunting. Speaking from experience.

Some floral blouse now-and-later inspiration for you:

(Product info here.)

I always like the idea of a little sweet-and-salty contrast in an outfit, and how I’d love to wear this particular Sanctuary blouse now (if I owned a leather vest, which I sadly don’t) is with a biker-inspired look (a little black leather, a lot of studs, that kind of thing).

Later on in the season, let’s swap in some seen-better-days denim shorts (because those are the very best kind), strappy leather sandals, and killer gold jewelry.

But this is how I wore the blouse for yesterday’s trip to the city: with my favorite pair of white skinny jeans, heels that I thought were kinda blue-green but that I have been informed are, in fact, straight-up green-green, and a rosette anklet.

And one hell of a necklace.

Funny story about this necklace, actually: I picked it up when I was very, very pregnant, which meant that it sort of hung directly on the spot that people on the street liked to come up and pat every so often.

You know what’s a pretty powerful deterrent to handsy strangers?

Spikes.