maxi dress – the Spiff

The Perfect Summer Run-A-Round Dress

August 7, 2018 No Comments

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No special bra required.

Fashion challenge: Park opening with two toddlers, news cameras and city officials in the summer heat + West Town Mall grand opening – what do you wear without changing?

This dress.

You guys, if you don’t already own what I call a “t-shirt” maxi, what are you even doing with your life?! Honestly this piece right here is THE ONLY thing I miss about summer time. It’s so versatile, comfortable and flattering – sweat can be running down your back and no one notices because the dress is so awesome.

I wish I would have bought 3 of this dress that way I would have it for the rest of my life. I got this particular one at The Loft in Tanger Outlets years ago, but I’ve found some more that you can snag at stores throughout West Town Mall.

But seriously, buy one in a dark color and wear it to a kids splash party – you can look nice, stay cool and not have to worry about water marks from picking up your kid out of the pool. You also don’t have to worry about bending over and flashing everyone which is always feels like a win when that care is off the table, ha!

(And yes, I realize the first two options I bring would show wet spots from a toddler immediately but I’m on a constant hunt for more of this exact dress I’m wearing in the picture, and when I find it I’ll alert you!)

JCPenney: Even though this isn’t a “maxi” version, it’s long enough to where you’re still being modest and look how cute it goes with sneakers!

This one is also from JCP and has a great cinching at the waist which will help disguise any extra extra you’ve got in that mid region :)

This one is from Fresh Kale Bath Company – right outside of JCPenney so you don’t have to walk far! And they have it available in multiple colors which will work well into fall… Throw on some booties and a scarf and pick up a pumpkin spice latte and BOOM you’re seasonally appropriate!

And this one…HAS POCKETS (well so does the one above – how great is that!?)

It’s from New York and Co. I also love that is has a hood – which yes, it does make it harder to dress up, but it does add a nice detail that would look good peaking out over a jean jacket.

The best part? None of these require special under garments. Yay for no strapless bras! :)

Wondering how to wear a maxi dress multiple ways? Oh girl, I got you.

Spiffy, style, west town mall

What I’m Wearing Before Summer Ends

September 1, 2017 No Comments

I’m taking the week off from the blog, but I’ve got great content lined up for you!
Enjoy this post from last year that still holds true today!

The words, “Bye Felicia” come to mind when I think of summer being over.

But we’re not there quite yet. Fast approaching are the days in between the seasons which can sometimes make getting dressed feel like puberty – uncertain and awkward.

If you’re like me you wrestle with wanting to dive right into your fall wardrobe because it’s fresh clothes you haven’t had on rotation for a while. But then as you reach for them, you realize you don’t want to over-wear them before it’s even cool outside.

To combat this feeling, I’ve started finding pieces from summer that I really love and focusing on working them into my outfits as much as possible.

Here’s my list of favorites that I’ll be wearing right up until the clock strikes AUTUMN.

All of these things can be found at Dillard’s in West Town Mall and a majority of them are on sale!! EEEEK!

Maxi Dresses

I miss slipping into one of these in November like my toes miss a good cozy boot in May.

Let’s hold on to wearing breezy dresses for as long as we possibly can – and thanks to a great jean jacket, I’ll wear these well into September…

Bright Bags

I am so very excited about getting back with my fall purse, but I will miss the bright pink pop of my summer bag. Just today I got complimented on its color and it somehow goes with everything.

These totes from Dillard’s would be able to hold a lot and pack such a great color punch for the remaining weeks of heat.

Sandals

Admittedly I won’t miss painting my toes, but these beauties make the extra effort all worth it. It’s nice to show more skin on your feet for a while.

I will miss the little hints of glitz coming from a great metallic sandal.

Fashion, Spiffy, style

An Easy Way to Style a Throw-On & Go Dress

August 25, 2017 1 Comment

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Sometimes you have to run out the door looking fabulous in a pinch.

Regardless of where you are in life and what could “pop up” on your weekends, you need one fabulous pieces in your closet that you can throw on and wear out the door. Enter: a throw-on dress (I’M A GENIUS WITH NAMES).

A dress you can style in several ways with a simple change of accessories, is a closet staple. I picked this one up at Victoria Secret in West Town Mall several years ago – which goes to show the power of a throw-on dress – it’s still getting rocked to this day. I got it in both gray and black because I knew I was going to love how comfortable and versatile it was and boy was I right.

What’s fun is donning said throw-on dress then seeing what you can change about it. In this case a simple tug of one shoulder creates a sexy off the shoulder look that not only shows a little more skin, but also showcases some majorly awesome earrings.

I MEAN THESE EARRINGS!!

I picked these up at Bradley’s in the Panera shopping center near Cedar Bluff and North Peters Road. They’re hand made by Ivy Lane Jewelry and yow-zah they’re beautiful. I especially love them because they can show through my hair when I wear it down.

This whole look translates easy, grounded style while at the same time being ridiculously comfortable.

Here are some more dress options that would fit nicely in the “throw and go” category.

And here’s a link to get your own earrings!

Spiffy, style

I MADE THIS (sort of): My Thoughts on Asking for Help

August 18, 2017 No Comments

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Say it with me, “he-he-he-l-pu-pu-p.”

“Help Mommy” is a phrase I’ve heard my 2-year-old say about 10 times a day in the past week. When I hear him say it I laugh because he’s light years ahead of me when it comes to asking for help.

For me to say, “Help” is about as hard as it would be for me to do a split… on a tight rope.

But why is asking for help so hard?

I know two answers to that question…

The main reason I don’t like to ask for help is I haven’t cloned myself yet. Which is the fancy way of saying I want it done a certain way and in a certain time frame (preferably yesterday).

I’m also very adverse to inconveniencing people. I don’t know if any of you can relate, but I would rather stay up late into the night trying to get everything done than feel as if I’m being a burden to someone. I’ve always been like that. I will totally disregard my own dire needs to make sure no one is going out of their way. I’m trying to get past that. But if it bothers you, I won’t I’ll just keep doing it.

As you can see I need some help in this area, but I’m hoping that writing this post will help – HA! I said Help! That’s got to be a step in the right direction.

Another reason asking for help is so hard is – wearing the busy badge loud and proud.

Why people want to take on as much as possible so that they can polish that badge is beyond me. But I do weird things too (see above) so no judgement here.

Let’s talk about why asking for help is so necessary…

You’re not Wonder Woman.

The dress I’m wearing in the pictures is one that I set out to make myself. I saw the material in Joanne’s and thought it was pretty. I knew I had some time coming up in my week, so I set out to make it. My Mom is great at sewing and always has her machine set up, so I took it to her house.

Before I even got to her house my day got rerouted. Soon after I started on the dress, a text and several emails sent me into a tizzy and time started quickly melting away.

Once I realized I couldn’t make the dress alone, I had to let go of my pre-imagined strut in front of my husband. I was going to whip out the dress and brag that with all I had going on – I MADE A DRESS, YO. I would drop an imaginary mic, I had a whole thing planned.
I had to let it go and ask for help from my Mom. But you know what? I’m so glad I did. It was one of those days where I was getting pulled from every direction. Had I struggled through making the dress myself I would have been a frazzled mess at the end of the day.

Now I keep the dress visible in my closet as a reminder – ask for help. The only person who will be satisfied with you doing it all yourself is you. And even that will be short-lived because 10 seconds after you have your proud moment, you’ll pass out on the couch in exhaustion.

No reason for that. “Help” is one syllable away.

Want to see how to wear dresses like this one multiple ways? Oh I’m all over that.

Spiffy, style

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!