An Unexpected Fall

This has been one of my favorite Fall seasons to date. We have been blessed with endless sunshine, unseasonably warm temperatures and foliage colors only otherwise seen in our dreams (as seen here). Is it so wrong to wish this current state of bliss would stay forever? I'll even settle for just a little bit longer, I'm just not ready to say goodbye and start wearing a winter coat...

Maybe it's the weather or maybe it's just expanding horizons, but the season has felt different for a few other reasons: 1) I trained for a half-marathon and against all my negative thoughts about it (you're not ready, you haven't trained enough, etc.), I happily crossed the finish line with my co-workers and felt an immense sense of pride. After (A LOT) of brunch pizza and mimosas, I even thought about doing it again someday ;) When I got home that afternoon, I was more sore than I have ever experienced...I couldn't even move and fell asleep almost immediately. But in the days that followed, I just kept thinking -- the way my body feels is just a reminder that I did it.

2) I spent time actually watching baseball on TV and haven't dedicated a second to the Bears. In years past, we used to join my Family for Sunday football and extreme amounts of comfort food which I always enjoyed...but it's just felt too nice to sit inside for hours upon end in this extended Summer. Even stranger, as a Sox fan, I even began to root for the Cubs, so thrilled with the excitement and passion that united Chicago, as we're dealing with doom and gloom all too often. It was a really nice, welcome distraction.

3) I started to indulge in a longtime love for graphic design. I've always been a font-obsessed nazi who believes an entire poster or invitation can be changed with one click of the mouse but only now, am I taking action to make those feelings productive and enhance my responsibilities at work through training and daily practice. 

SHOP THE LOOK:

But there's a few things that haven't changed at all...indulging in pumpkin spice everything, a love for army green accents, snapping (way too many) photos of the magical leaves and feeling thrilled when 93.9 flips the Christmas switch. After all, there's still so much joy to come...

What has made this Fall memorable for you?  Wearing:
Top: Nordstrom Rack Jeans: J Brand Jeans Jacket: Old Navy Booties: Just Fab (similar) Bag: c/o Sole Society (similar) Hat: Target (similar) Necklace: House of Gemmes (similar)

When Super Casual Looks Dressed-Up

I love when you are wearing something that feels like PJ's but looks so much more dressed up then that! OK, let's break this down: I am wearing a tee shirt people! A cotton tee, that's it.

The skirt was under $20 and is such a soft jersey material. Both are very casual items and together they are not that special either, but when you add the right accessories you can take this super casual look and make it look so much more dressed up!



Jewelry is the easiest way to dress-up a look. With a great statement necklace, the outfit already looks more upscale. I added earrings, a gold cuff, and boyfriend style watch to finish off the jewelry portion. Up next...shoes! A killer pair of heels will always take an outfit from drab to fab. It's such an easy fix and it really does change the entire look.

Jacket: Pepe Jeans London // Top: Swap w/ Kaitlyn // Skirt & Bag: Forever 21 // Shoes: JustFab // Necklace: Shop Lately // Cuff: RocksBox (use code sistersmariexoxo to get 1st month FREE!) 

In the end, I simply added a denim jacket to make it perfect for a night in the city.

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What do you think of this outfit? 

Do you ever pair two very casual items and dress them up with accessories? 

It's all About the Accessories

This outfit is a look we all wear at some point in our lives. Jeans, a blouse, and a blazer, nothing crazy here, I'm not re-inventing the wheel folks and I know it! However, by adding the right accessories, the outfit takes on a new style all together.

I started with my hair and decided to go with a tight top knot to get it away from my face. Next, I went to jewelry and added two necklaces, a bracelet, watch, and tossed on a few gold rings. Sometimes less is more and sometimes more it more. I went with the latter! ;)

Now for the fun stuff; the shoes, sunglasses, and the bag! I pulled hues from my top and chose which ones I would wear from there. I used the blue from the top and paired it with bright blue shoes and sunglasses. I also used a different hue from the red palette when choosing my bag. In the end, my basic jeans, blouse, and blazer looked a lot less basic!

Blouse: Target // Blazer: Piperlime // Jeans: Express // Shoes & Necklace: Just Fab // Bag & Sunglasses: c/o Sole Society // Pendant Necklace: House of Gemmes // Bracelet & Rings: T+J Designs 

How do you style your jeans, blouse, and blazer looks?
It is all about the accessories in your everyday styling? 

Matchy Matchy Winter Layers

Lately I've been loving layering thinner items to get my winter style. I still feel warm, but not so bulky (if that makes sense). I started this outfit with blue skinny jeans, a black turtleneck, and then added a blue blouse over that. I don't generally love to get to matchy-matchy with my style, but this day I went for the full on look. I copied the blue black over and over in my boots, jacket, sunnies, watch, and even in my bracelet. 

Jacket: c/o Sheinside // Blouse: Swap w/ Kaitlyn // Turtleneck: H&M // Jeans: J Brand // Boots: Rampage via Hautelook // Bag: Michael Kors // Cuff: c/o Shop Lately // Watch: Urban Outfitters // Sunnies: Ray Ban // Bracelet: T+J Designs // Necklace: House of Gemmes 

Do you ever get matchy-matchy on purpose? What do you think of this outfit?

Make a Statement with Sparkle

Top: Express | Necklace: House of Gemmes

So much of my every day outfit selections are based on accessorizing. I feel naked if I leave the house without (at a minimum) my stud earrings and one other piece of jewelry, typically a statement necklace. Over the years, I have accumulated quite a large collection in order to complete any outfit...oh, and because I'm like a kid in a sparkly candy store when surrounded by jewels. 

With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to share a few of my favorite wardrobe and necklace pairings that are perfect for any occasion.

Top: Forever 21 (similar) | Necklace: T+J Designs (similar)

I am as they say "mad for plaid," especially this season because it's everywhere and I LOVE to see it dressed up. As mentioned many times, I gravitate towards fashion that mixes feminine and masculine pieces so this lumberjack gone black tie affair look is my ultimate mix.

Blazer: Piperlime (similar) | Necklace: Forever 21 (similar)

Much like my anchor print collection, the amount of leopard print items in my closet is getting slightly out of the control and this blazer is queen of them all. The leather lapel detail gives it an extra edge so I like pairing it with an equally gritty piece of jewelry. With flared denim and a heeled bootie, this look exudes confidence.

Dress: LOFT (similar) | Necklace: T+J Designs (on sale!)

There are statement necklaces and then are STATEMENT necklaces and this is my go-to. I knew we would be a perfect match from the first time I laid eyes on the gold and lucite design. This piece always makes any outfit feel more special whether it's a basic white blouse or a festive red dress and I (don't) apologize for being a repeat offender because isn't going out of style any time soon ;)

Jacket: Buffalo Jeans (similar) | T: House of Gemmes | Necklace: LOFT (similar)

If I was asked to describe my favorite outfit, I would likely mention the graphic T and leather jacket combo. I am by definition a jeans and T girl but I do enjoy spicing things up with a unique accessory. I think the pink in the necklace compliments the red jacket nicely and makes an otherwise edgy outfit feel a little more girly. 

Shirt: H&M (similar) | Necklace: T+J Designs

Oh chambray, how I love you so. In my mind, it's one of the most versatile pieces you can own - pair it with a pencil skirt, leather skirt, opposite wash jeans (hello Canadian tuxedo!), printed pants, shorts, layered with a knit or flannel, and the list goes on. I like the blue on blue pairing here and love when the statement necklace fits perfectly under the collar, making for the perfect peek of sparkle.

How do you make a statement with your jewelry? 

What is your favorite of these combinations?

Moms Night Off ;)

 

Over the weekend, my sister and myself decided to sneak away for a moms night off. Neither of us have ever done that before and thought it would be pretty cool. 

We booked The Renaissance Hotel on Priceline and had such a fun time. The room was beautiful and our view from the 19th floor was amazing! We decided to stay in the hotel for the night and grab dinner at their in house bar. I mean if you are staying in such a nice hotel, why not stay there all night?

I decided to wear my leopard print shift dress. I kept the styling very simple by adding tights, oxblood heels, a neutral bag, and great jewelry. 

Dress: Loft // Shoes: c/o Just Fab // Bag: Aldo // Necklace & Earrings: House of Gemmes // Tights: Loft // Bracelets: T+J Designs // Watch: Fossil

The hotel bar, Novo, had tapas style food. We had some super yummy eats, quite a few beers, and lots of great chats. We may need to do this more often! 

What do you wear for dinner out with your sister or girl friends? Have you ever stayed at the Renaissance hotel or been to bar Novo before?

*Head over to Stilettos and Diaper Bags  to see what I wore downtown all day!

Pattern Mixing While Getting Blown Away

I love pattern mixing! I think my favorite part is unexpected pairings gone so right. I was wearing my polka dot blouse and skinny jeans when I walked outside and all of a sudden, the wind hit and I was so cold...I mean, "lets hope I can keep my feet on the ground" type of windy and cold out. I quickly grabbed the closest coat I could find and it happened to be the plaid one Kaitlyn and I share.

It was pattern mixing love at first sight! I went to the local park to take photos and the wind just got worse and worse as you can see below...

Jacket: c/o Sheinside // Blouse: c/o Oasap // Jeans: Old Navy // Boots: c/o Sole Society // Necklace & Earrings: House of Gemmes // Sunnies: Ray Ban 

Right after these shots, I ran to my tripod as it was falling over and thank goodness I caught my camera! No more windy photo shoots with a tripod (note to self)! ;)

What do you think of this pairing? How do you mix patterns?