More than a Sweatshirt

Well now that its cold, a sweatshirt always sounds nice to wear!  Find one that's more than just a plain pull over and you'll be able to get away with it... probably even in the office.  I saw this one at Marshalls, full front zipper and a lot of ruffles.  I love the detail, right down to the back ruffle that pulls in the waist. 

Dress comfortably, yet still stylish!

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.  

Summer Ruffles

My mom gave me this dress for Christmas and I haven't worn it yet... well until today!  Today was a business casual day at work and with the steamy weather a dress was very appropriate.  

I think this maroon dress has a lot of style with the ruffles from the shoulders to the waist and also with the cute waist tie.  Where is it from? Gap, believe it or not - I don't think it looks like their typical style.  

To go with the necklace I chose some gold pieces, the obvious watch and then one of my new gold necklaces.  If you missed last nights post, I'm pretty sure I threw out my favorite gold necklace so I needed some replacements.  This one was also on the clearance wall at Kohl's - designed by Lauren Conrad.  I love the bows - so cute!  Check out last nights post to see the other replacement necklace :)

Cute summer wear!

The humidity is killing me... its a must to go with a dress or skirt in this weather.  Today I went with one of my favorites, a ruffle layered skirt from Ann Taylor Loft.  I've worn it in the past but this time I paired light colors for more of a summer look.  Wanting the skirt to be the focus, I wore a simple heather gray T (Marshalls). I like to wear fitted plain t's with skirts, easy to tuck in and doesn't get all bunched in the waist.


My accent color for the look was gold.  I wore my chunky gold watch (Speidel), gold ruffle sandals (Madden Girl), gold wire headband (the LOFT) and lastly, my new find - long gold layered necklace! I love this new piece, well first I must explain... I'm pretty sure I accidentally threw out my favorite layered gold necklace, you'll see it in posts below.  It was simple with two strands, and had small knots on each layer - I LOVED it!  I'm still pretty devastated about it but in the mean time I had to try and find a replacement.


What do you think?  I think its pretty cute!  I like the layered strands and think the flower and diamond piece are great details!  Guess where its from... believe it or not I was in Kohl's this weekend with my mom and noticed it on the clearance rack... thanks Lauren Conrad :)

Tip: Keep the colors light to stay cool

Bright BLUE Dress

With beautiful weather for another day a dress was definitely on the list!  Today I pulled out a recent find from Marshalls, this simple but detailed bright BLUE dress.  I normally don't choose a blue like this but I loved it when I tried it on.  For a necklace I chose my thin shiny silver piece.  It went really well with the solid blue - stood out perfectly!  For shoes I went with my favorite flats from Steve Madden, simple black with some shine.  I swear heels and wedges can be more comfortable than flats.  Flats always eat my heels!

Don't you love the ruffles! 

Tip: Don't be afraid to add some color to your wardrobe, especially with this beautiful weather!








You've seen this shirt before but I wanted to show you what it looks like on!  Perfect after work T for hanging out.  This was a one of my recent finds from the World of Dance show, its by Custom Junky - really cool stuff, check it out www.customjunky.com 

Ruffles for work and play

Today I chose one of my favorite ruffle tank topics.  The color is really simple tan, but has really get detail with the satin ruffles.  I personally love the satin shoulder strap, perfect touch for more detail.  I wore my simple A necklace, as I wanted the shirt to be the attention.  This is perfect example of a work and play shirt.  I threw on a short sleeve black sweater to make it appropriate for the office.  Out to dinner and with friends?  Take off the sweater and switch out the black work dress pants!  You can probably guess, but the shirt is Marshalls. 

Tip: Add some detailed tanks to your closet that are versatile for the office and play.

Office

Play

Sunday Funday!

Weekends are just too short!  Here I am again on a Sunday, wishing you well for the week!  Before we get to Monday's look I want to share a cool thing to do in RI - if you're from around here, if not, enjoy the pictures!

Once spring hits, I like to start taking adventures and exploring new places.  I love pictures, so a good photo-op location is always on my list!  Today I traveled to the seawall and what most call Hazard Rock in Narragansett.  I would not recommend this sight seeing location for kids unless you want to be nervous the whole time, I get nervous myself!  Its definitely a must see though during low tide, you literally feel like its just you and the ocean.  Drive to the end of the seawall, continue on the road for a few bends and the street that leads down to the rocks will be on your left.  You're too far if you reach Scarborough beach.

Tomorrow's look -

I'm going with black and white for colors tomorrow.  This tank blouse is super cute with the ruffles and beads along the edge - one of my recent Marshalls finds for less than $20.  I love the cut of the bottom, goes down in the front and back like a mens dress shirt - it adds simple style.  To wear to work I'm throwing a short sleeve black sweater over it.  Because I want the shirt to be the focus, I chose a very simple necklace -  probably my favorite piece of jewelry - just a little A (initial).  For bracelets I'm going a little chunkier, but still plain.  They match the beads on the ruffle, just layered black beaded bracelets.  For bottoms I'll be sticking to black dress pants and some type of heel or wedge - we'll see what my feet feel like in the morning! 

While the weathers nice, get out there and take in some fresh air!  I see a lot of sun in the forecast for around here!    

Gray tones and a tulip

Since its been so cold the last couple of days I decided to pull the corduroys back out - not too happy about it.  The first thing I chose to wear was this tulip colored ruffle button down, well pull-over in this case.  Like I said the other day, when I'm layering a sweater or some type of blazer I like to add some width to the look so ruffles do the trick.  I picked this shirt up at Ann Taylor Loft on the sale wall - pretty sure it was something like $9.99.  It was something I saw and knew I could get a lot of use out of it.  Over the shirt, I wore one of my favorite sweaters, I love the large collar and flaps down the front.  This piece is made by Inc. - a Macy's brand. Sticking with the gray, I went with my gray skinny corduroys and trusty black leather slouch boots.  For some shine I wore a silver necklace that has some pearls and diamonds.  Its nothing too chunky but definitely carries some weight.

Tip: Pick a colored shirt and go with plain colors around it.  When I look at my outfit, I see a gray palette with a touch of purple, I don't know why but I think of a tulip :)

Looking forward to the weekend, its almost here!

Blazer and Blouse

Today was a blazer and blouse kind of day.  I had two events after work so I stepped up my look a little bit.  This morning when I was getting dressed I knew exactly what shirt I wanted to wear - a white Tahari blouse that has ruffles down the front and cute details on the shoulders.  For a blazer, I chose a light gray linen and when you look closely you'll notice charcoal and white tweed.  When I'm wearing a blazer I like to wear blouses with ruffles or something on the front to add dimension.  A blazer is very smooth and flat so the blouse gives it a little more oomph :).  For bottoms I went with one of my favorite black dress plants, Editor edition from Express that are wide leg.

For Jewelry, I went with my simple long silver fleur de lis necklace.  With the delicate material and ruffles on my shirt I didn't want to clash with a heavy/chunky necklace.  I decided to sport my black diamond wrap watch, that was enough on its own.  My shoes weren't crazy, black ankle boots that have 3 buckles for some style.  Being so cold, the last thing I wanted was my feet hanging out!  

My favorite part of my outfit was the headband.  Overall, my outfit was simple and stayed on the black and white scheme.  To snaz it up a bit, I chose a black beaded headband and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.  Like I said before, some days I just don't feel like having my hair in my face and headbands are the trick!

Quote I heard today: Plan the work - Work the plan... stuck with me.  What'd you hear today that stuck?