jcp – the Spiff

Pretty Spring-Like Picks from JCP

February 16, 2018 16 Comments

jcp, west town mall, jcpenney, knoxville shopping, knoxville blogger, knoxville style, style consultant, elizabeth ogle, spring picks, what to buy for spring, wear now and later

Let’s be clear, winter isn’t over yet.

You know I’m a lover of cold weather. But as I walked through JCP the other day, pulling things to take pictures of, I looked down and realized what I had was the beginning of a good spring wardrobe.

As usual, I sold myself on just about everything I put on – how do these people DO IT? I’ve been reading dressing room posts for a while, and I’ve never fully thought about how tempting it would be to buy everything every time. Maybe they do. Who knows.

PS: Everything I try on came from the Liz Claiborne section!

Rain Jacket

I truly almost sold myself on the polka dot rain jacket… The only thing that held me back was the pile of jackets that are currently on our coat rack. But this number is pretty cute! It’s on sale for $42 and I’m wearing a medium.

Trench Coat

I’m in the middle of reading a book about building your wardrobe, and the one thing I keep reading (and have heard before) is that a trench coat is a good basic to have on hand.

I don’t really have a good trench coat.

But it is so versatile and can work in almost all the seasons. This is a great option. Makes me feel like a chic spy! It’s 30% off right now and will ring in at $56. I’m wearing a medium but it runs a little big so I could’ve done a small.

Denim Jacket

Speaking of outerwear every woman needs in her closet – cue the denim jacket!

I’m partial to a darker denim because it goes with all my black and this is a great dark wash.

My piece of advice when shopping for a denim jacket? Style it how you would actually wear it when trying it on. I will always wear it with the sleeves rolled up, so I rolled them up. That way you can truly decide if it will work with your ascetic or not.

Love the lines working down vertically – makes it feel more taylored to my body. This is a great deal too! Most run way more than $42.99

Chambray Shirt

Speaking of versatile denim pieces – this shirt! Love the lightweight look of a chambray shirt. Also love that the buttons don’t go all the way down. That will make it work under other shirts sooo well because you won’t have the bulk of the buttons all the way down.

This is a great purchase and honestly I’ve talked myself into going back and getting it. It’s only $29.99 and I promise once you break down the cost-per-wear you’ll be paying about ten cents every time you wear it (aka: it will be often!)

Striped Sailor Jacket

I spied a jacket like this in the sale section of a website and it peaked my interest. Then when I tried it on I realized what a great addition this would be to a spring wardrobe.

Pair it with ripped jeans and a simple white tee, OR throw it over a lightly floral patterned maxi dress. The navy and white stripes are basically requirements for spring dressing and the lightweight feel will be perfect for the cooler days/nights (THAT I PRAY TO GOD WE HAVE ALL THROUGH SPRING BECAUSE I LOVE COLD WEATHER AND JACKETS).

PSS: notice how my bold lip goes with everything I’m wearing?! Goes to show how versatile a fuchsia lip can be. Check out my instagram profile to see what matte lipstick is my fav (see: Spiffy Lips)

PSSS: I can’t, CAN’T get enough of these products. I’ve been slathering myself with all things lavender since Tuesday. And what’s even better? They’re located right outside of JCP so you can go grab your spring wardrobe then head on over to Fresh Kale Bath Company to smell good. WIN WIN. :) You’re welcome.

Fashion, west town mall, Why this works

The Perfect Denim Jacket for Your Body Type

June 5, 2015 No Comments

If your closet was a pantry, a denim jacket would be the all-purpose flour.

Useful in so many ways and often used to tone things down.

Throw one on over sun dresses and little slinky tops to make them more office appropriate. Wear it with white pants or black pants. Make a fancier dress more casual, or give shape to your shapeless pieces.

And it’s not just perfect for spring and summer. A good denim jacket will be with you through fall, so it’s a really good investment. I’ll go as far to say it’s a classic.

Which is why it’s so important to choose one that’s going to flatter your body type and make you look magically delicious. To help, I’ve put together this guide to show you which ones will work for your frame…

1. Hide your hips with this longer denim jacket from Dillard’s. It hits a little below where the hips start which helps to visually balance them out.

2. Give a straight figure more curves with a darker Tommy Hilfiger jacket. The larger pockets add bulk in the right places, and it tapers in the back in giving a curve-less figure some va-va-voom!

3. For petites, JCPenney gets it right. This jacket helps petite frames in that it hits right at the waist/top of hips, and the vertical lines helps create the illusion of length. Also, make sure the sleeves are rolled up so the jacket doesn’t overwhelm your frame.

4. If you’re rounder in the middle, this darker denim blazer from Zappos is the answer. The darts helps it taper in which defines a waist line for a rounder figure and the open collar with the blazer structure opens up the jacket and creates a great skinny line right down your middle.

dress, Fashion, jcpenney, spring

How to Dress for the Weather

April 27, 2015 No Comments

jcp, maxi dress, white leather jacket, ootd, fashion blog

The funny thing about the weather here in Tennessee? It’s one big surprise party.

This past Saturday they called for 90% chance of rain and guess what…we didn’t get a drop. Not during the day at least. And I was all prepared for a good rainy Saturday (pssst: the fact that it didn’t rain didn’t stop me from binge watching Gilmore Girls #lazyday).

But with the onslaught of outdoor events on the schedule this time of year combined with the mixed bag of weather possibilities, it helps to know just how to dress so that you’re cute AND weather appropriate.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when getting ready to attend outdoor events this spring/summer…

Start your outfit planning by checking the weather.

This time of year especially it can be cool, hot, rainy, windy – you just never really know. Begin putting your outfit together by realizing what weather you need to dress for and go from there. I always always want to be both comfortable and weather appropriate (wearing sandals in the middle of a cold spell draws the wrong kind of attention to my outfit…especially if my toes start to turn blue ;)

If you see the weather doesn’t coincide with what you had planned to wear, immediately start coming up with alternates. By working on your outfit in advance, you save yourself from running around like a headless chicken the day of. The alternative can be as simple as adding a cute little jacket to your maxi dress, too!

Now I know there are millions of life factors that get in the way of doing these things sometimes, so even if you do end up wearing a sun dress in 55 degree weather, or sinking in the mud in your favorite heels – be sure to press those shoulders back and keep a smile on your face the whole time.

Complaining through a frown doesn’t make anyone look good.

Fashion, spring, west town mall

The Season’s Most Popular Pattern: Floral

April 6, 2015 No Comments

This is me making a strong effort to introduce a new pattern to my closet. I can’t preach things like, “break out of your box, and try wearing something new!” if I don’t practice it myself.

What better pattern to do that with this spring than floral? I mean, really…even the weeds that spring up flowers look amazing. I think we can pull this off.

I’ve told you before, I’m not very girly when it comes to my style of dress. The only thing in my closet with a bow on it was bought for a Halloween costume. So going with a print this frilly and girly is definitely stepping out of my style zone. However, it can be easily pattern mixed with stripes (of which I have a-plenty), paired with edgier pieces giving you a perfectly balanced look, or patterned in such as way that it doesn’t look overly girly (as in the dress pictured below from New York & Co.)

What’s great about this pattern is it introduces so many color options into your look, so floral can easily become a neutral. I think a pair of floral pumps or flats like I’ve got in the collage would be great because they’d add a pop of pattern and color to the most basic outfits.

Take a look at the options below (all found at stores in West Town Mall) and go with as little or as much floral as your little heart desires!

1. American Eagle glasses case.

2. Altar’d State floral scarf.

3. Forever 21 floral print top.

4. JCP floral pumps

5. JCP floral flats

6. Altar’d State earrings.

7. American Eagle floral shades.

8. New York & Co. floral geo print sheath dress.

dress, dress shopping, the limited, west town mall

From the Runway to the Real-Way

March 13, 2015 No Comments

runway looks for everyday wear, how to wear what was on the runway, badgley mischka, the limited dress, scandal dress, bisou bisou, jcpenny, fashion blog, easter dress ideas, flattering dress options, how to find a dress that flatters your figure

Sitting on the floor watching Suits the other night, I noticed that one of the female character’s legs didn’t touch. You could pass an Oxford Dictionary through the gap between her thighs. I said to my husband, “I bet that girl doesn’t eat tater tots,” then popped a tot into my mouth.

So this post is for all of us tot-eaters who don’t have the legs of a supermodel but want to dress like one.

The runway version you see here is from the Badgley Mischka Spring 2015 collection. Which in all reality was probably sent down the actual runway last fall. It’s a beautiful sheath dress with panel pattern blocking on the sides – something that really flatters a gal’s figure.

To the right, are two wildly cheaper options that are accessible here in town (at West Town Mall, in fact).

The first, is from JCPenney. It’s Bisou Bisou (place special emphasis on the “s” in those words when asked who made your dress, and even when not). The white makes it perfectly daytime appropriate, while the side paneling draws all the attention into a smaller version of yourself that the dress has carved out for you. It gives the illusion that your curves are only to be found there in the middle. Consider the black portions of the dress completely invisible. It’s a very cheap, very fast, and very much pain fre e version of liposuction.

Beside that is a dress from The Limited but instead of darker paneling they inserted lace. This is from their Scandal collection (which won’t be around forever, folks!). It too carves out a beautifully slimming mid-section with the addition of the lace and even extends into the back of the dress.

A beautiful white sheath dress like either of these options would make a great Easter dress!