forever21 – the Spiff

My Favorite Greens

March 17, 2017 No Comments

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Have you heard about the dangers of keeping things in your closet for sentimental reasons? I’ve read that several places lately.

The danger lies in the fact that the item clogs up your closet and is left taking up space only because you can’t let it go.

Thankfully one of my sentimental pieces happens to be this gorgeous green dress. It’s not taking up space because I love it and I plan to wear it forever….at least every summer…for the rest of my life.

Believe it or not, this dress is almost ten years old. Right? I can’t believe it myself. I bought it to wear to my first bridal shower. The green color though reminds me of the perfect spring green – bright and fresh.

It’s a comfortable dress and has a cool belt detail at the top, which is what drew me to it in the first place. I paid $100 for it from VictoriaSecret.com (back when they sold more clothes that you could wear in public). And seeing as how I’ve worn it multiple times a year, every year for nine years – I think I’ve gotten my money’s worth.

When you buy simple pieces, they will stand the test of time and you can justify a more expensive purchase – feel free to use this on your husband for your next big purchase ;)

The other favorite green I’m featuring, is this green army jacket from Forever21. All of my favorite jackets have come from Forever21 in West Town Mall.

This one I’ve loved for years (it might be close to nine as well…geese!). My favorite thing about it is that it works both open and closed.

One of my all-time favorite outfits is this one with the striped shirt underneath and belted with the leopard belt. That was a great look. It’s one I came up with just playing around in my closet one night! Remember, that’s a great time to come up with fun looks!

Do you have any sentimental or favorite pieces that you wear on the regular? I want to hear about it – share it below!

Meanwhile here is a similar green maxi dress (with a cool criss-cross detail), and here is a simliar army jacket!

Fashion, Spiffy, west town mall

Cheap + Tight: How I Made it Work Anyway

February 22, 2017 2 Comments

ootd, knoxville fashion, knoxville fashion blog, midi pencil skirt, pencil skirt outfit, skirt and sweater outfit, professional look for moms, mom blog, knoxville mom blog, forever21 for moms, waterfall sweater outfit, february sweater outfit, west town mall, west town mall style

Shop this look: Skirt | Similar Sweater | Booties

Do you remember what Forever21 was like in 2008?

It had a sparkly floor, clothing racks as far as the eye could see and a jewelry section with a giant chandelier. I would often drive three hours just to be there and gaze at all the beauty. Then I could scoop up whatever I wanted, because it was so dang cheap!

There were so many great tops and jackets (OH THE JACKETS!!).

So what’s changed?

Probably (honestly) me. I’ve watched my taste shift from trendy and cheap to craving more classic and sturdy. Like needing fiber for my closet. Good thing that doesn’t sound like I’m getting older!

Forever21 has changed too, but only because that’s the nature of their business. They’re here to provide us trends. And it seems the trend is now to wear shirts that stop half way down your torso. Yay.

I still wander in there.

I made myself a promise (you were there, it’s in a blog post somewhere) that I would always shop at Forever21 no matter my age. Because the jewelry is great. I often snag pieces that look like they came from J. Crew for less than $10.

Or hey, this skirt! It was $8.

And while it is tight (like TOO MUCH INFORMATION tight) I rose to the style challenge and made it work…for a Sunday morning…at Church!

Here’s how I did it…

Knowing the length and straightness this skirt would bring to my frame; I knew it would need to be severely balanced out with some volume. Enter: this waterfall sweater that thankfully covers my bum. That made the skirt a little less sexy office assistant and a little more mother appropriate.

You know what else would work? This vest.

Because the skirt is so long, you want something that does cover your bum, but doesn’t go much longer past that. Too much length can drag your whole frame down.

To continue the volume up top, I went with a loose gray shirt. I tucked it in for a couple of inches just to define my waist. Again: it’s all about balance and I needed to balance all of that volume I had added with a defined waist. I didn’t want to get swallowed up!

In the spring this can also work with a shorter kimono and maybe some taupe booties instead of black. Just remember…Balance is key!

And know that 30 years from now you’ll still bump into me, shopping for cheap jewelry and possibly really tight skirts ;)

Fashion, forever21, Spiffy, west town mall, Why this works, winter

A Cute and Comfortable Winter Outfit

January 8, 2016 No Comments

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Still taking some time to ~~sale shop~~ stop and reflect about the coming year ;) Enjoy today’s post from last season then tune in Monday when we set some style goals for 2016!

Similar necklace; swacket; skirt; shoes; undershirt came from here (believe it or not).

My favorite purchase of this fall/winter has hands down been this sweater (or jacket…maybe swacket?).

I actually took it right off the back of an unsuspecting mannequin, and I’m so glad I did (she had it coming). I love having one cool go-to piece that I can grab and consistently feel good in throughout the colder months. It’s especially nice when I’m stuck trying to figure out what to wear – I just grab this and style it differently.

This time I changed things up by buttoning it up. It works especially well with this voluminous skirt and really helps showcase this gorgeous statement necklace my Aunt Kathleen got me for my birthday this past year.

Think about any swackets you’ve got, could you get more mileage out of them by wearing them buttoned?

Maybe now that you’ve learned the word “swacket” you’re confused as to what the proper pronunciation would be, AND need help styli

Fashion, west town mall

A Very Flattering Party Skirt

December 11, 2015 No Comments

forever21, skirt, midi skirt, holiday dressing, how to dress for a christmas party, christmas party outfit, ootd, west town mall, knoxville fashion blogger, mauve skirt, long skirt, figure flattering skirt, how to dress for your figure, a-line skirt — Skirt and Shoes: Forever21 / Necklace: The Loft

Believe me when I say this skirt will hide every flaw from the waist down.

Before I go proving that, let me first apologize for the lack of outfit posts. For an outfit post you must first, you know, have a picture of an outfit. The reason for my lack of picture outfits is hanging out in his crib right now cooing over his toes.

But thankfully with the help of the uber talented Brittany at SouthernRootsPhotography, I’ve got some really awesome pictures that I’m explosively excited about. If you want to know what that means…well you don’t it’s just embarrassing.

Side note: Besides being a top-notch photographer, Brittany is so friendly and easy to get along with. She is exactly the person you want on the other side of the camera and will make you look good. Go here to schedule your next family session with her. She does maternity shoots, engagement photos, wedding, birthdays – you name it. She can take a picture of your pile of laundry and make it look good. Don’t tell anyone why you would want a picture of your laundry because that’s weird.

Back to the skirt…
What makes this skirt so flattering is that it sits right around my waist line, skimming past all the things that as women, we sometimes like to hide. Things like wide child-bearing hips, an ample bum and a “had a baby or thought about having a baby at some point” pooch.

The skirt hides all of that and highlights the smallest part of the waist. And because it’s a-line, the volume makes your waist look even smaller by comparison, so really this skirt is a weight-loss program all by itself.

Do note, when you wear a skirt like this higher up on your torso, you’ve got to really be careful not to slouch. If you slouch your boobs will become one with the top of the skirt and no one wants to see that. Not even your mother.

Pair a voluminous skirt like this with little volume on top – so a gray t-shirt and statement necklace works perfect!

And while I’m not at all a bow person, I couldn’t help myself when it came to these cute heels.

A skirt like this makes dressing for the holidays easy breezy.

Pick yours up at Forever21 in West Town Mall. Do it fast because in the history of Forever21 a knee-length skirt has only been spotted once or twice! ;-P

fall, Fashion, west town mall

Plaid Got a Makeover

October 21, 2015 No Comments

My son has pooped in a JCPenney three times now. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t like the place, or because he’s so relaxed.
Yesterday while the lady in the checkout line was oohing and aahing over him, he’s lying in the stroller straining. 

I’m just glad he got it all out because I was in a rush to put together an outfit. It was during that rush that I became thankful for two things…
One: I’m thankful he’s a good shopper and able to sleep while mommy drives his stroller like a bumper car (I’m still getting used to it).
Two: I’m thankful for plaid.

Sure the right kind of animal print makes me salivate and of course stripes are always a safe bet, but I was craving something new. Something fall-like but without the country feel (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

I needed a great pattern and I was pleasantly surprised to find that plaid has been given a makeover. Everywhere I turned there was an updated version of what can sometimes be a homely pattern. Whether it was incorporating new colors like the purple pictured above from Tommy Hilfiger or the orange and gray from Banana Republic, or by going bolder and wider with the stripes like Express has done, or maybe it was how The Limited printed it on a softer, flowy fabric – all of those upgrades made the pattern more appealing to a city gal like myself.

I tried with all my might to not title this post, “Mad for Plaid” but I have to say, the 21st century versions of this classic pattern and all the pattern mixing possibilities it brings with it, makes it hard not to go a little mad for a lot of plaid. ;)

Pick up any of these great options at West Town Mall!