12 Days of Holiday: Out With A Bang

Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve!

Now when I think of holiday fashion, I think metallics, glitter, silk, and sequins.  When you're hanging out at home or in another super casual situation, anything goes.  This is an unorthodox holiday look, but it's what I wore for New Year's Eve this year.

Sweater:  Target (May be available in some stores)

Pants:  New York & Company (Similar here)

We decided to spend New Year's Eve with the kids, taking a trip to the skating rink and enjoying a sparkling cider toast.

I wore this comfy outfit - perfect for watching the kids skate and lounging around the house after!

Clutch:  Vintage
Heels:  Target (Available in other colors here)

Of course, I wore flats for the casual evening, but the yellow heels would be fun to dress the look up a bit.

Bracelets:  Express

What did you wear for New Year's Eve?  Post your look on my Facebook page "Style Cassentials."  I'd love to see it!

For these pants in another outfit, see here.

12 Days of Holiday: Candy Cane Casual

Happy Holidays!

Jeans:  Torrid (Available here)
Scarf:  The Limited (old) (Similar here)

Today's casual look is a holiday-inspired outfit I wore this past weekend to an ornament exchange party.  The party was casual, but I wanted an outfit that felt a little bit festive.

Blazer:  Torrid

I started with this red and white striped scarf that always reminds me of candy canes and added a black and white striped blazer for a fun mixed striped effect. 

Camisole:  LOFT (Available here)
Boots:  Fergalicious by Fergie (Available here)

Purse:  Target (Available in navy here)
Bracelets:  The Limited
Earrings:  The Limited (old)

The green purse adds to the holiday color theme.

For these jeans in another look, see here.
For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Singin' the Blues: Attention!

Hi everyone.  I apologize for cutting Fall Color Week short and being absent over the last few weeks.

I have a ton of reasons for not posting, but I think it comes down to an issue I've dealt with off and on during my adult life.  I go through periods of over-stress (usually coupled with sleep deprivation).  When these happen, I develop a generalized apathy and melancholy that leaves me unfulfilled by things I love, like blogging.  I'm working through it, and thankfully, some of the recent stressors have reduced or disappeared. 

I have several posts lined up for the next week, so hopefully things will be back on track soon!  Thanks so much for sticking with me!!!

Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)
Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)

Today, I'm starting with Singin' the Blues Week - a week of one of this fall's hottest colors!

The color navy is the subtlest and easiest to wear of the blues.   It's perfect for conservative work places, but it functions well as a neutral for many occasions.

For years, I wasn't a fan of navy as I saw it as too conservative and classic for me.  I love classic, but it has to have an interesting modern or tough edge.  Somewhere along the line, I became a navy convert, especially when worn with other neutrals as I did here. 

Purse:  Target (May be available in stores; similar here)

Shirt:  The Limited (old) (Similar here)

When done in streamlined shapes, navy brings with it much of what I love about black - it's dark, it's sleek and sophisticated, and it is forever versatile.

Today's navy look also plays into fall's military trend (see more here).  I love how military pieces like this blazer look very polished and even just a teensy bit edgy.

Heels:  Target (Similar here)
Bracelets:  The Limited (Available here)

Are you a fan of navy?

To see this blazer in other looks, see here and here.

Stop by for a Spell: Halloween, Part 2

I love getting dressed up in costume for Halloween.

Dress:  The Limited (old)
Jacket:  Target (Available here)

I didn't have any special reason to dress up in costume this year, but I decided to create one for trick or treating with the kids.   

Tights:  Torrid (Available here)

Hat:  Wal-Mart
Boots:  Target (Similar here)

This is my conceptualization of the modern witch.

I don't know if any of you are "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fans (BFFs if you are), but I couldn't dress as a witch and not think of the scene in Season 6 when Wiccan Willow scolds a woman for dressing as a stereotypical witch for Halloween, warts and all.

I didn't want to rely on the stereotypes of the "classic" witch look.  Besides, even if witches wore pointy hats and striped stockings at one point in time, today's witch has more options!

Snake necklace:  eBay (Similar here)
Quartz crystal pendant:  Earthbound Trading Company

Bracelet:  Torrid (Available here)

Hopefuly, my look would make Willow proud.  The modern witch is subversive, feminine, wicked, and fashionable!

For this dress in another look, see here. 

Cozy Day to Night

Happy Monday, everyone!

Hope you all had a great weekend.  I spent the past weekend getting some much needed R&R; 'twas a blissfully lazy time.  :-)

Sweater:  Target (Available here)

Camisole:  LOFT (Available here)
Belt:  Torrid (Sold out on-line; May be available in stores)

As pictured, today's look works well for evening, but this outfit is actually a tweak on a recent work look.  I wore this same outfit to work last week, but changed the accessories a bit to make the look more modest and conservative for work.  

For work, I paired the outfit with ankle booties and a classic work tote.  More importantly, I moved the belt down to the waist to create a blouson-y and less cleavage-y look.

Tuxedo stripe pants:  The Limited (Similar here)

Shoes:  Target (Available here)
Clutch:  Target

Whether for work or play, this outfit is super comfortable, which is becoming more and more of a requisite in my book!

Cuff:  Express
Earrings:  Target

How important is comfort to you in choosing a look?

For this sweater in another look, see here.
For these pants in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Lace and Colorblocking

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Jacket:  Target Petites (Available here and in regular sizes here)

Today's look is a recent work look.  I always seem to add black jackets to this dress, but I really do love a black and white look!

Overall, I really like this outfit.  It has a simple color palette, but the textures and subtle prints add a lot of visual interest.

Dress:  The Limited

Boots:  Payless (old)

I tend to gravitate strongly towards neutrals in the fall and winter (especially my forever friend, black), but I also don't want to get bored with my clothes.  

Ring:  Torrid (Available here)

Long earrings:  Torrid (Sold out on-line; May be available in stores)
Stud earrings:  The Limited

Adding special details keeps me from getting too bored.

Tights:  The Limited (old) (Similar here)
Tote:  The Limited

I wish these tights fit better though.  :-/

Most of my tights come from The Limited and fit very similarly; however, this pair is too big (hence the sagging towards bottom of the tights).

Belt:  The Limited (Similar here)

To see this dress in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Easy Edge

On Sunday, my mom, the older kids, and I went to the DaVinci Machines Exhibition currently in St. Louis (see more here).

The exhibit was fascinating, and I learned a lot about DaVinci that I never knew.  The fact that the man was a beyond brilliant visionary is apparent, but also yay to the fact that he was a pacifist and a vegetarian!

Tank:  The Limited (Available here)
Pants:  New York & Company (Similar here)

I wanted to be comfortable and wear these sweatpant-like pants.  I was thinking of wearing a t-shirt, but it was most definitely laundry day and nothing was clean.  I pulled this leopard tank out of the closet and grabbed my knit moto cardigan, and I had an outfit!

Cardigan:  Converse One Star for Target (old)
Tote:  The Limited (old)

Cuff:  New York & Company
Boots:  Payless

This outfit was super comfortable all day, and I love that it has a little edginess to it while being ultra casual.

I couldn't decide whether to the wear the pants legs pulled up or left down, but whenever I pulled them up, they fell down after a short time, so my decision was made for me!

For this shell in another look, see here.
For the cardigan in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here. 

In the St. Louis area?  Check out Project: Design happening this Wednesday at Windows on Washington and help support emerging designers.  On Thursday, Industry Night is sure to please as local and runway designers are showcased, including Laura Kathleen!  

Get more info and purchase tickets here.

Glam Geek

Today's look takes my "Chic Geek" tee to a slightly edgy androgynous glam place (Does such a place exist, and how do I get to such a wonderland??!!).

Blazer:  New York & Company

Pants:  The Limited
Clutch:  Target (Similar here)

I've only recently started wearing t-shirts outside of the house again.  

In high school and my early years of undergrad, I wore a LOT of 
t-shirts - my favorite music (John Lennon, Pearl Jam, R.E.M.), my favorite quotes (Nietzche), my social causes (vegetarianism, animal rights, Amnesty International), portraits of my favorite authors (Steinbeck and Poe... because I couldn't find Camus) - you name it, I had it on a t-shirt. 

Maybe it was t-shirt overload or maybe it was an effort to mature my sartorial choices, but at some point around my junior year of college, I stopped wearing t-shirts except as lounge wear.

T-shirt:  Target (Available here)

Bracelets:  Express, The Limited, Claire's, H&M

Over the last year or two, I have seen my t-shirt collection grow.  I have a lot of kids, creating a need for a more casual weekend wardrobe that works for my lifestyle.  I also realized that there are a lot of cool t-shirts out there, and I was missing out.
 
My t-shirt looks are often super casual (stay tuned for tomorrow's post), but I also love the idea of dressing tees up with fancier fabrics like velvet, silk, and faux leather.

Rings:  Earthbound Trading Company and The Limited (Available here)

Shoes:  Target

Some of my previous t-shirt looks:

Cabana Coral

Bettie at the Movies

A Shorts Story

Hello Kitty

 



For this tee in another look, see here.
For these pants in other looks, see here and here.
For this blazer in other looks, see here and here.

Pencil Me In

Many in the body acceptance movement would say flattery-schmattery, that worrying about traditional constructs of figure flattery (taller, thinner equating better) is a waste of time and that promoting such is regressive or unenlightened.

I tend to disagree with that idea somewhat.  While I generally say, wear what you want (and I sometimes wear pieces that aren't traditionally flattering to appease my fashion desires), I think most of us are drawn to what makes us look most streamlined.  Most often, the pieces that make us look taller and thinner are those that show off our bodies in the best of ways.  

Skirt:  Target Petites (Available here)
Blouse:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here)

Blazer:  The Limited (Similar here)
Earrings:  Target

For example, pencil skirts are super flattering for most curvy women.  They show off curves while creating a streamlined silhouette.  In a pencil skirt, you're certainly not hiding fuller thighs or a fuller bottom.  You're showing them off in the best of ways!

Ankle boots:  Payless

I am especially in love with this new pencil skirt I just picked up from Target.  Because it's knit, this skirt is a little more fitted and pencil-y than I am usually able to get from other pencil skirts (even after alterations).  

I'm also in love with the on-trend midi length of this one.  I've largely moved passed the high-low look, but I have to admit, I love the way that it really adds a lengthening element to this skirt.  I manage to look taller in what I usually think of as an awkward skirt length.

Bracelet:  eBay (Similar here)

Clutch:  Vintage (eBay)

Full disclosure:  The first time I featured this skirt on my blog, I was wearing a misses size.  I had only thrown the outfit on for pics and hadn't worn it out yet.  When I realized that the skirt was available in petites on-line, I decided to give the petites version a try.  I was in between sizes on the misses skirt, had opted for the larger version, and wasn't 100% content with the fit.  The petites version in the same size provided a more streamlined fit without being too tight.  The difference between the petites and misses size was slight, and probably imperceptible to most, but it made this picky girl happier!

I'm always excited when I can wear a new item without spending time and money on alterations!

How much does figure flattery play into your fashion choices?

For this skirt in another look, see here.
For this blouse in another look, see here.
For this jacket in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Revenge of the Nerds

Sorry that I missed this week's "Cassential Links."  I had a ton of great links ready for posting on Saturday, and I accidentally deleted them.  I will make it up with an extended version next week.

I wore this outfit with my studded ballet flats to a birthday party for my nephew, but I love the way the heels give this casual look a more sophisticated vibe. 

Jacket:  Gap (Available here)

I recently found this t-shirt on Target.com and I couldn't resist... The idea that a geek* like me could be chic is something that seemed very incongruous to me as a child.  

T-shirt:  Target (Available here)

I love that "nerd" culture has become popular in recent years - I'm hopeful that it isn't just a fad, but a move towards an expansion and shift in the larger culture towards honoring more diverse ways of being, acting, and looking. 

Obviously, the idea of being a "nerd" or "geek" is not a new social creation; however, and I hope I'm not overreaching, it seems that the stereotype of what we are like or supposed to be like is changing in a way that doesn't force people into a box in the same way.

As those often thought of as less than cool have claimed the terms, "nerd," "geek," and "dork" for themselves, these labels have become a badge of honor for many.  While nerds still often appear in popular culture in stereotypical ways (disappointingly, often in shows for children), sitcoms like "Big Bang Theory" and reality TV like "King of the Nerds," have made more realistic and relatable "geeks" a staple of mainstream culture.  

Pants:  Target (old)
Heels:  Target (Available here)

Clutch:  Target

No matter "who" you were in high school, we've probably all felt uncool at one time or another.  That feeling doesn't necessarily change after high school.  All through our lives, we are expected to conform to various groups and many of us find it difficult and/or inauthentic to do so.

I have always been a more cerebral and academic kind of girl.  I was also lower working class and dressed differently (both because of income and choice) than most of my like-minded class mates.  

I'm an overweight, petite woman who is in love with all things fashion.  I can't afford to wear high-end designers.  In many ways, I don't fit into the fashion world with which I am so obsessed.  

I'm a mother whose kids play soccer, but I don't look or act like the other "soccer moms." 

I work in a conservative, professional environment, and I have three tattoos and plan on getting at least a few more.  

I'm a feminist, and I love to wear short skirts, high heels, and paint my fingernails.

Bracelets:  Target, The Limited

I am a geek, and I am more than okay with that.  8-D

For these pants in another look, see here.

*The terms "nerd," "geek," "dork," etc. are all used interchangeably in this discussion.