When It’s Time to Replace Basics…

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The word basic never raises heart rates. It’s association in the past couple years is pretty, well basic.

I feel as if I’m trying to define something to my 4-year-old…

“Mommy what’s basic?”

“Welp, it’s preeeeetty basic.”

So when you think about replacing the basics in your closet it’s about as exciting as paying for your things to be handed back to you from the cleaners. Whoop-de-do.

However, when you see THESE basics, you’re going to start humming “Bringing Sexy Back” cause girl, you’re going to feel it in any of these jackets – even the button downs I brought with me on the show are going to get you excited.

And think of all the new ways you can work these puppies into your regular rotation. I know there’s a black number I hold up that could really jazz up my everyday t-shirt and yoga pants world. So look for yourself and check any of them out in Banana Republic or White House Black Market in West Town Mall!

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White Hot Pants That Won’t Show Your Business

We all know the problem with white pants – they can get a little too “show and tell” *ifyaknowhatimean.

We want to look cool and crisp in their clean bright effortlessness, but we certainly don’t want our backside and Hello Kitty underwear on full display.

Thankfully, it’s possible to have great white pants without having to leave a room walking backwards. I’ve gathered four options from stores in West Town Mall to show you the different cuts and brands that give you comfortable coverage without cutting out the cute.

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Ann Taylor: These are actually eyelet pants, so they’ve got a great texture to them which will help mask any imperfections and panty lines. I also really like their relaxed look!

The Limited: For a more jean-like feel, go for these. With a skinnier silhouette they’ll play perfectly against billowy tops (or kimonos!).

New York & Co.: A long white pant is probably my favorite, and I can personally vouch for the greatness of New York & Company’s white pants. These would work in both the office and after hours with their slack-like shape. The material is heavy enough to give you coverage, but light enough to keep you cool.

White House Black Market: These are wrinkle resistant! AH! That’s so nice. And they’re the perfect length for showing off your cute summer shoes and pedicure!

If you’ve got your eye on a pair of white pants that aren’t in this list, I strongly advise you to read reviews. You’ll be able to learn a lot about the pants and whether or not to buy your size or not. Especially if you’re buying online, knowing if they run true to size really helps, and most of the time people leave that in the reviews.

For more on what’s trendy this season and whether or not you should incorporate it, check here, here and here!

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You’re Cordially Invited to Wear This to a Wedding

There’s an unbelievable amount of thought put into wedding invitations. For example, did you know how the parent’s names are listed indicates who’s paying for the wedding?

If the parents names are written as inviting you to the wedding of their son Billy Bob then the parents are paying, but if Billy Bob is listed as inviting you together with his bride Tookie, then ole’ Billy is footing the bill.

Invitation should also indicate the level of dress. They’ll do this by either explicitly saying “IT’S BLACK TIE” or more subtlety with the look of their invite and the location.

But even if everything’s spelled out for you it’s still hard to determine what to wear. So I’ve found four looks that will help with wedding guest attire conundrums.

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Outdoor Weddings:

These days it seems everyone is getting married outside. Whether it’s in a barn, near the lake or in someone’s backyard, the biggest problem an outdoor wedding poses is the ground. Walking through a field is definitely not 4″ stiletto friendly. Therefore if the wedding is outdoors, regardless of the time of day, you’ve got to craft your outfit around wearing wedges or flats.

The two options I’ve put together are perfect for either shoe. The daytime look from Ann Taylor is nice and light and would work perfectly with nude colored wedges.

For the nighttime look I went a little crazy and picked out a jumpsuit from White House Black Market. It seems you can’t walk five steps in a store without bumping into a jumpsuit these days (unless it’s just me and my prego belly).

It’s definitely a refreshing choice over a dress and is probably pretty comfortable (except for when you have to pee which I do about every ten minutes and oh yeah…this would look crazy with my prego belly). Choose one that’s short enough for you to pair it with flats.

Indoor Weddings:

Daytime weddings can be a little tricky especially if there’s no indication of dress on the invitation. For this I say, dress as if you’re going to church. This blue number from New York & Co. would work in that instance, and it’s definitely a great choice for indoors as it would look great with ankle strap heels (like that girl is wearing). It’s also great for disguising a larger midsection (notice the rouching) and the little bit of sleeve will help hide heavier arms.

An indoor nighttime wedding? *Rubs hands together* They are my favorite! Typically they’re dressier so you get to pull out all the stops. And if you ask me, this black and white dress from Chico’s pulls out all the stops and throws them as far as they can.

I made an audible “wow” when I scrolled down and saw this. I love the whole look – from her bun to her chunky silver bracelet (although I would put the bracelet on the other arm to balance out the look). This is the kind of dress you wear when some of the wedding guests include people you haven’t seen in a while.

Be sure to walk in the room in slow motion like the camera is slowly panning your look and there’s a sexy song playing behind you…or would that look ridiculous? You be the judge.

By the way, all of these stores are at West Town Mall so be sure to get out and grab something glam for your next wedding invite!

Want to wear something you already own, and just add new accessories? Check out these great options from Vera Bradley…even jewelry!


Shopping My Closet

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You Need a Little Black Dress (You Really Do)

It’s the week of Valentine’s day, so I’m taking some time to talk about what the boys like.

You can insert you own man whenever I say “boys”, or you can just take a lot of notes if you’re single.

The whole idea for this weeks theme came to me last year when I was standing in a store, witnessing an exchange between a man and a woman (I assume they were husband and wife, but I don’t know for sure). They were both shopping in an upscale woman’s store, when the man spotted a little black dress. He held it up and said, “What about this? This is nice.” The woman immediately dismissed it by saying, “I don’t need that, where would I wear it?”

I can totally understand where she’s coming from. Sometimes we look at nice things and think they would just take up space in our closet. And sure, they probably would. But the look of disappointment that showed up on his face after she said that, made me sad for both of them. I’m not saying their marriage was in shambles, but I think she would have felt good if she would have bought something fancy like that, even if she wore it to Applebee’s. And regardless of where she wore it, he would have thought she looked beautiful.

That’s not the first time I’ve heard about husband’s saying they wish their woman dressed up more often. I know it’s surprising. Sometimes it can feel like we’re putting in all this effort and they’re not noticing. But I think they do more than we realize. And even if they’re not, dressing up would definitely get their attention.

Enter: this little black dress.

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It’s from White House Black Market and I picked it because it’s pretty, flattering on most body types, and has a little spiff to it (it would also work for a wide range of ages, so don’t go thinking you’re too old).

The A-line shape is going to help hide a larger bum and hips, and the nipped in waste will help define you if you’re looking to disguise your mid-section. The v-neck draws all the attention to your face and when paired with the black, makes the whole thing very slimming.

Now I know a lot of women don’t want to wear sleeveless. This dress could totally support a cute cardigan. Something slinky – not librarian for cripes sake.

And with the sheer mesh panels at the bottom this LBD is anything but boring.

Listen, you’re going to feel so good in something like this, and he won’t be able to keep his eyes off you. If I could fake the really deep voice of the Men’s Warehouse guy I would and end with, “I guarantee it.”

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Tulle Skirts and Sparkle Pants – An Intriguing Tale

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You want to hear the tale of my Christmas program outfit? It involves intrigue and a tulle skirt – as all great adventure tales do.

So at the beginning of the year, I listed in this post that one of my goals for 2014 was to rock a tulle skirt. I was so very serious about that, and when the opportunity arose for me to be in the Christmas program at my church, I thought what better time to wear one then for the program!

What a great idea! So I hunted one down and ordered it. Exactly six days before the program I checked on its whereabouts only to find that it was still hanging out in Hong Kong. Uh….That’s a long way away.

Cue the panic.

Thankfully, I had a back up plan. So let me pause and say how important it is to have a back up plan when you’ve ordered something online. Because that really saved me here. Most of the time for special events I’m locked down to one look and one look only. But it was truly the grace of God that I had another look in mind.

It was also by the grace of God that I was able to get both of these pieces on sale. Truly, I thank God for that.

So here are the deets…the pants are from White House Black Market and the sweater is from The Loft  (it’s actually a petite size because that’s all they had left, so I went a size up and it worked which is good to know). I knew I wanted sparkle pants (I was also hoping to generate a nickname with them ;) so I went to this website – ShopStyle.

When you’re searching for something specific, this is the website to use. All you do is input a description of what you want, you can narrow down the price and add other specifics, but it generates a listing of that item and the stores in which it can be found. I do this, then look for the stores that are in West Town Mall, which is how I found the sparkle pants. It’s 1,000 times easier than running around the mall in a frazzled panic – which is exactly what I wanted to do when I first saw my skirts whereabouts.

I knew that since they were so glittery I could go with a toned down top, so I started out searching for a simple gray sweater. Then I found this one. And it was love at first sight.

When buying special occasion clothes, I’m all about how many wears I can squeeze out of them. Unfortunately, I don’t think these pants will get as much use as say a classic pair of black pants, but they’re instant fun, and who knows, I may get more use out of them then I realize.

The sweater, Lord, I’ll wear that whenever I can get the chance!

So that’s the end. I may have heightened about the level of intrigue at the beginning of this tale, but let me just say that when you see the words “Hong Kong” at 8:30am, that’s all the “intrigue” I can handle.


Shopping My Closet

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