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.

Rocker Ballerina at the St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards (Wish That I Could Be Like The Cool Kids)

Friday night was the Kickoff Party for St. Louis Fashion Week, which also included the second annual St. Louis Fashion Blog Awards!

In addition to the Blog Awards and the cocktail reception that followed, this wonderful event included an art/fashion presentation by Grace Kubilius, a fiber artist-in-residence at Craft Alliance in St. Louis.  

We were running behind in getting to the party, so I didn't think about snapping pics - I promise to either delight or bore you with pics of all the coming events.  You can learn more about Ms. Kubilius from Alive Magazine - one of the major sponsors and partners of St. Louis Fashion Week.

Skirt:  eShakti Custom (Available in red here)

I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who showed your support to me by voting.  Unfortunately, I didn't take home any awards this year, but it was amazing just to be nominated, especially for Blog of the Year!!  

I certainly never started blogging with the intent of winning awards.  Blogging is first, foremost, and always will be, about my love of fashion and my desire to make fashion seem more accessible to people who feel like outsiders to the fashion world. 

As I have discussed briefly in my "About Me" section, I grew up loving fashion but without the funds to have the "cool" clothes.  I have spent my life, from early childhood on, poring over fashion catalogs and magazines, learning to create higher end looks on the cheap and developing an evolving personal aesthetic.

Top:  Ann Taylor Petites
Shoes:  Prabal Gurung for Target

I spent every waking hour as a kid drawing fashion sketches, making clothes for my Barbies, and pretending I owned my own fashion boutique.

As my passion for fashion took a backseat to academic pursuits, I put a lot of this part of my life behind me, but my love of fashion remained.  Blogging has given me an outlet to share this passion with others.

It's shown me that there's a place for me in the fashion world, and I have some serious goals for the future that I can't wait to share with you at a later time!

Jacket:  Forever 21+ (old)
Belt:  LOFT

Now, on to my look!  :-)

I'm a working mom - I don't have a ton of opportunities to get all fancy, so I decided last night was a time to glam it up.

Necklace:  The Limited

I've talked before on the blog about how impractical but awesome tulle skirts are.  As a fashion gal, I can forget sometimes that tulle skirts really don't have a place in my life, but I can't resist!

Being that last night was a fashion event - one of the few places where a tulle skirt is really acceptable, I decided to rock my girly tutu with a bustier style top, cropped tuxedo jacket and lace up heels.  I actually wore this top last year to the Blog Awards.  Fashion faux pas?  Nah!

I love the mix of something super feminine with edgier elements, so I added in an ear cuff, large ring, and other fun silver jewelry.

Ring:  Torrid
Bracelets:  New York & Company and Torrid

My awesome sister gave me this amazing pompadour updo inspired by Juliana Hough's look from the 2013 Golden Globes.  Doesn't she have mad skills?

Ear cuff:  Torrid (Available here)
Silver Earring:  The Limited (old)
Pearl studs:  Target (Available here)
CZ stud:  New York & Company?

Source:  MSN Living

A pink and black moon mani (given to me by the most adorable manicurist ever) completed the look.

While the Blog Awards were fun, and I got to meet up with a few new people (and a couple familiar faces), we didn't stay very long. 

I admit I'm not the most social person, and events like these (where I feel both the desire to network and meet other like-minded people and the sometimes debilitating awkwardness of doing so) tend to make me feel anxious and stressed. 

In addition, my man had come straight from work and hadn't had a chance to eat dinner, so he was starving.  The light bites offered, as great as they were, were just not doing enough to stave off his hunger.

So, we headed out shortly after the awards were announced. 

We ended up at The Cheesecake Factory.  We did not run into Penny, Leonard, or Sheldon, but we had a fun time pigging out on delicious food. 

Of course, you can't go to The Cheesecake Factory without getting some cheesecake, so even though I was pleasantly full, I got a slice of vanilla bean cheesecake to take home for later.   Somehow the man and one of the kids conned me out of most out of it, but what I had was delicious!  :-)

I had initially felt really silly going out to dinner in a tulle skirt, but then, I just felt kind of fabulous!

At the end of the day, whatever you're wearing, fashion is about having fun and owning your look.  Who cares if I was out of place? 

Thanks again to everyone who voted for me and for all of you who follow my blog...your support makes my day...year...life!!

For the silly, impractical, but totally fun tulle skirt in other looks, see here, here, and here.

For the top in other looks, see here, here, and here.

For my very favorite jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Honorable Mentions 4

It's time again for an honorable mentions post! 

If you missed Honorable Mentions 1-3, catch them here, here, and here.

DATE:  Black and White
The first look is a recent date look.  The man and I grabbed a quick dinner, and I chose my white mini dress with shadow stripes and added a faux leather jacket for the air conditioned restaurant.

Dress, Jacket, and Boots:  Target
Purse:  Forever 21

Necklace:  Kohl's

WORK:  Black Pants and Textured Tops
For work, I'm always reaching for black skinnies and textured tops.

Recently, I chose a beige textured Aztec print tank and added a blue blazer.

Pants and Blazer:  The Limited
Top:  The Limited (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (old)

Necklace:  The Limited
Rings:  Torrid (Available here)

A lace-front top adds interest to a simple black and white look.

Pants and blouse:  The Limited
Tote:  Isabel & Ruben Toledo for Lane Bryant

Sandals:  Payless (old)

CASUAL:  Denim and Grey Tee

A loose grey tee paired with denim and silver gladiator sandals make for easy casual looks.  I added denim crops to watch fireworks on the 4th of July and opted for shorts and a fun tote for a quick weekend run to the store.

Denim crops:  The Limited
Tank:  Gap
Clutch:  Vintage
Necklace:  New York & Company

Shorts:  The Limited (Similar here)
Top:  Babooshka Boutique (Available here)
Sandals:  Target Kids

Rings:  Earthbound Trading Co. and local jewelry show
Bracelet:  The Limited

Hope you enjoyed today's honorable mentions!  :-)

DATE LOOK:
For the white dress in another look, see here.
For the jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, and here.

WORK LOOKS:
For the black pants in another look, see here.
For the blue blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, and here.

CASUAL LOOKS:
For the crops in other looks, see here, here and here.
For the shorts in another look, see here.
For the top in other looks, see here.

Tickled Pink: Romance and Tulle

Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Skirt:  eShakti (Sold out on-line; Similar here)

Today, I'm continuing my salute to pink with this bubblegum pink tulle skirt.  Mixed with taupe, soft gold, and beige, the girly pink takes a more sophisticated turn.

POCKETS!!!!
Rose tank:  The Limited (Available here)
Cami:  Wet Seal

Jacket:  The Limited

It's no secret I'm a big fan of tulle skirts, so when I saw this skirt recently, I couldn't resist. 

I'm planning on some ways to wear this a little more casually, but for today's look, I kept the look a little dressier.

Booties:  Target (Available here)

Ear cuff set:  Forever 21 (Available here)

Bracelets:  Express, The Limited, World Market

Clutch:  New York & Company

The ankle booties keep the look from being too delicate.  With these chunkier heels, the outfit could work for some day functions, as well as evening events.

Where would you wear a tulle skirt?

For this jacket in other looks, see here and here.
For more tulle skirt looks, see here and here.

P.S.  eShakti was kind enough to provide an exclusive promo code for you, my dear readers!  Use code 'stylecases' to save 10% off your order. This code can be combined with most other codes and offers, and it can be re-used as often as you want now through 5/11/2014.

Black for Spring: Cutouts and Lace-ups

Good morning!

With spring right around the corner and summer not too far away (I promise), today, I'm starting a series on tips for wearing black in the spring and summer. While I incorporate paler neutrals and more navy into my wardrobe in the spring and summer, I can never give up my trusty and reliable black.  It's a major staple in my wardrobe, so I see no reason to give it up simply because the mercury has started to climb.

Fabric choice, accessories, and other styling choices can take black from dreary winter to the vibrant and warm days and evenings of spring and summer.

Jacket:  Target

Dress:  eShakti (Available here)

The look I chose for the first post in this series shows that it is definitely possible to rock an all black look in the spring (in my opinion anyway). 

I paired a lightweight cotton dress with bare legs and strappy heels for a breezy effect.  The faux leather jacket manages to stay springy with the lightness of the dress and cutout details.  Spring evenings can still be quite chilly, so a lightweight faux leather jacket like this is a great choice for a spring outerwear piece.

Shoes:  Simply Vera by Vera Wang (Available here)

Coral and jade accessories add visual interest and add pops of spring color. 

Clutch:  The Limited

Earrings:  The Limited (Available here)

A few notes on the dress:  The Morgan dress is another of my recent purchases from eShakti.  I can't believe how perfectly this dress fit right out of the box.  As a curvy petite, I'm so used to clothes never fitting quite right (even after alterations) that when something fits this perfectly, it simply feels amazing.  I chose the custom fit options on eShakti's web site.  I also chose the "short" length as a custom option.

Bracelet:  Target (old)

Would you rock an all black look in the spring and summer?

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

Playing Dress-Up

One of my favorite childhood pastimes was playing dress-up.  I've always been a bit of a loner, and as a kid especially, I could spend hours entertaining myself with books and my own imagination.  


I'm outing myself as the big ol' nerd I am, but I used to imagine that I owned this fabulous fashion boutique, and I would create outfits out of my own closet and act out commercials in front of the mirror for this imagined boutique.  When you grew up working poor like I did, with this major love of fashion, fantasy helped compensate for what was lacking materially.

Skirt:  Wet Seal (Similar here)

Tunic:  Converse One Star
Tank:  Old Navy Petites (Similar here)

Creativity was forced by circumstance in that if I wanted a certain look, I had to use the limited clothing options I had available, which were often hand-me-downs that were not my personal style.  I spent hours in front of the mirror tying my ballerina wrap skirt into a shawl, using a tube belt (it was the 80s) into skirts, headbands, you name it. 

That love of playing dress-up has never really gone away.  While I don't have as much time to devote to such play, on occasion, I love to shop my closet to put together pieces in different ways than I've previously worn them.  Sometimes, these experiments create bold new outfits that I can't wait to wear out and about.  Other times, not so much...

Boots:  Fergalicious by Fergie (Available here)
Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)

Necklace:  Shoxie.com (Available here)

Today's look is the product of one of these experimental sessions.  In this case, I don't hate the outfit, but I'm not in love either.  It's probably not something that I personally would wear again, but I'm attracted to the darkness of the fabrics and how the tie-dye mixed with burgundy creates a mysterious, almost gothic feel while the shapes and floaty chiffon fabric of the top keep the overall look light.

Cuff:  Express (Similar here)

Fantasizing that the weather was actually as warm as it looks here!

What do you think?  Are you a fan of this look?  Do you like playing dress-up, and/or did you do this as a child?

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