weekday wardrobe: let's talk about checks, baby

[SKIRT: Jones New York (thrifted); HALTER, BRACELETS, and RING: Forever 21; BELT: Thrifted; SHOES: Qupid; BAG: Charming Charlie]









Today I spent part of the late morning and early afternoon attending a luncheon about branding, hosted by the Dallas chapter of Fashion Group International. It was two hours of good eats, good information, and good company. I came across this Shepherd's check skirt last night as I was cleaning out my dresser drawers (don't ask me why it was balled up in a drawer instead of in my closet hanging on a hanger because I have no idea). All I needed to see was that cobalt was part of the checkered pattern and I was sold. I added more cobalt in the form of a halter (which is currently in heavy rotation) and high heels, plus silver jewelry and my favorite handbag (for now, anyway) to pull it all together. I think this just might be my uniform for this summer, so you could be seeing a lot more of this halter-skirt-heels combination in the coming months.

[word of advice: Get at least one piece of cobalt blue clothing. I don't think there's a person on this planet that wouldn't look good in this color.]

weekday wardrobe: j.crew's words of advice (tip number one)

I've been in a bit of a style rut lately, so I spent part of the afternoon going through my closet, rediscovering pieces and creating outfits. I was still feeling uninspired though, so I took my own advice about finding inspiration and began looking at lookbooks. I headed to J.Crew's site to view their 'Looks We Love' and instantly got excited reading their style tips. There are 16 tips total and I've decided to try creating outfits based on their tips (in between my usual 'weekday wardrobe' posts). So, here's Tip Number One...



Now, with my outfit, I did pair two opposite textures--faux leather and silk (and even threw in an oversized faux croc clutch for good measure)--but I don't know how 'tomboy' it looks. Hopefully not very, because I don't know that I was really going for tomboy (especially since I don't think the J.Crew model looks very tomboy). I wore this today for lunch with a friend, but I would definitely wear this for date night with the guy.







[SHORTS, BELT and RING: Forever 21; BLOUSE: Victoria's Secret; SHOES: Shu Deal; CLUTCH: Asos; IMAGE: J.Crew]

weekday wardrobe: fuchsia

[SKIRT: Burlington; TOP: Old Navy; BELT and BRACELETS: Forever 21; CHEVRON RINGS: Target; NECKLACE: Walmart (I finally remembered where I bought this, which is a good thing because as of right now, it's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry); SHOES: Christian Louboutin (borrowed from my mom); NAIL COLOR: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Magenta Moves]







Normally I choose one piece of clothing out of my closet and build an outfit around it. Today I chose one piece of jewelry and created an outfit around it. I've been head over heels for these chevron rings ever since I picked them up in Target a few weeks ago. I bought three sets and really like the fact that I can mix them up. The set I wore today came with three colors--black, yellow, and fuchsia--so I put together an outfit with those colors. This spotted sweater has become a staple, and I paired it with a yellow skirt and fuchsia belt, both of which have been in my wardrobe for a while. I added a bunch of silver jewelry and a pair of shoes I'll probably never own. Oh, and I also spent more time looking for the correct spelling of fuchsia than I did actually writing this post. It's fuchsia, not fuschia. You're welcome.

[word of advice: I refer to my accessories as 'the supporting cast' but it's okay to let your accessories have a starring role and give everything else a supporting role.]

weekday wardrobe: silver spheres

[SKIRT and SILVER BRACELETS: Forever 21; BELT: Kmart (during my trip to New Orleans last summer); TEE: Old Navy; BLAZER: Olori Swank; SHOES: Lulu's; RING: Audacious Accessories Collection (at their launch event last November); NECKLACE: I don't remember.; YELLOW BRACELET: Charming Charlie]









Today's post is a short one--we had a busy day and I'm getting M and J ready for their evening routine of eating, feeding, bathing, and reading...

[word of advice: Layering doesn't have to be off-limits in the summer. Choose thin, lightweight material to add dimension to your warm-weather wardrobe.]

words sans wardrobes (sort of): sketch artist

I like art. I like clothes (duh). I like it even better when the two are combined. So when I saw these cards in my swag bag from my tour of the Westin Galleria and Galleria Dallas, my inner wannabe-artist was intrigued. I wanted to know more. After a bit of online research, I learned that the artist, Ian Wright, is a Londoner based in New York City and the illustrative artwork was part of Saks Fifth Avenue’s 2009 marketing campaign, appropriately titled “Want It!” For the campaign, Saks partnered with a different designer each season to feature that season’s most fascinating fashion trends. Three years later, it’s questionable if some of the pieces on these cards on still ‘on trend’ (leggings, anyone?) but I couldn’t care less. And yes, they’re meant to be sent through the mail (the cards did come with envelopes, after all), but I’m keeping these for myself because once I begin creating my dream closet, I’m framing every single one of these and hanging them on the wall. Oh, and one more tidbit about Ian Wright: He created the cover art for T.I.’s Paper Trail album. Remember the collaged portrait? Yeah. He did that.

wardrobe remix*: chiffon happens

As I've mentioned before, I'm a firm believer in 'the rule of three'--making sure each piece of clothing I purchase can be mixed with at least three other pieces in my wardrobe. It helps me make meaningful purchases, forces me to be creative with what's in my closet, and helps me get the most out of my wardrobe. Now, I've also previously mentioned my love affair with the color orange, so when I saw this orange chiffon skirt from Wear It Well Vintage (on Etsy), I promptly added it to my cart.



I remixed this skirt by pairing it three top that I've had for a while and created three different looks for three different occasions.



For the first look, a colorful tank accessorized with cobalt heels and an oversized cobalt clutch make this the perfect outfit for Sunday brunch with the girls. To complete the look, I added silver jewelry.



For the second look, I added a seafoam halter and a wide black belt for date night with the guy. A black clutch, cheetah-print heels, and mint jewelry complete the look.



For the third look, I paired the skirt with a long-sleeved python-print blouse for a day at the office. I kept the look simple by adding camel-colored heels, a gold ring, and a taupe-colored clutch.



[LOOK ONE: TANK and JEWELRY: Forever 21; SHOES: Qupid; CLUTCH: Asos; LOOK TWO: HALTER and JEWELRY: Forever 21; SHOES: Enzo Angiolini; CLUTCH: Burlington; BELT: I think it's an old hand-me-down; LOOK THREE: BLOUSE: Victoria's Secret; SHOES: DSW; CLUTCH: Thrifted; RING: Forever 21]

*Remember 'triple play thursday'? It's back...on Mondays--and it's called 'wardrobe remix'.

wardrobe recap: from hail to heaven

Whew. It’s been a busy week for me; this was Micah’s last week of school so it was full of award ceremonies and end-of-year parties, but in between the festivities, I managed to squeeze in a little bliss for myself. Last week I was among a handful of Dallas bloggers who received an invitation to an exclusive tour of Galleria Dallas with local fashion stylist Holly Quartaro this past Wednesday and I couldn’t turn that down, no matter how packed my schedule was (not to mention the fact that Galleria Dallas is one of my favorite places in Dallas). During the drive, it began raining, which turned into a torrential downpour and by the time I pulled into the parking lot, pea-sized pellets of hail were dropping from the sky (in true Texas form, the rain had stopped and sun was beaming when I left two hours later). But I completely forgot about the nasty weather—and its potential hail damage—as soon as I set foot in the Westin Galleria Dallas Hotel, which is where the tour began.

It. Was. Heaven.

We sipped champagne and nibbled on light bites before the touring the Westin (which included checking out the pool and cabanas, the 3-D flower wall in the San Antonio room, and the Second Floor Bistro) then headed to the Galleria. I shop at the Galleria often so I’m familiar with the ice skating rink, the variety of stores, and the food court, but it was interesting to get a glimpse of the Fifth Avenue Club at Saks Fifth Avenue, learn about the Personal Styling service at Nordstrom, and see the artwork in the Martin Lawrence Galleries. The tour also included two women who modeled different outfits at low and high price points and a peek inside the American Girl store (did you know they have hair stylists for the dolls?!).

It was definitely an experience. But that’s enough verbiage for one day. Check out the visuals.









































[PANTS, HALTER, BELT, BRACELETS and RING: Forever 21; SHOES: Qupid (via Urbanog); BAG: Charming Charlie]