Sleek and Sophisticated

Sleek blouses are very popular right now, anything satin (polyester gives the same look) and sheer is sure to be a win. I instantly loved the style of this look when I saw it in Ann Taylor Loft, the color and trim detail sealed the deal.

This top is simple with a neutral color, but it has sleek detail with black trim along the cuffs and neck - borderline colorblock. The best touch is noticed from the back - the trim around the neck continues into an elegant black tie. Personally, I love when the sleeve of a blouse has fitted and buttoned cuffs, causing the sleeve to balloon over the wrist.

To accessorize this blouse I chose brushed gold as the accent and paired my Alex and Ani charmed necklace. I love the detail of the rings and delicate touch of the heart charm at the end. To match, I added my chunky gold watch to the look.  A simple, yet great choice for the office or a casual night out! 

Tip: Some of my favorite places to find this style blouses - The Loft, Gap, Banana Republic, and Marshalls! 

The Cowl Neck Sweatshirt

Gap Find - love this cowl neck sweatshirt! My sister, Jen, is showing you this look today, I love the laid back yet stylish touches.  The cowl neck, drawstrings, and sewing detail gives it enough style to make it  the perfect throw on for a trip to the store.  You'll be comfortable and cozy yet still looking polished while out.  Check out all the colors and order one today!  Bonus: on sale :) 

Jen is wearing the blue heather! 

Tip: Invest in some fresh lounge clothes.  When you look good, you feel good!  

My sister decided to add silver bangles to her look.  Silver goes great with the blue heather sweatshirt, especially my favorite bangle, Living Water! Check out Alex and Ani - an amazing company right from RI! 

Finally found a maxi for me!

I know maxi dresses are all the rage right now, but until this dress I didn't think I could pull one off.  Wondering where I found it... I'm sure you could of guessed it, Marshalls!  Before finding this dress, I tried one that was more flowy and loose fitting.  I decided being barely 5'4'' and pretty thin, something that was fitted would be more flattering.  I've found that with my size, something flowy is just too much material for me, it takes over.  Since most maxi's seem to be less fitted, it took me awhile to find a dress I actually liked.

What do you think?  I'm usually not a huge stripes person but when I tried this dress on I knew it was the one.  One of my favorite parts about it is that it has a inner layer, almost like a slip that goes about 1/2 down my thigh, I think this additional layer gives the dress great shape.

Well as I mentioned above, seeing as I'm barely 5'4'' and wearing a maxi dress, the only thing that is completely necessary are platforms!  I fell in love with these at Marshalls, BCBG nude/coral wedge platforms - aren't they beautiful?? :) With a black and white striped dress, these shoes were perfect for a pop of color!

To add some jewelry to the look I decided to go chunky.  I went with my go to gold watch and then layered on my Alex and Ani bangles.  One of my favorities... Pursue Happiness.

Does it pass the like or LOVE test?

My color pallet was pretty plain today, a lot of tan with a pop of PINK.  Lets start with the shirt, this sleeveless top is always a big hit, it must be the detail of ruffled flowers.  I also love the color scheme of the fabric, the pink and tan go nicely with each other, a very soft look.  Today it was a business casual day for me, I pulled out a tan pencil skirt.  Although you couldn't tell today, its pretty versatile because its high waisted, wearing a top tucked in is a very different look!  To cover my shoulders I added this rose petal sweater.  Its something I pull out of my closet all of the time, it goes with everything!  All three of these pieces were Marshalls finds - I LOVE that place.  

For accessories I went with my gold jewelry, my goto chunky watch and bangles from Alex and Ani.  I wore one of my favorites today - Pursue Happiness.  Short and sweet but so true.  

Now to my favorite part of the outfit - the SHOES.  I saw these shoes at Gap few weeks ago, but I ended up putting them back.  This weekend I was back in the store and just couldn't pass them up, I LOVE them.  I originally wanted a teal colored pair they had but I knew I would get more use out of the tan.  The wooden heel is definitely in, get yourself a pair!   

The just like or LOVE rule - If you're not sure if you should buy something, put it back and leave the store.  If you keep thinking about it a few days later then you actually do LOVE it and not just like - GO BACK AND GET IT!  This was the case for my new wooden wedges.  Do I really need them? Probably not, but I realized I did really love them because I kept wishing I had them to wear.  Most of the time I leave something at the store and forget about it as quick as I walk into the next store.  Try this test next time your out shopping, I swear it works!  

Gold and Black for 60th Post!

Today was a simple day, yet I still wanted something a little business looking.  Flipping through the closet, I chose this sleeveless black shirt that has chest pockets, button shoulder ties, and a perfect slit down the front.  The other subtle detail is the cut of the bottom, falling lower in the back and the front. Its pretty plain but I love the look and style of this shirt!  The material is polyester so it keeps its shape all day, almost feels and looks like a rayon fabric (Marshalls). To jazz it up a little I went with a long gold necklace, chunky watch and some Alex and Ani bangles.  I chose a pair of dark bootcut jeans that went nicely with the black top and for shoes I wore simple black sandals with satin and gold detail. It all tied together, black and gold were my colors of the day.

Tip: Keep it sleek and clean.

Watercolors and Living Water

I think I've decided that dresses are just much more comfortable than pants. Again it rained, so I did not want to deal with bottoms of wet pants - out came the boots (Steve Madden)!

For the dress I chose a watercolor gray above the knee. I love the teals, pinks, and purples! This was of course a TJ Maxx find! I added a gold waist belt and a layered gold necklace for some shine!

For the wrist, I went with my go to watch and Alex and Ani bangles. On my way home I stopped and added a new bangle to my collection. I've been thinking about it since I watched a video about it - Living Water. I love the color and teardrop shape but the best part is your helping a great cause!

Living Water - Charity by Design

A dress for the warm weather!

This was one of my finds from GAP last summer, I LOVE this dress!  Its just a simple cotton dress, but the satin detail does the trick.  The satin collar gives it just the right amount of dressiness for the office, the belt is the finishing touch!  Since its only April I added a short sleeve sweater over it.  My go to chunky gold watch and bangles - Alex and Ani <3 - went perfectly.

Time for summer!