Loop Looks

Turtleneck – The Limited (similar) | Lace dress as a skirt – Marshall’s (similar) | Boots – Cole Haan (similar) | Belt – Target | Necklace – Groopdealz (similar) | Earrings – Bauble Bar (similar)

Last week I wore this lace dress as a skirt for the first time and wasn’t too sure how I felt about that outfit. But I didn’t give up!  No! Lace is very on-trend right now (I even saw an adorable eyelet lace dress at Old Navy yesterday) and I really wanted this sleeveless dress to work for colder weather. So, taking your advice from last week to add some black on top to balance out the black on bottom and using this and this as inspiration, I topped my lace dress with my black turtleneck, my leopard belt, and my black mini-bubble necklace.

Yes,  I know, it’s technically spring.  But the weather in Chicago didn’t get the memo and it’s still freaking cold here.  So a turtleneck is totally appropriate.

Although, to be honest, I’m not actually at work today!  But if I was, this is what I’d be wearing.  So what am I doing instead? I’m on my way to Cleveland, Ohio to visit my best friend from college! I’m sure much hijinks will ensue.  Well, at least as many hijinks as you can get up to when you’re in your mid-30s and one of you has a kid.

No, I don’t know who Joe is.

Linking up with Marionberry Style| Texas Lovebirds | Work Clothes, I Suppose | Mix & Match Fashion

0

  

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack (similar under $25) | Shirt – Gap (similar under $15) | Pants – Gap (similar under $25) | Boots – Ciao Bella via DSW (similar for $55) | Scarf – JF&A Trade Show (similar under $15)

It’s Friday!!!  Who’s excited???  This girl right here. After a really long week at work I needed to celebrate Friday by wearing something comfy yet put-together for work. I know you can’t really tell from the photo, but these are NOT leggings. They’re actually skinny dress pants. But they’re comfy like jeans so they’re really a win-win situation.

Flat boots, a boyfriend cardigan that covers my butt, and a soft scarf round out my casual Friday outfit. For many people there’s no way this would fly in the office, but I recently read somewhere that you should take your cues from your boss. If your boss wears it then consider it fair game (caveat: your boss wears embroidered sweatshirts. Please don’t wear those to the office). And my boss has worn outfits almost exactly like this so I’m in the clear!

Speaking of being in the clear, I’m still attempting to stick to my goal of giving you all budget-friendly options for items you might need to round out your closet. And in this week’s edition I give you this entire outfit for $128.62 including the boots!

So, if your Friday needs a pick-me-up, throw on a comfy but cute outfit. And if you don’t have one, then use the links above to partake in some retail therapy. I won’t judge.

P.S. I mentioned that I was going to trapeze class last night. Well, I learned a new trick (called a set whip). Here are some photos:

Linking up with Two Thirty Five Designs

0

  

Coat – Calvin Klein (similar) | Shirt – Gap (similar) | Dress – The Limited (similar) | Boots – Cole Haan (similar) | Necklace – Gordman’s (similar)

Another Inspiration Monday is upon us and another inspiration photo that didn’t work with today’s plans of presenting to a graduate school class about the field of records management (trust me, it’s a scorcher!).  So I took the idea of a dress with boots and went with that.

Source

I also wanted to link-up with Kimmie at Blue Paper Lanterns and her “Oh, This Old Thing” link-up.  Can you guess what the oldest item in my closet is?  I’m wearing it in this outfit.

It’s the purple collared shirt!  I’ve had this shirt since high school, which means it’s at least 15 years old.  My dad gave it to me as a gift with a gray sweater.  The sweater is long gone but this shirt keeps on trucking.

What’s the oldest item in your closet?

Also, have you taken the first anniversary reader survey yet?  Results announced soon!

0

  

Dress – The Limited (similar)(similar) | Boots – Cole Haan (similar)

By now you probably all know my rule of three: wearing three things makes your outfits look more put-together.  However, I’m breaking my own rule today and wearing just this simple purple dress.  And why, exactly, am I doing that?

I’ve actually had an outfit with a similar purple dress saved on my computer for at least a year and I recently uploaded it to Pinterest.  Then I was in The Limited this past weekend with some friends.  I saw this dress on the final sale rack but decided that it probably wouldn’t look good on me.  Too shapeless, perhaps.  But Kelsey tried it on and fell in love with it…but it was too short on her!  Someone else try it on, she pleaded!  It needs a good home!  So, on it went.  And in love I fell.

The design on the neckline gives it enough interest that I felt as though a necklace would be competing with it.  So I went with bigger earrings and my usual black boots and kept the dress plain and simple.

Every so often, simple is good.

0

  

Vest – Express via Poshmark (similar) | Dress – Target  (similar short sleeved, similar long sleeved) | Belt – The Limited | Boots – Cole Haan (similar)

The university where I work puts on a huge Christmas choir concert every December.  The office that I report to is in charge of the planning for this event and, as such, I get recruited to help out with ushering and other duties as assigned.

Usually it’s freezing cold, snowy and icy when we have this event.  And since the vestibule of the church where the concert is held gets really cold we tend to bundle up.  Hence the fur vest and the sweater dress.

This year, though, it’s not as cold as in the past so I have a feeling that I’ll get pretty warm throughout the evening.  Which is why I can always strip off the vest, re-tie my belt, and ta da!  Another outfit!

I have to credit to Katie and Pinterest for giving me the idea to wear a belt over my faux fur vest.   I like how it gives it some extra shape and keeps it from looking quite so bulky.

0

  

Cardigan –Lucky Brand (similar) | Shirt – Banana Republic Outlet (similar) | Pants – Gap | Boots – Cole Haan (similar)| Necklace – JF&A Tradeshow (similar)

Two Birds chose a deceptively simple look for today’s Inspiration Monday.  Black and leopard?  What could be easier?

Kate Moss

Still, I struggled with this outfit.  It’s strangely warm and rainy in Chicago today so I wanted to wear boots.  But I don’t really have a black top that I like wearing with these pants.  And my turtleneck is at the dry cleaners even if it had been cool enough to wear it.

Kate’s sweater looks as though she has a running race bib on it so I actually toyed with the joke idea of wearing one of my many race bibs for the photos.  But, this weekend was crazy with no chance to take outfit photos.  So I’m sneaking them in before work wherever I can and this AM I didn’t have the chance to take a silly photo.  So I subbed the white of the print with my new pearl necklace.

All of this to say, I love the idea of this outfit but not my execution.  But I’ll still keep playing around with it until I find something I like.  Because, again, black and leopard?  What could be easier?

0

  

Blazer – The Limited (similar)| Turtleneck – Old Navy (similar)| Jeans – The Limited (similar) | Belt – The Limited (similar) | Necklace – Macy’s (similar)| Boots – Ciao Bella via DSW | Bracelet – JF&A Trade Show

In honor of submitting two looks with this black turtleneck to Jessica’s What I Wore Challenge: Fall Remix I thought I’d show you a third look here today.

But first, go check out my entry on Jessica’s post.  I’ll wait.  My entry is second from the bottom.  One look you’ve seen before.  The other is brand new and includes my faux leather skirt that has yet to be featured here!

Done?  Now you see why I think a black turtleneck is a fall closet staple?  It just goes with so many things.

For years I refused to wear turtlenecks because I felt like they were choking me.  Maybe you feel the same.  A black crewneck sweater can have the same role in your closet as a black turtleneck.  Not a fan of black?  Choose another neutral color like navy, camel or gray.  With a scarf, a blazer or a statement necklace you can dress it up or down for any occasion.

But don’t forget your jacket!

0

  

Blazer – The Limited (similar) | Top – Express | Scarf – NYC street vendor (similar) | Pants – Gap | Boots – Cole Haan (similar)| Earrings – Bergner’s

It’s CopyCats Friday from Fills for Thrills!

I don’t even want to tell you how many images I looked through on my Pinterest boards try find something I wanted to copy.  Not sure why I was having such a difficult time this week.

In the end I settled on this outfit.  It’s a fun cross between Casual Friday and regular office sophistication.  And it’s based on an outfit from Wendy’s Lookbook.

I went with a pinstriped blazer instead of a solid black one because, well, my solid black one needs to go to the drycleaners.  However, this pinstriped one is a little bit too big so it might be going in my Poshmark closet very soon.

What do you think?  Did I hit the nail on the head with my copy?

0

  

Jacket – Wilsons Leather | Blazer – Gibson via Nordstrom Rack | Scarf – H&M via Poshmark | Dress – The Limited | Boots – Cole Haan

Do you have a black dress in your closet?  One that can be dressed up or down?  If not, I highly recommend getting one.  I don’t really like to make lists of items that you HAVE to have in your closet because everyone’s lifestyle and favorite looks are different.  But a versatile black dress?  It’s pretty hard to find a woman who couldn’t benefit from having one.

Take this one for example.  I’ve also worn it two other ways since I started this blog.   Anything you can wear in both June and October just by switching up the accessories is a closet workhorse for sure.

Do you have a versatile black dress?  Would you want to own one?

0

  

Cardigan – Nordstrom Rack | Top – Old Navy | Necklace – J. Crew via Poshmark | Jeans – The Limited | Boots – Ciao Bella via DSW

Yep, the boots came out today.  A gray, cloudy, windy day in Chicago?  Perfect boot weather.  I’m also working from home and then helping out with prep for the large conference I’m attending next week so I can go a little bit more casual than normal, even on a Friday.

This outfit mixes both black and blue which I’m sure many people think is a no-no.  But, actually, as long as they aren’t too similar in shade, you can wear them together.  It’s when they look like you couldn’t tell that one was a different color that it starts to get questionable.  Same with chambray or denim on denim.  You don’t want the colors to be too close to one another.

Oh!  I’m adding a new series to the blog on Saturdays and it starts tomorrow.  I hope you’ll check back! Here’s a sneak peak:

Otherwise, enjoy your weekend!

0