Fashion Favorites 2: Bright Swing Dress, 10 Ways

I have several swing dresses from the Eva Mendes for New York & Company line.  The "Sabrina" dress appears in new colors with every collection, and it's a real favorite of mine. 

In addition to the red and yellow versions featured here today, I also have this style dress in black and leopard print.  I RARELY buy multiples of the same style, but I just love the comfortable shape of these dresses.

The yellow version is my favorite of the four.  The pretty bold hue looks great with a variety of neutrals and other colors.  Yellow gets a bad rap as a color that is hard to wear, but it's all about finding the right shade for you.  The saffron color works for my skin tone, but a lemon, banana, canary, or mustard may work better for you.

I find these dresses surprisingly versatile, and I just love the way they look on their own or paired with tights and jackets for colder weather.

Here are some of the ways I've styled these bright swing dresses:

For Spring with Bare Legs and a Graphic Tote

Color and Confidence:  Yellow

Mixing Red & Gold/Yellow

From left to right:  Yellow & Red; To Belt or Not To Belt

With Cognac Moto Jackets

From left to right:  11 Twenty Eight Designs; Color and Confidence:  Yellow

With Printed Tights

From left to right:  Winter Bites; Taxi Cab Confessions

For Evening

Holiday Double Feature:  Red & Green

For Work With Neutrals and a Structured Blazer

From left to right:  Bzzzz...Black and Yellow Aren't Just for Bumblebees!!; Saffron and Navy

Swing dresses get a bad wrap because they can be a little shapeless.  This style isn't a dress to show off your curves, but it is super comfortable and easy for a range of situations.  One is a bold color makes it that much more of a fashion favorite!

Catch my other fashion favorites here, here, and here.

To Belt or Not to Belt

I adore trapeze style dresses. They are so super comfortable.  I also love red dresses.  A red dress is inherently bold, but in this easy shape, it still feels very conservative.

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available in other colors here)

Clutch:  Similar here

I added red heels for a head-to-toe matching look. 

Shoes:  Target (old)

Belt:  Torrid

I debated whether I should add a belt.  While I love the loose shape, a belt that defined my waist seemed a little more polished.

I sit in an office all day, so in the end, I opted for comfort and chose to go without the belt but added a navy military blazer to give the look more structure.  Sorry, I didn't get any photos of that look, but it is similar to this look previously featured.

Necklace:  Ann Taylor

Bracelet:  LOFT

Which styling do you prefer?

For the dress in other looks, see here and here.
For the other looks from Dress Week 4, see here, here, here, here, and here.

Winter Bites

So, it's March and there's snow everywhere.  Not.Cool.At.All. 

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company

But what are you going to do?  

I decided to make the most of it and have a little fun with a few blog photos.

For today's look, I'm taking the bite out of winter with my fang clutch from Halloween.

Clutch:  ASOS

Boots:  Target

Tights:  The Limited

I'm looking forward to wearing this dress with heels or sandals for a breezy springtime look, but for now, I've paired it with printed tights and booties to stave off the chill.

Necklace:  The Limited

The web design on the necklace complements the tights, and I kept my hair easy with a low pony.

Earrings:  New York & Company

What's the weather like in your parts?  For those of you feeling the brunt of winter, how are you staying fashionable in the cold?

For this dress in another look, see here.
For the clutch in another look, see here.

Back To Reality

Happy Tuesday!

Dress:  Ann Taylor Petites

Yesterday was back to the office.  I figured if I had to be back at work, I might as well embrace it and opted for an office-ready sheath. 

After a few too many cookies this month, I decided this oversized black wool jacket was a good choice to disguise a few extra pounds and to feel comfortable while working.

Jacket:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available here)

Clutch:  Target (Available here)

Boots:  Target

Plus, I really like how the shape of this jacket works with this dress.

Peach and black is a favorite color combination, and the peach works well with my burgundy hair!  :-D

Tights:  The Limited

I completed the look with silver sparkly jewelry and a color blocked clutch to add a bit of contrast.

Earrings:  Target (old)

Rings:  The Limited
Bracelets:  The Limited, LOFT, Ann Taylor

Do you find yourself reaching for looser clothes during or after the holidays?  How do you deal with extra winter weight and bloat?  I've been trying to detox a bit with more salads and fewer sweets.

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

Savoring Spring

It's not really spring of course, but we had some spring-like temperatures this past weekend, so I took full advantage of the opportunity for bare legs.

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available here)

Jacket: Torrid (Available here)

I went with my mother to a Native American art and craft fair, and I wanted something that felt easy but stylish.  

This black dress has such a flowy fit that it was the perfect choice.

I've said before how much I like the Eva Mendes line for New York & Company, and the Sabrina dress that I"m wearing here is probably my favorite style.  I rarely buy multiples, but I have this in leopard print, yellow, black, and I'm planning on getting it in red soon.  It's such a versatile style that dresses up or down with ease.

Boots:  Target

Add caption

I played around with pairing this dress with my blush moto jacket (seen here), which I liked, but trusty black won out.

A large quartz necklace and quilted satchel completed the look.

Necklace:  Earthbound Trading Co.

Satchel:  The Limited

The fair was a success!  I was able to pick up a couple gifts (and a necklace for myself, whoops) while staying comfortable.

Bracelets:  LOFT, Target

Unfortunately, when we came out of the fair, only an hour or so later, the temperature had dropped 20-30 degrees!!  My longing for warmer weather now continues as winter-like temps are back. 

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

Taxi Cab Confessions

When I first put this outfit together, I was attracted to the graphic combination of the printed tights and the bright yellow dress.

Jacket:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available here)

I'm still digging this outfit, but after seeing it in pictures, I realized that I look a bit like a taxi cab!!!  LOL

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available in turquoise or black here)

Since I'm wearing a taxi cab look, I guess it's only fitting that I give some confessions. 

Loves:  Blazers (duh!), kettle cooked chips, cats, everything Joss Whedon

Dislikes:  Sneakers, spinach, big dogs, Two and a Half Men

Phobia:  MICE!! (ewwwugghhh!)

I have three college degrees, but I actually obtained an Associates degree AFTER my Masters.

I've been engaged three times, but so far...never married! (LONG STORY!! LOL)

Tights:  The Limited (Similar here)

I'm still having fun with printed tights while the weather is somewhat cooperating.  I like the juxtaposition in this look of the lightweight dress paired with black and the heavyweight wool jacket. 

It makes the dress wearable for fall, while giving a balance to the look.

Boots:  Fergalicious by Fergie

Both the jacket and dress I'm wearing are from various collections from the Eva Mendes line for New York & Company.  I have been generally impressed with this line since it first came out, but I will say that sizing is a bit all over the place, often running on the bigger side.  If you're not typically a straight size shopper, but wear up to a size 20-22, I would recommend you checking out some of the pieces if you're a fan. 

Don't be afraid to try something on, or go into a store that typically doesn't carry your size because you might just be surprised by what you find!!

Tote:  New York & Company

Would you wear black and yellow?  Do you have any taxi cab confessions??

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

Caped Crusader

Can I tell you just how happy I am that capes are back in style?

Cape:  Boohoo (Available here)

I had a cape style jacket several years back, and I wore that thing to death.

Dress:  Eva Mendes for New York & Company (Available here)

This fall, I'm resisting the urge to buy up every cape style piece I can get my hands on.  While I'm not buying all the capes, I have indulged on a few caped items, including this cape jacket from boohoo.com that I recently featured on my Halloween post.

Today, I'm back wearing it again with all black, but this time, I went for an easier silhouette by adding it with a belted trapeze dress.  The sleeves of the dress add a little warmth and coverage, but the sheerness helps provide a lightness that sets the black pieces off from one another.

Boots:  Payless (old)

Like a lot of you across the States, we are having winter temperatures right now, so I paired these pieces with tights and high boots to add some additional warmth.  It's hard to tell in the pics, but you can actually see a sprinkling of snow on the ground behind me.  Yikes!!  I'm not ready for winter!

Tights:  The Limited

Taking pics after work has proven difficult since the end of Daylight Savings Time.  It's always dark, so I have to get better at taking photos on the weekend - the only shot I have at getting light!! 

The darkness is hiding some of the details of this look that I would have loved to have shown off better.  :-/

Clutch:  The Limited
Cuff:  The Limited

Ring:  Earthbound Trading Co. (old)
Necklace:  Express (old)

I just talked on the blog yesterday about my move towards minimalist accessorizing, but for this look, I'm actually accessorized quite a bit with lots of shiny silver and pewter metals.  The same look, with more blingy jewelry, would be perfect for an upcoming holiday party.

I wore this look to work yesterday, which was possibly a little dressy for the office, but sometimes, it's fun to be the diva....which a cape most definitely makes me feels like. 

Belt:  Torrid

Are you a fan of the cape trend?