Black Pants for Work: Modern Tuxedo

I cap off my feature on black pants with black tuxedo trousers.  I love that these pants have a classic trouser shape while the ivory stripe adds on-trend flair.

Pants:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here)
Blazer:  Ann Taylor (Available here)

My love for tuxedo-inspired styles is never-ending.  For this look, I paired the tuxedo trousers with a cropped ivory tuxedo blazer and a bib-front tank for a modern take on the tuxedo.

Ivory tank:  LOFT Petites (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)
Black tank:  Old Navy Petites (Similar here)

Bag:  Target
Bangles:  ??? (old)

I added wooden bangles and a bright zebra print bag for an unexpected mix.

I like this outfit quite a bit, but I think if I were to do it over, I would up the tribal accessories and inspiration to make the mix of tribal and tuxedo more deliberate looking.  If you're going to do something, commit, right?  :-)

Boots:  Target (Available here)

Are you a fan of tuxedo-inspired looks? How do you keep your black pants interesting for work?


For these pants in another look, see here.
For this tank in another outfit, see here.

12 Days of Holiday: Black Swan

If you've been following my blog, you know that I love ballet-inspired fashion.  When I spotted this dress at Forever21+, it had me at the tulle.  The full skirt just feels fun and special. 

Dress:  Forever 21+ (Available here)

Forever 21 can be a pig in a poke for finding quality clothes that look mature enough for a 30-something professional.  When I do find something though, I am usually quite happy with the fit.  Because Forever 21 has more of a juniors' fit, their XL is often perfectly proportioned for my petite curvy frame.

Belt:  LOFT (Available here)

Blazer:  Ann Taylor Petites (Available here) - Sleeves shortened

 This dress required no alterations.  While it's a little longer than featured on the web site, I love the longer fit.

I added a burgundy velvet jacket, sparkly belt, and floral satin lace-up heels for an evening feel. 

I decided to skip tights, but you could easily add some glittery or lace tights for a little extra warmth.

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)
Heels:  Prabal Gurung for Target (Available on eBay here)

Ring:  The Limited (Available here)

Right now, I have nowhere special to wear this outfit, but I would definitely wear it for a winter wedding or dressy holiday party.  I don't usually purchase dressier items without some place to wear them, but I think this dress has a classic feel that I will love for years to come.  When an event comes up, I'll have something to wear!  :-)

Bracelet:  The Limited

What would you wear to a formal winter wedding or holiday party?

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.

Help Me Re-Name My Blog!!

For some time, I have been wanting to change the name of my blog. I want something that is catchy and easy to remember but that also fits the content and mission of my site.

I have always planned for a different logo for the blog and have grappled over other aspects of my site's design. By the end of the year, I plan to make several changes to my blog's design that I hope you will all enjoy.

By then, I also hope to have a new name to go with my new look. To that end, I am looking for suggestions. Any and all ideas are greatly appreciated!

 Thanks so much!!

Lacy Day

Dress:  LOFT Petites (Available here)
Blazer: LOFT Petites (Available here)

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Today's outfit was a recent work look.  I really love this dress.  It's lace with crochet bib-front detail. 

Lately, I have been all about interesting textures and fabric details.  I tend to wear a lot of neutrals, so cool fabrications help keep the pieces from being boring.

As much as I love this dress, this is an overall look that I felt was just an "almost." 

The yellow sandals weren't my favorite with this look.  I didn't think I had any shoes that I would like with this outfit, but later I remembered that I had some canvas wedge espadrilles that would have been perfect.  Next time I wear this dress, I'll remember!

Also, my peach lip color was a little too light for my skin tone, but I love the look of a more nude lip with a smoky eye.  I'll have to do some more experimenting to get the right nude.

Seeing my looks in photographs helps me assess overall styling.  If you're on the fence about whether an outfit or overall look is working, taking a few quick photographs of yourself is definitely a styling tip that I would recommend.

For this jacket in another look, see here.

A Shorts Story

Over the weekend, we took the kids to our local zoo, and this is what I wore:

Blazer:  LOFT Petites (Available here)
Shorts:  Torrid (Similar here)

The weather was perfect for walking around, and it was so fun watching my five-year-old squeal with delight at seeing all the animals.  :-)

James Dean t-shirt (Torrid here)
Shoes:  Kohl's (kids) (Available here)

Every time I say I'm not a fan of a certain trend or specific look, I find myself giving it a try (or three) and end up liking or even loving it. 

For example, I hated skinny pants and jeans on myself when they first came out and thought that I would never be a fan.  Now, I can't seem to get enough of them!

I've never been a big fan of shorts, no matter my size.  I always think they are riding up and have never found them as flattering as pants or skirts/dresses.

Purse:  Target (Available here)

This spring, I've seen so many cute shorts that I've been more willing to give them a try.  I also always find myself desperately seeking more breezy options come mid-July, and shorts are perfect for casual outdoor activities.  

These denim Bermuda shorts are super easy.  They have just the right amount of distressing, and because they are a longer, more fitted short, I don't get the dreaded ride-up issue.

Bracelets:  Target, Express, The Limited, H&M

I added a James Dean tee and seersucker blazer.  I love how the blazer dresses up the ultra casual jean shorts and tee.

This outfit has a tomboyish feel, but I added feminine details with the rope sandals, v-neck line, and bracelets.

It was perfect for a fun day at the zoo!!

For these shorts in another look, see here.

Adventures in Traveling: Philadelphia

On Day 4 of our trip (see Days 1-3 here and here), we left New York and headed towards Philadelphia.

My fiance is in the Master's of Nursing program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  His graduation was held at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Center City Philadelphia.

We decided to stay across the street from the Convention Center and arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon.  After resting up for a while (we were exhausted from our stay in NYC), we walked a block over from our hotel and started exploring Philly's Chinatown.

The weather was humid and chilly, and I wore my blue moto jacket (again!).  The weather started to change while we were in Philadelphia, becoming much warmer and more humid.  I wore my jacket the day of graduation too, but it proved to be a bit much. 

Coated denim jeans:  Target
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)
Jacket:  Forenza by The LImited

Purse:  Target (old)
Bracelets:  The Limited, Express
Ring:  The Limited

We walked around for a while, stopping in a few of the novelty shops to purchase a few gifts.  The kids LOVED their Chinese candy.  

We decided to have dinner in Chinatown.  I let the man pick the restaurant, and he chose Sammy Chon's KTown BBQ.

I opted for a large salad with the most amazing sesame seed salad dressing.

The Free Appetizers

After dinner, we walked around Chinatown for a while longer before heading back to our hotel.

Shoes:  Target

The next day, we grabbed a quick lunch before going over to the Convention Center for my honey's graduation.  He's pretty amazing - works full-time as a hospice nurse and totally rocked his master's program.
The graduation was relativity entertaining (as far as graduations go).  The honorary degree recipient and guest speaker was John Howe III, M.D.  He is President and CEO of Project Hope, a foundation that provides international health care education and humanitarianism in areas of need (more info here).  His speech was both funny and inspiring.

Dress:  Old Navy Petites (Available here)

Necklaces:  The Limited

As soon as graduation was over, we headed out of Philly, planning a stop in Boston.

More details (and no more moto jacket) tomorrow!!

Minty Fresh: Spring-ify your Workwear

Hi everyone!  Hope you all had a fabulous day!  The weather was beautiful today, and it finally feels like spring has sprung!

Jacket:  LOFT Petites (Available here)

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

For work, I paired a dark spearmint green blazer with black pants and a soft ivory blouse.  This is my favorite shade of green, and I just love how it managed to give a spring-y vibe to the black pants.

Earrings:  The Limited (Available here)

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

My work wardrobe doesn't change much when the weather gets warmer.  I love my jackets, and chilly office air-conditioning usually makes layering necessary.

Necklace:  The Limited (Available here)

I do try to incorporate spring into my work wardrobe using these three criteria:

1.  Color - Adding in the bright colors helps your work wardrobe come alive with the colors of nature in the spring.

2.  Non-black neutrals - I love my black and don't completely give it up in the spring (e.g. my black pants), but adding in more whites, tan, taupe, soft grey, and navy can help a work wardrobe read more spring-like.

3.  Prints - I definitely tend to steer towards solids with interesting details, but when I do choose prints, I opt for florals, polka dots, and bold graphic prints during the spring.  Houndstooth and other plaids, pinstripes, and animal prints generally read for fall/winter.

Bracelet:  Target (old)
Shoes:  Target (old)

How do you change up your work wardrobe for spring?