Singin' the Blues: Cobalt and Cognac

Blue was a huge trend on fall runways, and cobalt was everywhere!

I've always considered green my favorite color since early high school, but in the last few years, I think cobalt has replaced it.  It is such a vibrant color, and it looks amazing with so many other colors.

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available here)
Blazer:  New York & Company (old) (Similar here)

Shoes:  Target (old)

For some reason, I usually pair this particular blazer with black and white.  I don't wear a lot of browns, and I never really considered mixing cognac with cobalt, but I decided to give it a try.

I'll admit that I prefer cobalt with black, white, or grey (and a ton of other colors), but I don't mind this color mix and it's nice to try something new once in a while.

Tote:  Target (5+ years old)

Bracelets:  The Limited (Available here)

I love trapeze dresses, but they are super tricky to wear if you're curvy and petite.  The longer length blazer helps tone down some of the volume of the dress, making it a little more work-appropriate as well as a little more flattering.

Necklaces:  The Limited and Target (Available in silver here and available here)

Do you like trapeze dresses?  What shade of blue is your favorite to wear?

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

Go Bold, Go Casual

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that getting back to work today wasn't too rough!

Sweatshirt:  Torrid (Sold out on-line; May be available in stores)
Earrings:  Torrid (Sold out on-line; May be available in stores)

Today was dreary here in St. Louis, so I decided to feature a colorful outfit to beat the early fall blahs!  

This look is actually from the last casual Friday at my job.  I like jeans, but I do not always reach for them on casual Fridays.  Instead, I like to take pieces that are usually too casual for work, like this sweatshirt, and give them a little professional polish.

Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)
Button-down shirt (Available here)

Boots:  Payless (old)

Casual Friday also gives me permission (at least in my own mind) to add boldness to my look by mixing red and leopard print.

Ankle booties and dangly earrings lend an edge to this outfit.

Purse:  Express

Bracelet:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Do you like mixing red and leopard print?

If you work in a professional work environment, what do you like to wear on casual Fridays?

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

Leopard & Neutrals

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Jeans:  Target (Available here)
Blouse:  New York & Company

Today, I mixed my cognac coated denim with a chiffon leopard print top and black cardigan.

Cardigan:  LOFT Petites (Similar here)
Shoes:  Target

I love the mix of cognac, ivory, and black.  The leopard print, texture of the jeans, and bangles add visual interest.

Scarf:  Paul Harris (15+ years old)
Bangles:  The Limited, Claire's, Target

The scarf added needed warmth while also providing a shot of flattering ivory which really brightens the face.

Tote:  The Limited (Similar here)

Do you like mixing neutrals? 

To see top styled differently, see here.
To see jeans styled differently, see here

Thanks for reading!  Have a great weekend!!!!

Mix It Up!

I love dresses for their ease and comfort; however, they definitely offer fewer styling options than pants or skirts.  Pants and skirts offer lots of mix and match options that allow you to create a range of versatile styles.  

With most pants or skirts, you could wear them more than once a week, and with different styling, no one would know.  With dresses, there's only so many ways to wear them and they tend to be more memorable, which definitely makes styling them more limiting. 

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

Today, I wore my cobalt dress.  I chose the same formula as the last time I wore it:  blazer, belt, tights, and boots. 

For how I wore the blue dress before, see here and here.  For the blazer in another look, see here.

Tights:  Target (Similar here)
Belt:  The Limited (Similar here)
Earrings:  The Limited

This time, I chose a thinner belt, my grey suit jacket and grey and black leopard tights. 

I like the combination of cobalt blue, black, and grey.  I also like the idea of taking a piece as potentially stuffy as a classic grey blazer and loosening it up with bright blue and leopard print.

Boots:  Payless
Purse:  The Limited
Ring:  Purchased at local jewelry show

Do you like dresses, or do you tend to stick with pants and/or skirts?