summer dress – the Spiff

The Dress You Can Wear 100 Ways

July 21, 2017 3 Comments

bluetique, market square boutique, knoxville fashion, knoxville fashion blogger, tennessee fashion blogger, mom blog, tshirt dress, chambray dress, summer style, what to wear this summer

The creator of this chambray dress can take a nap every day for the rest of their lives – this thing is perfection.

Not only does it bring the versatility of a chambray shirt to your whole body, but it’s light weight, comfortable and…wait for it….

IT HAS POCKETS.

When you say you want to live in a dress, I fully believe you could create a whole capsule summer-to-fall wardrobe based around this puppy. Let me demonstrate…

Wear it as a bathing suit cover up
Wear it dressed up with wedges and a fun clutch
Wear it with little sneakers and a baseball hat
Wear it with tights and boots
Wear it tucked into a voluminous skirt and a fabulous statement necklace
Wear it with booties and a long cardigan
Wear it belted with skinny pants and booties
Wear it with another collared shirt underneath and some fun heels
Wear it with tall boots and a scarf

BOOM. And that’s just off the top of my head.

This beauty is from Bluetique in Market Square (is it more proper to say “on” Market Square?). They have a fun selection of dresses that will have you looking as amazing as I do in this one (#humblebrag).

Their gorgeous jewelry section will have you standing there trying to justify taking it all home, and their UT section will have you looking for tailgate parties to crash.

And honestly, I’ve been surprised at their affordable pricing every time I’m in there. Now that’s a pleasant surprise.

Go see the friendly girls over at Bluetique and find something you can wear over and over and over again!

Remember to come see me at Vera Bradley on Saturday from 2-4 pm in West Town Mall! There will be a special discount and a prize drawing, so come. on. out!!!

Spiffy, style, west town mall

Dresses You Can Wear with Sneakers or Heels

May 19, 2017 1 Comment

jcp dresses, west town mall, shop west town mall, dresses for summer, dresses to wear with heels or sneakers, casual style, casual dresses

Currently, I’m shopping like it’s 100 degrees outside.

I finally pinpointed my most perplexing style moment of summer – trying to look good when it feels like 100 degrees. So I’m taking steps to combat that WHAT DO I WEAR?! moment by scooping up cute but cool pieces that can be styled a myriad of ways…

Like these dresses from JCP in West Town Mall.

Honestly, going into this post, I thought I’d just pull some basic t-shirt dresses here and there slap them together…yadda, yadda…but as I looked at the graphic all together, I wanted to hop out of my chair and book it down to JCP for every. single. one of these pieces.

How about that chambray dress!? I can instantly envision it with white Converse and a cross-body, or nude wedges and a striped bag. Psssst: It’s online only so here’s the link.

I picked each dress because the above shoe combination is possible with all of them. As someone who disdains the feel of shorts – these will be my go-to picks this summer.

Also, I just bought one from GAP in West Town Mall that’s a great length, more on that later!

Not into dresses but want to wear an old pair of jeans in a new way (that’s wildly specific of me)…read how to distress your own jeans!

Fashion

Get the Most from Your Maxi Dress

July 1, 2016 2 Comments

When summer comes I literally LIVE in maxi dresses. I mean it. I set up a tent made entirely of maxi dresses and I live there. (Stay in school, kids, learn the proper use of literally).

They are beautiful, inexpensive (if you camp outside of Ross), and don’t have a waist band to judge you when you’ve eaten too many hot dogs. They also help you get away with not shaving your legs or having an all over tan. Girls, I’m just not seeing any downsides.

The post below is from two years ago but it’s one I return to every year. Once you’ve found the perfect maxi, style it differently! You used your shopping cart to edge out two women eyeing the same dress, so why not wear it as many times as possible, looking fresh every time!?

The one piece I end up missing the most when summer is over, is a maxi dress.

Thus while I’ve got summer on my side, I’m going to figure out as many ways to wear them as possible. This not only helps me when packing, but it also helps to stretch my dollars -and you can’t say that’s not fun!

Here are three examples of how I’ve taken a plain maxi dress and jazzed them up a bit…

There are so many great simple tank maxi’s out there, don’t shy away from them! Look at them as a blank (and wildly comfortable) canvas. Add your personality all over it by way of a belt, a long swingy necklace, a jean jacket…the list goes on and on.

I hate having to work around my bra straps this time of year. That’s why I stock up on printed tank tops that aren’t razor backs so that I can wear them underneath a strappy dress like this one and still be comfortable in my regular bra. If you have a dress that doesn’t work with a tank top underneath, click here to read about a great strapless bra.

This striped dress has been with me all over the country. Because it’s so easy to pack and can be worn 10 different ways. Look for a maxi in a simple pattern like this one so you can wear it with a sweater, a shirt, a jacket, a sweatshirt…you get the idea. It’s freakishly versatile.

Ross has one of the best collections of maxi dresses I’ve ever seen. That’s where I bought the flower print one pictured. The other two came from Forever21 (JC Penney also has a great collection). Get out there and find one you love, then wear it ten different ways from Sunday!

I’ll be taking Monday off, so enjoy your Fourth of July weekend! We’ll see you back here with a fresh blog on Wednesday. :)

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.

Fashion, forever21, jcpenney, maxi dress, summer, summertime

Get the Most from Your Maxi Dress

June 22, 2015 No Comments

The following is a post from last summer. I wanted to bring it to you again because now that the temperatures have heated up, it’s nice to know how to get really good use out of the most comfortable pieces in your closet – your maxi dresses! Enjoy and check back Wednesday for the white hot trendy item you’ll really appreciate having this season!

The one piece I end up missing the most when summer is over, is a maxi dress.

Thus while I’ve got summer on my side, I’m going to figure out as many ways to wear them as possible. This not only helps me when packing, but it also helps to stretch my dollars -and you can’t say that’s not fun!

Here are three examples of how I’ve taken a plain maxi dress and jazzed them up a bit…

There are so many great simple tank maxi’s out there, don’t shy away from them! Look at them as a blank (and wildly comfortable) canvas. Add your personality all over it by way of a belt, a long swingy necklace, a jean jacket…the list goes on and on.

I hate having to work around my bra straps this time of year. That’s why I stock up on printed tank tops that aren’t razor backs so that I can wear them underneath a strappy dress like this one and still be comfortable in my regular bra. If you have a dress that doesn’t work with a tank top underneath, click here to read about a great strapless bra.

This striped dress has been with me all over the country. Because it’s so easy to pack and can be worn 10 different ways. Look for a maxi in a simple pattern like this one so you can wear it with a sweater, a shirt, a jacket, a sweatshirt…you get the idea. It’s freakishly versatile.

Ross has one of the best collections of maxi dresses I’ve ever seen. That’s where I bought the flower print one pictured. The other two came from Forever21 (JC Penney also has a great collection). Get out there and find one you love, then wear it ten different ways from Sunday!