Why this works – Page 2

Fashion, weekend outfit, west town mall, what to wear, Why this works

What to Wear This Weekend

May 15, 2015 No Comments

Saturday can be a tricky day to dress for.

It’s usually the most uncertain of all the days because it could include breakfast out, working out, shopping, cleaning, sports games…it’s a wide variety.

My two requirements for Saturday outfits are these: what I put on has to be comfortable enough for me to be-bop around town in. It also has to be attractive enough that I could walk into a nice restaurant/retail store or run into a friend I haven’t seen in years and not want to cover myself with a house plant.

Also, if I am going shopping I don’t want to wear something with 50 buttons or an intricate tie contraption in the back. I want to be able to try on clothes easily. Which is great because it rules out that 1800’s style gown I just can’t stop reaching for.

Last Thursday during the Indulge event at West Town Mall, Chico’s showed off some perfect Saturday outfits (see pic above). All three looks perfectly embody all the requirements of a Saturday.

My favorite is the blue top (far left). That open collar with the silver hardware on the draw strings wraps up cute and comfortable in a very chic package. You could easily wear that with yoga pants and nice tennis shoes, or black yoga pants and fancy flip flops.

I also love the open sweaters in the other two looks. The green swacket (it’s both a sweater and a jacket) is exactly what I wish was living in my closet on cooler Saturday mornings, and the coral striped sweater is just enough class to dress up a simple white tee. Both of which could easily be worn with boyfriend jeans, or colored pants like our models are showing off here.

A lot of these pieces come from their “Zenergy” line. To check out more looks from that, click here (there’s a striped jacket in there that’s SO CUTE).

These looks really showcase what it is we need to be looking for when we go out shopping for a Saturday or even ON a Saturday. Shopping for what to wear the next time I go shopping sounds like a great excuse to shop!

Side note: I just have to say what an absolute blast it was to commentate during the fashion segments we had that night. Coming up with descriptions for each outfit as they walked onto the platform stretched me in the funnest way possible! I can’t wait to do it again :)

Fashion, shoes, Why this works

Comfort is the New Chic

April 24, 2015 2 Comments

Typically I’m against using lines like, “blank is the new blank” because it usually involves something dethroning black. And we all know, black isn’t going anywhere. Nice try though. #blackjusthappened

But in this case, I really feel as if comfort is the new sheik. Just take a quick perusal of instagram and you’ll see a lot of #00td shots with some kind of cute sneaker. Whether it be Keds, Vans, Converse or really fancy Nike’s, it’s evident we’re getting cuter with our comfortable clothing.

In the back of my mind I’ve been wanting some fancier kicks, but I didn’t want to spend a lot on them. However, a recent visit to the Nike Factory made all my dreams come true. Except for that one dream where I’m carried around the store on a magic carpet…

I scored these puppies for $25. It’s amazing how much they elevate the look of a t-shirt and jeans. They’re the kind of shoes you can wear into a high end store and not leave feeling like you’re Julia Roberts in street corner attire. They’re also great for a little sight seeing, which is what I was doing here in Indianapolis this past week. It’s clear why they call it the “windy city” (just kidding, I know they really call it the “windy apple”). ;)

When shopping for this kind of shoe, what you’re looking for is something that doesn’t look like a work out shoe – so ZERO neon, mesh or pumps on the souls that look like rocket boosters.

I did a little research and tried to score you some similar shoes. Check out gray ones here, black and white ones here, and New Balance’s version here.

Fashion, jcpenney, spring, west town mall, Why this works

Lace and Pink for Those Who Don’t Love Either

March 27, 2015 No Comments

My style as a child could best be described as “hot and cold tomboy.” While I really loved dresses and twirling around in them, I didn’t like lacy socks and wearing loads of pink.

I remember sitting in a restaurant with lacy socks on, tugging at them constantly because I didn’t want them on my feet. Then there’s the visual of being the only girl at a birthday party, running around throwing pine-cone grenades in a pink satin jumper (the drive to that party was not a happy one).

So for my entire life I’ve loved clothes and dressing up in them, just keep the really girly stuff away.

The lace stuff is cute for everyone else, but not for me. Or so I thought until I found this top at JCPenney. What I loved most about it is that I could give it an edge by pairing it with a black cami.

I found this pink…I mean…dusty rose colored skirt at Ross a couple years ago. A long pleated skirt is so forgiving and flattering and just everything you’ve ever wanted in a skirt. And I love the sharp contrast of the black and white up top with the softer color on bottom.

And because the top is so busy, all I had to add were these adorable white flower earrings. I love these especially in the spring because they add the perfect small visual to your ensemble.

See, there’s totally a way to mix in pieces you may not normally wear in order to freshen up what you wear almost every day (which for me in this case is black and white).

Consider a combination like this for your Easter outfit!

Also, yay for great weather to take #ootd pictures in…boo for not remembering to charge my camera and getting only 2 minutes of picture time outside. Hopefully next week the stars will align and I’ll get both back!

Fashion, Why this works, winter

Style Yourself Like a Star

February 23, 2015 No Comments

Well I tried watching the Oscar’s live in my bedroom, but that was in a different room than my husband and my dog would have none of that. He came in the room and cried at me until we were all in the same room together. Oh well, that’s what TiVo is for ;)

Even though every year I’ve seen maybe 1 of the movies nominated, of course I love to watch to see who’s wearing what. I can’t imagine the pressure that goes into choosing a dress for this thing. Can’t. Imagine. Especially since the very next day you’re going to be scrutinized by the likes of Kathy Griffin…or people like me.

But instead of just saying which dresses I liked and disliked the most, I prefer to give you something to walk away with. So here are my picks for this year and the style cues we can take away from them….

(All of these images, by the way, are courtesy of eonline)

I’m not even going to include Aniston and Lopez in this list. They brought it. They woke it up, worked it out, covered it in jewels. Done. Check. The ladies I chose for my best dressed are ones that caused me to look up from my phone. These gals really captured attention with their choices.

Anna Kendrick looks just floaty, glowy gorgeous in this coral gown. As the camera panned down to the bottom, the outer layers were billowing in the breeze as if on cue. The diamond neckline is the perfect amount of sparkle and notice how she pairs that with simple diamond clusters. This proves that when the neckline is high, you don’t need earrings fighting over your face. Go with something gorgeous and simple. Also, coral looks good on pale skin.

It looks as if Naomi Watts may make some “worst dressed” lists, but I think her dress is fresh and unexpected. She always makes an edgier choice, and in this case I love the fact that it’s the playful black sparkly band. It’s just something different and that’s nice to see (without going overboard, Lady Gaga). Again, her jewelry is subdued and I love how her hair is half back. We’ve seen A LOT of this style in the past two award shows, but I really really like it. You get to wear your hair down comfortably, but you’re still showing off your earrings and giving your look a modern edge by tucking it behind one ear. Try that next time, it’s definitely not the kind of style that requires a team of hair experts which is nice.

Finally on my best dressed, is Meryl Streep. Seems like every year someone does some version of a female suit. I think Ms. Streep nailed it this year. It’s feminine, very age appropriate yet still glamorous enough to work. Sure it’s safe and not as sparkly, but it’s a great take on a classic. Don’t be afraid to work a blazer into your formal look, especially if you’re looking for something that’s more flattering. I’d rather be simple and flattering than sparkly and slightly unflattering.

I didn’t want to use the phrase “worst dressed” because it sounds so harsh. But I would have loved to seen a few simple tweaks on these gals.

Marion Cotillard is such a beautiful woman, and I really love her hair with that deep side part and the earrings which compliment her hair style just perfectly. But the dress…girl, the dress is just meh. What would be really cool is if the bottom layer was nude and the overlay was black. That would have added some visual interest. I’m just not at all a fan of white formals, especially ones that take over your shape and make you think of paper towels.

This next gal is Adam Levine’s wife, Behati Prinsloo. I think the dress is pretty neat. It’s something different and interesting. And her accessorizing is spot on – the necklace is the right amount of pizzazz. What I’m so not a big fan of is completely slicked back hair. All I see when I look at her is her part and the unusual shape of her head (which is a phrase I don’t want passing through people’s heads when I’m all dressed up). I think this look would have been 1,000 times prettier if she would have worn her hair down, half way, or even back a little looser. Really gals, only J-Lo can pull off the sleek back look.

Finally, Rosamund Pike. Love this dress, I really do. My favorite part is how it darts in at her waste. HOWEVER, I feel like she could have taken the “less is more” rule a little less seriously. To me, her tiny earrings make it look like she just walked in off the street and tried this dress on and those are the earrings she happened to be running errands in. I just would have loved some larger maybe gold accented numbers dangling down a little bit.

Of course it’s easy to say all these things from the comfort of my couch. If I ever make it to the red carpet you’re going to love everything about what I have on, ok? Ok. ;)

Happy Monday!

Fashion, valentine's day, west town mall, Why this works

You Need a Little Black Dress (You Really Do)

February 9, 2015 2 Comments

It’s the week of Valentine’s day, so I’m taking some time to talk about what the boys like.

You can insert you own man whenever I say “boys”, or you can just take a lot of notes if you’re single.

The whole idea for this weeks theme came to me last year when I was standing in a store, witnessing an exchange between a man and a woman (I assume they were husband and wife, but I don’t know for sure). They were both shopping in an upscale woman’s store, when the man spotted a little black dress. He held it up and said, “What about this? This is nice.” The woman immediately dismissed it by saying, “I don’t need that, where would I wear it?”

I can totally understand where she’s coming from. Sometimes we look at nice things and think they would just take up space in our closet. And sure, they probably would. But the look of disappointment that showed up on his face after she said that, made me sad for both of them. I’m not saying their marriage was in shambles, but I think she would have felt good if she would have bought something fancy like that, even if she wore it to Applebee’s. And regardless of where she wore it, he would have thought she looked beautiful.

That’s not the first time I’ve heard about husband’s saying they wish their woman dressed up more often. I know it’s surprising. Sometimes it can feel like we’re putting in all this effort and they’re not noticing. But I think they do more than we realize. And even if they’re not, dressing up would definitely get their attention.

Enter: this little black dress.

It’s from White House Black Market and I picked it because it’s pretty, flattering on most body types, and has a little spiff to it (it would also work for a wide range of ages, so don’t go thinking you’re too old).

The A-line shape is going to help hide a larger bum and hips, and the nipped in waste will help define you if you’re looking to disguise your mid-section. The v-neck draws all the attention to your face and when paired with the black, makes the whole thing very slimming.

Now I know a lot of women don’t want to wear sleeveless. This dress could totally support a cute cardigan. Something slinky – not librarian for cripes sake.

And with the sheer mesh panels at the bottom this LBD is anything but boring.

Listen, you’re going to feel so good in something like this, and he won’t be able to keep his eyes off you. If I could fake the really deep voice of the Men’s Warehouse guy I would and end with, “I guarantee it.”

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