Stepping Out in Floral Style

I love when a fresh wardrobe piece inspires me to step outside of my comfort zone and mix up my personal style. I’m typically more classic with a twist than boho chic, but when I tried on the “In the Band Jacket,” it felt like the two styles had come together in sweet harmony. The juxtaposition of the feminine floral dress with a menswear-inspired coat seemed like the perfect storm. The military-inspired jacket is a fresh alternative to one of my regular Fall uniforms—jeans, tee, and moto jacket combo—so it’s a welcome change. This structured jacket adds a bit of edge to any look, yet seems effortless at the same time.

Obviously these photos were taken a few weeks ago when bare legs were still an option - Oh, how I already miss those days! But that said, how CUTE would this look with tights? I actually have them in gray and navy and I'm thinking either would be a nice touch and now that I think about it, it would make a perfect Thanksgiving outfit since this shift dress offers plenty of room for seconds and even thirds. Hmm, I'm off to re-evaluate...

How do you step out of your style comfort zone?

Thanks for reading! Xo

Wearing:

Jacket, Dress, Booties, Earrings: c/o Cabi Clothing

Bag: Target

Hat: Sole Society (similar)

Glasses: Old Navy

Rocked it & Swapped it

Everybody needs a great cross body bag, so why not pick one up that has a cute tassel detail on it? That's just what Kaitlyn did when she found this neutral beauty at Target (which sadly is sold out), but have no fear I have search high and low for cute alternatives. If you feel like doing a little shopping today, feel free to click on the photos below! 

SHOP CROSS BODY TASSEL BAGS:

When Kaitlyn styled her bag back in May, she kept her look casual with a sweatshirt, skinny jeans, sneakers, and oversized sunglasses. Her pink lip and neck scarf took it up a notch giving the outfit a more chic look. When I recently styled her bag, I too was wearing a more casual everyday look. By adding it to my stripe maxi t-shirt dress & block heel mules, I was good to go for my day of errands. In the end, I added a bright red lip and a scarf, but I added my scarf to the bag. That has to be my favorite timeless trend to mix up your bags, wouldn't you agree? I know my grandma did it and that makes it even more special to me. 

Do you own a great cross body bag? How about a tassel one? Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today, I hope you make it a great day! xo

The Mad Hatter

Happy November! Can you guys believe how fast time is flying? I was talking with my husband the other day and we agreed, it feels like we just had 4th of July...but yesterday, we're handing out candy at the door and today I'm taking down my burlap "trick or treat" banner to make room for our harvest fireplace decor. Not to mention, November 1st is when I usually allow myself to start to working in some Christmas music (sorry not sorry), so as usual, it seems like everything is blending together. P.S. I also turn the big 3-0 in a few weeks which is kind of crazy to me, but that's another post for another large glass of wine...

The calendar may be flipping quickly but I am truly enjoying the Summer/Fall temps we're having, so I'm trying not to lose sight of this current state of bliss. I am loving dressing for this weather...the days of boots and dresses are few and far between so I'm taking advantage. My closet is currently overflowing with maroon/oxblood tones and this dress is one of the most versatile options. Until the cold requires me to layer a blazer or jacket on top, I'm choosing to layer underneath with a short-sleeve ribbed turtleneck that almost feels like it was made to be a part of this look. And, I just love that tiny peek of thigh when you pair OTK boots with a dress..."it's the perfect combination of sexy and cute" -- Any fellow CSL fans? Or let's just be real, we're really just Gosling fans... 

SHOP THE LOOK:

P.S. I feel like this look would be perfect for Thanksgiving except there's a few problems with that...A) It will most likely be 30 degrees or more cooler and B) This layering situation leaves no room for my Turkey food baby which I am looking so forward to. So, sweatpants it is?

Wearing: 

Top: c/o Style & Co

Dress: Target (similar)

Boots: c/o J. Jill 

Hat: Sole Society

Bag: c/o J. Jill (sold out -- similar here for UNDER $30!)

Sunnies: H&M

Earrings: LOFT (old but similar style here)

Work Week Chic

I remember the first time I went shopping for “real” work clothes – I was fresh out of college and was interviewing for an internship at zig, an advertising agency which I got and loved! Tiny backstory: The company merged with Crispin, Porter & Bogusky not too long after I left but I still smile every time I drive by the office on Michigan Avenue. Fond memories, for sure...I was so excited to be taking the train, riding the CTA, etc...well, except on -30 degree days! Okay, back to shopping -- My mom and I went together, stopping at stores like Express, the Limited, etc. and for some reason, I just had an aversion to everything business casual. I can’t tell you how many pairs of black pants (or “slacks” as my Grandmother would say) I tried on and thought they were all super unflattering. 

I was so use to wearing form fitting jeans and leggings so everything that was deemed office friendly just seemed so frumpy.  I couldn’t wrap my head around button-up cardigans, ill-fitting blouses and generic black wants…why did moving up in your career mean moving down in the fashion world? Luckily, the world of marketing & PR is very lax when it comes to office apparel so I actually haven’t work black dress pants since the day of that interview…jeans and dresses on the daily for this girl! 

SHOP THE POST:

That said, just because I can dress fairly casual doesn't mean I'm wearing workout clothes daily. I still like to look nice and put together, and this includes making sure my dresses are an appropriate length for the office (enter tall girl struggles). It's not always an easy to task to find a "trendy"/cute dress in a long enough length so I'm pumped when I do. This floral, boat neck shift dress is not only a great length but it's thick enough to keep you warm on Fall days and perfect for layering. I feel like the addition of the utility vest makes the overall look a little more fun and true to my personal style.

What do you wear to work?
How do you feel about "business casual?"

Wearing: 

Dress: c/o J. Jill

Vest: Target (old but similar here)

Bag: Sole Society

Shoes: Sole Society - On sale!

Sunnies: H&M

More Midi, Please

I still love dressing up for Easter...When I was little, my Mom would make sure I was in my Sunday best for Church and dinner at Grandma's house. I remember a few times, being able to pick out a new dress (likely pastel and poofy) and I thought of it as such a fancy affair, a time to break out my best patent leather mary-janes. As a little girl, it was just customary to be decked out in femininity from head to toe including lace bonnets on the top and frilly socks on the bottom. 

As I've gotten older, I've noticed that Easter is among many of the other holidays or situations where the art of "dressing for the occasion" has fallen by the wayside. Church is filled with jeans, some even holey and barely held together. Traveling is now considered a prime time to wear your comfiest pj's instead of a sophisticated look you can transition from day to night. Remember when riding by plane or train used to look like this? It was a privilege to be riding either mode of transport and therefore demanded a certain level of class and style. At least I know Manny supports my feelings about how lackluster everyone has become when it comes to dressing down all the time.

Even though our Easter morning has become a bit more casual (typically spent with the Family in my Grandpa's backyard), I still maintain it's a special Holiday and calls for something a little more upscale than everyday wear. I'm all for dressing casual in the workplace (especially in my world of marketing and design), but if we lose the notion of dressing up for everything in life, I feel it would be too easy to become complacent. To me, your style is your way of silently showing the world how you are feeling so for the most part, I like to keep it positive, confident and relevant to the moment.

Do you dress up on Easter (if you celebrate) and for various holidays?
How do you feel about jeans in church and pj's on planes? I'd love to hear!

Wearing: 

Top: Forever 21 (similar, I love this one for Spring!)

Skirt: Target (old but similar here)

Jacket: J. Crew

Heels: c/o Sole Society

Purse: c/o Sole Society

Headband: Francesca's (similar)

Necklace: Forever 21

Sunnies: Illesteva via DITTO (Get your first pair free using code SISTERSMARIE)
Nail color: Azure Wish by CND Vinylux (new favorite kind...Lasted a week, no lamp needed!)

Rocked it & Swapped it

Who doesn't love a great wool hat? I don't know about you guys, but I personally own fourteen hats. Yes, fourteen! Some are year round, some just for summer, and some scream fall & winter. Either way one thing is for sure, a great hat can not only add to an outfit but also give you much needed sun protection (or even cover a bad hair day!). Kaitlyn has this great brown one that I got her for her birthday a couple of years ago. Do you love how I called it great and then I pointed out that I bought it? I am self aware if nothing else! ;) Truth be told, I don't have one in this color because of my hair color and my thought process was that brown wouldn't look as good on brown hair as it would on a blonde.

Fast forward two years of Kaitlyn rocking this hat (see more photos below). I love how she pairs it with not only casual looks, but dressy ones as well! When I got my hands on it, I opted for the casual pairing. It was a hair day three and I needed sun protection and a quick hair fix. OK, now I need to get a brown hat too!

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Are wool hats your go-to for year round as well? How many hats do you own?

Shop some of our favorites here:

Rocked it & Swapped it

From simple to simply bad ass...that's a pretty accurate description of this swap exchange...

I wore this maxi for our adventure shoot and kept things pretty basic because the focus was meant to be on the wine, not our outfits...When Lisa wore this Target dress, she made it a little edgier by throwing an arm party with some gold accessories and taking my half-up braids up a notch with a faux-hawk braid (our favorite!) I like how my bright lip color stands out because it's not competing with accessories and I also love how Lisa kept her makeup very minimal because there was already so much going on...this is a great example of how a few simple things can change an entire look ;)

Kaitlyn outfit: Dress: Target // Sunnies: Old Navy // Lip color: Glo Minerals 

Lisa outfit: Bag // Necklace // Arm Chain: Zara (similar) // Watch // Hair: Tutorial here

We also love this similar long-sleeved style...great for fall!

Rocked it & Swapped it

This is probably one of my favorite swaps to date. Kaitlyn has this amazing berry colored midi skirt she found at Target (well played Target, well played!). Sadly, it is sold out or I would have bought it the day I saw it on her. ;)  

When she styled it, it was one of my favorite outfits on her. The floral blouse, the denim jacket, the crop boot, swoon. Truly styling perfection in my mind, mostly because it was not "in the box" styling for her. In my opinion, some of the best outfits happen when you go outside of your usual style zone, if you will. 

To say I was excited to find this skirt in my swap bag is an understatement. When pairing this midi, I also went out of my box a bit by pairing two colors I don't generally wear. Who knew orange and berry would look so good together?

Here is how we both styled the skirt:

What do you think of how we styled this midi?

Add some midi's to your closet for less than $100. Here's a few of our favorites for Spring:

Rocked it & Swapped it

I fell in love with Kaitlyn's Target floral crop top the second I saw it on her. It was unlike anything I've seen in her closet before, which made me love it even more! It is super girly and when worn with it's matching skirt, the outfit was so romantic and beautiful.

When the girl you swap clothes with expands her style sense you get excited because then you get to wear said items and expand your style sense as well! 

Here is how we both styled the top:

 

I don't have tons of floral items in my closet. I don't have tons of pastel colors tops in my closet either, so mixing the two in one top was very fun and oddly more me then I expected.

I decided to mix the top up by separating it from the skirt (yep, she gave me both pieces in our latest swap) and paired it with some white denim. Since it is a crop top, I added a regular white tank under so my mid-drift was not hanging out. 

I finished the look off by adding very girly, simple jewelry and a great mint bag. 

Top: Target (Swap w/ Kaitlyn) // Jeans: Level 99 via ThirtySomethingFashion Box Service // Shoes: Loft // Bag: Lulus // Ring: Francescas // Necklace: EG Jewelry // Sunnies: Prada 

What do you think of this crop top? Do you like how we have styled it (so far)?