dress – Page 2 – the Spiff

On-Trend Easter Dresses for Your Body Type

March 7, 2016 No Comments

For 4 years I rocked an Easter hat.

Not a bonnet but an actual white statement-making, a-hush-falls-over-the-crowd, cue-the-slow-mo-entrence, hat.

It definitely helped getting ready in the morning because not having to do my hair was a huge time-saver. But then, hat hair.

I’m a big advocate for stepped it up a notch on Easter Sunday. To help you do just that, I’ve put together some dress options that will not only flatter different parts of your body, but also fall in line with several of the big spring trends we’ll be seeing this year.

All of these stores are in West Town Mall, so be sure to check out these options while you’re there!

White House Black Market: This dress may look intimidating, but I own one kind of like it and the stretch technology they’ve built into that dress is of scientific proportions. It sucks you in, smooths you out, is super comfortable and “Dang Girl” flattering all at the same time.

Trend: Shoulders are the big thing to show off this spring, and I think this dress does it in the most elegant way possible.
Body type: This dress would help disguise a larger bum or a little extra in the mid section, as the eye is drawn upwards and the sleeves help to visually balance out your frame.

New York & Co.: Because Easter is coming so early, I’m betting it will be a little cooler this year. Long sleeves will be totally appropriate but perfectly balanced out by the length of this dress.

Trend: There was a bit of a Spanish influence on the spring runways and this dress hits that trend without being too costume-y.
Body type: These wispy sleeves would cover larger arms, the black tie around the waist would really give you definition. The layers won’t cling but rather flow over any other problem areas and all eyes will be drawn to your tiny calves right below that beautiful (and unexpected) lace detail.

Dillard’s: Twice I’ve rocked a belted shirt dress on Easter (once in kahki and once in black). Both times, I had fun concentrating on pairing it with fabulous shoes as they tend to be the stars of this well-structured show.

Trend: OK, no exact trend to point to but this style of dress is a classic. As I’ve said, I’ve rocked it twice and both times it looked current.
Body type: Here’s where this dress really earns it’s keep. With the pockets in the positions that they are, they give shape to the shapeless (adding volume in the boob and hip area). Then it masterfully cinches it all in with that waist-carving belt. It would also be good for a petite frame as the long line of the zipper would make you appear taller. But on the other hand, I don’t need a lot of help in the bum and boobs yet it was still flattering on me – so there you go.

The Limited: While floral is a great spring go-to pattern, I think this paisley is so rich and fresh!

Trend: Orange was a big color for spring. This is such a lovely way to wear the overt color.
Body type: Cover a larger mid section and arms with this sheath shape, and the overall busy (but beautiful) pattern will completely distract the eye from any problem areas.

Ann Taylor: That Ann, she knows how to build a dress.

Trend: Pleats are having their moment this spring. I think this dress does pleats in a very Ann Taylor way – timeless yet current.
Body type: If your boobs and bum are competing for attention, this dress is a great way to help everyone shine while still giving yourself a waist. It’s also a great option if you’re tall because it’s midi-length. And as a tall girl, I know it’s hard to find dresses that won’t make you look like a hooch.

Fashion

The Best Striped Dress Worn Three Ways {Part Three}

March 4, 2016 No Comments

knoxville fashion blogger, ootd, west town mall, rue21, how to style a striped dress multiple ways, winter weekend wear, knoxville fashion blogger, vera bradley, friday fashion

Ever since we got married, my husband and I have enjoyed just hanging out at our house most weekends. In fact, we’ll gladly accept the title of “homebodies” because that’s exactly what we are. If you’ve got a problem with that, we’ll take you outside…wait, never mind that requires leaving the house.

Most of the time it’s my weeknights that include events right after work, so having a dress like this that I can easily transition from work to a dinner or family event saves me so much time. And if I do get a chance to go home in between things, it allows me to hang out for a second (most likely watch Live at Five at Four) and skip rummaging through my closet for something to wear.

It’s comfortable, it’s cute, it will be long enough to wear without tights – this striped black and white tent dress is just what you need.

It’s just what I need. Check out the other ways I’ve styled it all week – first way, second way.

One quick styling note: when you wear a necklace that goes straight down your cleavage, please oh please wear a tank underneath your top so that the necklace doesn’t rest in your cleavage. I don’t see that very often, but when I do it irks me. Don’t irk.

I’m not going to go into detail about how much I love this purse, I’ve already done it here and here. Get one like it here and get the dress (in multiple colors and plus sizes) here.

(Love these pictures? They were taken by the fabulously talented Brittany of SouthernRootsPhotography!)

Fashion, west town mall

The Best Striped Dress Worn 3 Ways {Part One}

February 29, 2016 No Comments

west town mall, style blogger, knoxville fashion, knoxville fashion blogger, ootd, striped dress, how to style a striped dress, striped dress multiple ways, elizabeth ogle, southern roots photography

Dress – Boots – Scarf – Pics

Over the weekend I had the TV to myself for a couple hours, so you know what’s on repeat? Fixer. Upper.

The antique/shabby chic style of Joanna Gaines isn’t totally my thing, BUT if anyone could sell me on it and convince me to move into a house filled with shiplap and unfinished furniture, that woman can.

And while I love to watch it for their creativity and crazy antics, I’m most inspired by how good she looks. Her nails are always painted a cool color, and she’s always put together even though she has four children and is running multiple businesses.

I may have a new hero.

Now that Jackson’s moving around a lot more (we are so close to crawling, but we’re mostly rolling, then getting mad about being on our tummy too long) I’m beginning to realize that as he grows and grows my getting ready time is going to have to evolve.

Seven months of maintaining myself down, 17 1/2 more years to go!

One of the things I’ve always loved to do and even more so now – is styling one piece multiple ways. Not only does it give me more uses from the one outfit, but it also allows me to get my money’s worth from a piece.

This striped dress will be such a staple in my closet. I will wear it all year with a few accessory/layering change-ups, which I’m going to demonstrate this week so be sure to check back in Wednesday and Friday to see how else it can be styled!

Today’s look is really perfect for a Monday.

I’m new to the idea of pairing these brown boots with black, but it really does go and lightens up the whole look compared to just doing black boots. And I love a good pattern mix like I love mac and cheese, so this animal print scarf is just a given.

Both the dress and the scarf can be found at West Town Mall.

A big thanks to the talented skills of Southern Roots Photography for these outfit shots!

Fashion, west town mall

A New Place to Tickle Your Fancy (and get a great dress)

October 19, 2015 No Comments

Ever gone through a shopping lull? You look through racks everywhere, yet nothing seems to tickle your fancy. I for one would like to find my fancy’s ticklish spot because I would really like to land some new clothes.

The one advantage to being in a lull is that it forces you to shop outside your routine places. At least it does me, which is how I got this dress.

Rue21 is new to West Town Mall and has a great selection of super trendy clothes. The kind of clothes that can instantly update your wardrobe for not of a lot of dough. I wandered in there to look at their new digs and check out the jewelry situation a couple weeks ago and found this dress!

I had seen this same striped dress in my Instagram feed from a lot of boutiques who (in my opinion) were asking a little too much. So when I saw it in Rue for less than $25 I was soooo in.

I’m going to style the heck out of this comfortable thing…

Go see what you can snag at Rue21 now located across from Rack Room Shoes right outside of Sears!

(Got the scarf at Express and the boots on Amazon by the way).

dress, Fashion, sale-drunk

Junk Food Dress

June 29, 2015 2 Comments

Getting dressed with a baby bump has been fun. I was looking forward to the new challenge and it’s proven to be the fun/interesting/refreshing adventure I thought it would be. I know it sounds weird, but I love a good fashion challenge and what’s more challenging than your changing body?

This dress is something I picked up in Indianapolis from their H&M. I was hoping to grab some of their cheap maternity clothes, but the store I went to didn’t have a maternity section. Instead, however, I found something better. This dress (and another one like it) that I can wear while pregnant and (most importantly) after.

That’s been my goal each time I shop – to find something that works now and later. It’s a habit I’ve gotten myself into even if I’m not shopping around a bump.

The important thing to remember when you’re buying in stores like H&M or Forever21, is that the pieces you pick up are what I affectionately refer to as “junk food.” It’s cute and delicious and it’s going to serve a short term purpose. But after a couple of wears, you’re going to be hungry again.

The lesson here is exactly parallel to what we put in our body – we can’t fill it up with junk food all the time, we have to have vegetables now and then.

The vegetables in this case would be classic, quality pieces that will stand through the trends and your changing tastes. It could be a little black dress, nude pumps, even a great coat could be considered a closet “vegetable.”Just as long as it’s something you know beyond any doubt that you’ll love for years and years to come.

This dress cost me $17 and is perfect for this point in time. It fits my growing baby bump and is something I’ll probably wear once or twice next summer even without a bump. Beyond that, I don’t think it will last long. But that’s OK because it’s just a bag of Cheetos.

The goal is to have a balance in your closet so that you can keep your look fresh, but not cheap.

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