Mommy Style Monday #22--Turn It Into Something Else...

Hi, all. It has been about a billion months (give or take a couple million months) since I last did a Mommy Style Monday.

Technically, I could open this to all fashionistas, but I feel like us mommas have a ton of tunics/beach covers in our closets, and this specific column will be great for giving our wardrobe a non-summer fix up. (Is it just me or is the tunic really a mom's best friend?  It may just be me.  LOL.)

And to be completely fair, I have definitely tried this with other tunics/cover-ups, but when I saw this particular silk tunic on sale at J. Crew in the spring, I knew it wouldn't really get used as a tunic in my closet, or a beach cover-up.  From the beginning, I knew I would wear it as a blouse, because it just seemed better to me as a blouse (and I really think J. crew missed the boat by not making this print into a blouse).

Last night I mentioned that I went to the gluttonous capital of the free world, aka Texas de Brazil, and part of my plan was to wear a fitted, fixed waistband outfit so as to not overeat.  It worked, I have to say...so keep that in mind if your family brings you to a buffet (even if it is a really good buffet like America's favorite Brazilian steakhouse).

Skirt: J. Crew No 2 Pencil Skirt, Viridian Green, Size 8.  Prefer this size for the fit through the hips, the 6 would fit, as I mentioned in this review of the flame color, but the fit was too vavavoom for me.

Cardigan: J. Crew Short Sleeved Cardigan in Bright Citron, Size Medium.  I have had this FOR YEARS.  What a cute little topper.  :)

Bracelet: J. Crew Crystal Starfish Cuff Bracelet.

Shoes: Boden Upbeat Kitten Heels in Tweed, Size 40 (one size smaller than my true size at Boden).  Will do a longer review of these on Wednesday in the Boden Weekly Review Roundup.

And there's my top.  I bought the Calais Silk Tunic in a size small figuring that if the hips didn't fit I could alter it and make it shorter, but I did find that it fit, so this is exactly as I wore it on my night of gorging.  :)

Basically I removed the belt (which was used, btw), safety-pinned the notch neck up a bit for modesty, and tucked the entire tunic into the skirt.  I found that because the silk was so thin, you couldn't even see it through the skirt, which is a bonus, as I didn't have to tuck the tunic into a pair of spanx to keep the line of the outfit clean.

Then I bloused the "top" out a bit and through the epaulets (on the shoulders--hard to see on the model shot, but look closely), I threaded the belt through one side, up the back part of the collar, and then down through the other side, leaving one end on either side of notch neck opening.  Then I tied the ends into a loose bow, making the blouse look like it is supposed to have a silk tie (the best photo of this is at the bottom of this post).

From the side.  I have a couple of other skirts that could work with this top, including some summer pencil skirts I bought from the Crew a few years ago.

I have not tried this "top" with pants, but I assume that as long as the pants are lined and of a heavier fabric, then you could hide the bottom portion of the tunic easily enough.  And of course there is always spanx.  ;)

Top Half.  My hubby quite liked the entire outfit, but I suspect it was because it is uber-feminine and I wore my hair down, and not because of my ability to be a magician with clothing.

Close up of the bow.  I kept the bow tied like this until I wash it, I want to see if I can keep it in this shape as I find it hard to tie the perfect bow.  

I love this cuff bracelet, and though it technically isn't important to the post, I really wanted to show off how pretty the beading and crystals all look together.  Why can't J. Crew bring back the beautifully embellished cuff bracelet???

Alrighty, now it's your turn...what was your biggest magic trick with a piece of clothing?  I would love to try this with other garments in my closet.  :)

Viridian Pencil Skirt plus Brights, Yum! by dinagideon featuring a long pencil skirt

BTW, polyvore ladies, above is the polyvore of the outfit.