Michelle

 This post is for Michelle! She emailed me photos of some recent purchases and wanted some suggestions on what to wear with them. Here are my thoughts...

Top #1: This is lovely! The rosettes are gorgeous. It's great to have a t-shirt that's more than just a t-shirt. 

I would wear this with dark wash jeans & a caramel colored jacket (see below).

Because this top is such a soft color, it's important to choose pieces of a deeper pallet to pair with it. For example, with a light khaki jacket, you would appear washed out; with something in a darker shade (as pictured below), the overall effect is richer--and therefore, more flattering.

[Other options would be with: skirts/pants/any bottoms in dark grey (see left), navy, or deep brown. Add pearls for a beautiful, feminine touch. If you wear a necklace, keep it very basic so as not to distract from the flower detail on the top.] 

Top #2: Again, lovely. Because this is of the same color pallet as the top above, my suggestions would be about the same. Dark wash jeans, black dress pants, navy pencil skirt...
Gold jewelry would dress this up nicely.
A cardigan in any complementing shade is a nice addition. It doesn't necessarily need to "match", but it should "go" together...for example, when I zoomed in on this photo, I saw a hint of a shade that would really be brought out by an olive green next to it; the tones match, not the colors. 

I love the beaded detail! Michelle is planning on wearing this for Christmas--great choice! Very elegant. As for a cardigan to go with it...you can choose just about any color. The beauty of black & white is that every color stands out against it. Because the material of the dress has sheen to it, I would pick something with a bit of shimmer. A bolero/shrug would be nice, too, because then you wouldn't lose the effect of the band of beads to highlight your waist (examples below).

 As for your new shoes...

I would wear these with a black or khaki a-line skirt, deep blue top, and white jacket.
Or boot cut dark wash jeans, hot pink top, and white blazer.
Or white walking shorts, jungle green top, & tan cardigan.
Sensing a trend? These shoes are neutral; incorporate one of the colors from the shoes with your basics (pants, skirt, jacket), add a bright pop of color  (!!) and you're set.
PS: Wedges are fantastic for height and stability when you just don't feel like wearing sky-high heels all day!

Awesome metallic detail. These should be worn with a skirt/dress to show off the bow! Metallic is neutral [as is black], so there isn't much you can't wear with these. They are pretty festive, so for this time of year: black skirt, fun bright top and some statement jewelry. 

These will add a lot of polish to a grey or black suit, jeans & blazer, or skirt & button-down. Classy with an edge. Love it. 

Tuck jeans into these, wear a white button down, a turquoise necklace & you've got a fun modern-western look.
Coordinating tights, patterned skirt, neutral top (or neutral skirt & patterned top)& you're good to go for date night.
Toffee-colored skirt, solid top in any color, jean jacket and multi-colored beaded necklace for a day out. 

These go nicely with the two tops from the beginning of this post. As a neutral color, though, they truly can be worn with just about anything. The cork lends a summer-y feel to them, so these are perfect with a colorful sundress. Also, depending on how daring you feel, pair with skinny jeans and a fun floral-loose fitting top.

Mix It Up Monday

Starting today, Mondays will be an opportunity to show you how I choose one piece of clothing from  my closet & prove just how versatile it is! Hopefully inspiration will strike as you consider your own similar items!
Today I have chosen a very simple dress--it contains 3 neutral colors, a basic design, and endless variability. [Also doesn't hurt to mention that I got it for $6 on the clearance rack at Kohls! Who says style has to be expensive?!]
I loved this dress right away because it has a soft look, is extremely wearable [ie: comfortable & easy], and the little band in the middle gives it shape. 
Take a look at a handful of possibilities:

The dress in its original form

persimmon cardigan [Cable & Gauge],
multi-colored beaded necklace [Forever 21]

hunter green blazer [H&M], irregular pearls [American Eagle]

with sequined blue cardigan [New York & Co]

coral cashmere cardigan [Gap], zebra belt [Target]

textured vest [Gap] and
structured jacked [Banana Republic]

powder blue cardigan [New York & Co],
statement necklace [New York & Co]

sky blue collared shirt [Old Navy]

embellished sage cardigan [The Limited]

ruby cardigan [JJ Basics],
chunky bead necklace [Fashion Bug]

teal scarf [gift from Honduras], white jean jacket [Old Navy]

striped sweater vest [NY& Co], white fitted blazer [Ann Taylor]

As for shoes, I have worn all of the following with the dress:

This is only the beginning.

The Beginning

I love clothes. I love creating an expression of myself that I get to wear all day and show people who I am. Fashion is art. Style is art. But, to borrow from Nigel in “The Devil Wears Prada’”...it’s better than art because you get to live your life in it.
It’s fortunate for me that fashion qualifies as art, as I’ve always wanted to be “artsy” but my hands struggle to create what my mind envisions. Creating through outfits is a much more attainable form of expression for me. But I digress.
Contemplating the launch of this blog has tugged my mind in several directions. I’m grateful to Aubrey (my first follower!) for giving me so much encouragement and lending her expertise to me. As we brainstormed together, things began to fall into place...a title, a vision, ideas for posts.
Aubrey works in marketing and has looked through some fashion blogs for work--so, because she and I had been talking about how I should start one up, she graciously emailed me a list of blogs (47 of them!) to peruse for inspiration.
After browsing through about 3 of these blogs, my excitement gradually waned into utter intimidation. Here were bloggers writing from New York City, LA, London, Tokyo, and oh, Fashion Week in PARIS! I got nothin’ on these ladies.
Distraught, I sat open-mouthed clicking through post after post of high end designer-clad women strutting their stuff on the sidewalks of world class cities...suddenly, very aware that I am out of my league.
My husband arrived home from work in the midst of my browsing and I told him I couldn’t write a blog about fashion--compared to what’s already out there, I could never compete. Our budget doesn’t exactly allow for  Christian Louboutin shoes or a professional photographer to capture my daily wardrobe choices.
Because I’m married to a wonderful man, when I voiced all of this (complete with visual aids from some of the most intimidating of all blogs) , he didn’t say, “You’re right.” He said, “Those girls look weird. And kind of scary. Who’s your target audience?”
To which I replied, “People who don’t have a lot of money, but love clothes and fashion and want to learn how to create, pair, or wear clothing in a fresh way.”
“Then they need you--there’s millions of people these girls are not even reaching because they can’t afford those resources. That’s not how people actually dress anyway.”

I firmly believe that what you wear directly affects your mood, your confidence, your body image, and your ability to leave a positive impression on others. It’s my hope to inspire you to dress well every day--to feel truly fabulous in what you’re wearing. I’ll share from my own life, I’ll invite questions, and hopefully I’ll enable that spark of “artsy” that lies within each of us.

So, Hello, blog world. I hope I help fill a void.