why this works – the Spiff

The Best Striped Dress Worn 3 Ways {Part One}

February 29, 2016 No Comments

west town mall, style blogger, knoxville fashion, knoxville fashion blogger, ootd, striped dress, how to style a striped dress, striped dress multiple ways, elizabeth ogle, southern roots photography

Over the weekend I had the TV to myself for a couple hours, so you know what’s on repeat? Fixer. Upper.

The antique/shabby chic style of Joanna Gaines isn’t totally my thing, BUT if anyone could sell me on it and convince me to move into a house filled with shiplap and unfinished furniture, that woman can.

And while I love to watch it for their creativity and crazy antics, I’m most inspired by how good she looks. Her nails are always painted a cool color, and she’s always put together even though she has four children and is running multiple businesses.

I may have a new hero.

Now that Jackson’s moving around a lot more (we are so close to crawling, but we’re mostly rolling, then getting mad about being on our tummy too long) I’m beginning to realize that as he grows and grows my getting ready time is going to have to evolve.

Seven months of maintaining myself down, 17 1/2 more years to go!

One of the things I’ve always loved to do and even more so now – is styling one piece multiple ways. Not only does it give me more uses from the one outfit, but it also allows me to get my money’s worth from a piece.

This striped dress will be such a staple in my closet. I will wear it all year with a few accessory/layering change-ups, which I’m going to demonstrate this week so be sure to check back in Wednesday and Friday to see how else it can be styled!

Today’s look is really perfect for a Monday.

I’m new to the idea of pairing these brown boots with black, but it really does go and lightens up the whole look compared to just doing black boots. And I love a good pattern mix like I love mac and cheese, so this animal print scarf is just a given.

Both the dress and the scarf can be found at West Town Mall.

A big thanks to the talented skills of Southern Roots Photography for these outfit shots!

fall, Fashion, what to wear, winter

The Perfect Graphic Tee and Plaid Sweater

January 25, 2016 1 Comment

she is clothing, proverbs 31:25, proverbs 31:25 shirt, plaid sweater, black and white sweater, ootd, knoxville fashion, beauty blogger, knoxville fashion blogger, elizabeth ogle

As a writer and lover of words, I’m always on the hunt for a good graphic tee. Unfortunately it’s hard to come across ones that I can get behind (ha, literally, cause I’m right behind…you get it).

I love coffee just as much as all the shirts claim to, but you can talk to me before I’ve had it. I wake up pretty happy. I’m generally not a sassy pants, so shirts that have text with underlying attitude don’t reflect who I am, nor do shirts that say harsh things like “Satan is a liar.” Yes, he is. But it just comes across pretty strong/weird when imprinted in gold letters on your sweatshirt.

This shirt, with it’s perfectly scripted text and message of strength (without crossing over into soap-box territory) is just perfect.

And I love it paired with this sweater I picked up from Target. A black and white plaid is juuuust what my closet needs. It’s not stripes or animal print so it’s the perfect pattern for me right now.

You can pick up your own “Elle es Forte” shirt here (it’s French for “she is strong – from Proverbs 31:25). And you can get your own plaid sweater (on clearance) here!

Fashion, forever21, Spiffy, west town mall, Why this works, winter

A Cute and Comfortable Winter Outfit

January 8, 2016 No Comments

how to style winter sweaters, forever21, statement necklace, waterfall sweater, what to wear this winter, winterwear, ootd, fashion blog, knoxville fashion, how to style a jacket

Still taking some time to ~~sale shop~~ stop and reflect about the coming year ;) Enjoy today’s post from last season then tune in Monday when we set some style goals for 2016!

Similar necklace; swacket; skirt; shoes; undershirt came from here (believe it or not).

My favorite purchase of this fall/winter has hands down been this sweater (or jacket…maybe swacket?).

I actually took it right off the back of an unsuspecting mannequin, and I’m so glad I did (she had it coming). I love having one cool go-to piece that I can grab and consistently feel good in throughout the colder months. It’s especially nice when I’m stuck trying to figure out what to wear – I just grab this and style it differently.

This time I changed things up by buttoning it up. It works especially well with this voluminous skirt and really helps showcase this gorgeous statement necklace my Aunt Kathleen got me for my birthday this past year.

Think about any swackets you’ve got, could you get more mileage out of them by wearing them buttoned?

Maybe now that you’ve learned the word “swacket” you’re confused as to what the proper pronunciation would be, AND need help styli

Fashion, forever21, statement necklace, style, styling, west town mall, winter

A Statement Necklace and My Favorite Swacket

February 16, 2015 6 Comments

Similar necklace; swacket; skirt; shoes; undershirt came from here (believe it or not).

My favorite purchase of this fall/winter has hands down been this sweater (or jacket…maybe swacket?).

I actually took it right off the back of an unsuspecting mannequin, and I’m so glad I did (she had it coming). I love having one cool go-to piece that I can grab and consistently feel good in throughout the colder months. It’s especially nice when I’m stuck trying to figure out what to wear – I just grab this and style it differently.

This time I changed things up by buttoning it up. It works especially well with this voluminous skirt and really helps showcase this gorgeous statement necklace my Aunt Kathleen got me for my birthday this past year.

Think about any swackets you’ve got, could you get more mileage out of them by wearing them buttoned?

Maybe now that you’ve learned the word “swacket” you’re confused as to what the proper pronunciation would be, AND need help styling it differently. Well I’ve got good news!

I’m teaming up with The Limited in West Town Mall for a style event on Saturday, February 28th. So from 12-2:30pm I’ll be in the store answering questions, offering advice and helping you look and feel your best!

Come see all the great items they have to offer and bring in a sweater or jacket that you’ve had a hard time styling – we’ll even work on how to say “swacket” while you’re there. None of the cool kids are saying it! ;)

Fashion, necklaces, old navy, Why this works, winter

Styling a Swingy Necklace

January 19, 2015 No Comments

I love a good craving. I can go through long bouts of indecisiveness, so when a craving pops up I’m all about it. Lately I’ve had a craving for long swingy necklaces. I love how they make you feel sexy and carefree. Like you just threw it on (because you did) and yet it looks so polished.

Lately I’ve had a craving for long swingy necklaces. I love how they make you feel sexy and carefree. Like you just threw it on (because you did) and yet it looks so polished.

This necklace was the basis for this whole outfit and I’ll tell you how it came about…

I didn’t want to wear it with just a simple sweater because it still needed some sort of background beyond just one color. That’s when I decided to go shopping and I found this number. The wide army green and black stripes are the perfect backdrop for the gold, and the sheerness of the blouse meant it would work well into spring (something I start to think about this time of year).

The fact that it was only $12 at JCP was a win. I immediately knew I could always throw a scarf on over it or wear it with my leather jacket…two more ways to get use out of it and therefore solidifying my decision.

These skinny black trousers from Old Navy were a perfect fit especially when I paired them with my colored leopard heels (I love me a good pattern mix).

For the rest of my jewelry, I liked doing a black watch and then a pile of bracelets because it meant nothing got more attention than the necklace. A bold bracelet would have taken some of the spotlight.

Note: I hope you enjoyed today’s post! It was a throwback to a post I wrote last January. I’ve got big things a-brewin’ that’s taking up a lot of my time (more on that later). So I’m scaling back the blog (for just a little bit) to 3 day a week posts. This will help me refine my material and be better at bringing you the absolute spiffiest fashion and beauty finds out there! Thanks for continuing to read and have a wonderful day! :)