Puffy Sleeves: One Piece Two Ways #1

New series alert! Last month I introduced another new series where I spotlight a specific piece from one of my outfit posts or feature a trend, then roundup a bunch of similar items at different price points. So far I’ve done faux fur teddy coats, plaid pants, and wide leg jeans.

I’m super excited to share another series with you. It’s all about sharing TWO ways to style ONE key piece. I’m gong to be sharing each series post as a two-parter. Meaning back-to-back posts! Today one way to wear, tomorrow another! To make sure you don’t miss out on the posts, be sure to subscribe to my email list by entering your email address in the right column. (Shameless plug, but then you won’t miss out!)

Today’s topic: puffy sleeves styled two ways.

But first, let me back up a little bit and to explain how I arrived here.

I have a lot of clothes. Matt’s side of the closet takes up maybe only a quarter of it. I always try to show my best looks on here, but sometimes, there’s a really fun or special piece where honestly, I can’t decide between ways to style it. And although I have lots of options, there are always multiple ways to style things, and I am a big believer in purchasing items where you can do just that.

I’m going to really try in these posts to style pieces where maybe you look at them and say, “That’s cute, but I can only wear it one way.” WRONG! Let me help you with that cost per wear girlfriend! Here are my goals of this “one piece two ways” series. I want to:

– Inspire you to change things up

– Have you think outside of the box

– Learn how to get the most mileage of that here today, gone tomorrow piece

– Not have buyer’s remorse over buying said here today, gone tomorrow piece

Okay now that you have the back story, let’s get into the good stuff.

KEY PIECE: This top with puffy sleeves from & Other Stories

This shirt can be dressed up or down, and in this post I’m wearing it somewhere in the low to middle range . Think of it as dressed up casual since I’m wearing jeans.

I love this top. It’s satin, so there’s a subtle bit of sheen to it. You can’t really tell from these photos, but it is slightly cropped and so I think it looks best when tucked into bottoms. I took my regular size 4 and have no complaints. Puffy sleeves can sometimes be overwhelming and tricky, but these have just the amount of “poof” to add volume without being too much. No bad 80s vibes here!

SHOP THE LOOK

I am always on the hunt to find blouses that look just as good with denim as they do with proper pants, skirts, etc. because I really feel like myself the most in jeans. To nobody’s surprise, my tried and true AGOLDE Riley fit jeans were my top choice here. I’ve shared these a bunch of times but as a reminder, go up one size since they are 100% cotton. Since the puffy sleeves of this top provide structure, I wanted the jeans to be a little more effortless. So, I went with these over a more traditional skinny jean.

I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to finally pull out close-toed shoes, and was finally able to do so when I shot this look. Yay! I bought these Jeffrey Campbell sock booties last year, and they are still fully in stock! Take your normal size with these. They are $130 and holding up really well! A solid purchase if I may say so. I love how they look with the jeans, since the jeans are straight. They fit perfectly under the hem.

Finally, I added this simple belt to make things more polished, and this studded statement bag. Sadly it’s old and sold out, but I found the exact same style in a gorgeous cream here. I also found a similar studded version with a top handle here.

I can’t wait to show you how I styled this puffy sleeves top another way – be sure to come back tomorrow to see the second post!