Print it out.

How do you feel about printed pants?

I found these white printed
jeans at Marshall's for $19.

I'm not going to lie, I have only a couple pairs of my own. I'm usually pretty simplistic with the prints, and even the colors, I wear. However, when I spied these pair of jeans, I couldn't help but pull them off the rack. There was something about this print that caught my eye. So I took them home to give them a try.


Though patterned pieces can take a little more effort to mix and match and create outfits with, they can offer endless possibilities for a creative mind that's up for the challenge!


I liked these because they are only 2 colors, white with a blue floral pattern. Also, the floral pattern didn't consist of huge blooming petals, but of a smaller more symmetrical vine print. I liked the white and blue because I felt that I could pair these with most colors... if I decided to ever pair them with colors. (I had yellow on my mind ;)


Check out and see how I styled this print below! 

I kept the rest of the outfit pieces as simple as possible.
The pants made enough of a statement on their own.

Nine West sandals from Ross. $21. Love these
cognac sandals and the cutout detailing!

I found this infinity scarf at Marshall's for just $12.

Love the small detail of the scooped back on this simple charcoal tank.
I found this leather bag at Banana Republic. After an awesome promotion
and a fantastic coupon, I spent about $5 on this beautiful bag!

I personally liked the overall look, but didn't LOVE  these pants on me. Also, my sister said they reminded her a bit of pajama pants. (Love the honesty... and actually, I know an "on trend" style right now is wearing pj style pants ;) I was torn myself with keeping them, but liked them with this outfit at least.

What do you think? Do you like wearing printed pants? And what are your thoughts of the new new pj pant trend? Have you seen it?

 Feel free to give me your thoughts! 

This Dress.

Alright, I have a great find to share with you all.

THIS DRESS.

Or should I say, these dresses?

I found these dresses on oldnavy.com, read some positive reviews, and decided to give them a try. I liked all the colors and couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I got them all... of course. 

I am so glad I did! These dresses fit so wonderfully! They are tailored nicely so they look professional, but the material stretches and is comfortable. Perfect for a long work day. These dresses are simple, but classy. Easy to be dressed up or down depending on the occasion you are needing a dress for. Work? No problem! Put on some heels, and a blazer and your ready for the office. Casual wedding? Great! Pick one of the brighter dresses and pair with strappy heels or wedges and some fancy jewelry and you're guest-list ready!

THE BEST PART: You know I am a bargain shopper (and if you didn't know that, now you do), and I know that great style doesn't mean high price tags. I find it a great (and fun) challenge to seek great deals when I am on the hunt for pieces to add to my wardrobe. These dresses were no exception! I was fortunate enough to snag them during a promotion week when they were on special for $15 and they were offering an additional promotion for 30% off. (That made the dresses about $10 each! Steal! ;)

Out of all the colors I tried, the "Dreamy Green" and "Dark Gray" were the two I liked best on me and the two I would use most often. I will mostly likely keep those two and return the neon pink, but am posting all so you can see all the different options.

Outfit Breakdown

Dress Old Navy $10

Shoes Ross Guess $26

Outfit Breakdown

Dress Old Navy $10

Shoes Ross Calvin Klein $20

Bag Nine West $35

Necklace Banana Republic $10

Outfit Breakdown

Dress Old Navy $10

Shoes Ross Calvin Klein $20

Bag Nine West $35

Necklace Banana Republic $12

So, there is your "steal" for the day! I highly recommend trying these out for yourself if you are in need of adding some simple, structured, and easy to wear dresses (that look good!) to your closet. If you want more styling ideas for these pieces, leave a note and I'll give you my feedback.

Have a lovely day <3

(P.S. Theses dresses are on sale right now online! Look for Women's Ponte-Knit Shift Dress and pick the color you like! They are available in tall and petite sizes too!)

The Finer Things

Every now and then, I get to choose a fun outfit for a night out perusing the local art shows.

My sis is a fabulous Assistant Director for a gorgeous art gallery, and she always lets me know when the must-see exhibits are being featured.

This outfit is from one of my last visits to her gallery.

I wanted to choose something fun for the night, so of course... a yellow polka-dot skirt seemed a solid choice.


Whats more fun than yellow polka-dots?


The rest of the pieces I chose were simple and classic, and really just let the skirt stand out. The skirt made the outfit. Well... I made the outfit... around the skirt, but  you know what I mean.  

The Blazer

The gray Gap blazer totally added structure to this outfit. Love this piece because it can pretty much go with anything. Its not a traditional blazer, because it doesn't have a collar, so it caught my attention just from its few bits of unique detailing. Love the slit pockets and the fabric covered buttons. Its simple, but it just adding just this one item gave the whole look a little more depth, making it go from just a skirt and top, to an outfit.

The Pattern Mix

I paired a fun purple and white chevron print clutch with the yellow skirt. Purple and yellow are complementary colors. With the mustard (darker) yellow and the eggplant (darker) colored purple, the two hues worked together without clashing. I can say the same for the patterns. The skirt has a more subtle pattern than the clutch, so the two mixed together nicely. The rest of my outfit was so simple, so all the pieces fell in to place ;) At least... I liked the end result.

The White Shirt

Okay, so this shirt really isn't "white". I don't know what color you would call it other than "off white". So there you go. But I am one who swears by owning a white (off white) button down. They are a fantastic staple. This shirt, in particular, is honestly one of my favorite pieces. The material is soft and easy to wear. It falls just right. I have paired this with so many different outfits! I don't know what will happen if I ever stain it... my wardrobe will never quite be the same again.

Enough of the dramatics... look in you closet to see if you can find a "fun" piece to build an outfit around. 

Let me know what that one item is! 

I'm always available to shoot out ideas for styling tips if you want help with that fun piece. Happy outfit making :)

Outfit Breakdown

(More like GAP outfit breakdown)

Top: Gap $17

Blazer: Gap $25

Skirt: Gap $12

Shoes: Marshall's Franco Sarto $32

Watch: Michael Kors Gift

Necklace: TJ Maxx $20

Always Recycle.

Today, I am going to encourage you to look through your clothing and assess the "in-good-condition" reliable basics you have in your closet.

Any luck finding anything?

Basics are a staple to any wardrobe. They are the building blocks that you can use to build and rebuild countless fantastic outfits. With basics... styling possibilities are endless.

Photographed below, is a great blouse that I found at Old Navy. It's a great and easy fit without the hassle of buttons, yet it still has the look of blouse, not a tee shirt. I'm going to admit, I ordered this shirt in 4 colors (white, black, taupe, and blue). I have two shown below. 

The outfits below are fairly simple, but depending on your own personal style, you can do so much with these basic tops!  I had and continue to have countless styling ideas with just these simple pieces. I hope you check out some of your own basics and come up with new styling ideas after checking this out!

*** P.S. Please excuse the wrinkles in a couple of the photos. Those are from when I first received the tops in the mail; I was so excited to take them out of the bag I didn't even pay attention to the wrinkles before I started shooting. 

Here are Two Different Ways I Wore the Taupe

PLAY

WORK

Use your basics to set the foundation for the look you that will represent you best.

Basics are like a blank canvas. You can create whatever you desire. Using accessories, statement pieces, patterned sweater, good fitting jackets, fabulous shoes, and whatever else your personal style might desire, rock a style that makes you feel like and show off the best you.

Remember that your styling goal should be to feel confident and positive about yourself when you step out into the world.

Oh... and have fun ;)


P.S. If you ever feel so inclined... share with me the awesome outfitting you do on your own. I've seen some creativity out there and I love to be inspired!