Happy Thursday, ladies!  Travel week is wrapping up, and I’m heading back home to Georgia from Mexico today.  What a wonderful trip.  And I was so glad to be able to share it with you.  In case you missed anything, I’ve got links at the end of this post.  So make sure to check them out.   We’re resuming normal scheduling, today, and featuring one of my favorite items this Spring: a women’s faux leather jacket from Scoop. 

We’ve featured this jacket a few weeks ago paired with a skirt, shown below.  It was such a hit, that I wanted to show you another way to style it.  So, we’ve got a sort of 2-for-1 today:  2 ways to style the same moto-jacket. 

Faux-Leather Moto Jacket (two colors) | Skirt | Blouse (Halogen from Nordstrom) | Shoes (limited sizes similar here, here, and here)

Women’s faux leather jacket

Today’s outfit takes the same faux leather jacket and pairs it with these high-rise skinny jeans from J.Crew factory and a striped shirt (similar here and here).  This is a much more casual take on this jacket than the first outfit, showing you that a moto jacket can dress up or down quite nicely.

denim | tee (old, similar here and here) | faux leather jacket | driving mocs | sunglasses

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Striped tees add interest

I’m loving stripes this Spring.  They create visual interest to any outfit, really, and today, I’ve matched my stripes with the jacket.  Combined with my red driving mocs, this is truly on-trend for Spring 2022. 

denim | tee (old, similar here and here) | faux leather jacket | driving mocs | sunglasses

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Driving mocs are in for Spring

Driving mocs didn’t make my 5 trending Spring shoes this year.  That’s because, in a lot of ways, driving mocs are trend-proof.  They’re such classics, they’re always on-trend.  This pair is from Rothy’s, and if red isn’t your style, don’t worry.  They’ve got this shoe in a variety of different colors. 

denim | tee (old, similar here and here) | faux leather jacket | driving mocs | sunglasses

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In case you missed it

It’s travel week all week over here on the blog.  So far, we’ve shown you

• 5 travel outfit ideas for Spring; 
• my travel capsule wardrobe for Mexico; and 
• 3 swimsuits & coverups for the beach.

Daily Looks

Make sure to catch up on our DAILY LOOK. We post a dedicated photo to our daily outfit every Wednesday-Sunday. And you can shop those outfits easily through the shop the widget below the picture. 

A statement on world events

The weather in Georgia has been flirting with springtime temps, so it’s time to think about my spring wardrobe. I can’t believe the first day of spring is two weeks away. While our moods may be bright with the infusion of sunshine and blue skies that spring brings, dark clouds are swirling in other parts of the world.

Style at a Certain Age has made it a practice to focus on aging with grace, strength, and beauty and will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months. That’s the purpose of this platform, not religion nor politics—although I have my viewpoints with both.

But I am very much aware of world events that have transpired this past week and have watched the devastation unfold. Horrifyingly, wars have been breaking out for thousands of years, wreaking havoc on the daily lives of innocent men, women, and children. It’s heartbreaking to watch refugees pack their lives in small bags and flee for their lives, not knowing what will come to pass.  In the twentieth century, alone, two World Wars were fought with the hope of ending future wars. But it didn’t come to pass.

My late husband’s family lost everything in the 70s when they fled Iran to start a new life in America. 

I grew up with the nightly news reporting the casualties of the Vietnam War. The Gulf War broke out when I was a young mother, and the Iraq War followed on its heels. Then there was the Afghanistan War…

Please know that my heart aches for all the innocent men, women, and children caught in the crossfire of the latest conflict in Ukraine. My hope and my prayers are for peace.

~Beth 

Talbots Spring collection

If it’s spring, then it’s time to lighten and brighten my wardrobe. What better way to do just that than with a nautical vibe from the Talbots Spring collection. Shades of navy and white look crisp and clean and perfect for a warm spring day. I couldn’t resist this pair of white wide-leg denim from Talbots (fit TTS—I’m wearing a size 8 for reference) and striped funnel neck top (I’m wearing a size medium for reference) that’s helping me feel a bit nauti.

Style tip: Look for details that add interest. 

white denim | striped top | shoes (similar here, here, and here) | handbag (old, similar here, here, and here) | similar sunglasses | earrings | watchband | bangle

Red shoes

But if you want to add a pop of color certain to brighten your day and daresay your mood, then pick a color of your liking. Me? I’m a firm believer every woman should own a pair of red shoes (old, similar here, here, and here), so I chose red as my accent color. In for a penny in for a pound, as my mother liked to say, so I added a red handbag (old, similar here, here, and here) into the mix.

white denim | striped top | shoes (similar here, here, and here) | handbag (old, similar here, here, and here) | similar sunglasses | earrings | watchband | bangle

Talbots Spring collection

white denim | striped top | shoes (similar here, here, and here) | handbag (old, similar here, here, and here) | similar sunglasses | earrings | watchband | bangle

In case you missed it 

We’re in the Spring transition phase over here at SAACA.  This week we’ve featured:

• a budget-friendly skirt from Scoop that you can dress up or down by swapping out just your accessories; and 
• a special occasion dress from Scoop that’s easy on the wallet. 

Daily Looks

We just posted a new DAILY LOOK, so make sure to check it out. Daily Looks is a really simple feature:  a dedicated photo feed of my daily outfits. And you can shop those outfits easily through the shop the widget below the picture. 

friday is here again, and so are we for fridays with oscar. this week closes with a smart skirt ensemble; a colorful print perfect for summer. this week we talked all things skirts and this one definitely appeals to my preppy aesthetic. our appetizer today is light and easy. and our cocktail is a blackberry bourbon smash, full of refreshing flavor – which makes it an easy convert to a mocktail. 

a preppy skirt for summer

for all of my regular readers, you know i love to mix patterns and stripes. a fine blue striped sleeveless button up blouse pairs perfectly with my tropical fruit and floral print skirt. i love the colors in this skirt! bright orange and pink mixes so well with contrasting blues and minty green. nothing like bright pops of color to lighten everything up! all of today’s items are from Talbots.

the woven strap slide sandals really bring the contrasting colors to a perfect point, as they mix orange and pink with blue. 

my white belt adds another touch of contrasting pattern with its raffia triangle trim.

light summer rolls with tahini dipping sauce

Vietnamese summer rolls are a refreshing and light summer appetizer or light meal. they are simple to make and you can put what you like in them, to riff on it in your own way. 

these have shrimp, purple cabbage, cilantro, arugula, carrots, mung bean sprouts and cucumber. the rice paper wrappers are pretty easy to use provided you don’t overstuff the roll. it definitely gets easier and better as you make a few of them. 

there isn’t much of a recipe. you simply prep your veggies and soak one rice sheet at a time in water until it’s soft. then you lay it flat on a surface, smoothing out any wrinkles. layer in your veggies and protein.

then take the side closest to you and fold it over the veggies. then take one end and fold it over, take the other end and fold it over so you have something like an envelope. then, take the side closest to you, wrap your hands around the top of the roll and gently pull it toward you to help with the cylindrical shape. begin to roll it away from you. 

tahini dipping sauce

usually summer rolls come with peanut dipping sauce but i wanted something different so i chose to do a simple tahini dipping sauce. 

a refreshing blackberry mint bourbon smash

this cocktail is great mocktail, just omit the bourbon and replace it with two ounces of plain water. the mint makes this so refreshing. if you don’t care for bourbon, you could try vodka or a herbaceous gin, like Hendricks.

fridays with oscar

well gang, we’re at the end of another week, and another fridays with oscar. i hope you have enjoyed this closeup look at skirts on the blog. a preppy skirt for summer is the perfect way to close the week. in case you need to catch up on skirt week, you can find a gorgeous sequin pencil skirt styled with a casual linen top. or a white safari-chic button up pencil skirt. and don’t miss my latest fashion flash video – devoted to all the skirts this week! oscar, ollie and i wish all of you a wonderful weekend! 

yesterday, i spoke to career women.  i want to continue in that trend and talk today about modern women influencers—women trailblazers.  we’re all familiar with historically great women like Marie Curie and Susan B. Anthony  their contributions to the modern science & medicine and women’s suffrage are profound. but what about (potentially) less-known women like Grace Hopper, who profoundly changed computer programming and STEM more generally.  women have and continue to shape the world each and every day in all domains and industries.  and with each and every day, their stories are coming to the forefront more and more. 

i take it we all have women in our lives—some we know and some we don’t—who have influenced us.  i take it that we all have women in our lives who set an example and showed us that, although scary, we too can venture down less trodden paths.  who are those women for you?  your mother?  sister?  Grace Hopper?  someone else entirely? 

modern women influencers

those of us interested in fashion—and i take it all my readers are—are no doubt familiar with the modern female titans of industry:  Vera Wang, Donna Karan, and the like.  women like these not only shape the way we dress, but oftentimes, the direction of our society more generally as Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada reminds us.  

blazer |sweater | boyfriend jeans | similar belt 

denim is one of the most integral parts of our wardrobe.  and it’s difficult to get right.   this fall, i’ve broken out of comfort zones and (potentially) norms and sported everything from wide-legged jeans to skinny jeans.  however, one of the most versatile pieces of denim to incorporate into your fashion repertoire is the boyfriend jean.  you can wear them lounging at home.  or you can roll them up, throw on a pair of pumps, and head out for cocktails. 

fall blazers 

fall is all about the layering. and one of the best ways to layer is with a blazer. you all know how integral blazers are to my wardrobe.  they’ve been featured heavily on the blog over the years.  (see older posts here, here, and here.)  and they’ve also made several appearances on this month’s fashion flash over on YouTube.  (also see the above video.)  

 i’m sporting a regent blazer from J.Crew.  but i’ve also compiled a list of blazers i’m in love with from Ann Taylor and the like below.   

which one is your favorite?  tweed?  plaid?  a more neutral black? 

blazer |sweater | boyfriend jeans | similar belt 

versatility is one of the keys to any wardrobe with longevity.  blazers are perfect because you can throw them over anything from a tee to a sweater like the one from Nordstrom i’m sporting today.

those shoes! 

shoe 1 | shoe 2 | shoe 3 | similar handbag (similar, high-to-low) 

i’m a big believer in neutrals—blacks, whites, grays, and beiges.  but i’m also a big believer in color pop.  oftentimes, as we get older, we stop wearing a lot of colors and err on the side of neutrals.  but there’s a lot of ways to introduce color into your daily outfits.  i’ve chosen to accentuate my black sweater and blazer with a pair of blue-stripped pumps.  (similar shoes here, here, and here.

all right, gang!  tell me about your influences:  personal, professional, or fashion.  who has been a trailblazer in your life?  are you one?  what ways do you like to leave the beaten path and try something new?   

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