Growing up, I don’t think you could’ve paid me to wear camo. I was always more of a city mouse than a country mouse –still am, for the most part — and camo was definitely not on my style radar. At all. Whenever I thought of the pattern I would always think of hunting gear, bows and arrows, and blood and guts. Which isn’t quite “ready to wear” for me.

But they do say time tempers all, and slowly my tastes have started to change. Ever so slightly, but changed they have, and I’ve recently become enamored with camo. But only in small doses, and only if it’s subtle. I was at Urban Outfitters a while back and came across this tank top and for some reason couldn’t let it go. It was totally different from anything I had in my closet, and I liked that the pattern was really subtle. It has a faded, subdued appearance, which is a great way to mix in pattern if you’re not super sure about it.

To temper the camo I kept things simple with faded, light jeans, and paired with my favorite cardigan, which I scored on sale at H&M for a grand total of $20. Insane. The thicker knit and the perfect cut of it make my shoulders look broader, which I’m all for. Big and burly I am not, but this cardigan makes me look like I’ve been working out, and I’m ok with that.

To give the whole outfit a little bit more polish, I pulled on my favorite boots from H by Hudson — they have a great wrap around leather strap feature that makes them stand out, yet the suede keeps them slightly casual. Forgot to get a close up, but take my word for it — the boots are perfection.

Photos courtesy Kristin Booker for Giafrese