Monday, December 29, 2014

What I Wore To Church - Penguins!

Dress: ModCloth Coach Tour Dress in Penguins
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Honey
Tights: Target Opaque Tights
Boots: JustFab Sayana

Merry Christmas (a few days late)! As I mentioned in my last post, I've been in a bit of a blogging drought. With the relocation, I've been buried in boxes so blogging hasn't been my priority, but things will get sorted out soon.

Let's talk Christmas traditions. In my family, there's a very odd and unwanted tradition. Someone always gets sick. This year we ALL got sick. It made it that much harder to get to church, but we still somehow managed. I was so happy, because I bought this adorable dress for my sisters and my mom too! Most people don't like to match with others past 5 years old. I LOVE matching. Taking pictures of all of us just wasn't in the cards but trust me, we looked adorable. The fun thing about this dress is that it is surprisingly versatile and we all styled it completely different. I'm thinking I may try to turn matching dresses into a tradition.

Hopefully your Christmas was less...infectious than ours. Regardless, I hope you have a happy new year!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Game Day Style

So...I've been on a bit of a personal break. No need to worry, I'm not abandoning the blog. We finally bought a house and are in the process of moving in so things have just been crazy hectic around here. I promise we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming in no time.

In the meantime, I was recently asked by Fanatics.com to style a game day outfit using one of their MANY NFL jerseys. With football season in full swing, it's practically a necessity to sport your team's colors and there's no better (and easier) way to do it than with a jersey. Does that mean you have to look frumpy or messy? Absolutely not. I came up with the below outfit using one of Fanatics fitted jerseys. (You can find their full line of jerseys here)
Game Day Fashion


H&M blue jeans
$39 - hm.com


Office black booties
$140 - office.co.uk



Hat
fanatics.com


Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses
$140 - monnierfreres.co.uk


Nail care
julep.com


Wes Welker Denver Broncos Nike Women's Game Jersey Orange
fanatics.com





I like the feel of this outfit. It's comfy with the boyfriend denim and jersey, yet on trend with the infinity scarf and booties.

Those of you that know me know I'm not a huge NFL fan. I'm definitely more of a college football girl. So why did I choose that particular jersey? Because Wes Welker was my favorite player when he played for Texas Tech during my college days! It just seemed fitting to feature his current jersey.

Hopefully this outfit inspires your game day look!

*Fanatics is not compensating me for this post, and the opinions stated in it are genuinely mine.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Style Me November - Week 4

As you may have noticed, November has ended, and I'm actually a little sad. Before I get into the last week of outfits from this Style Challenge, I have to say that I LOVED doing this! There's a Style Me December challenge that started today, and I'm tempted to participate. Maybe I'll just participate for a day here or there. It did get a bit overwhelming near the end, but it was great help in getting my creative styling juices flowing, especially since I'm still getting used to wearing regular clothes (instead of a uniform) every day. I highly recommend doing a style challenge for those that can. It was also fun to follow the tag on IG and see how everyone else was working the style prompt. So, even if you can't participate, you can still check out the tag and live vicariously. Now without further ado, onto the outfits for the week. You can go back and checkout week 1 here, week 2 here, and week 3 here. (That doesn't count as ado does it?)

Purple Reign:
Top: ThredUp (LOFT)
Shoes: Vans Authentic

It quickly became apparent to me that I don't have any purple pieces of clothing with me so I opted to go with purple accessories. 

I didn't end up getting dressed on Saturday so "All About Eyes" got skipped.

Boots Made For Walking:

Shirt: Sweet Salt Boutique Classic Ultimate Scoop Tee
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Navy
Skirt: ThredUp (LOFT)
Boots: JustFab Sayana

I love the pairing of boots and pencil skirts!

Put a Belt On It:
Cardigan: Tilly's Essential Elbow Sleeve Cardigan (similar)
Leggings: Old Navy Jersey Leggings
Boots: JustFab Juneau
Scarf: Walmart

I was stranded in the house all day since the windows were being replaced, and I wanted to be as comfy as possible. This worked out great as both comfy and presentable. 

Girls In Pearls:
Shoes: ThredUp (Michael Antonio, similar)

This was a super simple outfit that I just threw my pearls on. Easy day.

Sporty Chic:

Top: Old Navy Vintage Style V-Neck Tee
Leggings: Fabletics Lima Capri
Boots: JustFab Astana

This was definitely one of my favorite days (COMFY!). And it totally counts as "sporty" because those are workout capris. Bam!

And this is where I failed. I missed "Grateful For This Feature," "Scarf Smitten," and "Graceful in Grey" because...well because I didn't get dressed those 3 days. Did you? Seriously now.

Instagram Crush:
Skirt: ModCloth Adept Apprentice Skirt
Shoes: ThredUp (Qupid, same shoe as ModCloth Dynamic Debut Heel)

I blogged about this outfit (and my instagram crush) yesterday!

Again I say this was a ton of fun and I highly recommend this, especially if you feel like you're in a style slump!

Happy Shopping!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

What I Wore To Church - Pink Florals

Skirt: ModCloth Adept Apprentice Skirt
Shoes: ThredUp (Qupid, same shoe as ModCloth Dynamic Debut Heel)

This outfit was driven by a couple of different things. Namely, a desire to wear some new purchases, as well as the Style Me November Style prompt for today (Instagram Crush).

I picked up the bubblegum cardigan during one of ModCloth's daily sales leading up to black Friday last week. I guess I wasn't the only one since they are now sold out completely. I loved the color and wanted to wear it as soon as possible. I used to HATE the color pink, but clearly I've gotten over that.

I picked up the skirt from a clothing swap group and had also been dying to wear it. (I plan on doing a post on swap groups soon! It's so addicting!) It is such a gorgeous skirt. Plaid, florals, and POCKETS all in one! Need I say more?

The shoes, were an amazing ThredUp find. I have the Dynamic Debut heel in Navy and love it to pieces so I did a happy dance when I spotted this pair on ThredUp.

Now, onto my Instagram Crush. I've been following @BristolElisabeth for a couple months now, and I just adore her style. It's always so bright and colorful, and so stinkin cute. So today, I thought I'd channel her with this look. I don't have any cute, fruity Luxulite accessories or colorful Bait flats, but I thought the outfit itself paid pretty good homage.

Since I'm pretty much decked out in ModCloth today, I guess I should give them a shout out. They are doing 25% off EVERYTHING with code CYBERMONDAY. If there's anything you've been eyeing, now would be a good time to buy!

Happy Shopping!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

What I Wore To Church - Dotted Pencil Skirt and Boots

Shirt: Sweet Salt Boutique Classic Ultimate Scoop Tee
Skirt: ThredUp (LOFT)
Boots: JustFab Sayana

Well we had a much easier morning this morning than last Sunday. My outfit came together without having to try on anything more than once, and I had no problem styling something to go with the style prompt from the Style Me November Style Challenge. (The prompt was "Boots Made For Walking")

I've had a hard time in the past finding a pair of black tall boots I was happy with. I have about 50 billion (number estimated) pairs of brown boots, but black boots that I like have always been harder to come by. I bought and sent back at least 3 pairs from JustFab for various reasons (too tall, too pointy, too narrow) before I found these. I like the detailing on them and the wide shorter heel. Downside: they aren't the most comfortable things ever, but I'm guessing I can put an insole in them to make them better. Regardless, I liked the way they look and I thought they went well with the outfit.

I think boots and pencil skirts is a fairly classic look, and I love adding some fun tights to the mix. The rule I follow for boots and skirts is that there should be some leg showing, even if it's just a bit, especially if you are wearing tights. They add to the look so they should be seen!

This fantastic LOFT skirt was another ThredUp find (did you have any doubt?)! I love the black on white dots and the cute bow detailing. It did most of the styling for me so I didn't have to add much. Just a simple tee, cardigan, and statement necklace! Such a classy look without much effort. That's my kind of style.

If you've never shopped with ThredUp before, use my link and get $10 off your first purchase. I also have a couple of 30% off coupons for first time shoppers. Just let me know, and I'll send them out!

If you're interested in shopping with JustFab, use my link and get 20% off your first order. They are having a sale on their fuzzy boots (Ugg-like). They are $19.95 a pair if you order a full price item. Standard disclaimer: they are a shoe club, so be sure to read the terms and conditions about monthly charges and skipping.

Happy Shopping!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Style Me November - Week 3

I bring you week 3 of the Style Me November Style Challenge. If you'd like to read my previous posts on the challenge, read week 1 here and week 2 here

It's in the Bag:
Top: LOFT
Boots: JustFab Astana

As I mentioned on IG, I absolutely adore these bags. They are pretty much all I carry any more. They are super handy and the print goes with everything. I put all the baby stuff in the tote and all my stuff in the zip top pouch. If I ever don't need the baby stuff, I can just pull the pouch out and use it as a clutch! 

Oversized Chic:
Boots: JustFab Landry
Scarf: Walmart (similar)

I didn't really have anything oversized, but this ModCloth tunic was close enough. 

Makes Me Feel Ladylike:
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Navy
Shoes: B.O.C. (similar)

Pretty much every dress makes me feel ladylike, so this prompt was easy!

Blue Moon:
Sweater: Elizabeth & Clarke (swapped, similar)
Leggings: Old Navy Jersey Leggings
Boots: JustFab Astana
Necklace: Versona Accessories 

I didn't have a lot of blue clothing that wasn't navy so I let the necklace be the pop of blue to my super comfy outfit. Sidenote: I got this sweater the day prior, otherwise I would've worn it for Oversized Chic.

Colorful Gams:
Shirt: American Eagle (similar)
Boots: JustFab Acheline

My JustFab Knit Jeggings come to the rescue again since they are the only pair of colorful pants I have with me. 

Pattern Play:
Shoes: Cato Fashions Knotted Flats

Typically I'm all about feminine prints like floral or polka dots, but I wanted to be different and use my LOFT camo skinny pants to do the pattern mixing. 

Denim Dame:
Top: Cato Fashions Striped Drop Shoulder Tee
Shoes: B.O.C. (similar)
Scarf: gift last year (similar)

Since I wore my chambray shirt a couple days ago, I didn't want to repeat it so soon. But Denim Dame, that's easy enough right? Just wear jeans! It's like a bingo free space! I can wear what I want! Holy crap, this was the hardest day this week for me. I had too many choices and too many options. It took me much longer than it should've for me to come up with this combo. Really it only came together because I just bought the shirt last night and I was looking for an excuse to wear it. I did some more pattern mixing and accented it with the leopard accessories. I really like the way it turned out.

Another week down, more creative juices flowing. I'll say again that this challenge has been so much fun!

Come back Thursday for next week's recap, or follow me on my instagram to see it daily!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

How to Customize with eShakti

Most of you know I'm a bit obsessed with eShakti. I love the styles of their dresses and skirts as well as the ability to customize. It's like having a personal tailor at a fraction of the price. I've done posts previously on how eShakti works, but today I'm going to give you a handy guide on a couple of the different customization options and how best to utilize them.

We'll start with the built in customization options.

The most common way that I customize their dresses is sleeve changes. I take advantage of this one a lot. There are a TON of options, and each dress has specific options for that dress.

This is just an example of the options:

Below are a few ways I've customized. I don't usually get too creative because I like the versatility of a short sleeve. 
(Colorblock Stripe Poplin Dress, short sleeves added)

(Retro Style ZigZag Print Dress, cap sleeves added)

(Retro Poplin Shirtdress, sleeves customized from inset cap to short length with tie ups)

There's also the neckline adjustments. I hardly ever take advantage of this one but there are some pretty great options:

Below is the one time I've customized the neckline.
(Floral Vine Print Cotton Dress, neckline changed from square to scoop, sleeves changed from inset cap to regular cap)

It doesn't look like much of an adjustment, but it made all the difference. A friend bought this dress before I did, and she said that the neckline was way too low for us busty gals so I opted for the scoop to make it a little less revealing. 

There aren't as many options for customizing the length, but it's still great that the option exists.
Below is the one time I've taken advantage of the changing the length. I decided that particular dress would be more flattering on me at knee length rather than maxi. 
(Smocked Elastic Waist Maxi Dress, cap sleeves added and length changed to knee length)

One thing I love is that they charge you $7.50 total to customize, not $7.50 per each customization so I could do both customizations above and it still only cost me $7.50 extra. 

One trick if you are only wanting to change the length by a couple inches, but don't want to pay the customization charge is to add (or subtract) a couple inches from your height when ordering the dress.

 Each dress is made specifically for your height (one of the benefits of eShakti) so changing this doesn't change the price. But beware, this may change the proportions of the dress. I've done it before without issue, but it was only a couple inches, and I have a pretty standard length torso.

The last thing that you can do with that $7.50 customization fee is to give them custom measurements and they will make you a dress, top to bottom, built just for you. This is a great option for people that have trouble wearing standard sizes (Big on top/small on bottom or vice versa for example).

They have a handy chart here, that tells you exactly how to measure each of their 8 measurements, or if you click on the question mark next to each measurement, it will give you a graphic diagram of each measurement. 


On that note, there is also a sort of "secret measurement" that you can enter if you have a long or short torso. First you measure from the shoulder to under the bust, and then measure from the shoulder down to the natural waist. You put these measurements in the "Special Instructions" box at check out. Make sure you label which measurement is which. 

A question I get a lot is whether or not you should add 1/2 to 1 inch in your measurements so the dress isn't skin tight. This last time I customized, I didn't add any additional length into my measurements. I put the measurements in exactly as shown. It seems that they build a bit of buffer into the measurements themselves because the dress definitely didn't fit skin tight, so definitely no need to add in a buffer yourself.  

So that concludes my tutorial, any questions? 

eShakti is currently doing a 40% off site wide sale but there are some stipulations. The order total after discount has to be at least $50 in order for the discount to apply, and it doesn't work towards overstock. It's still worth a look though. 

Happy Shopping!

This post was NOT sponsored by eShakti. All the dresses in the post, I bought personally, and all the tips here are from my own experience or those of friends. 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

What I Wore To Church - Shawl Collar Dress

 
Dress: eShakti Shawl Collar Trapunto Trim Dress
Cardigan: ModCloth Charter School Cardigan in Navy
Shoes: B.O.C. (similar)

First off, please excuse the crazy hair. It was super blustery out there today, and I couldn't get it to sit still. Second, I feel like I should be honest. I wasn't crazy about this outfit. I didn't try it on last night (my biggest mistake) then my alarm didn't go off this morning so I was rushed to pull it together. I tried on 3 different cardigans before settling on this one. I thought it was a pretty lazy combination so I wasn't totally thrilled with it. Also, I'm pretty sure I tried on every pair of shoes I have at my mom's house and couldn't find one I loved, so I settled on these, because yes, leopard is a neutral. To top it off my hair and makeup wasn't cooperating so I ended up walking out of the house in a sour mood. Not generally a good way to start church.

After looking at the pictures it wasn't as bad as I originally thought, but it's still not my favorite. I'll have to try to style this dress again in the future to redeem myself.

If all goes better this week, my post on Tuesday should be about how to customize a dress with eShakti, since this dress is custom measurements. It's the first time in a while that I've done custom measurements, and I tend to get a lot of questions about the best way to measure. Now that it's fresh in my mind, I'll write it up for the future.

Until then, I hope you have a happy Sunday!