Color saturation happening over here on Refined + Rugged today. Trying to make as much ocular noise in this pristine environment as possible! 😉

Plus, have I mentioned how much I love sweater weather? LOVE. Really just the sweater part, but dipping temps enable the ability to wear items that were knit from animals that go BaH. So I’ll add weather in there, too.

I always find myself talking to you, my dear reader, when I write these posts. I mean, that is the purpose of posting, I suppose, to reach out to your audience. To have a proverbial chat as it were across the internets.

But sometimes I realize that I come across as though my wardrobe advice is made up of little quips. Like today, for example, I’d stand next to you in front of your closet and say, “Let’s do some color blocking with the most jewel, maybe most garish colors you can pull of your hangers!”

Then you’d grab a silky guava button up, a BRIGHT pair pants, your favorite leopard heels and call it a WIN! (Extra points for a cobalt coat!) Wow. You might look like an attention seeker, or you might just look AWESOME!

TGIT!

XX, Megan

Sweater: J.Crew, Pants: Old Navy, Bag: Kate Spade (similar, splurge, save), Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper, Cuff: Banana Republic (similar), Shoes: Enzo Angiolini (similar, splurge, save), Earrings: Gift (similar), Lips: MAC Candy Yum-yum

Here we are, cruising through the week already! Here I am dressing up and taking photos in front of another farm gate. Not ashamed!

I wanted to snap some pictures of this frock before the weather turned. This is also gives us another opportunity to talk about layering. What more is there to say? Ladies and gentlemen, LAYER!

Well, there is more to say. Layering is the stylists’ joy in the shoulder seasons. Why? Because it gives you TWO amazing opportunities. First, it gives you the opportunity to style up the perfect mix, the perfect mash-up, the perfect jive.

Second, it gives you the chance to play with your wardrobe in ways you may not have imagined when it was 90 degrees and sweltering outside, or -30 and close to frost bite!

Fall is that golden moment when you can go to your closet, pick out some of your favorites from opposite seasonal leanings– say a black leather jacket, and the perfect striped dress, and your go-to blush heels– and sha-ZAM! throw them together faster than lightning and head out the door for a date with your man in a snap!

Try it out. Go to your closet. Choose two pieces from seemingly differing seasons. Pick a chunky sweater, a floral or summery shirt, and your favorite ripped skinnies. But instead of wearing the sweater OVER the shirt like you would in frigid winter, tie it around your waist for some added outfit depth. It’s that easy!

Make it a good one, friends!

XX, Megan

Jacket: Zara (old, similar, similar, similar, save), Dress: Kate Spade (similar, save), Shoes: Joe’s Jeans (similar, save, splurge), Bag: Old Navy, Necklace: Gorjana, Lips: MAC Angel

Casual camel is a brilliant fall option. I wore this outfit last week to run errands, volunteer at my son’s school, and do “the mom thing” generally.

This blazer is really indispensable both for it’s shape and color, and it’s actually warm enough to pull on for an evening fall layer if your weather hasn’t dropped into the 30s or 40s yet. From date night, to casual daily look I plan on wearing it again and again this season.

Let’s not forget Tuesday shoe-day! These leopard d’orsay flats have been so much fun! Leopard is truly a neutral ladies, and I linked several similar options below. I hope your week is wonderful! A delicious Pork Loin and Spicy Peaches is live in a day. See you tomorrow!

XX, Megan

Blazer: J.Crew (similar), Shirt: J.Crew, Pants: Lucky, Shoes: Madewell (sold out, similar, save, save, splurge), Clutch: J.Crew Factory (similar), Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper, Lips: MAC Russian Red

I cannot get enough of the golden light in these shots! Warm, buttery, and alluring. Plus the fact that the view was just as perfect and golden. Love.

This LBD has been in my wardrobe for a long, long time. It is an investment piece, for sure. But I’ve worn it for everything from weddings, to a state dinner, to a fancy date-night out. It just won’t quit! The four season Italian wool has an incredible feel, and always lays perfectly– no tugging or shimmying required. (Please tell me you’ve all been there.)

I paired it with another wardrobe staple– the camel blazer. I hope you’re not tired of blazers this season because they are one of my favorite layering staples. Add some leopard pumps and a red lip, and you can trot from the theater to court with the Queen of England, in my opinion!

Have a fantastic Thursday!

XX, Megan

Blazer: J.Crew, Dress: J.Crew (this season), Heels: Nine West, Sunglasses: Oakley, Clutch: Target, Necklace: Kenneth Jay Lane, Earrings: Banana Republic, Lips: MAC Russian Red

There is reason people talk formulaic dressing, and go-to outfit options. These combinations allow you to throw it all on and go at a moment’s notice. Quick. Easy. Classy. Classic. Sometimes with small updates that bring a look into the present moment. J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons has exemplified this kind of dressing for years (though in a recent article, she bemoaned formula dressing as the death of creativity. I see her point, but question her self-scrutiny.)

For Lyons the formula consists of a killer white shirt, favorite jeans, the most high-heeled, high-end shoe you can swing, her quintessential thick-rimmed glasses, and a bun pulled neatly at the nape of her neck. There it is, and she’s done. If she doesn’t consider this a formula, maybe I could call it “reaching for favorites”.

For me, a quality blazer and stripes will always top the favorites list. This periwinkle number is a season old, but definitely not out of style. I love the way it pairs with the plum of these pants, and the unexpected pop it brings to dull gray fall and winter days when I am tired of layering with all things puffer.

What are some of your favorites? Do you have some? Anything you do in the grab-and-go mode that early mornings sometimes require?

The days are chilling more and more, the light is fading little by little. I hope this fall is feeling good to all of you!

XX, Megan

Blazer: J.Crew, Shirt: Saint James, Cords: J.Crew (similar color), Shoes: Old Navy, Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper, Necklace: Gorjana, Earrings: Vintage, Clutch: Ralph Lauren (old, splurge, similar, save), Lips: Buxom White Russian