Cheer Up Winter!

Hope you all have been having a great day!  

Pants:  The Limited (Sold out on-line; Similar here)
Blouse:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Pants:  The Limited (old; Similar may be available in stores)
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)

Like many of you, I've been house-bound all weekend and will continue to be so tomorrow as I'm stuck in a near-record Midwestern snowfall.  As most of us in the U.S. are facing harsh blizzard-like snow and extreme temperatures, I've been thinking about ways to warm up and stay cheerful through the winter.

Jacket:  LOFT Petites
Clutch:  Target

Snow is beautiful, but I'm not much of a cold weather gal.  If you're a winter lover, this may not make much sense to you, but for me, months of little to no sunshine makes me feel down in the dumps. I often rely on my wardrobe to get me through the worst of it.  

Blazer:  New York & Company Petites (Similar here)
Tank:  Old Navy Petites (Similar here)

After the fun of holiday glitz and glam, I usually turn to pretty spring colors and interesting details to boost my spirits.  One of my most frequent work looks involves black pants with an ivory/white blouse and brightly colored jacket.   

Necklace:  The Limited (Available here)

I look for blouses in delicate fabrics with black trims and details to keep the look more intentional than a basic black pants/white blouse combo.   Accessories also help tie the individual pieces together to create a more cohesive look.

Bracelets:  Torrid and The Limited (Available here and here)

Tote:  The Limited
Boots:  Fergalicious by Fergie (Available here)

Heels:  Target (Available here)

The pops of springy colors give the outfits a happy feel while still being winter appropriate and warm.

Do you have a cold weather work uniform?

Honorable Mentions

Today, I feature several looks from the last two months.  I call these looks honorable mentions.  These are outfits that for various reasons I decided not to include in full blog posts.

The first of these looks is from a recent casual Friday at work.  I paired dark denim (a casual Friday staple) with a more professional blouse and blazer.  I generally try to keep my casual work looks very polished, with fresh denim, dressier blouses, and an overall clean look.

Jeans:  The Limited (Available here)
Blouse, blazer, and purse:  The Limited
Shoes:  Target (old)

The next two looks pair my workhorse skinny black pants with cute blouses and blazers - a look that has definitely become a bit of a uniform over the last year.  I added in mixed bracelets and other accessories to liven up these looks.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Blouse, blazer, and necklace:  The Limited
Bracelets:  Target, World Market, Claire's
Shoes:  Target

Pants, blouse, blazer, and clutch:  The Limited
Earrings:  Purchased local jewelry sale
Bracelets:  Express and eBay

Today's last featured look is an evening outfit, pairing a faux leather skirt with a fringed top and cropped blazer.  Dangly bead earrings (same as in third photo) and lace-up stilettos complete the all black look.

Skirt:  The Limited
Fringe top:  Ann Taylor Petites
Blazer:  Forever 21+ (Available here)
Shoes:  Prabal Gurung for Target
Clutch:  Target

Hope you enjoyed my "honorable mentions"!

Mixing Prints

One of my favorite things to do to liven up a simple color palette is to mix prints.

Blouse:  The Limited
Jacket:  The Limited

The black and beige color palette is simple, but adding in the print of the top, the textured design of the wedge heel, and the zebra pattern on the purse, creates a more nuanced look that is infinitely more interesting than black and beige alone.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Necklace:  The Limited (Available here)

The citrine yellow of the purse adds a fun pop of color. This purse was a total impulse buy, but I thought it was way too cool to pass up.  I can't wait to wear it with a ton of different outfits this summer!

I don't always like wedge heels, but I love the peep-toe design of these.  I do love how wedges add height without the discomfort of stilettos.

Wedge sandals:  Target (Similar here)
Purse:  Target (Available here)

Do you like to mix prints?  Do  you like to wear wedge heels?

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

Pop of Coral

Happy Monday!! 

Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)
Blouse:  Target Petites (Available here)

Today, I paired some neutral work pieces with this bright coral-y top, which is quickly becoming a closet favorite.

I paired my work look with my new wedge sandals.  The weather was pretty chilly today, but the sandals made me feel like it actually was spring.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (Available here)

Ring:  The Limited (old)
Necklace:  Torrid (Available here)

I took pics last night, using the orange-trimmed clutch and wearing the red ring.  In the house, the colors seemed to matched, but after looking at the pictures, I didn't really care for the combination.


For work today, I traded the ring for a black cord/gold bracelet and a black and ivory clutch.  I preferred the end result of this look.

Bracelet:  Torrid (Sold out on-line; Available in stores)
Purse:  The Limited (old)

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)

What do you think?  Which look do you prefer? For this top styled in different looks, see here and here.

Style Uniform

I have a style uniform - skinny pants, flowy top, blazer - usually in black and cream/beige.

Top:  The Limited (Available here)
Pants:  The Limited (Available here)

I knew I wore this style a lot, but when I wore this outfit, I realized just how much I like this look!!

Jacket:  The Limited
Shoes:  Target (old)

I ran across these similar  looks that I've worn previously:

Quick Picks

Touch of Color

Sequins, Velvet, & Tweed

At ease

Circles and Lines

Hey There Babydoll

When keeping a color palette so simple, mixing textures, patterns, and interesting shapes keep the look feeling fresh.

For example, this top has a great graphic print and cool cutout detailing on the neckline.

Jade ring:  Gift - vintage (Similar here)
Hourglass necklace:  Claire's (Available here)
Purse:  The Limited (Available at Eloquii here)

Do you have a style uniform?

Tuxedo Redux

This week, I will be featuring outfits perfect for the evening.  

Whether it's a night out with the girls or a date with that special someone, I love going-out fashion!

Blouse:  LOFT (old)
Jacket:  The Limited (Available here)

Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)
Shoes:  Target (Available here)

I picked this outfit to wear to an art exhibit with the man.  I love how the watercolor print blouse has a romantic, painterly vibe.

Purse:  Jason Wu for Target
Ring:  LOFT

Hourglass Necklace:  Claire's (Available here)
Earrings: The Limited

I kept the look simple with black skinny tuxedo pants and a tuxedo-inspired jacket for a sexy, feminine take on the tuxedo.   

To my great happiness, the tuxedo trend for women has continued for 2013 as many designers showed tuxedo-inspired looks on their spring runways.

The green and black colorblock heels and lace clutch finish the look.

What would you wear to an art show?  

Like me on Facebook and show me your favorite going-out looks!!

To see this jacket in another look, see here and here.
For these pants in another look, see here, here, here, and here.

Winter Chic

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Tweed jacket:  Gap
Blouse:  Target

Resigning myself to the fact that it's still winter, I decided to wear some of my favorite cold-weather pieces this week.  Today, that piece was my tweed jacket.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Heels:  Target (Available here)

Necklace:  New York & Company
Ring:  The Limited (old)

I kept a dark neutral color palette and added a green bib necklace and ring with dark purple stones.

What was that I said yesterday about trying to break away from my black pants rut?  I've worn denim, red, and camel pants this week.  Three out of five days ain't bad.  ;-) 

Purse:  New York & Company

To see this tweed jacket in other looks, see here and here.
To see this top in other looks, see here and here.

I See London...

Today's casual look centered around this comfy sweater.  

Sweater:  Forever 21+ (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)
Coated denim jeans:  Target (Available here)

I added coated denim skinnies and these amazing spiked ballet flats I just found.  

Flats:  Target (Available here)

I love getting the comfort of flats with a touch of bad ass. ;-)

I went for dinner later in the day and decided to swap the flats for heels to dress the look up a bit.

Satchel:  Target (Available in blue here)
Heels:  Target (old)

Hope you're all having a great Saturday!!

To see these jeans in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.

Pop of Cobalt

Cobalt blue is such a fabulous color.  It looks amazing paired with so many other colors and with just about every neutral.

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

Blouse:  The Limited
Tank:  Old Navy Petites (Similar here)

I look forward to pairing this blazer with a bright sundress this summer, but for now, I kept the look simple with all black pieces. 

Bracelets:  Express and The Limited
Earrings:  New York & Company

Wearing one color (any neutral would do) underneath a bright blazer makes you look long and lean.  If you're new to adding color to your wardrobe, a bright blazer paired with all black pieces is an easy way to start. 

An all-black outfit with a colored blazer is one of my favorite go-to looks (see here and here) as it's a quick and easy way to look great in the morning!

Heels:  Target (old)
Purse:  The Limited (old)

Hope the weather is agreeable in your neck of the woods. We got hit with a major winter storm today!  :-(

Come on spring!!!!

Beads and Citrine

Happy Monday, everyone!!

In the spirit of spring, bright colors continue this week. Today, I am pairing a citron faux leather jacket with neutral pieces.

Jacket:  The Limited (Available here)
Pants:  The Limited (Available in other colors here)
Earrings:  The Limited (old)

The tan silky top has pretty beading at the neckline which means you can skip a necklace. I opted to accessorize with only a pair of earrings and a turquoise ring to not overly compete with the beading.

Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)
Turquoise ring:  Target

The taupe and citron color blocked clutch completes the look.

Clutch:  The Limited (old)

Do you know those amazing photo shoots where the model's hair is blowing perfectly in the wind?

Well in my perfectly imperfect world, the wind was blowing, but my hair was going in literally EVERY direction.  I apologize for the cropped/cut pics today, but they were better than the hair!  (grumble, grumble)  ;-D
Hope you all had a great day!