You may be already noticing that this post does not look a lot like the food posts you’re accustomed to seeing here on my blog. If you follow me on Instagram this probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but I’ve had a number of people express some curiosity about what’s up with the fashion content I’ve been doing – so before I get into the *actual* post, I thought I’d give you a little background to help you see how whether it’s food, or yoga or fashion or parenting (or whatever else) to me, it’s all the same content.

Over the years I’ve had several instances of extreme bouts with serious health issues. The details of that saga are the topic of an entirely different series of posts, but suffice to say, each time I’ve crashed, everything I’d built in my life up to that point (short of my family), was lost – and oftentimes to an unrecoverable degree. There was the yoga career, and professional photography – there was the pastry chef years and the time when I was a party planner and homeschool teacher and a semi-professional singer. All of those are no longer the thing that I “do”  – but as my dad said when as a young teen I told him I wanted to be a Parisian runway model, “everything you do becomes a part of you, and even if you don’t end up doing that specific thing forever, it will forever be useful to who you are as a whole person.”

So in every season of darkness, when the things I’ve built begin to be lost, I’ve discovered that there’s always a little crack of light way off in the corner – and if I just make my way towards it, little by little, I can find my way out of the dark. Each time I’ve crashed that light has been something different, but regardless of what it is, the central theme that is woven like a thread through everything I’ve loved and will ever love, is that life is meant to be lived, and lived vibrantly. What that looks like today may be different from 15 years ago and will almost certainly be different in another 5 or 25 years. But you can embrace every step of the process, whether it’s a crawl, sprint, or cartwheel, and do so with vibrancy.

So am I a ‘fashion’ blogger now – forsaking food and yoga and whatever else forever? Of course not! Do I love fashion and is it one of those little cracks of light that have helped me back from the darkness? Yes on both counts. So I’m gonna share that with y’all – maybe a lot, maybe a little – time will tell. I’m gonna share the other things I love as well – and hopefully, with a little grace, you’ll see the thread that runs through all of them and you’ll take that idea and live it in your life – vibrantly, with all your heart.

For now…let’s talk fashion…

If you could list the style elements that I’ve been obsessed with for as long as I can remember (there’s a lot…), Utility Green has always been near the top. Whether it was stockpiling Target’s green long and lean tanks, buying waaaay too many cargo-style pants in the 90’s, or always swooning over every waxed canvas bag that I see, Utility Green is just the wavelength that I vibrate at. It’s perfect for every skin type, it functions as both a color block and a neutral, and it’s so flexible – dress it up, dress it down…whatever you wanna be, Utility Green has got your back.

So here are a few outfits I’ve put together to show you how I like to mix things up – you can click on the photos below the collage to buy the *actual* items I’m wearing, or you can just take these as inspiration for discovering how Utility Green can work for you. Either way, here’s a few things I love about each of these outfits.

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There’s an inherent “functional” element to utility green which makes it the perfect balance to other more “fabulous” elements in an outfit. As Sid Mashburn says, “your outfit only needs one lead singer” so the soft canvas feel of this military-style green jacket from Banana Republic is a subtle way to contrast the satiny camisole, fancy heels, and glam accessories you pair it with. Plus, it’s fitted and lightweight, so it looks classy and transitions well in the late summer and fall when the temps between outdoors and inside can shift dramatically. I also love pairing it with white for a great way way to keep wearing your white jeans or shirts all through the winter months.

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This outfit is a simple one – and that’s exactly the point. At any given point I have close to a dozen versions of green shirts in my closet. Be it tanks, tees, or v-necks, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from my very fashion-savvy husband is when you find something you like, buy multiples of it. You’ll never regret having backups of something that works for you and the alternative is never a happy situation. And much like the jacket above, a green tee is perfect for pairing with some more fabulous elements like this huge skirt and these super-bold animal print sneakers. And can I just say…I’m *super obsessed* with the trend right now of pairing cute skirts with stylish sneakers. It’s just SO incredibly practical but without sacrificing any of the glamour and pizazz that makes me feel excited to head out the door each day.

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Ok, so this one is a big deal to me – I’ve always *loved* jumpers and I’ve wanted to wear them for as long as I can remember. But for whatever reason, I just never made the jump (see what I did there?). Anyway…mom jokes aside, I finally took the plunge and got this gorgeous number from Zara and I have ZERO REGRETS!!! Not only does it look fabulous and make me feel sooo powerful, but I’ve gotten so many compliments on it. Plus, you can pair it with literally anything – heels, sneakers, flats…they all work; it’s like magic!

I was honestly concerned that people would think it was contrived or fake, but people love it…and they tell me that every time I wear it. The trick with jumpers is finding one that really fits your body well – so that’s why I listed a few options for this one – because everyone is different and you need to find what works for you. And with today’s ecommerce culture, it’s easy to order something, try it on, and return it if it’s not right. So why put off feeling this amazing?! Find something that looks great to you and try it out.

The vendors in this outfit aren’t on Like to Know It, but you can get the jumper HERE, the heels HERE, and the purse HERE.

And here are some other Jumpers that you can check out!

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