READER REMIX: Priya of Perfectly Priya

hi there, I'm Priya, reporting to you live from perfectly Priya Priya I'm so excited to be with you on Flock Together today! I love following along with these lovely ladies to see their unique styles swap and interact. The Flock Together bloggers consistently inspire me to try something new!

with that, I present to you a remix: of my beloved "sweatskirt." when I considered pieces for this remix, I realized that my previous remixes typically centered around a basic item, like a jean jacket or brown boots. my sweatskirt is definitely more on the quirky, statement side. when I bought it, the reasoning behind it was "I can wear sweats anywhere now and no one will even notice." and with the recent upsurge of "dressy sweats", a sweatskirt is right on trend. I haven't been brave enough to try the full-on sweatpants to work look, but my sweatskirt is my secret attempt. bonus: I've now styled it in each of the four seasons. let's take a look, shall we?

for fall: this was my first attempt after the initial new purchase excitement and subsequent styling woe freak-out. I was still in college, where wearing sweats to class is commonplace; but I loved that these sweats had a classy twist. I settled on the workhorse in your closet & mine, a chambray shirt. I love the combination of these fabrics together, and would definitely wear this again for a casual weekend look. also, hello bangs! for winter: I went with some funky layering here, which in retro, not digging the silhouette all that much. but when you're a California girl dealing with snow for the first few times in your life, multiple shirts are the only solution. I borrowed this lacy top from my roommate and was excited to wear it. looking back this may have turned out best with just the lacy top. anyway, fashion is constantly about trial & error! for summer: sweats are sporty as is, and the baseball cap + tennies combo set off the athletic aspect even more. the floral pattern of my shoes and the chunky necklace re-enforced some girly elements that kept it from being too Sporty Spice (though, for the record, she was my patron saint SpiceGirl.) I loved this outfit! for spring: for my final installment of my sweatskirt, I wanted to go as "glam sweats" as possible. after extensive research (via Pinterest) I realized I needed a girly blouse, heels, and a statement necklace. so I literally found the girliest blouse I have, balanced it with some kitten heels for work, and a chunky chain that wasn't too overwhelming for the busy print. love how this turned out. and there you have it, a sweatskirt for all seasons! since this skirt is as comfy as it is versatile, I'll keep on rockin' this party eight days a week.

Reader Remix: Jana of small town, BIG SMILE!

Hi there! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Jana, of “Small Town, Big Smile!” and I’m absolutely flattered to have been asked to be a guest blogger for the Flock Together gals! In keeping with the Flock Together theme, I’ll still be talking about remixing clothing, but instead of it being with the help of several different people’s creativity, I’ll be talking about solo-remixing… Challenges, go-to ideas, and thinking outside of the box.

For today’s post, I chose one of my favourite dresses… and it truly is a great remix-able dress, as it’s consistently stayed one of my favourite dresses for almost three years now. It’s a white dress with strawberry-floral-polka dot print on it by Trollied Dolly.

The easiest way to get the hang of wearing a dress is in the summer months, when layering isn’t a necessity, but instead, an option. My original look with this dress was just to pair it with similarly white shoes. Simple, classic. Another easy option: pair the dress with a pair of neutral tights (I chose black) and add shoes that are the same colour as an accent colour in the dress. You can instantly change the look of the outfit with the level of pop you chose. For me, I like to add some punch, so I chose blue, which is a colour in the dress, but a down-played one.

The next step to remixing a dress: adding layers. Being Canadian and having to deal with LOTS of cold weather, layering for me is second nature. Cardigans and tights? An absolute must. I like to choose two different colours, and mix and match them with tights, cardigans, shoes, and accessories. Two of my go-to shades for this dress are browns and reds… varying from bold shades, to toned down tans and burgundies. An easy change up? Rotate your layering colours! From tan cardigan, burgundy tights, brown shoes, to tan tights and red shoes! Remixing can be just *that* easy!

This month, we're kickin' off a brand new series of "Reader Spotlights". We will be interviewing and highlighting ladies that inspire us (all of us!) and ladies who understand the art of remixing, vintage, and blogging. We're thrilled for our first one to be Lala Faux Bois. We love her and her style and hope you do too!

Tell us about yourself & where you live.
My name is Lisa of Lala Faux Bois and I'm a graphic designer, cat lover, and vintage obsessed girl, with a severe case of wanderlust. I live in the Phoenix area of AZ, and fled to the desert after growing up in the rain soaked woods of Oregon. I love thrifting and the thrill of the hunt, and try to buy the majority of my clothes 2nd hand. That helps keep my clothing addiction on a budget too.

What's your most worn and remixed piece in your wardrobe?
My most worn piece of clothing is definitely my chartreuse cardigan, as I've decided that color is a neutral and I want to wear it with everything.

How does your style change through the seasons? What's your favorite season to dress for?
Since where I live never gets really cold, I wear a lot of my summer dresses and skirts year round. The cooler temps give me freedom to play with more layers, and of course it's always fun to be able to add more color with tights. I feel more challenged in the summer to personalize my outfits without the ability to add layers, and although that is sometimes fun, winter here is definitely my favorite season to dress for.

Tell us about the outfits you've remixed and what inspired you.
I love to remix dresses because besides wearing it as a dress, you can style them as a skirt or top. Since summer is so hot here, it's good to find new ways to style dresses to avoid getting bored with your summer wardrobe.

This leaf print dress was an Etsy vintage find. In one look I paired it with a cardigan and platform sandals and wore it to work. In the other, it's layered with a vintage top and flats for a more casual look.

The other two outfits are remixes of a polka dot denim dress I recently got at Target for $6. In one version I wore it as a top with a vintage cacti skirt. In the other, I layered a tank over it and added some vintage shoes and accessories.

Why compelled you to start blogging?
After obsessively lurking on craft and style blogs, I decided I wanted one of my own! It's been such a great way to meet people with similar interests and challenge my personal style a little more by posting outfits. My blog started all over the place with my different interests, but over time I started to focus mostly on personal style, thrift finds, and the occasional post about something I did or a vacation. It's still a learning process and I'm sure it will always be evolving.

What's your favorite band or song right now?
Such a hard question! My favorite band will always be The Smiths but put on any new wave or electronic music and I will be happy :)

Thanks so much to Lisa for letting us interview her! Be sure to visit her blog and we'll be back next month with another blogger that inspires us to keep swapping and remixing!

Reader Remix: Kati of Almost Stylish

Who: Kati of Almost Stylish

What: The remixed piece is a mint skirt that I have found in one of London's many charity shops for only £2.75, so it was a total bargain! 

How:  I immediately knew I would buy this skirt just because of its colour and the versatility it comes from it. Many of the colours in my wardrobe go with this kind of colour, and I knew that the possibilities of wearing it would be endless!

See how she wore the piece here and here.

This post is part of our Reader Remix series where our readers share their own remixes of their favorite pieces. Have a remix that you'd like us to feature? Just submit 2-3 outfits that feature at least one common item with your name, blog URL, and a brief description with the subject line "reader submission" to flocktogetherblog@gmail.com.

Reader Remix: Priya of Perfectly Priya

Who: Priya of Perfectly Priya

What: "My remix piece is a sweater top!"

How: "I got this at a thrift store because it was a) my favorite color b) cashmere and c) looked really nice. Then it sat in my closet for about a month because I wasn't quite sure how to wear it. Then I realize, a sweater top is like a t-shirt only with a lot more style. And suddenly, my eyes were opened to a world of sweater tops, over dresses, layered on shirts, and with pants! Or if you want cute outfit names, I think: winter layers, all DRESSed up, and business fabulous."

This post is part of our new Reader Remix series where our readers share their own remixes of their favorite pieces. Have a remix that you'd like us to feature? Just submit 2-3 outfits that feature at least one common item with your name, blog URL, and a brief description with the subject line "reader submission" to flocktogetherblog@gmail.com.