Brunch Style

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is go out for Sunday brunch. Yes, it's nice not cook one meal of the weekend, but there is just something about eating a bit later in the morning and having a mimosa (or two!). Side note, I have found that the older I get, the more I like day drinking. Truth, I would rather drink on a Sunday morning then on a Friday night. Judge away, but there is no hang over and I'm with the people I love the most in this world, my family! Then we go home and the rest of the day is spent relaxing. Why isn't brunch a mandatory monthly activity? It should be...just saying.

I tend to want to look put together, but never wear tight clothing as I do like to eat! I mean, brunch is usually my only meal prior to dinner so I stock up! The perfect solution was layering this sweater over a maxi dress. Flowy, loose, and cute...works for me! I added a few accessories, beach waves to my hair, and I was good to go. Sometimes less really is more. 

Coat: Victoria's Secret // Maxi Dress: Forever 21 // Sweater // Shoes: DSW // Bag // Necklace: Baublebar // Fitbit // Earrings // Hair
Do you ever layer sweaters over your maxi dresses? What is your go-to brunch style?

Lady in Red

It was one of those meant to be moments - I had a best friends wedding coming up and no dress in my closet that I deemed "Fall appropriate" enough (#champagneproblems as Blake says) Or better said, no dress that hadn't been photographed a few times already...My husband thinks this reasoning is totally absurd (and it is) but you ladies understand, right? 

That said, the event snuck up on me and I ran out of time...come the day before with one free hour in my schedule, I made a quick trip to the mall (what is life without online shopping!?) and stopped in virtually every women's store in the building...the adorable girls at Francesca's and I chatted about our love for braids and half-up buns....the lovely associates at LOFT explained that it's tough to find a good wedding dress right now, as most stores are in that awkward in-between seasons phase...a few stores and disappointing glances later, I decided to head back to my car, resolving to make something work that I already owned (the horror!)...

I reluctantly trekked through Forever 21 on the way out and seconds before reaching the exit door, came across this red lace beauty...it was the only one on the rack, peeking out from between fringe vests and suede skirts. It was clear that one of these things did not belong and even more clear I had been in the right place at the right time. 1 dress left, in my size, in the exact style I was going for. Fashion, meet destiny... ;)

Dress: Forever 21 (splurge / steal) | Shoes: ASOS | Necklace: T+J Designs (Under $25!) | Earrings: Forever 21 (similar)

Sunnies: Karen Walker (Try them for FREE! Code: sistersmarie on Ditto.com!) | Bracelet: LOFT 

Do you ever find exactly what you were looking for after you've stopped searching? :)

Beauty & the Blog: Lisa's OOTD

We recently shared two blog posts (here & here) about shooting for the Spring issue of Lake & Country Magazine.
During our first photo shoot, we each wore two outfits. We were all asked to bring one look that was white, cream, or blush tones and the second was one that we felt defined our style as bloggers.
My first outfit I highlighted over on Stilettos and Diaper Bags, and my second outfit is what I'm sharing with you today! I feel like this outfit is very me. I love a great jumpsuit, hat, and heels so why not wear all three to showcase a few of my favorite things?!

All photos below were taken by the very talented Anna of Anna Urban Photography. The first photo is my favorite and it is one of the photos that made it into the 6 page feature spread in Lake & Country magazine!

Jumpsuit: Piperlime // Hat: Gap // Shoes: c/o JustFab // Cuff & Midi Ring: c/o Shop Lately // S Shaped Ring & Necklace: T+J Designs // Watch: Fossil // Bracelet: Lokai 

The entire experience was one I will never forget. I loved shooting with Anna as she has a way of making you feel beautiful and confident even though there were quite a few others in the room watching. I would highly recommend using her as a photographer!

What do you think of this outfit?
What outfit would you put together if asked to encompass your signature style?

Tut Tut, It Looks Like Rain

We are not having a very white winter here in the midwest. Sure, we've seen flurries but not anything to shovel or salt (as of yet). Now rain on the other hand, we've had lots of rain this winter. As far as I'm concerned, that just ends up being a great excuse to break out my orange Hunter boots!

I know I just recently wore this top, but why not get use out of it, right?  It was fun to style it differently then I did the first time by adding my mid-rise zipper pocket jeans and a statement necklace. To finish my outfit off, I added a bright lip color because I sure needed a bit of bright on this otherwise gray day. 

Top: MNG by Mango // Jeans: c/o Just Fab // Boots: Hunter Boots // Bag: Piperlime // Necklace & Ring: T+J Designs  

How long do you wait before you re-wear a sweater (Yes, I wore mine twice in 8 days!)?

What's your go-to rainy day style?

Rocked it & Swapped it

There is something so perfect about a short sleeved dress. When Kaitlyn wore this beautiful stripe number for a night out in Nashville I knew I would be keeping the styling similar with blues and browns when it came my way. 

It just so happened that in the same swap bag, she sent me a beautiful blue, white, and gray scarf. If that's not a pairing made for each other, I don't know what is! 

Here is how we both styled the dress:

I love that it is versatile enough to be worn for a day event or even a night out on the town.

When I wore it, I had my son's Kindergarten recital so I wanted to be daytime dressy. By adding a flat sandal and the scarf I think I did just that. 

Dress & Scarf: Swap w/ Kaitlyn // Necklace & Bag: Piperlime // Shoes: Target // Sunnies: Ray Ban // Ring: EG Jewelry // Love Ring & Bow Bracelet: T+J Desnigs // Buckle Bracelet: c/o It's a Bling Thing // Watch: Fossil 

Do you own a short sleeved dress? What do you think of how we styled it?

Because We Enjoyed Blogger Brunch (Part 1)

We recently attended a lovely Sunday brunch (#bloggerbrunch, that is) hosted by Mary of Sportsanista. She said the idea came to her after she thought about how often we all converse regularly via Instagram, our Blogs, Twitter, etc but don't see each other nearly enough in real life and we couldn't agree more. 

It's so easy to leave a complimentary comment or send an e-vite for an event, but it's important to find the time to slow down and chat about the world outside of our digital footprints…we quickly realized how much we all have in common (besides a passion for fashion) such as the men in our lives rolling their eyes when we ask them to take ANOTHER outfit photo or hope they can see the need for that non-functional sequin pillow (yes, NEED). 

Blazer: Target (Swap w/ Lisa) // Shirt: JC Penney // Jeans: Old Navy // Belt: GAP // Shoes: Converse
 Bag: Windsor (Swap w/ Lisa) // Bracelets: c/o It's a Bling Thing // Sunnies: Target // Rings: Francescas,  Lili Claspe

We are already looking forward to the next get together…There was mention of pasta + wine, so I'm pretty sure we won't have trouble finding room in our schedule :)

Dress: Because I Shop Too Much // Jacket: c/o Just Fab // Boots: c/o Sole Society // Necklace & Rings: T+J Designs 
Bag: c/o Funky Pretty by Design Dahl // Sunnies: Prada 

Check back on Monday for photos of the "could this be any cuter" brunch set-up Mary created just for us!