Have you ever worn something and then seen a picture of yourself later and hated your outfit?  I sure have.  I felt that way about this outfit pictured here.  This was one of our Code Orange Revival nights.  When I saw this picture I hated the way I looked.  I hated my hair, my shoes, my top, and especially these pants.   The way the pants are pulling, yuck.  Every time I have even thought about wearing these pants again, I remembered this outfit.  And so the pants have hung in my closet, unworn, for the past year.

Fast forward one whole year. This year, at Elevation, we are doing Code Orange Underground (Code Orange Revival, relived 1 time a month over the whole year).  Naturally, I wanted to wear something orange.  When I saw these pants in my closet, I thought, “It is time to redeem them.”  So I restyled the pants.  First, I wore heals to make my legs look longer.  Then I put on a long, flowy sweater to cover where the pants were pulling. And I cannot tell you how much better I felt in these pants.

My whole point in this is sometimes, it is not the pants (or the top or the shoes), it’s the pieces you put with it.  So today I leave you with this charge… Give your pants a second chance :).

So I am back with a fashion file.  And since we are nearing Valentine’s say, I thought I might do a jewelry post (for all the lurking male fashion file readers :))

Jewelry is all over the place right now.  Long or short necklaces, bold or simple pieces, it seems like anything is game.  So where do you start?  Start with building your simple, every day, i-never-take-off pieces and add from there.

I really do have a few pieces of simple jewlery that I wear for months on end and do not remove until I get tired of them (I sleep exercise and shower in them).  Currently, these pieces would include a simple necklace, a toggle bracelet on my watch hand, my wedding ring (goes unsaid and I never tire of that) and stud earrings.

Here are a few simple suggestions…

A simple cross necklace.  I have seen these with and without sparkle.

A small initial necklace.  Love this look.  Tiffany’s makes the sweetest little initial necklace in sterling silver.  Of course, you are paying for the Tiffany’s name, but that is a wonderful Valentine’s day gift.

The initial bangle.  I love this bracelet.  I have literally worn mine out and it is no longer suitable for public.  I love this on my watch arm.  The charm adds a nice touch.

The toggle bracelet.  These are everywhere in every style.  They add a nice touch for an every day look.

You can never go wrong with 3 small bangles.  I love how these come in mixed metals for those of you who feel like your jewelry needs to be all silver or all gold.  This gives you the excuse to mix and match.

The “diamond” stud.  Available in the middle of any mall near you in sterling silver for less than $20.

Watches can get pretty crazy in price and in style.  I have a silver watch and a gold watch that I rotate.  Both are simple but go with everything.  This Michael Kors watch is nice and simple yet had a nice look to it.

Nice, clean, and simple.  Stuff you can wear every day and that goes with everything.  I grabbed all of these pictures from Nordstrom online (because I know someone will ask).  Next week I am going to share a fashion file called the second chance pants.  Happy (early) Valentine’s day!