Fall into a Pleated Hem Sweater

A few weekends ago my friend and I took our daughters to visit the Monticello estate of Thomas Jefferson in middle Virginia. Our girls are very much into history, and Virginia history has been a part of their curriculum for many grades now. We started the day on a tour learning about Jefferson’s history of slave ownership, but ended with an interest in the school he founded, the University of Virginia. My daughter was so intrigued by the college that she purchased a big orange hoodie that read “Virginia” in large blue letters across the chest while visiting the school.

I love a large cozy hoodie in fall, but I’ve recently had my eyes on these hybrid “layer-looking” items such as the pleated hem sweaters. The sweater is actually one garment but looks like two! I found one at TJ Maxx and decided to give it a try. As you know, fall is the perfect season to wear layers, so a sweater and a shirt underneath and a jacket are common items for an outfit. But since East Coast fall seasons are temperamental you often find yourself removing layers of clothing mid-day. Therefore I liked this fake layered piece not only for the look, but because it kept me from getting too hot in actual layers hence causing me to walk around holding clothes all day. 🙂

This metallic sweater has a full pleated underlining with a split in the back. I still layered with a plaid scarf and a jacket, and knee-high riding boots. The weather in Charlottesville, VA was perfect and the leaves were just beautiful! There is no other season filled with such color and beauty.

I had a lot of fun on this day in this comfortable outfit. Fall is a great time to express your style, and with so much out there its easy to add a few pieces to your wardrobe that add a unique flare. Especially if you can find a good deal at places such as TJ Maxx!

So now that my daughter is all hyped up to go to UVA, I guess I’ll be making more trips to the middle of Virginia in years to come, which is not a bad thing considering how beautiful the area is. I’ll try to steer her away from adding TOO many hoodies (as I’m sure there will be more college inspirational tours over the next SIX years) to her wardrobe and encourage her to try something new, like a layered-looking sweater. 🙂 I am happy that she’s young and interested in college though. Therefore I suppose there’s room for a few more hoodies to keep the momentum up…

What new items have you added to your wardrobe this season?

~Xoxo Yana B.

• Metallic Pleated Sweater: TJ Maxx
• Knee High Boots (similar)
• Denim Jacket (I love this one!)
• Lip Color: MAC “Oh Lady“