Loop Looks

Did you know that I actually wear contacts? Ever wonder why I never wear my eyeglasses? Well, I’ve worn them once before on the blog back before I actually had any readers! So, for all intents and purposes, you guys have never seen them before. In fact, the reason I very rarely wear them outside of the house is because for years I had trouble finding any that fit my small face and head and I think have some form of Post-High School Stress Disorder about looking ridiculous in photos while wearing my ridiculously huge glasses.

As I mentioned, I have a very small head and face.  So small, in fact, that past hairdressers have even commented on how tiny my head is! Which makes it difficult to order glasses without trying them on.  Thankfully I also wear contacts so I can at least see myself when I’m trying on glasses.  But for years the style in the glasses’ world seemed to be that they were huge. In fact, my last pair of glasses before my current ones were Nintendo brand! Yes, they were kid’s glasses.

Thankfully glasses have gotten smaller over the years and now I can finally buy my glasses in the adult section of the store.  Still, it also means I’ve never tried to order glasses online since I’m terrified they’ll still be huge on my face.

Which is why I think the Virtual Mirror from GlassesUSA.com is a great idea!  It lets you upload a picture of yourself and then “try on” different pairs of glasses.

What to try it out yourself? You can even save your favorites and then send the pictures to your friends for their opinion right from the website!

So, the next time you need prescription eyeglasses or just want to see what you think you’d look like in certain frames (or just need to kill some time at work) why not check out this website.  You can also get  15% off + get free shipping on any order over $50 using code FS15 or 10% off any order of prescription glasses using code Blog10.  The prices are actually reasonable and I love that you can share the photos with friends to get their opinions!

Do you wear glasses?

This post was sponsored by GlassesUSA.com but any and all opinions are my own.

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Jacket – Express via Poshmark (similar) | Shirt – Old Navy | Jeans – Old Navy| Necklace – Groopdealz (similar) | Bracelet – House of Gemmes (similar)| Shoes – Bandolino (similar)

Time to be honest.  I am not loving this outfit. There’s nothing wrong with it.  And black and white is totally on-trend for the fashion world right now.  But for some reason I just don’t feel like me today.

Maybe it’s the white t-shirt. I so rarely wear t-shirts that it feels out of sorts.  Actually, I think that’s really what’s doing it.  The white t-shirt is just too unstructured for me.  Fascinating.

See, playing around in your closet can help you figure out what you do and don’t like about your wardrobe.  Not to self: white t-shirts are only to be worn as layering items under sweaters.

Would you wear this outfit?  Would you change anything about it?

P.S.  I have a fun post coming up next week that requires reader participation!  Look for it on Tuesday.

Linking up with Two Thirty Five Designs

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Blouse – Macy’s (similar) | Pants – LOFT (similar) | Belt – Target | Booties – Liz Claiborne via DSW (similar) | Necklace – Macy’s (similar)

This outfit looks very spring-y to my eye what with the colored pants and the white top.  You’d never guess it was 20 degrees F outside.  And windy. And my poor husband was taking these photos and freezing his fingers off.  Ah, the sacrifices we make.

I suppose I could have made this colored pants look even more winter appropriate but after I saw the inspiration photo I knew I wanted to wear this blouse.

Lauren Conrad

Sure, Lauren’s blouse doesn’t have any black on it, but I knew that my blouse would have enough billowiness to drape the way I wanted it to.  To make this even more Chicago-winter appropriate I’d probably throw a black cardigan on over the top to help stay warm.

And aren’t her ankle boots adorable?  Now I’m inspired to wear these blue pants with my own tan ankle boots in the future.  See, multiple ideas from one outfit!  Score!

Would you wear Lauren Conrad’s outfit?  How would you interpret it with your own items?

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Sweater – Kohl’s (similar) | Shirt – The Limited (similar) | Pants – The Limited | Shoes – Eric Michael | Bracelet – House of Gemmes

There was an entirely different outfit on the docket for today.  One involving a sequined skirt and a cardigan.  But here’s what happened.

My husband is in college getting his bachelor’s degree in chemistry.  And, as some of you may recall,  when you’re an undergraduate you have to take elective courses.  One of his courses this semester?  Digital photography for non-majors.

Now, I am super excited about him taking this course.  Why?  Because either this means I can rope him into being my photographer and using his new skills or he can teach me what he’s learned and I can apply those same skills myself.

The downside to this class?  We only have one camera.  Which means that in addition to scheduling things like who’s taking the car when and who’s using the washer and dryer when (yes, we do our own laundry) we now have to schedule who’s taking the camera when.  And he needed it this morning.  So, this outfit is actually from yesterday when I still had the camera and the chance to take a photo on my lunch break.

This outfit isn’t that different from the last time I wore this sweater but, hey, that’s how it goes when you’re trying to wear what you’ve got in your closet.  Still, swapping out the skirt and booties for pants and flats does a new outfit make!

But I still owe you a sequined skirt.

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Shirt – J. Crew (similar)| Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack (similar) | Skirt – J. Crew Factory | Tights – Banana Republic (similar)| Shoes – Anne Klein | Necklace – Groopdealz (similar and on sale!)

I only have about a 15 to 20 minute commute door to doo via a combination of walking and train.  I am supposed to be at work at 9:00 AM.    Normally I set my alarm for 7:00 AM and drag myself out of bed any time before 7:30 (I am NOT a morning person).  Anyone want to guess what time I woke up today?  Try 8:26 AM.  Uh, yeah.  Not sure what happened there.

Thankfully my boss is rarely in at 9:00 so I have some leeway.  Also, I had my outfit all planned out for today.  Except, when I put on the black blazer I was originally going to wear I didn’t like the way it looked.  Thank heavens for also having a black cardigan!  Also, this shirt is like wearing comfy pajamas so it’s perfect for a day when obviously my body didn’t want to get out of bed.

I also had grand plans to create a post about all my earrings and tell you all about how I used to only wear one pair.  That was it.  And then show you how my collection has grown over the past year.  But, I ran out of time so all you get is this sentence.

On the plus side, I think this post is a testament to the benefit of planning out your outfits in advance.  Sure helps when you have to go from pajamas to plaid in less than 30 minutes!

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Sweater – The Limited (similar)| Skirt – The Limited (similar) | Booties – Liz Claiborne via DSW (similar) | Necklace – The Limited (similar) | Scarf – H&M via Poshmark (similar) | Jacket – ZARA

Today’s Inspiration Monday is adorable and one I could have recreated much more faithfully by wearing my skinny black pants and a different scarf.  But, I’ve had this houndstooth pencil skirt in my closet for a month or so and thought it was the perfect time to wear it.  Why?

Blake Lively

The pattern on Blake’s scarf isn’t houndstooth but the fact that she has on an all-black outfit with a touch of pattern in one piece just screamed out for me to wear my houndstooth skirt.  And pair it with my new ZARA moto jacket.

Also, I’m loving the juxtaposition of the preppy houndstooth pattern with the rockstar look of the moto jacket.  Wearing it with my black skinny pants would have been just a bit too expected, I think.  Not bad.  I love Blake’s look. Just, you know, I wanted to bring a bit of my preppy side into the equation!

Do you like Blake’s outfit?  How would you interpret it?

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Blazer – The Limited (similar)| Shirt – Target (similar) | Pants – Ann Taylor (on sale!) | Shoes – Bandolino (similar)| Necklace – JF&A Tradeshow  (similar) | Belt – Target

You’d think that a black and white outfit would be one of the easiest ensembles to put together.  You’d think black and white can never go wrong.  But, I’ll be honest with you, this outfit looked way better in my head than it did when I put it on.

Is there anything inherently wrong with it?  Nope.  Black and white together is classic and the addition of the pearl necklace just makes it even more so.  The zebra print shoes?  That adds a little bit of edge without being too over the top.  But maybe it’s the cold and gray day (and I swear I see snowflakes flying past my 8th floor window) but I couldn’t bring myself to take an outdoor picture and I’m never thrilled with my indoor ones.

So, in reality, there’s nothing wrong with this outfit.   Wear your black and white with pride!  Just don’t mind me if I’m in the mood to prefer mine in the way of black yoga pants and a glass of white wine.

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Jacket – Express via Poshmark (similar) | Blouse – Macy’s (similar) | Pants – Gap | Booties – Liz Claiborne via DSW (similar) | Bracelet – JF&A Tradeshow | Necklace – Gift | Watch – Fossil

Welcome back to the real world!  Or, at least, back to work for those of us who have been off for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Going back to work is always such a rude awakening after several days off which is why I’m thrilled that Mondays mean Inspiration Monday from Two Birds!  Usually this makes it easy to figure out what to wear.  Although, I admit, I struggled a bit with this week’s ultra casual choice of plaid and denim.

Mary Kate Olsen

Which means you’re probably looking at my black and white outfit and wondering how in the world the two are related.  Well, here’s how:  oversized shirt over tight pants?  Yep.  Booties?  Yep.  A black accessory (mine’s in the form of a jacket)?  Yep.  Sunglasses?  Got ‘em.

There you go.  One inspired outfit that looks nothing like the original.

And with that out of the way, how about I announce the winner of the $50 Visa Gift Card giveaway?

Thanks to all of you, Loop Looks got over 200 page views for 5 days out of the past two weeks.  Which means that anyone who left at least two comments over the past two weeks gets one entry per comment into the drawing.  And everyone who likes Loop Looks on Facebook gets an additional entry.  So….drumroll please….

The winner is: Katie at An Alaskan Weredork: A Style Diary!

Hooray, Katie!  I’ll be contacting you shortly to get you your prize.

Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about Loop Looks.  Keep it up!

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Peplum top – The Limited (similar)| Blouse – The Limited | Skirt – Banana Republic Outlet | Shoes – Via Spiga via Loehman’s | Necklace – JF&A Trade Show | Earrings – c/o Anjolee

Today’s Inspiration Monday from Two Birds is yet another “celebrity” that I’ve never heard of.

Ashley Madekwe

I’m not a huge fan of her peplum top with the jeans.  It’s making her look disproportionate.  Which is why I tend to pair my peplum top with a pencil skirt.  It just seems to flow better to my eye.

I did, however, continue to incorporate the sparkle of her top with my jewelry.  I just purchased this necklace and it turns out that it goes perfectly with the earrings that I recently received from Anjolee.

You may have heard of whoever Ashley Madekwe is, but have you heard of Anjolee?  They sell custom made diamond jewelry.  You can choose what type of jewelry you want, whether it’s a bracelet or an engagement ring.  From there you choose what metal you want (yellow, white gold or platinum), the diamond size and quality, and, if applicable, the size of the piece.

Even if you’re not in the market for some new bling, it’s still fun to play around on their website or use their free iPhone app to design your dream item.

Note #1: Anjolee provided me with these sample earrings free of charge in exchange for a post.  Me wearing them and loving them is of my own accord.

Note #2: I apologize for the photo quality for the next few weeks.  My camera took another header onto the concrete and I can’t justify spending another $145 on a new one less than 5 weeks after the last one. 

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Jacket – Express via Poshmark (similar)| Tank top – The Limited | Pants – Gap | Necklace – The Limited | Earrings- JF&A Trade Show |Shoes – Ann Klein 

When I looked at the Inspiration Monday photo for this week I admit I was a little stumped.  It occurred to me I don’t own very many patterned toppers.  I own patterned tops, but not much in the way of blazers, jackets or cardigans.

Source

I played around with a red blouse and my black pants.  I toyed with the idea of wearing a red cardigan.  But in the end I pulled this jacket on and even though it’s a little bit warm for it today I think it works.

I purchased this jacket via Poshmark.  If you have an iPhone and want to thrift shop or sell your own items from the comfort of your couch then you can sign up using code HBAMM and get a $5 credit!

Also, I just realized that I look like I could use another 24 hours of sleep.  I had a crazy fun weekend complete with running a half marathon so I’m a little worse for wear today.  But that’s no reason to look like a schlub otherwise!

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