What I Wore: Stripes and More Stripes
sweater | pants | bag | shoes
These outfit posts document real-life personal style on a 5’3″ size 14/16 midlife body. Since 2005, Alison Gary has shared what she actually wears to work, on weekends, while traveling, and during everyday life, offering an honest archive of how style evolves over time.
Unlike curated influencer lookbooks, these outfits reflect real closets, real budgets, and real bodies. You’ll see how pieces are reworn across seasons, how trends are adapted for women over 40, and how fit, proportion, and comfort work together in everyday dressing.
These real-life outfits serve as a visual extension of Wardrobe Oxygen’s fashion advice, showing how capsule wardrobe concepts, denim reviews, footwear recommendations, and layering techniques translate into lived experience.
If you’re searching for outfit inspiration for women over 40, midsize style ideas, curvy petite fashion, or realistic examples of how to style trends in daily life, this archive provides two decades of documented looks to explore.
Use tags to browse by fashion brand, season, occasion, or wardrobe staple.
sweater | pants | bag | shoes
dress | shoes | hat | bag Dress: Boden (14R) | Hat: Had forever (similar) | Bag: c/o Adora Bags | Shoes: Converse | Bracelet: Had forever (similar) After my H&M post the other week I’ve had hats on the brain (har har). So when we had a sunny weekend I whipped out my decades-old…
dress | jacket | shoes | sunglasses | cuff bracelet Dress: Daydream Dress c/o Stella Carakasi (L) | Jacket: J. Crew Factory (XL) | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Bracelet: Had forever (similar) | Shoes: Vince Camuto (similar) Stella Carakasi sent me this dress and I envisioned it in the hot summer months with my silver Birkenstocks…
<top | jeans | shoes | bag | sunglasses Sweater: Topshop (L) (similar) | Jeans: Paley Bootcut c/o JAG Jeans (14P) | Shoes: Penelope Mid Wedge c/o Payless | Bag: Rough & Tumble | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Cuff: Had forever (similar) | Necklace: Argento Vivo I love the contrast of black with white. It’s so…
top | skirt | bag | necklace | shoes Top: NIC + ZOE (14) | Skirt: NIC + ZOE (14) | Shoes: Nine West | Bag: c/o Dagne Dover (sold out; similar) | Y Necklace: Boutique in Rehoboth Beach (similar) | Pendant: Stella & Dot | Bracelet: Gorjana (similar) When you’re a style blogger, you…
jacket | jumpsuit | bag | sunglasses | necklace Jacket: Halogen (XLP) | Jumpsuit: Karen Kane (same but with textured top, similar without pattern but a bit less dressy) | Shoes: Nine West | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Bag: Topshop (similar) | Choker: Argento Vivo | Bracelet: Had forever (similar) This is the white jacket I…
dress | shoes | bag | necklace Dress: LOFT (old; similar) | Bag: Sole Society | Shoes: Juliette Ghille Pointed Pump c/o Christian Siriano for Payless | Necklace: Baublebar | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Lipstick: Infallible Pro-Matte-Gloss in Aphrodite Kiss c/o L’Oreal As I mentioned in this previous post, Payless provided me with the opportunity to…
sweater | jeans | booties | bag | sunglasses Sweater: Lands’ End (L) (similar) | Jeans: c/o JAG Jeans (12) | Booties: Spye Astro Boot c/o Clarks | Bag: Banana Republic (similar) | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Bracelets: Gorjana (similar), c/o Joseph Nogucci | Watch: Citizen | Necklace: Stella & Dot This past weekend I spent…
sweater | leggings | boots | bag | sunglasses Sweater: c/o Stella Carakasi (L/XL) | Leggings: Rafaella (14) | Boots: VANELi c/o Marmi Shoes (similar) | Choker Necklace: Argento Vivo | Initial Necklace: Etsy | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Bag: Topshop (similar) | Cuff Bracelet: Had Forever (similar) This Works Every Time sweater from Stella Carakasi…