Men’s Wear Inspired

It’s pretty obvious that these pics were taken a few weeks ago. We now have snow on the ground. They have been sitting there in picture file (plus a couple more outfit pics) waiting for me to have a chance to write a post. Well, today is kinda a lazy, post-Christmas kind of day. I’ve pretty much just been spending my whole day reading which is VERY unusual for me. It’s really been kinda nice though, to not worry about my to do a list for a change and just enjoy the day. Not that I don’t have other things I could be doing, I’m just choosing not to today and I’m kinda loving it for a minute. We’ll get back to reality on another day…

The structured pieces inspired by men’s wear are always fun to mix into an outfit. The straight lines make a look appear pulled together and polished

The structure of this jacket, mixed with a loose-fitting tee makes for the perfect combo of casual and dressy. I knotted the tee at the bottom to add a touch of shape to the hem line and keep it from looking frumpy. I added just a touch of edge to the look with a long pendant necklace and several stacked bracelets.

To keep the outfit on the feminine side, I paired it with denim jeggings rather than wearing the jacket with loose-fitting pants or jeans. These show off feminine curves and help balance out the loose-fitting jacket and tee.

The Mad For Plaid Brogues by mark are another way to add a touch of Men’s Wear to your look, but still have a feminine feel to them. Plaid is HUGE this time of year, so the touch of plaid is perfect. The brown, leather-like body of the shoe will go with pretty much anything. They would even look super cute with a form-fitting pencil skirt. I love that they are easy take on and off thanks to the Velcro panel underneath the buckle flaps.

Altogether, this just a fun look on the more dressy side, with just a touch of casual and edginess.

shoes, jacket, necklace – mark | t-shirt, jeggings, watch – Jane | bracelet – Alloy

Holiday Styling Tips: Winter Wonderland

The Holidays are here and if where you live is anything like where I live, then it’s SUPER cold and you have LOTS of that fluffy white stuff they call snow. This makes it the perfect time for Alicia, from over on the blog Word of Alicia, and I to share our winter styling tips. So get yourself a  hot cup (or warm if that’s what you prefer) of hot cocoa, put your feet up and settle yourself in for some great reading.

 

So here goes my tips!!! 🙂

 

1. Wintery Color Palette

The easiest way to create a winter look is by using a wintery color palette. Try colors like whites, greys and light blues. White represents the white snow of course, grey represents the grey stormy skies and blue represents the cold, cold winter air.

 

2. Throw on Some Faux Fur

What better way to stay warm this winter than with a lil fur around your collar. The “make me plush vest” by mark has the perfect amount fur around the collar to keep you warm and cool. It’s even lined with a soft, short fur lining to keep your whole body toasty warm.

 

3. Add a Pair of Booties

A pair of great booties are always the perfect way to finish off a look. Booties are definitely the thing to be seen in these days so you can’t go wrong with them. A grey pair would go great with the “make me plush vest,” but since black is what I have in my closet, that’s what I went with.

The whole look comes together nicely and the colors work really well together. It’s just an overall great way to create your perfect wintery, holiday look.

Vest / Bracelet / Scarf – mark. | Booties – Poshmark | Sweater – Old Navy | Jeans – ROOLEE

 

Alicia’s Tip

This winter try the apres ski trend by layering cozy layers and keeping warm with tall boots.  Try the mark. Outside Chance Cape for a fun Aspen chic print with layered jewelry and a winter weekend ready bag!

Head on over to Alicia’s blog, Word of Alicia, to get her full tips on styling your Holiday Look for a Winter Wonderland. I’m LOVING how she styled the Outside Chance Cape with the striped turtleneck! Def gonna have to recreate this look myself!! 🙂 Shop both our looks here!

XOXOXO

Fall Fashion Tips: Back to School

Well, it’s officially back to school time and this year it’s a special back to school for me. Not only are ALL my kids now in full-time school, but I am also heading back to finish school. YAY!!! I’m excited and nervous at the SAME TIME!!! Side note on that, this also means I’ll have to push my blog down my priority list, so just a heads up I probably won’t be posting as often as I did last fall and winter. I’m definitely gonna do my best to fit some posts in though cuz I do LOVE sharing my blog with you. It’s kinda my escape time. 🙂

Anyway, Alicia from Word of Alicia and I are BACK sharing our styling tips and for this one we’ve teamed up to bring you our Back to School styling tips cuz who DOESN’T want to look AMAZING as they head back to school (or just for Fall in general).

 

1. Start With Casual Cool

Start with a casual cool sweatshirt like the mark. Stroke of Luxe Sweatshirt. This sweatshirt is the perfect mix between casual and cool. Casual because it IS a sweatshirt which means it’s SUPER comfy!!! Then to make it Cool, gorgeous embellishments have been added along the sleeve seams. Plus with embellishments on the sleeves, it means no need for any added accessories!!! The perfect throw on and go piece!!!

 2. Stay on Trend

Stay on trend with an army green skinny pant! Army green is continuing to be a HUGE trend into the Fall. Luckily it pairs perfectly with the mark. Stroke of Luxe Sweatshirt. That’s because grey and army green are both neutrals so they naturally pair really well together. Zippered details on the pockets and ankles add fun visual interest.

3. Add Some Print

Add a touch of print with some leopard print sneakers. Leopard is also a neutral just like the grey and army green, but adds a lil more visual interest (plus it’s just a fun print to wear). By-the-way, just because leopard is considered a neutral, you don’t want to over do it. I recommend keeping leopard to just one item in your outfit. In addition to the leopard, the sneakers are also just a great comfy shoe for all your running around.

Top – mark / Pants – H&M / Sneakers – Poshmark (Madden Girl)

 

Alicia’s Styling Tips:

For a back to school look embrace a new trend but keep it functional with the right accessories and walkable footwear!  A t-shirt dress like the mark. Soft T Dress is the perfect solution when layered up with a plaid shirt, lightweight jewelry and a multi-wear bag like the mark. Draw To A Close bag that can be worn as a sleek back pack that’s way more chic!

I’m loving how Alicia dressed done this dress and made it her own, perfect for both school and the Fall season. For more tips and pics from Alicia, visit her blog at Word Of Alicia.

 

 

Mint n Stripes

Well, okay, so this summer has been super busy and I haven’t had much time to put into my blogging. I thought that with the kids being out of school and none of that school stuff to worry about, maybe I’d have lot’s of blogging time. NOPE!!! Now I’m just busy with other things. That’s okay though, cuz it’s definitely better than being bored all the time!

Since summer IS unfortunately more than half way over and I haven’t YET posted a shorts outfit, I decided that it’s about time! Well, okay, maybe I did when I did my copycat look with Alicia here. Now, once again, I’m styling those same navy shorts, but in a lil more casual way.

I started by pairing the shorts with a  mint top (it’s hard to tell cuz of the lighting, but it really is mint). I LOVE the striped sleeves on this top. They’re such an fun unexpected detail.

To keep things on the casual side, I went with the Contour Lightweight Slide by Avon. I’d never thought I’d wear this type of sandal, but after seeing them all over the Instagram and the Pinterest, they’ve really grown on me. Now they’re one of my go to sandal for the summer, especially for a casual look.

I like to add a touch of dressy to my casual looks. The easiest way to do this, is with jewelry. The mark natural charm necklace is the perfect piece for that. It’s neutral colors literally go with everything!

I finished off the look by doing a quick side braid in my hair and pinning it back with a pretty clip. I love pinning my hair back like this cuz it looks cute and it keeps my hair out of my face without tucking it behind my ear.

Top – ROOLEE / Shorts – Old Navy / Necklace | Hair Clip | Bracelets | Rings – mark / Slides | Watch – Avon

 

 

Chambray and Florals

Chambray is one of my FAVE fabrics to wear. It’s such a great light weight fabric that can easily be dressed up or down. Just add a casual tee for a dressed down look or a nice blouse for a dressed up look. Today, I went with a semi-casual look with a nice blouse and flat sandals.

What better way to style a chambray skirt than with a floral top? I’m loving the daisy prints this summer! I especially LOVE the modern daisy print on this top. It gives the look a lil modern edge.

Turquoise jewelry is pretty much ALWAYS my go to jewelry in the summer. It’s such a great neutral that will go with SO many looks. I LOVE how the turquoise in this necklace just pops against the black and daisys in the top.

The On Weave Sandals by mark are the PERFECT compliment to the black in the top. I’m loving the weave detail on the toe and heel. Then the t-straps add such a fun feminine detail too. They remind me of the gorgeous shoes in the movie “The Notebook” that I swoon over, just without the higher heel making them an easy all day shoe.

Top – Poshmark / Skirt – ArrowTwentyTwo / Bracelet – Local Boutique / Sandals | Sunglasses | Watch | Earrings | Necklace – mark

 

 

 

Spring Styling Tips: A How To

Now that Alicia and I have finished our Spring Styling Tips Series, we thought it’d be fun to each pick one of each others styling tips and recreate the look. I love recreating looks using pieces from my closet, so I had a lot of run with this one. Of course everything isn’t going to be exactly the same, but that’s the whole point! Showing that YOU can easily recreate our looks too! 

The look I chose to recreate was Alicia’s Spring Layers look. Here’s her look….

And here’s how I recreated it….

1. Start With a Cool “Bottom Layer”

For the bottom layer, Alicia suggested going with something cool enough for the warmest temps of the day. She suggested something like the mark. Easy Does It Romper, shorts, tank, ect. Since I don’t have the romper in my closet, I chose a pair of navy boyfriend roll up shorts to keep the colors similar. Then since I was wearing separate pieces, rather than the one piece romper, I decided to go with a navy and white polka dot top rather than a solid navy top for visual interest.

 

2. It’s All About The Fabric

For this step, Alicia suggested layering lightweight fabrics over the bottom layer so they don’t look bulky and out of season. Lucky for me, I actually have the exact same blazer as Alicia! That’s because it’s a mark blazer from a few years back. The blazer is definitely light weight and the perfect color for Spring.

 

3. Layer More Than One Layer

Next Alicia suggested layering more than one layer because it not only gives your look more dimension, but it’s also functional. It gives you one more layer in the cool early morning and allows you to remove layers as the day warms up. I actually ended up wearing this look the rest of the day after doing the shoot just cuz I loved the look so much! It was a cooler day so I removed the blazer and just wore the look with the chambray button up.

 

4. Spring Neutrals Layer Nicely

Alicia recommended that if you’re going with multiple layers, to keep them in the same color family. She said by keeping a like color scheme, it will keep you looking put together rather than hodge podge. She said you could add a print, but keep it in the same color family. I did this by adding the polka dot print top. As I said early, the top is navy and white, so I’m keeping things in the same color family with it. As Alicia also said, leopard is also a neutral. I added a leopard flat to the look like she did. I love how they add a lil visual interest to the look without looking crazyish.

 

5. Layer Your Spring Accessories

Now is the time Alicia says to bust out the Spring Accessories! Things like straw hats, beachy bracelets and shimmering spring accessories. Since the Twice as Nice Necklace Set, Cube Affects Necklace and bracelet Alicia is wearing in her look are by mark, I happen to have the same ones in my jewelry collection, so I decided to add the same pieces for my look. Then I also added the mark Tool Around Ring Set and a watch cuz I ALWAYS have to wear a watch! Then I added my straw fedora hat to top things off like Alicia did.

Polka Dot Top – Poshmark / Fedora | Chambray Button Up – DownEast / Boyfriend Roll Up Short –  Old Navy / Leopard Flats – Shoe Carnival /  Necklaces | Watch | Bracelet | Rings | Blazer – mark

 

Alicia’s How To

Alicia also chose to recreate my Spring Layers look using the mark Luck of the Drawstring Anorak and mark Four Seasons Scarf. The jacket and scarf are perfect for the cooler mornings. Then they can easily be removed once the temperatures rise!

I LOVE how the jacket and scarf style beautifully together along with her neutral bottom layer. The deep purples in the top really make the purples in the scarf just pop!

See more pics and read how Alicia recreated my look over on her blog, Word of Alicia.

 

 

 

Summer Joggers

Joggers are definitely all the rage this season, and I’ve jumped on feet first! I love ’em because they are loose fitting and comfortable, plus they’re light weight and flowy. Joggers are the perfect thing to wear on those HOT summer days when I just didn’t have enough time to break out the razor in the morning.

For me, joggers also make a great substitute for wearing a skirt. I LOVE wearing the cute printed skirts, but it’s just not very practical where I work. So a printed jogger is the next best thing! They come in such fun prints that can be easily mixed and matched with printed tops, similar to what I like to do with a printed skirt.

I’m especially in LOVE with the daisy print on these joggers I found at Arrow Twenty Two. Couldn’t be a more perfect print for summer and they’ll mix really well with other prints like a striped or polka dot top. I can see these being on a heavy rotation in my closet this summer!

To style a jogger pant, pair it with a loose fitting top. To keep your look keeping casual, only tuck the top in on the front. This will define your waist and keep you from looking frumpy. You could fully tuck in your top if you’d prefer, but keep in mind this will give you more of a dressy look rather than a casual one.

Add simple layered necklaces to keep things looking light and easy going.

Plus a pretty set of simple rings like this mark Hint of Bling Ring Set. So simple, yet SO pretty!

Then finish off the look with a cute pair of sandals or slides like these Contour Lightweight Sliders from Avon. They come in a neutral silver that’s perfect for all your summer looks.

P.S. Slides are a HUGE trend this season.

Top – Roolee / Joggers – Arrow Twenty Two / Slides | Watch – Avon / Necklace Set | Ring Set – mark

 

 

 

Casual Friday

Just cuz its casual Friday, it doesn’t mean t-shirt and jeans. Think of it more as semi-casual with a pair of jeans and a nice top. My lifestyle is pretty casual, so my outfits everyday tend to be semi-casual. If you work in a place where it’s more of a business look everyday during the week, you don’t want to go from a business look to t-shirt and jeans. That’s way too drastic of a change, plus a t-shirt and jeans just looks unprofessional.

Try a flowy top with a chambray button up layered over the top. Then for a lil more visual interest add a printed knit scarf layered with a long pendant necklace.

For a fun look to my hair and to just keep it out of my face, I did a partial French braid on the side. I then pinned it in place with a couple bobby pins. I really like the way it turned out and just might have to do that more often!

To keep the look on the casual side, I paired it with a distressed pair of motto jeans (my fave these days) and my Chuck Taylors. Chuck Taylors (or Converse) are always a great way to take a look to the casual side. They add a bit of funkiness to your look and are a lil more dressy than just your average pair of sneakers.

To add a final touch of coolness, I’m LOVIN the new Throw Some Shade Sunglasses by mark. The tortoiseshell frame is super chic and the frame shape is super flattering for any face! They make it easy to get your cool on!

 

Top | Scarf – Poshmark / Button Up – DownEast / Necklace | Rings | Earrings |Sunglasse – mark / Jeans – Roolee / Chuck Taylors – Delia’s

 

 

Florals and Polka Dots

I LOVE mixing up the prints, so I couldn’t help but put this floral top and polka dot skirt together. The key is to make sure the prints aren’t competing with each other. For me, I do this by making sure one of the prints is in neutral colors like the skirt. Then I added color with the florals in the top. The black and white windowpane print in the top also adds another bit of print and helps tie in the black and white in the skirt. Then the print on the sides of my platform shoes added a touch more of print. Altogether I have 4 prints going on in the look, but they all compliment each other, rather than complete so the look is in harmony.

I wore this outfit to church and had a lady say to me, “flowers and polka dots huh? I guess that’s in these days.” Keep in mind this lady usually compliments me on my outfits, I guess the print mix was just a lil too much for her. I actually doesn’t bother me when people comment on my outfits. If I like them and feel good in them, that’s all that matters to me. Like they say, to each his own.

Top | Skirt – Poshmark / Necklace | Watch | Bracelet | Rings – mark / Shoes – Avon

 

 

1 Piece, 4 Ways: Dark Endings Maxi

I’ve been so busy the past few months that I haven’t had a chance to put together a “1 piece, 4 ways” post, but I’m SO in love with the new Dark Endings Maxi by mark that I just HAD to take the time to put a post together.

The maxi is so long and flowy, it just makes you feel so pretty when you wear it. The fabric is a light chiffon. So perfect for Spring and Summer. The pleating adds the perfect touch of detail to the skirt. Plus you’ll be right on trend cuz both maxis and pleating are both in right now! The mauve pink is the perfect transition color from Winter to Spring colors. Not too bright, but brighter than the Winter colors. Now before I just keep rambling on about how much I LOVE the maxi, let me share with you 4 different ways of styling it.

 

1. Dress It Up

The first look is dressing it up as I did in my previous post with Alicia from Word of Alicia, in our posts “Spring Styling Tips: Spring Colors“. I dressed it up by pairing it with a similar chiffon fabric in black and off white polka dots. The black in the top perfectly matches the black in the bottom of the skirt, while the off white polka dots compliment the mauve pink in the skirt. The polka dot print in the top adds just the right amount of visual interest to the look. I paired the skirt with a strappy black sandal that are both dressy and casual at the same time.

Top – Kohl’s (LC Lauren Conrad) / Sandals – DSW / Skirt | Watch | Necklace | Rings – mark

 

2. Go Semi-Casual

Go Semi-Casual with the skirt by pairing it with a chambray top. Chambray is one of my FAVE tops to style. It easily takes a look from dressy to casual. A chambray with polka dots is even more fun! Add a pair of strappy brown sandals to keep the look on the casual side.

Skirt | Watch | Bracelet | Necklace | Rings – mark / Top – Thrifted / Sandals – Poshmark

 

3. Go SUPER Casual

I REALLY love the look of a graphic tee and sneakers with a skirt. Since I can rarely wear a skirt other than to church, it’s just not something I usually get to do. I just don’t feel church is the place for sneakers and skirts just aren’t practical for me to where I work, so it’s a special treat for me to wear them together on the blog. If you can fit them into your wardrobe, I would recommend them! Even if it’s just on a casual Friday or weekend shopping. It’s just such a super fun, casual chic look! To dress up the look just a little, you could add a skip the sneakers and add a pair of strappy sandals instead.

Top – Poshmark (Old Navy) / Sneakers – Delia’s / Skirt | Watch | Necklace | Rings | Bracelet – mark

 

4. Add Some Color

Style the skirt with color by adding a top in a color that goes with the mauve pink of the skirt. I chose a periwinkle chiffon top that was already in my closet. To change things up a bit from the other looks, I added a belt around my waist. If belts aren’t your thing, you could easily just skip it. Then I added another pair of cognac strappy sandals to keep the look on the semi-casual side. To make this look dressier, go with a black belt and sandals instead.

Top – DownEast / Sandals – Payless / Skirt | Bracelet | Watch | Rings | Necklace – mark