Denim & Suede Pt II

I'll never say no to anything denim, especially a shirt that doubles as a dress. If you're thinking it looks similar to the one in my previous post.. you're definitely right! I'm sure you could imagine the amount of denim tops hanging in my closet, but this one is much different from the rest, to me at least. I've worn it as a top with a pair of high waisted jeans as well as with a pair of leggings and sneakers but this look is by far my favorite.. I'm not sure if it's my favorite because it's the most effortless or because of the boots..

Faux Leather & Suede

How could I ever say no to anything black AND faux-leather? I'm sure I have at least one similar piece floating around my closet but this one was a necessary addition. The second I saw it- I immediately pictured it with a mock-neck top underneath to dress it up a bit, luckily I have quite a few in my inventory. To dress it down- I paired it with a simple lightweight sweater- and by lightweight I mean extremely lightweight because the dress is warm enough on its own.

Since I am a huge fan of mixing textures and fabrics, decided to break out a a pair of suede platforms that haven't seen much milage this season.

A Little More Suede...

This has to be one of my favorite skirts from this season and if you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure it looks familiar! Two times a year Aldo has a big meeting with all of the store managers from the region to kick-off each major season. For this year's Fall/Winter 15 kick off, of course, I had to go with something 70's themed mixed with my own personal touch. I found this suede wrap skirt at a little boutique in the mall and immediately fell in love. I didn't want to take away from the detail so I paired it with a plain black turtle neck and finished it off with my favorite tie up heels.

Winter Maxi

I've been trying to steer clear from the mall on my days off, but, sometimes there's nothing like a little retail therapy to regain your sanity. I went in with the mindset that I would only pick up a couple of things that I absolutely needed, but after walking by the window display at H&M I found this maxi that I knew would be a great addition to my closet. I was surprised to find that it had a rather heavy lining inside and with a pair of tights would be more than suitable for the fall and early winter.

Black on Black

About a month ago I had a major crisis when trying to pick out an outfit to wear to AC. I found this jumpsuit as well as a dress with the same concept. I contemplated for a few days which would be the better option, so, naturally I just bought both! I ended up wearing the dress to AC and saving the jumpsuit for work and another occasion.

Camo & White Denim

I know that you're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day, but, rules are meant to be broken! I'm even guilty of wearing open-toed shoes, too..

There's just something about white on white that I really love, no matter what time of the year it is. I scored these boyfriend jeans over the summer and ironically just popped the tags off of them. I loved how they contrasted with my camo jacket and knew that wearing a black top would be a typical option for me, so I went the complete opposite. Of course, I had to incorporate at least a little bit of black, so I threw on a pair of heels I recently picked up from my store and grabbed a black bag to balance it all out.

Denim Part II

I guess I've been on a bit of a denim & leather / patent leather kick lately. About a month ago I spent quite some time searching the mall high and low for a denim dress and now that I finally have one- I keep finding them everywhere. Of course, I've added some of those to my collection as well. To me, denim is a crucial piece to any wardrobe, especially mine. I go through periods of times where I love wearing jeans and periods of time where I hate wearing them, the only thing that has remained constant is my denim shirts & jackets. I think my denim dresses have become part of my "constant" collection because of how versatile they are.  So far, this has been one of my favorite looks because as you know I am a huge fan of mixing textures and in my opinion- there's nothing better than denim and leather.. well, faux leather.

Denim vs Denim

As much as I love denim on denim- it's super easy to go from fashionable to Britney Spears circa 2001. At first I had on a darker pair of jeans which I thought would contrast the lighter denim of my shirt beautifully, but I ended up looking like I just stepped out of a GAP commercial... definitely not me. I went back into my closet and found a pair I picked up from H&M last year which had a perfect mix of a light and medium wash that I felt incorporated the color of my shirt and contrasted it a bit as well. Since my hair is so dark, especially up against a lighter top, I put on a pair of my black booties to help balance the outfit. Does anyone else put this much thought into matching their hair color to their outfit or is that just me?

70's Remix

As I've mentioned a few times before I'm recently obsessed with the 70's inspired trend that is happening all over, especially at Aldo. My love for suede has been announced loud and proud on more than one of my most recent posts, so to keep within the same general theme, here we go!

Suede, Suede, Suede

My new found love for suede (or faux suede) this season is definitely no secret. At first I was hesitant to wear this piece because I thought I would have a heat stroke after an hour of running around my store, but, whoever picked the fabric for this piece was way ahead of the game. I struggled to find the perfect pair of shoes to wear so I went back to one of my favorites, especially because I don't get much opportunity to wear them out. I don't remember which store in the mall I picked this piece up from, but, I do remember was that it was super inexpensive. No need to over spend on a trend that might not make it into next year!

Suede & Leather

One of my favorite parts of working in retail is knowing what trends are going to happen before the season starts. After seeing tons of 70s inspired pieces in my store's own lookbook, I was able to stock up on the essentials before they started selling out. I was surprised to find this skirt at Hollister, but after finding the color black in A&F, I suppose I shouldn't have been. I found similar versions in other stores but in my opinion investing an extra few bucks on this one was more than worth it due to the structure and quality.  As you could imagine this wasn't the first or only time I've worn it, so expect a few more posts featuring both of these pieces in the future. 

Black & Flare

I've become obsessed with the whole 70's trend this season, even the color palette is speaking to me on an emotional level. Of course, it could use a little more black if you ask me, but, that's what I'm here for, right? I saw these pants on a mannequin in H&M's window earlier this year and knew that I would want to wear them at some point or another and apparently September was just that "time". I tried them on with a few different tops and just couldn't bring myself to leave out the black, so here we are. Naturally, I finished off my look with a black hat and fringe bag and was on my way... to work, of course.  

White

I surprised myself by ordering an all white romper and then surprised again by wearing it.. more than once. I can't say that each of the times I've worn it were dramatically different, I mean, how much layering can you really do in the middle of the summer? The only drastic, or moderately drastic changes I've made while wearing it were throwing on a different pair of heels or switching up my hair a bit.  I saw this romper, or something identical, on a few sites for close to $100 and just couldn't bring myself past the "add to cart" button. After finding it on SheInside for 1/4th of the price- the purchase was a no brainer. Of course I was hesitant about the quality and fit, but, once again they really pulled through for me. 

Chevron Co-ords

Earlier this summer I placed a rather large order to one of my favorite online shops, SheInside. I've been a regular for quite a few years now and have mentioned them on several other posts as well, so if you weren't sold on them yet I hope you are now. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of coordinating sets, so there was no hesitation whatsoever on whether or not I should add this one to my collection. I was very pleased with the quality as well as the fit which I am always skeptical about when ordering without being able to try on first. I've already worn the set more than a handful of times and have even worn the pieces separate, but, nothing beats wearing them together especially with a brand new pair of booties from our new Fall/Winter collection.

Floral Jumpsuit

I'm back, for good this time, hopefully. I think I've said that once or twice, or three times, but just when I think I have some extra time on my hands, something comes along and occupies it again. I've spent most of this summer with a close group of friends enjoying the weather, drinks, quality shopping trips and of course plenty of those laugh-so-hard-you-can't-breath-and-almost-pee-yourself moments. Too much info? Sorry! You know you've had them, too..

Floral Print & Fringe

For some reason I can't seem to stray away from floral patterns, especially when they're black and white. Of course, I needed a last minute outfit for my birthday party and was thrilled to find this dress in less than five minutes. Although my original intention was to wear it with a pair of black heels, the chilly weather called for these lace up boots which of course I didn't mind breaking out for the first time. I saw them at Gypsy Warrior only a week or so before my birthday and figuring I was a little too delayed, I was beyond ecstatic to receive them just in time. Although they might be a bit too heavy to wear throughout the summer, I'm sure I'll make an exception during another chilly night. My original inattention was to save them for the fall, but, I felt that it would be wrong to not wear them at least a few times until then. 

Stripes & Lace

Now that I have officially finished celebrating my birthday, I think, I finally have a minute to put together a few posts consisting of all of the outfits I've worn this past week. I always joke that it's my "birthday week" and naturally everyone around me goes along with it because who doesn't love a reason to go out celebrate something, right? Of course, my dad, mom and sister are always the reason behind any sort of birthday festivity and even stayed up late to hang out during my party HAHA My friends definitely went out of their way to make sure I enjoyed myself.. more than a few times. There were quite a few rounds of karaoke and plenty of nights I only got a few hours of sleep only to continue where we left off the night (or morning) before. Thank you all of the beautiful and thoughtful people who came out to celebrate or reached out to wish me a happy birthday, you're all the light of my life 

XO

Back to what you came here for, the outfit.. 

Red & Lace

Long time no talk, again. Oops! I think I bit off a little more than I could chew with adding a few classes to my already hectic work schedule for the second semester in a row, but, I made it out alive.. I think.  After a few life/hair changes I finally have enough time to get back into my regular blogging pattern. Since you've seen me last I've went from long black hair with bangs to a short black bob to a blonde bob to long blonde hair and now I have finally settled on one of my past favorites a dark brown to chestnut ombre. I know a lot of people say the ombre is out but I still personally enjoy it and why listen to everyone else anyway, right?

"She Wore Blue Velvet..."

"...bluer than velvet was the night"

I have invested in my fair share of velvet pieces this season, this being my favorite and definitely my most worn. The pictures do no justice to the beautiful blue color or texture. It is the exact same fit as my favorite shift dresses from Boohoo that I've been raving about in my past few posts, so I'm sure you could take a wild guess as to where it came from. Of course the first time I wore it I chose a smaller platform bootie to make it a little more casual for a day at work, but, I couldn't keep these thigh-highs in the closet for another second!

Floral, Suede & Chains

There was absolutely no way I could have passed up this maxi, the second I laid eyes on it I saw at least three different ways to wear it. This was of course the first outfit that came to mind and definitely the most practical for the winter. Since it does button about half way down the bottom, I will definitely be wearing it as a dress as soon as the weather gets warmer and I've already been planning what shoes I want to wear it with from my store's new spring collection. I can definitely see it being my go-to cover up for a day at the beach, too!