Just J Stylin Life

I’m sure you’ve heard the rule about picturing potential purchases with items you already own, right?! Whenever you find something you’re thinking about buying, you should always picture it with at least 3 items you currently own. Doing this allows you to gauge how often you’ll wear it, and the CPW (cost per wear) for it. If you buy a cute skirt that you can only wear with one specific shirt, how often are you really going to wear it?! Say you pay $30 for that skirt and wear it twice — that’s costing you $15 each time you wear it! If you’re a budget shopper like me, you definitely want to get the CPW as low as possible. Another way to do this is to shop with coupons, or sales only! I rarely ever pay full price for an item!!

This satin striped pajama top from Victoria’s Secret is a perfect example. I had a coupon for $20 off a $40 purchase with no idea of what I was even looking for when I went into the store. But VS and I have a very special relationship. 😉 (can I say an almost 8 year obsession?!) I’m bound to find something I love almost every time I enter the store. My only problem is sometimes I find TOO many items I want (anyone else?). This time was different though, in a good way! It took less than 3 minutes before I had decided this was the one. It’s one of those pieces you see and you know INSTANTLY that this is going to be one of your #1, best, most worn, favorite pieces of the season.

So into the fitting room I go, and the moment I tied that knot at the bottom and looked up into the mirror, it was a done deal. That shirt was going to be mine. It had to have been fate that the top was $42.50 and qualified for the coupon! At the time I bought it, I had really only known one way to wear it, but I didn’t care. I was so in love with the top that I was going to find other ways to style it, regardless of the fact that it’s a pajama top. And that’s exactly what I did. Here below are three different ways I styled this striped satin PJ top from Victoria’s Secret.

 

1. Casual

I learned long ago to add casual pieces to a look to dress down a dressy piece, and vice versa (see next look). This satin top felt very upscale and luxurious by itself, so I paired it with a black crop top, light blue denim, and cute sneakers to make it comfortably casual.

Striped Top // Crop Top // Jeans // Shoes (ON SALE!)

I love pastel colors – and I love mixing colors. So why not mix pastel colors?! I decided to go with these light blue jeans instead of a white to add a little color to the white and black stripes. The pastel pink shoes matched the top and added the casual feel to the look. And lastly, the quilted crossbody finished off the look with a bit of an edge, pulling out the black stipes from the top and tying everything together. Right now this purse is out of stock in black, but you can still get it in light pink here (which would still match the outfit)! For size reference for the top, I’m wearing a size Small in Millenial Pink/Ripe Apricot. They currently only have L and XL, so I’ve added a few similar styles at the end of this post. 🙂

2. Dressed Up

As I mentioned in the previous look, adding casual pieces to a look dresses down a fancy piece. But what if you actually want it to be kinda fancy?! My trick? Add a nice pair of heels to almost any look and voila! You’ve instantly dressed it up.

Striped Top // Nude Cami // Jeans // Belt // Shoes

For this look, I wanted it to be dressy, but not too fancy. So I chose to add a leather belt and embellished heels to fanc-ify it while sticking to a flattering fitted jean to keep it from being over-the-top fancy. The nude cami underneath allows this top to show off the waistline without distracting with bare skin. This cami is actually from A New Day at Target, but I was unable to link it so I linked a very similar one for $1 less! I’m wearing a size 3R in these jeans from Celebrity Pink for reference. And I found this belt at Goodwill awhile ago, but I linked a similar, inexpensive alternative! These pretty embellished heels are still available online here!

3. Pajamas

And last but not least, why not wear this piece for what it was actually intended for? It’s lightweight, airy feel makes it super comfortable for getting a good night’s sleep. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super cute, too!

Striped Top // Necklace // Furry Pillow // Perfume

When it’s time for bed, all we want is to change into something loose fitting and non-restricting to be comfortable right?! The less it touches your body, the better! Unless it’s a super soft fabric. Luckily, this top is the best of both worlds! It’s soft and silky with a loose fit that’s quite comfortable and surprisingly not too warm. And if you’re not ready for bed just yet, this is the perfect top to simply chill in and still look cute as can be.

P.S. I took these three pictures all by myself using a tripod and the timer — how did I do?!

So Far…

I’ve worn this top at least 5 times! The three times for these photos, plus two other times. So let’s say after taxes the top cost me $25 to purchase. After wearing it 5 times, that makes my CPW only $5! And the next time I wear it, it will make it $4.17, and then $3.57, and… you get the idea!

So always try to envision a potential purchase with a few items you have and determine the CPW you’d be paying for the number of times you wear the piece. You don’t want to regret anything later!

Here are similar (equally cute) satin tops in addition to the one I’m wearing:

~ Jackie