Winter Romance

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend and a fabulous Valentine's Day no matter how you decided to spend it!

Skirt:  eShakti custom (Available in black here)

Valentine's Day means different things to different people.  I'm all about love, but for me, V-Day is first and foremost an excuse to get dressed up - not that I usually need one! 

I am a little late on posting these Valentine's Day outfit ideas, but I figured they also work well for other date nights or evenings out!

Dress:  LOFT (Available here)

Coat:  Old Navy Petites (old)
Clutch:  The Limited

I really love this red lace dress from LOFT.  I have already worn it to work, but today, I'm styling it for a night out with knee high socks.  

Blazer:  Apt. 9 Petites (Available at Kohl's here)
Cuff: Eloquii

Earrings:  Macy's

Socks:  Torrid (Available here)
Boots:  New Look Wide Fit (Sold out on-line; see here)

A tulle skirt is fun and flirty but also romantic.  For a special date night, I would pair a frothy pink tulle skirt with a faux fur coat and metallic gold.

Camisole:  The Limited
Jacket:  Target (Available here)

Bracelet:  Swarovski

Glasses:  Coach

Brooch (worn on skirt):  New York & Company

Clutch:  ASOS (Available here)

Even though I would have preferred to wear one of these outfits, the man and I actually kept things casual for our Valentine's Day.  The snowy and cold weather prompted a super casual leggings, tunic, and motorcycle boots look (a variation of this look coming to the blog later this week) which was just fine for our low-key V-Day lunch and evening movie at home.

Shoes:  Anne Michelle

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!! Did you stay casual or get dressed up? 

For the leopard coat in another look, see here.
For the black blazer in another look, see here.
For the skirt in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.
For the jacket in another look, see here.

Weekend Ready

I love weekends because they give me the chance to wear clothes that I don't usually get a chance to wear during the work week.

You know, like casual, relaxed tunics or romantic slip dresses.

Dress:  H&M (Available here)

Dress:  ASOS (Available here)

I've been trying to find more lower heels and flats to add to my wardrobe, but I am so used to wearing heels (and love the way I look in them) that it can be hard to break the habit.

I have an easier time incorporating flats in weekend looks.  Here, the two looks both feature metallic shoes - silver Grecian sandals with the slip dress and pewter perforated sneakers with the tunic.

Shoes:  Juicy Couture (kids) (Available at Kohl's here; Similar here)

Glasses:  Valentino
Earrings:  New York & Company

I wore this outfit last weekend to see "Spy" with my mom.  Seriously, the funniest movie I have seen in quite some time, and perhaps Melissa McCarthy's finest.  I loved it so much, I am going to try to get back to the movies with the man this weekend so I can share the movie with him too.

I grabbed this fringe tote because it was what I was already using, but I would have preferred a different style bag with this outfit - something a little sportier to go with the shoes.

Tote:  Target (Available here)

Watch:  c/o JORD Wood Watches (Available here)
Bracelets:  LOFT; New York & Company

I love today's second look for an easy date look.  The dress is soft and romantic, but it doesn't feel too dressed up. 

In fact, paired with the moto jacket and flat sandals, I would even wear this to run errands, to go shopping, or for other casual situations. 

Jacket:  The Limited

Sandals:  Target (kids)

Clutch:  The Limited
Bracelets:  LOFT; Target

Glasses:  Firmoo.com (Available here)

Skipping the jacket, it's perfect for humid St. Louis summers. 

Earrings:  The Limited

With these two looks, I'm ready for pretty much wherever the weekend might take me.

What do you like to wear on the weekends?  Are you a heels or flats person or both?

For the tunic dress in other looks, see here, here, and here.
For the slip dress in another look, see here.
For the moto jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Punky Sexy Day-Glo Lady

Sorry that I've been away from the blog all week.  I have been having some problems with my glasses.  I'm waiting on new lenses, but in the meantime, it's made blogging hard.  On the good side, my brother is in town visiting!! I haven't seen him in two years, and it has been so wonderful hanging out!  I've also been enjoying the warmer weather and sunshine.  I know that the dangers of skin cancer are all too real, but my mood is so elevated with increased Vitamin D exposure!!

As much as I still deal with body anxieties and self-deprecation (and I will be discussing some recent battles soon in an upcoming post),  I sometimes also find myself to be incredibly sexy!!

Skirt:  Eloquii (Available here)

Bodysuit:  Boohoo (Available here)

There are unwritten rules that women aren't supposed to say they love themselves or their bodies or to think that they're sexy.  We live in a culture that often teaches us a narrow ideal of beauty that only 5% of us can ever attain.  Because of these ideals, many women struggle to feel good about their bodies and appearance.  We are taught that it's normal to have these body issues - that this is just a part of being a woman.  While insecurities are probably a natural part of being human, the extreme focus on our bodies and appearance are not natural at all.  This insecurity is a direct product of a corporate and media culture that makes money off us feeling that way.  We buy more stuff (diet products, gym memberships, make-up, etc.) if we feel bad.  Healthy body images aren't good for business.

Heels:  Target (Similar here and here)

Glasses:  Valentino

A woman who says that she loves her body and finds herself desirable is often considered egotistical, at worst, dangerous. A fat woman who says this...well, she's a lethal weapon!

I love this outfit because it has a ladylike feel with the knee length skirt and heels, is fun and unexpected thanks to the neon yellow heels, and is also super sexy. 

Hello neckline that dips down to my waist!! 

The kilt feels a little punk.  The overall look has an irreverence to it that feels a little anti-establishment. And hey, the radical notion that a fat girl can feel sexy?  Totally punk!

Yes, this outfit is me being a punky sexy Day-glo lady, and I absolutely love it!!

Clutch:  Target

Earrings:  Etsy

Women are not one-sided.  We can be sexy and still be ladies.  We can be serious and still be fun.  We can play within the system and yet reject established ideas.  An outfit that expresses all these sides...Why the hell not?

P.S.  A quick note on the fit of this bodysuit - I bought a US 14, thought it was a little small and ordered a 16, which is what I"m wearing here.  In retrospect, the fit was better on the 14 and I will be exchanging.  For wearing out and about, I would recommend using double-stick tape.

Romance in Lace and Tulle

Today on the blog, I'm back with another Valentine's Day outfit idea.  This one combines two of my favorite fabrics, lace and tulle, for a romantic V-Day look.

Skirt:  eShakti (Similar here)

Seriously, what's not to love about a tulle skirt?  This is the skirt from eShakti I got to replace the one seen here.  I prefer the simplicity of this one.

Top:  The Limited (Available here)

Blazer:  Altuzarra for Target

I would wear this look out to dinner with my honey.  In fact, I'm planning something a little similar for my actual Valentine's Day date look.

Shoes:  Simply Vera by Vera Wang

Locket:  Target

Clutch:  The Limited

Rings:  The Limited

The burgundy lace and heart locket add a sweet touch to the holiday look.
I do wish that the top was more of a crop top to help streamline the silhouette and accentuate my waist more.  The look feels a little bulkier than I wanted, but overall, I still really like it.

For more Valentine's Day outfit ideas, see here, here, and here.

What are you planning to do this V-Day?

For this top in another look, see here.
For this blazer in another look, see here.

Red Hot

Happy Monday!!

Dress:  Ann Taylor Petites

I hope you all had an amazing weekend.  This weekend, I tried so hard to get blog photos done, but it's looking like winter is coming back!  We had rain all day yesterday, so these were the only photos I was able to get.

I was planning to do a week-long series for Valentine's Day.  Instead, I'm going to be offering up some Valentine's outfit ideas off and on throughout the next several weeks.

Blazer:  The Limited

Shoes:  Simply Vera by Vera Wang for Kohl's

Today's Valentine's Day look would be great for dinner or drinks with your S.O. or even a dressier evening out with friends.

I'm so in love with this slip dress, but can I please take a minute to keep it real? 

My biggest body insecurities are most definitely about my stomach.  It's flabby, and it hangs a bit.   I noticed that my stomach was quite noticeable in these photos.  I was wearing some high-waisted underwear (Does the word "panties" not sound...icky? lol) to help hold things in, but I realized that they only contributed to the problem by creating a weird line across my stomach.  

Belt:  The Limited

Clutch:  Jason Wu for Target

I'm not a fan of shape wear.  Maybe it's because I'm so petite, but Spanx and other types of shape wear never fit me properly and appear to make no impact on smoothing out my figure.  I also like to be comfortable, and in my experience of simply trying it on, shape wear just isn't very comfortable.

I seriously contemplated re-taking the photos, wearing different undergarments, or maybe none at all, to help avoid these issues. 

In the end, I decided to keep it real.  I am not comfortable showing the outlines of my belly in my real life, and if I decide to wear this outfit out, I will take measure to avoid the stomach lines showing. 

Ear Cuff:  eBay

But, I am also about honesty.  It's my stomach, what it looks like.  Some of you may think my belly is no big deal.  Some of you may have not even noticed it.  While others of you may find it unattractive.  At the end of the day, it's there, love it or not.  So for that reason, I decided to keep the photos as they are. 

This is me, in a slip dress that shows part of me that I struggle daily to love and accept.

Today, I choose to focus on the fashion and not the belly.  I'm focusing on how much I love the slinky feel of this slip dress (even if it's much better during the balmy summer than freezing rain in January).  I'm focusing on my recent obsession with reds and pinks, wearing this pretty peplum blazer with gold jewelry accented with strawberry crystals.

Rings:  Gift and Kohl's
Bracelet:  Swarovski (gift)

I'm focused on loving me, loving life, and loving fashion...and that is red hot!! ;-D

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