Seersucker for Summer

Looking office-appropriate in the summer is often a challenge for me.  

Blazer:  LOFT Petites (Available here)
Pants:  The Limited (Available here)

Summer makes me long for maxi dresses, tees, and flirty skirts and dresses - clothes that are perfect for casual events and evening wear but not so great for work.

Seersucker is one of those great summer fabrics that helps bridge the gap between casual and work.  Paired with black skinny pants and a bow-front blouse, the seersucker blazer has enough polish for work.

Blouse:  Old Navy Petites (old)
Clutch:  Target (old)

Sandals:  Payless

The cotton fabric is breathable and cool, while the jacket still takes away air-conditioning chill.

Jade ring:  Vintage (Similar here)
Necklace:  Target

How do you summerize your work wardrobe?


For this blazer in another look, see here.
To see this blouse styled differently, see here, here, and here.

Spearmint and Orange

Hope you're all having a great Saturday!

Blouse:  LOFT (Available here)
Jacket:  LOFT Petites (Available here)

Today, I feature a recent work outfit.  I paired an orange-tipped blouse with a spearmint green blazer and navy skinny pants.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (Available here)

Necklace:  The Limited (Available here)
Earrings:  The Limited (Available here)

I love the mix of green and orange.  The navy pants keep the look subtle enough for work, while being a softer choice than black. 

A straw bag with orange trim and a fun alligator ring finish the look (close-up of ring here).

Purse:  The Limited (Available here)

Ring:  Target (Similar here)

Do you like mixing orange and green?

For this blazer in other looks, see here and here.

Mixing Prints

One of my favorite things to do to liven up a simple color palette is to mix prints.

Blouse:  The Limited
Jacket:  The Limited

The black and beige color palette is simple, but adding in the print of the top, the textured design of the wedge heel, and the zebra pattern on the purse, creates a more nuanced look that is infinitely more interesting than black and beige alone.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Necklace:  The Limited (Available here)

The citrine yellow of the purse adds a fun pop of color. This purse was a total impulse buy, but I thought it was way too cool to pass up.  I can't wait to wear it with a ton of different outfits this summer!

I don't always like wedge heels, but I love the peep-toe design of these.  I do love how wedges add height without the discomfort of stilettos.

Wedge sandals:  Target (Similar here)
Purse:  Target (Available here)

Do you like to mix prints?  Do  you like to wear wedge heels?

For this top in another look, see here.
For this jacket in other looks, see here  and here.

Bettie at the Movies

Happy Sunday, everyone!

T-shirt:  Torrid (Available here)
Skirt:  Forenza by The Limited (Available here)

Shoes:  Target
Ring:  The Limited (Available in turquoise here)

I'm working today, but yesterday, I took a break from work and enjoyed a movie night with the honey. 

We went to see World War Z, which was delightfully better than I was expecting (to be fair, I wasn't expecting much except for some Brad Pitt eye-candy).

I wanted a comfortable and casual look, but I also wanted to have some fun with my outfit.

I wore a Bettie Paige t-shirt with a bandage mini-skirt I recently purchased from The Limited.  I folded the waistband over for a slightly more mini mini.  I finished the look with a lightweight jacket for the always freezing theater.

Jacket:  Torrid (Available here)
Purse:  Vintage

This outfit made me feel sassy, which is always a marker of a great look in my book!

What would/do you wear for a movie date?

Casual in White Jeans

Hope you're all enjoying your weekends!

It has been a very busy few weeks at work, and I still have a couple more weeks of crazy before things settle down a bit.  Thanks for bearing with me over the last month while my blog posts have been more sporadic than usual.  I should be back on track in a few more weeks with my regular daily/semi-daily posting.

Today I feature yesterday's casual Friday look.  

Please excuse the messy hair.  I took these pics after a long day!  I make no apologies for the make-up free face!  :-)

Top:  The Limited (Available here)
Jeans:  The Limited (Available here)

Cardigan:  LOFT Petites (old)
Bag:  The Limited

I wore the cardigan for work due to sometimes frigid office air conditioning.  I also actually wore flats to work since I was running around a lot, but I thought the heels gave the outfit a little more polish.

Necklace:  LOFT (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (Available here)

I love the floaty trapeze shape of this fun tangerine top.  It's so airy and lightweight.  Perfect for the 90+ degree temps we've been having!

The best part is definitely the back of this top, with the cute cutout and button details. 

I should note for those of you who aren't 4'9" like me, the bottom of the top is designed to reveal the small of your back.

For these white jeans in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Sun and Sky

Hi everyone!

Hope you all had a great day!  Things are pretty frenzied at work right now, so I'm doing my best to squeeze in new blog posts.

Pants:  The Limited (Sold out in blue; Available in navy and black here)
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)

Today's featured look is inspired by the summer sky and sun.

I paired blue pants with an off-white blouse and white blazer.  I added a yellow clutch for a pop of sunny color.

Blazer:  The Limited (old)
Shoes:  Target (old)

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)
Necklace:  The Limited (Available here)

I added grey heels and silver and blue jewelry to finish off the look.

I love simple, streamlined looks like this for work during the summer.  The pieces are easy and comfortable, the colors light and airy.

Bracelets:  Target and The Limited

How do you make your work wardrobe more summer friendly?

To see these pants styled differently, see here, here, here, and here
To see this blouse in other looks, see here and here
For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here

Lacy Day

Dress:  LOFT Petites (Available here)
Blazer: LOFT Petites (Available here)

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Today's outfit was a recent work look.  I really love this dress.  It's lace with crochet bib-front detail. 

Lately, I have been all about interesting textures and fabric details.  I tend to wear a lot of neutrals, so cool fabrications help keep the pieces from being boring.

As much as I love this dress, this is an overall look that I felt was just an "almost." 

The yellow sandals weren't my favorite with this look.  I didn't think I had any shoes that I would like with this outfit, but later I remembered that I had some canvas wedge espadrilles that would have been perfect.  Next time I wear this dress, I'll remember!

Also, my peach lip color was a little too light for my skin tone, but I love the look of a more nude lip with a smoky eye.  I'll have to do some more experimenting to get the right nude.

Seeing my looks in photographs helps me assess overall styling.  If you're on the fence about whether an outfit or overall look is working, taking a few quick photographs of yourself is definitely a styling tip that I would recommend.

For this jacket in another look, see here.

Ruffles for Work

Ruffles were a huge trend on spring runways.  Many designers showed huge, exaggerated ruffles for a dramatic flair.

For today's look, I chose a more low-key version of this trend, pairing a ruffle-front tank with my work essentials.

Pants:  New York & Company Petites (Available here)
Blazer:  New York & Company Petites (Available here)

This ruffle top and pink blazer are ultra-feminine and almost too frothy and sweet for me.  I paired the blouse and blazer with more masculine trousers for a look that feels more balanced.

Blouse:  LOFT Petites (Available:  here)
Quartz Necklace:  Earthbound Trading Company (Similar here)

Shoes:  Target (old)

The windowpane check on the pants adds visual interest to the outfit but remains a subtle detail that doesn't overly compete with the ruffles.

The soft ruffle top and pink color help lighten the pants up and give them a more springy feel.  These pants definitely read more fall/winter to me, and I'm looking forward to pairing these pants with a leather or tweed jacket when the weather cools back off. 

Purse:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Do you like ruffles?

A Shorts Story

Over the weekend, we took the kids to our local zoo, and this is what I wore:

Blazer:  LOFT Petites (Available here)
Shorts:  Torrid (Similar here)

The weather was perfect for walking around, and it was so fun watching my five-year-old squeal with delight at seeing all the animals.  :-)

James Dean t-shirt (Torrid here)
Shoes:  Kohl's (kids) (Available here)

Every time I say I'm not a fan of a certain trend or specific look, I find myself giving it a try (or three) and end up liking or even loving it. 

For example, I hated skinny pants and jeans on myself when they first came out and thought that I would never be a fan.  Now, I can't seem to get enough of them!

I've never been a big fan of shorts, no matter my size.  I always think they are riding up and have never found them as flattering as pants or skirts/dresses.

Purse:  Target (Available here)

This spring, I've seen so many cute shorts that I've been more willing to give them a try.  I also always find myself desperately seeking more breezy options come mid-July, and shorts are perfect for casual outdoor activities.  

These denim Bermuda shorts are super easy.  They have just the right amount of distressing, and because they are a longer, more fitted short, I don't get the dreaded ride-up issue.

Bracelets:  Target, Express, The Limited, H&M

I added a James Dean tee and seersucker blazer.  I love how the blazer dresses up the ultra casual jean shorts and tee.

This outfit has a tomboyish feel, but I added feminine details with the rope sandals, v-neck line, and bracelets.

It was perfect for a fun day at the zoo!!

For these shorts in another look, see here.

Adventures in Traveling: Plymouth, MA and Middletown, NY

Jeans:  The Limited (Available here)
Blouse:  Target Petites (Available here)
Sandals:  Kohl's (Available here)

On our trip back home, we became pretty determined to make good time and kept our stops minimal.

The last of our featured stops were in Plymouth, Massachusetts and Middletown, New York.

After we left Highland Lighthouse, we got back on the road.  We soon came upon Plymouth, Massachusetts.  I knew we couldn't pass without at least taking a look at Plymouth Rock.  We drove into town and stopped at Plymouth Harbor where we took a look at some of the boats.

Purse:  The Limited
Bracelets:  Prabal Gurung for Target; Express; The Limited

We then found Plymouth Rock.  It is down in a pit in the sand, with a viewing area built around it.  The tide is still able to wash over it as the observation deck sits above the ground.  As we learned from a Park Ranger, the current Plymouth Rock is about a third to quarter of the size that it would have been back in 1620 and the "1620" was carved in the late 1800s.  The decrease in the size of the rock has more to do with human intervention than natural erosion.

We didn't spend much time in Plymouth, but it's definitely a place where you could spend the say going through the museum, enjoying the Boardwalk, and taking a boat ride.

We continued on down the road and stopped for the night in Middletown, New York.  We went out to a few bars in town and spent some time visiting with a friend.

Jeans:  Torrid (Similar here)
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (Available here)

The remaining two days of our trip were very low-key as we were worn out and eager to put an end to all the driving.

Hope you enjoyed my travel pics.  Outfit post tomorrow!!