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! 

Lush. Lively. Elegant. Pantone Color Of The Year - Emerald

Well if you don't have emerald green in your wardrobe, it's time to head to the stores and add some. Pantone announced the 2013 color of the year... drum roll please... emerald!  

This color is said to be "Lively. Radiant. Lush... A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance, and harmony."

This can be a tough color to wear, well for me anyways.  I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of green, but I'll be shopping the racks to add this color to my closest. Whether you choose a piece of apparel or decide to go with an accessory, emerald is a must for 2013.
Tip: Gold accessories are the perfect match for something green.

Polyvore: Pantone Color Of The Year - Emerald by jezzys featuring yellow gold jewelry

Browns and Boots

Well we're in full fall swing - browns and boots.  This was a recent outfit I pulled together, I went with lots of layers.  This skirt is a Gap find, perfect with tights and also works with bare leg in warmer weather.  I kept it simple with a heather gray v-neck t-shirt and then layered on a simple zip cardigan from The Loft.  Its a must to have basics in your wardrobe to mix and match to make many different looks.  A plain black sweater like this will get you a long way.

To add some life to the look I paired a light brown belt around my waist, layered on a brushed gold necklace and my chunky gold watch and bangles.  Brushed gold and bronze jewelry are perfect for accenting the fall colors in your wardrobe!

The best part of my look are my favorite fall boots.  These are classic distressed brown riding boot style, that go with so many of my fall outfits.  I swear they get better with age!  These are a Nine West find from their vintage line - I've been in love since I got them! They don't have the exact style, but check out this years vintage line here!  

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! 

Chili Red Skinnys

Well I couldn't wait to wear my new red skinny pants so Monday it was!  I've been on the hunt for a pair for a while but finally found them at Gap this weekend!  Check out my previous post to find out more about my deal on them! Let's just say, you need to fit in a trip! I love the zippers at the ankle, great detail!  Here are the pants, only thing is there is no red left online.

To go with the bright chili red pants, I went with a cozy sweater also from Gap.  The gray and black color block look went perfect with this pants.  For shoes I chose a pair of flats I picked up at Marshalls last spring by Tahari - their style went perfect with the rest of the look!

Tip: Get yourself a pair of red pants - its a must!

Color Block Scarf - AWESOME sale at GAP!

Well it was a beautiful weekend in RI, crisp fall air and nothing but sun!  My saturday morning started with reading an email from GAP - 40% off all sale items.  Well you know what that led to... a trip to the GAP!  You'll see some of my fashion finds this week but lets start with this color block scarf.

Perfect for a white tee or plain shirt - this navy and teal scarf is perfect to add some color and super comfy!  $13.99 on sale and then another 40% off - $8 :)

I'll be wearing these soon but here they are - finally a pair of red pants!  Don't get me wrong, I've tried on red pants anywhere I see them but they never are right.  Love the zippers at the ankle and the chili red color!  How much? $48.99 on sale and then another 40% off - $29!!

Tip:  Make your way to Gap this week - you can't miss this sale - great fashion finds!    

I wanted to share some pictures from my sunday at the beach... beautiful day!

Touch of Animal Print

My color choices have made the fall transition - this look fell into the gray and greens. When you're wearing something that is neutral you need to spice it up with accessories! For this look I added shinny bright gold jewelry. That just wasn't enough so I wore my new pair of animal print flats! They went perfect with the color scheme and added a fun print. These were a great fashion find - $20 on clearance at TJ Maxx, they're Lucky Brand.

Sweater - GAP

Pants - Marshalls 

Tip: Get yourself some animal print - it's fun and adds the perfect kick to fall colors!

Summer Blue with a Braided Wedge

Here I am!  This summer has been a busy one, always jumping from one thing to the next :)

I've caught some great deals so far this summer, including these tan braided wedges!  I was taking a stroll through Gap over the weekend when I noticed them on a shelf in the back.  There were a lot of red and blue pairs, but just one pair of tan and what do you know... just my size too - 7!  The tan wedge is definitely in this year, and a braided strap is pretty popular.  I tried them on and they caught my eye immediately, I love the gold buckle and cork bottom, I knew I'd get a lot of wear out of them - perfect for the office!  Stop by your Gap and see if they have a pair, on sale for $35.99!

I knew I wanted to wear shorts so I pulled out a white pair at knee length, great for work.  Still keeping the clothing simple, but needing a little flare I chose a t-shirt that cut longer in the front, cinched on the sides and down the spine of the back.  The shorts are something I've had for awhile from Gap and the shirt was a Marshalls clearance find!  Always keep an eye out for the basics on the clearance rack, they always come in handy!  I didn't go crazy with jewelry, I added a leopard headband for some snaz :)

Black and White with a Touch of Silver

I've had this shirt hanging in my closet for a while, but today I finally took the tags off.  I actually think it was around January when I bought it, I knew the material was summer appropriate. It was something I picked up from Ann Taylor Loft off the sale wall, perfect shirt for work.  To be honest, when I first saw it on the hanger, I didn't think much of it.  It sounds odd, but sometimes the "ugly" well what appears to be at first glance, looks great and is an awesome find!

I've been waiting to wear it with white pants and a little tan.  What really sold me was the detail ruffled front and also the thin silver thread.  Although plain, paired with bottoms that gave contrast and a silver necklace, it all came together.  These pants are from Gap, something I picked up as a basic for the office.  White dress pants are a must for the summer!

You've seen this necklace before, a thin silver strand that gives just the right touch.  To add some style to the look a wore a black floral headband.  Keeping the clothes basic allowed me to add snaz with a hair accessory.    

Tip: Pair black and white together for a classic look 

Star burst Stripes - Marshalls Find

You never know what you'll find in the clearance racks at Marshalls.  The last time I was there, I flipped through the rack and found this really cute sleeveless top - only $15.00.  I love the striped pattern, but most of all I love how the fabric is gathered across the waist, creating what I describe as a star burst.  The color isn't too exciting but the design is really neat and that's where accessories come into play.  I paired a chunkier style necklace, but stuck with the subtle colors.  This piece is from one of my favorite spots in Providence - Domain!  Of course I wore my gold watch and a bangle set.  I didn't go with anything special for bottoms, just simple black legging jeans from Gap - pretty comfortable I must add!  I added a short sleeve sweater from The Loft to cover my shoulders.  I just went with black sandals with a touch of gold to accent the rest of the outfit.  Just in case its not obvious, I wanted the shirt to be the focus so I kept everything else pretty basic.  

Tip: Don't underestimate the clearance racks at Marshalls!

Head to toe in Gap

Today was a fairly simple outfit, I kept it pretty business looking. I knew I wanted to wear my casual blazer from Gap so I needed a shirt that had some style underneath. I ended up choosing another Gap item, a sleeveless off-white shirt that has ruffles across the chest.  When I bought it a few weeks ago I knew it would be useful for its simple taste.  For the bottoms I wore black dress pants again from Gap, they really have great pieces that can be versatile for all different looks.

To give this outfit some flare, I added a layered gold necklace and some cheetah printed shoes!  The necklace is from my secret gem in Providence (read past posts to find out where!) and the shoes were a Marshalls find by BCBG.  These shoes added just enough flare to my look today!

Tip: Don't be afraid to add a bold pair of shoes to your simple outfit - sometimes that's just what it needs!    

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!  

Simplicity

I loved how this look pulled together, wide leg pale blue and a ruffly white top.  The pants are from Gap and are one of my favorites, I have them in navy blue too.  They're a great alternative to jeans, made out of a khaki material.  This shirt works well because of its simple design, yet stylish because of the ruffle detail.  I find it goes with a lot of different looks and adds just the right pop.  I found this shirt at Ann Taylor Loft.  With the clothes being pretty simple, I wanted to wear jewelry that had some life.  

I went with my normal gold bracelets and watch but spruced it up with these intricate dangle earrings - straight from Puerto Rico!  I LOVE the detail and soft look when you're wearing them.  I'd share where you can get a pair too but they came back from PR as a gift :)

Tip: Go BOLD with the accessories when your clothes are simple - keep it in proportion, but you can really make a statement with a piece when it is the focus.