Why this works – Page 3

Fashion, necklaces, old navy, Why this works, winter

Styling a Swingy Necklace

January 19, 2015 No Comments

I love a good craving. I can go through long bouts of indecisiveness, so when a craving pops up I’m all about it. Lately I’ve had a craving for long swingy necklaces. I love how they make you feel sexy and carefree. Like you just threw it on (because you did) and yet it looks so polished.

Lately I’ve had a craving for long swingy necklaces. I love how they make you feel sexy and carefree. Like you just threw it on (because you did) and yet it looks so polished.

This necklace was the basis for this whole outfit and I’ll tell you how it came about…

I didn’t want to wear it with just a simple sweater because it still needed some sort of background beyond just one color. That’s when I decided to go shopping and I found this number. The wide army green and black stripes are the perfect backdrop for the gold, and the sheerness of the blouse meant it would work well into spring (something I start to think about this time of year).

The fact that it was only $12 at JCP was a win. I immediately knew I could always throw a scarf on over it or wear it with my leather jacket…two more ways to get use out of it and therefore solidifying my decision.

These skinny black trousers from Old Navy were a perfect fit especially when I paired them with my colored leopard heels (I love me a good pattern mix).

For the rest of my jewelry, I liked doing a black watch and then a pile of bracelets because it meant nothing got more attention than the necklace. A bold bracelet would have taken some of the spotlight.

Note: I hope you enjoyed today’s post! It was a throwback to a post I wrote last January. I’ve got big things a-brewin’ that’s taking up a lot of my time (more on that later). So I’m scaling back the blog (for just a little bit) to 3 day a week posts. This will help me refine my material and be better at bringing you the absolute spiffiest fashion and beauty finds out there! Thanks for continuing to read and have a wonderful day! :)

Fashion, new year, outfit planning, style, styling, Why this works, winter

Get More Money Out of Your Sequins

December 29, 2014 2 Comments

Let’s save ourselves some money this New Year’s Eve and recycle some of that Christmas attire!

So this sparkly dress is from Ross. I bought it for less than $20. But it’s sleeveless, so I don’t want to always wear it by itself. I also like sparkly skirts. So by adding a few layers on top – I’ve re purposed it into just that!

I started with a tight black tank because the dress has a cowl neck and that volume needs to be hidden. Then I added a black collared shirt. I liked doing this just because it gave the neckline a little more interest and it helps hide the bumpiness on top.

Finally, I layered on a simple gray long sleeve top. I like the gray because it’s different and I feel like it adds more depth to the outfit rather than just doing more black.

There was one time when I stuffed the bottom half of this dress down into a skirt and just let the top part show. But that was just a one time thing and I think using it as a skirt is way better.

Think about re-purposing something you own this New Year’s Eve!

christmas, Fashion, sweater, west town mall, Why this works, winter

Tulle Skirts and Sparkle Pants – An Intriguing Tale

December 15, 2014 2 Comments

the loft, sweater, jeweled sweater, gray sweater, what to wear to holiday parties, hoop earrings

You want to hear the tale of my Christmas program outfit? It involves intrigue and a tulle skirt – as all great adventure tales do.

So at the beginning of the year, I listed in this post that one of my goals for 2014 was to rock a tulle skirt. I was so very serious about that, and when the opportunity arose for me to be in the Christmas program at my church, I thought what better time to wear one then for the program!

What a great idea! So I hunted one down and ordered it. Exactly six days before the program I checked on its whereabouts only to find that it was still hanging out in Hong Kong. Uh….That’s a long way away.

Cue the panic.

Thankfully, I had a back up plan. So let me pause and say how important it is to have a back up plan when you’ve ordered something online. Because that really saved me here. Most of the time for special events I’m locked down to one look and one look only. But it was truly the grace of God that I had another look in mind.

It was also by the grace of God that I was able to get both of these pieces on sale. Truly, I thank God for that.

So here are the deets…the pants are from White House Black Market and the sweater is from The Loft (it’s actually a petite size because that’s all they had left, so I went a size up and it worked which is good to know). I knew I wanted sparkle pants (I was also hoping to generate a nickname with them ;) so I went to this website – ShopStyle.

When you’re searching for something specific, this is the website to use. All you do is input a description of what you want, you can narrow down the price and add other specifics, but it generates a listing of that item and the stores in which it can be found. I do this, then look for the stores that are in West Town Mall, which is how I found the sparkle pants. It’s 1,000 times easier than running around the mall in a frazzled panic – which is exactly what I wanted to do when I first saw my skirts whereabouts.

I knew that since they were so glittery I could go with a toned down top, so I started out searching for a simple gray sweater. Then I found this one. And it was love at first sight.

When buying special occasion clothes, I’m all about how many wears I can squeeze out of them. Unfortunately, I don’t think these pants will get as much use as say a classic pair of black pants, but they’re instant fun, and who knows, I may get more use out of them then I realize.

The sweater, Lord, I’ll wear that whenever I can get the chance!

So that’s the end. I may have heightened about the level of intrigue at the beginning of this tale, but let me just say that when you see the words “Hong Kong” at 8:30am, that’s all the “intrigue” I can handle.

Fashion, Why this works

This is Where We Talk About Wearing White

September 25, 2014 1 Comment

I know it still probably rocks your world to the core, but you CAN wear white after Labor Day.

White it up! Add cream to everything! The old rules of how to dress have gotten thrown out with our flip phones.

This White House Black Market ensemble is a great example of how to do white even now that it’s officially fall (Whoooooo Hooooo!) Even layering whites like this a great idea. It really helps give the spotlight over to some great layered necklaces, like she’s got on here (this pic is from the Back to School Fashion Show at West Town Mall, by the way).

What I love about doing light layers like this, is it keeps you dressy (and warm) without making you look too fancy.

Even though she’s wearing black pants and heels, this look is totally daytime appropriate and looks pulled together without being over done.

The key to pulling off a look like this is to try and keep your whites as close in color as you can. If one is a little bit off it’s no big deal, just make sure you’re not pairing almond with bleach white. Also, vary your textures a little bit. I like how the shirt she’s wearing has a ruffled collar and pleats down the middle. That adds more visual interest and really pulls the look together more than flat white top would.

Most of all, have fun and don’t give your whites the stink eye. We have a right to wear white – anytime we want! ;)

Fashion, jackets, summer, Why this works

How to Dress Down a Lacey Skirt

July 28, 2014 No Comments

One day I may consider putting myself on a clothes buying freeze, just to see how far I can go with what’s in my closet.

There’s a special thrill that comes from creating new outfits out of pieces that have been hanging in your possession for a long time. In fact, I rarely wear anything I own the same way twice. I love to challenge myself and see how far I can stretch a piece.

This skirt is a great example of that. I’ve worn it now three different ways (admittedly I repeated one of those ways once). I absolutely love the edges and how it looks like it’s pretending to be a tulle skirt. This works just fine for me, because while in it I’m pretending the same thing.

I want to wear this girly/lacey/edgy number as many times as I can, so I thought about how to dress it down a bit. What better way to dress anything down than with a white t-shirt and jean jacket? Seriously, these two could have their own reality show. They’d show up to houses of unsuspecting cocktail dresses and sparkly skirts and hang out together, showing them all how to be a little more chill.

The key to pulling off the white shirt is to tuck it in only in the front. By having it hang out all over looked too sloppy, and tucked in all the way didn’t give the outfit quite the right shape. So I experimented with the front tuck and it was juuust right. Accessory wise I could have gone two ways…

I could have paired this with a bunch of necklaces and kept the laid back/rock and roll edge going, but I wanted to go with something that equaled the skirt in elegance. This statement necklace brings both elegance and edge to the table so it works just fine.

As it is with everything in style (and really life) balance is key. This black lace skirt is balanced by the laid back vibe of a t-shirt and jean jacket. Try the combination for yourself this summer!

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