Countdown to New Years!!

With Christmas over, the countdown to New Year's Eve and 2015 begins!

With thoughts of noisemakers and sparkly bubbly in mind, I decided it would be fun to come up with some ideas for New Years Eve fashion.

Dress:  eloquii (old)

Blazer:  The Limited (old) (Similar here)

Everyone tends to think sparkles, glitter, and sequins for New Year's, and those are certainly great choices, but sometimes a mini dress in a shocking color is all you need.  Seriously, the pink of this dress is so vibrant in person!

Boots:  Target

I played around with other toppers - a leather moto jacket and a sparkly cardigan - but, ultimately, I decided that the basic black blazer was the best choice with this dress. 

If you don't own a black suit jacket or blazer, I highly recommend one.  It's the most versatile closet staple you'll ever own!!

Clutch:  The Limited

Bracelet:  Swarovski (Gift)

I finished the look with ankle booties and a gold plated clutch to add a little edge and shine.  Simple accessories add interest but don't get in the way of all night dancing.

Earrings:  trendylittlepieces (Available here)

If it's cold in your parts or don't love showing too much leg, a pair of printed or sparkly tights would be perfect for the occasion!

What do you plan to wear for New Year's? Are you going out or staying in?

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

Tickled Pink: Fringe Shift

One of my most favorite pinks is the bright, almost neon, shade of this dress.  It is such a cheerful shade without being super girly.

Dress:  eloquii (old)

Booties:  Target (Available here)

I love pairing this dress with other bright colors like neon yellow and cobalt yellow, but today, I decided to let the pink really stand on its own by pairing this dress with beige booties and a metallic clutch.

Clutch:  New York & Company

Bracelet and Necklace worn as bracelet:  The Limited

After wearing this dress right above the knee for a while (see links to posts below), I decided to take it a little shorter.  

For me, the fringe makes this dress appropriate mostly for evenings or special occasions.  I like to keep hemlines that I wear to work at a more conservative length, but a few inches above the knee is perfect for date nights, weddings, and other social events.

Earrings:  The Limited

Fringe has such great movement - makes me want to twirl!  :-D

What's your preferred hem length?

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

Dress Week 2: Metallic and Fringe

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day and weekend!

My honey was busy studying this week for a licensing exam, so we decided to postpone our plans for a weekend getaway for later this month.  Instead, we enjoyed a quiet Valentine's Day dinner at a new Mexican restaurant we discovered and then went shopping for household supplies.  You know what - it was so much fun!  It's so rare that we have the opportunity to do simple errands together. It may not seem like much, but just spending the alone time together was very lovely! :-)

Dress:  eloquii by The Limited (old)

Blazer:  The Limited (See here - no longer available on-line)

I'm continuing with Dress Week tonight with this fun fringe dress.  I featured a very simple styling of this dress to accommodate the sticky heat and humidity of last July during my first Dress Week here.  Now, the weather is decidedly colder, so I added a blazer with metallic lapels and high boots. 

I first envisioned this outfit with crochet tights and ankle boots, but I'm so over winter and wearing tights that I opted for these boots to add the needed leg warmth (sheer or printed tights could still be added for extra warmth).  I like the length of this dress well enough with heels, but I'm thinking that it should have been shorter to wear with high boots - to give it a more evening, less business-y feel with the blazer.  What do you think?

Boots:  Payless (old)

What I love about this look is how the metallics and fringe give the outfit a little bit of a rocker edge.  And, the hot pink is just so cheerful for the winter time!

Earrings:  The Limited (old)

Bracelets:  LOFT (Not available on-line; may be available in stores)

This dress was my only purchase from eloquii - a plus-size line that was previously owned and operated by The Limited.  I'm excited to announce that eloquii is coming back very soon!!  The company is under new ownership, so no word on what the style direction of the company will now be, but it's great news for plus fashionistas! 

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)

Did you shop at eloquii?  Are you a fan of high boots?

For this dress in another look, see here.
For this blazer in other outfits, see here and here.

Dress Week: Fringe Benefits

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today kicks off Dress Week.  This week I'll be featuring dress looks perfect for summer evening dinners, weddings, and more.

Dress:  Eloquii by The Limited

The last time I wore this dress, I paired it with my cobalt moto jacket and neon yellow heels.  Today, I kept the look more simple and summery with coordinating pink heels, a bangle, and easy up-do.

I'm such a fan of layers that wearing a dress without a sweater or jacket feels a little odd and unfinished, but realistically, when it's 90 degrees outside, bare arms is the way to go!

I'm obsessed with fringe, and I love that this dress has a built in accessory with the neckline fringe.

Shoes:  Target (Available here)
Clutch:  Target (Similar here)

I wore this dress with flat sandals to run to the grocery store, but it looks much better with heels.  I like the slight ombre effect created with the darker heels.  I would wear this out to a nice dinner.

Bangle:  Prabal Gurung for Target
Earrings:  The Limited

Do you like fringe?

For this dress in another look, see here.

Neon Edge

After a week of black and white, I am ready for some color!! 

Dress:  Eloquii by The Limited (Available here)
Jacket:  Forenza by The Limited (Available here)

Today's look combines three bold colors - hot pink, neon yellow, and cobalt blue.  In a pants look, I think this would be too much color, but I think this outfit works because there's enough skin showing to offset all the color.

Heels:  Target (Available here)

This look is spring-y but still manages to have a bit of an edgy, rock-n-roll vibe due to the moto jacket and fringe dress.

Necklaces (worn as bracelets):  The Limited

Today's look almost didn't happen.  I'm a little too small for Eloquii, so even though I loved this dress, I wasn't going to buy it.  After waiting and hoping that The Limited would carry the same style, I decided to give this Eloquii dress a try.  It's a little big so I was considering alterations, but I kind of like the relaxed, shift shape (I did get it hemmed).

I saw this jacket at The Limited when it first came out, but I didn't think it could be altered due to the zippers on the wrist.  I decided to give it a try when it went on clearance, and I'm so glad I did!  I lost most of the zippers, but I'm willing to overlook that because I love the color and style so much.

No matter what your body size/shape, most clothes will not fit perfectly off the rack. When you're petite and curvy, this is all the more true.  It would be wonderful if more mainstream clothing manufacturers catered to "specialty" sizes, but in the meantime, I am all about making the clothes work for me!

I've entered this look in a summer color challenge through Lucky Magazine and Dasani.