summer style – Page 2

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

August 25, 2017 1 Comment

throw on dress, black jersey dress, how to style a black maxi dress, fashion blogger, what to wear on date night, what to wear this weekend, how to style a black dress

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

joanne's, handmade dress, how to ask for help, maxi dress, homemade maxi dress, fashion, mom fashion, mom life, mom blog

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

Have You Seen This Online Boutique? (Two Words: Free Shipping)

August 11, 2017 1 Comment

gray monroe, knotted tee, floral tee, fashion blogger, mom blog, elizabeth ogle, ottd, summer ootd, knoxville fashion

You’re going to want to fill up your virtual cart.

Listen, I’m just doing my duty altering you to small businesses so you can support them and help the community. It’s not even a purchase for you per-say, it’s for the community. I mean, you’re just trying to do some good in the world. (I can work up a full “here’s why I spent this much” kit if you need me to ;)

In my quest for boutique clothing that didn’t put the ho in boho, I found Gray Monroe (how awesome is that accidental rhyme).

Started by a mother with the goal of spending time on herself so she’d feel like a woman again, this site offers everything from fun tassel jewelry to the latest trends in clothing. Ergo: knotted tees. I could buy every single one of them.

I bought this knotted tee earlier in the year (and at the time of writing this it was on sale on the website!).

Here’s the magnificent thing about knotted tees – they instantly style your outfit. Instead of just a plain ole’ hemline sitting there like “ho hum I’m a boring shirt”, you’ve got a side knot that gives your whole look personality!

This floral pattern isn’t the only one either, there’s a striped version (which I will be owning VERY SOON), a gray version and all kinds of sleeve options. Go look for yourself!

Oh, want another reason to love this gal? She does a happy hour sale every Thursday. It’s different each week. Sometimes it’s an extra discount on clearance items and other times it’s 20% off tops. Either way, shipping is free so you’re already saving there! I mean, I’m saving you money all over the place ;)

As far as sizing goes….Here’s the thing, I can be a small, medium or large depending on the clothing. What I’ve done on this site is look at her stats (she’s pretty small and petite) and then look at the top she’s wearing in the picture. If it covers her bum, I know a small will work on me too (because I don’t want it covering my bum and I’m taller than her so it won’t). If it comes up shorter on her waist, then I order a large or medium depending on the rest of the top.

Just use your best judgement. And happy shopping!

Fashion, Spiffy, style

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, Videos, wbir, west town mall

Stylishly Organized Summer Bags

July 19, 2017 No Comments

vera bradley bags, west town mall, summer bags, how to stay organized in the summer, stylishly organized

What’s next on your bag wish list?

You know what I’m talking about. Just about every woman has a running bag wish list in her head. And if you don’t, oh girl, I’ll help you out with that.

Watch my segment below for a BUNCH of great bags that are cute and will help keep you organized this summer.

Don’t have any where left to travel? No biggie :) Fall is just around the corner and that season is going to need more bags too!

Oh and have I mentioned that if you show up to Vera Bradley at West Town Mall between 2-4 that I’ll be there and you get a special discount when you mention “TheSpiff”? I haven’t mentioned that? Oh well then…if you show up to Vera Bradley at West Town Mall between 2-4 that I’ll be there and you get a special discount when you mention “TheSpiff” ;)

Here’s a bit about the Vera purse I carry…you won’t believe what all I can fit in this puppy when you see how little it is…

Previous page Next page