Textured Neutrals

As I discussed in yesterday's outfit post, I gravitate towards neutrals in the fall and winter.

Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)Camisole:  LOFT Petites (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)

I love today's look.  I mixed black, beige, and navy with touches of gold.  The mix of textures, trims, fabrics, and metal details on the jacket and pants makes the outfit feel both interesting and a little more luxe.

Pants:  The Limited (Sold out on-line; may be available in stores)

Boots:  Payless (old)
Necklace:  The Limited (Available in silver here)

Most importantly, this look is so comfortable!  These booties are my go-to in fall and winter for their comfort and easiness, but they are starting to show some definite signs of wear.  I'm worried I'm not going to be find boots this perfect any time soon!

Earrings:  The Limited
Rings:  Vintage and The Limited

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)

For this military jacket in another look, see here. 
For this cami in another look, see here.
For these pants in another look, see here.

For more on the military trend, see here.

P.S. Sorry for the grainy photos the last few days - getting my camera to take good pics after dark (the only time I've had to take pics) is difficult!!

Cassential Links, 10/22/13

This layered mixed print look is so sweet and cute but still manages to look grown-up!

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Cheryl manages to look both ultra sexy and ultra classy in this chic black dress!

Wondering if a Wonder Woman movie will EVER get made....

I always hated the term "nude" to refer to shades of beige and champagne.  While not an attainable shoe for many of us, it's nice to see that designers, like Christian Louboutin, are more cognizant of the racism in something as seemingly benign as color naming AND actually offering flesh-tone shoes for a larger variety of women.

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Melissa McCarthy's recent "Elle" cover sparks controversy for the continued censoring and differential treatment of those few plus-size celebs who get featured on mainstream fashion mags.  For the record, she reportedly picked the outfit she wore on the cover (and she looks gorg!)

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.

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.

Sweater Season

If you follow my blog, then you know I love jackets, but I wear very few cardigans and sweaters.  

Pants:  The Limited (Available in other colors on-line here)

 I just tend to find most sweaters boring and a little too classic for my taste.   For me, the basic cardigan usually feels too conservative while most attempts at adding additional details and flair leave me cold.

Sweater:  New York & Company (Similar styles here and here)

Blouse:  The Limited

I'm always looking for more unique knitwear because I do love the softness that sweaters provide.  I am definitely drawn to oversized sweaters - grandpa/boyfriend cardigans, cocoon sweaters, etc.  Maybe it's just the desire for comfort and warmth when the temps drop, but I always seem to opt for big cozy sweaters.

I love this tweed sweater coat because of its interesting shape.  The faux leather trim adds a cool detail that makes this sweater feel a little more polished and less casual than most oversized sweaters.

Tote:  New York & Company (Similar here)
Shoes:  Target

Ring:  Target

Do you prefer sweaters or jackets?  What shapes and styles of sweaters do you like best?

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

Ode to the Black Suit

I know that most people don't find suits very fashionable or comfortable, but I love them...especially when they are fitted and come in black like this one here.

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

Blouse:  New York & Company

Mixed with a houndstooth bow blouse and pumps, the suit is classic but has a chicness to it.

Heels:  Target
Purse:  New York & Company

Ring:  Earthbound Trading Co.

I always love adding an edgy touch or two to my work looks.  Here, I added a silver knuckle ring for a simple but bold statement.  A black suit offers virtually limitless fashion possibilities.

Earrings:  Target

A few of my favorite black suit looks from the blog archives:

Tuxedo Redux

Suited Up

The Dark Side of the Sun

Neutral Sophistication

Channeling Chanel

Gaga for Lady Gaga

Graphic Flow

Do you like black suits?

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

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes: Brown Shoe Blogger Brunch

As so often happens to me, I have a song stuck in my head on repeat.  After I wrote the title to this post, a song popped into my head (remember "Bills, Bills, Bills"?) and shoe-related lyrics to the same beat started flowing! 

I often come up with my own lyrics to songs because I rarely know all the correct words and it's fun to come up with my own.  I'm sure we all do that sometimes, right... right?  ;-P

Don't you like my shoes?
Don't you like my beautiful shoes?
Don't you like my chic, stylish shoes?
If you do, then I could be your muse
I am sure you do...
Oh...you and me are cool

Don't worry...I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon!!!

Why all this obsession with shoes?  Shoes have been on the brain (along with silly songs) since attending a recent blogger brunch hosted by Brown Shoe Company.

While you may have never heard of Brown Shoe Company, you have more than likely heard of the brands it owns and/or markets:  Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl's, Carlos by Carlos Santana, Fergie, Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, and Via Spiga, among others.

Brown Shoe was born in St. Louis in 1875 and remains headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton, Missouri to this day.  While at the brunch, I was introduced to many of Brown Shoe's brands and learned a ton about the company that revolutionized shoes for women.

Naturalizer

Before Naturalizer, one of Brown Shoe's first major brands, women's shoes were made using men's upper forms.  The Naturalizer brand changed this, creating shoes for women that were actually shaped for women's feet.  

Naturalizer continues to be one of Brown Shoe's major comfort brands.  I'm loving the purple boots -- style and comfort, who can beat that?

Speaking of style and comfort, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the Dr. Scholl's styles.  How chic are these leopard boots?

Dr. Scholl's

If you're an on-line shopper like me, then you will love Shoes.com.  These burgundy booties with gold heels are just fabulous!

Shoes.com

For very modern, but still very work appropriate shoe shopping, I highly suggest Franco Sarto.  The low to mid-range heels and simple shapes make these a fabulous choice for the workplace (and for running errands after work).

Franco Sarto

For style that's a little edgy and rock-and-roll, I'm looooving the Fergie and Carlos by Carlos Santana shoe collections.

These black and gold heels from Fergie need to be in my shoe wardrobe, like, yesterday!!! 

Fergie

Fergie

Carlos by Carlos Santana

Ultra-fashionable and versatile, the Via Spiga brand includes some amazing offerings like these leopard peep-toe shooties and over-the-knee boots.

Via Spiga

Via Spiga

Sam Edelman is probably Brown Shoe's most fashion-forward brand.  The booties are just killer!

Sam Edelman

Brown Shoe was generous enough to provide all the bloggers with gift cards to Famous Footwear, a popular chain shoe store owned by Brown Shoe that offers a variety of brands and styles for women, men, and children.
 
I haven't had a chance to pick out a new pair of shoes just yet, but I'll be sure to post them here when I do!!!

For you other small footed people out there, I learned that the smallest women's size carried in the Brown Shoe family is a size 4 in some of the Naturalizer styles (does not come in a wide width).  Bummer for me who's a true size 3, but since I usually wear a women's size 5 to get adult styles, I'm sure I'll find something fab with my gift card!

If I can't, there's always a back-up plan....these adorable girls' Converse "Party Hi" high-tops:

Converse Girls' Party-Hi

What shoes do you like the most?