Casual Friday: Dressing Down

One of the things I love most about fashion is the chance to explore my creativity and play around with my clothes in new ways.

Jacket:  ELOQUII (Similar here)

For today's casual Friday post, I took one of my favorite fancy maxi dresses and styled it for a casual look.  This dress is backless and has a thigh high slit, so it's not something I would typically think to pair with a bomber jacket or sneakers.

Dress:  LOFT

But what's fashion without trying new things?

I love the green shade of the dress with the navy and red trim on the bomber jacket.  The sneakers pull out the same navy and red which ties them together.

Shoes:  Converse (kids) (Available at Kohl's here)

Glasses:  Valentino

Overall, I'm mixed on this look - it was super comfortable and I do love the color combo.  I'm not sure yet though if the total look is really "me."

Earrings:  NY&CO

What do you think about the look?  Do you like to mix casual with more dressy pieces?

Indie Spotlight: Zelie for She

I'm on vacation this week, spending time on the beach in Florida with the family.  Even though I have been staying fairly low-key and casual, I still can't help getting my fashion on!

Dress:  Zelie for She (Style sold out; see similar here and here)

Today's look strikes that perfect balance between utilitarian beach and pool wear and fun/glam. 

Swimsuit:  GabiFresh for Swimsuits for All (Sold out; similar available here)

Sunglasses:  Tory Burch

I had been eyeing the gorgeous dresses from Zelie for She for quite a while, but I was a little reluctant to spend so much money on a dress that wasn't necessarily an everyday item for me.  Plus, I get a little nervous about trying new on-line shops when I'm not sure about fit and quality.

Independent designers tend to have higher manufacturing costs than larger shops, sometimes making the prices of indie-produced clothing a little higher than what I would normally spend for something comparable, but I love the idea of supporting up-and-coming designers and independent artists.  Plus, I really haven't seen any designs/prints quite like those offered by Zelie for She.

A couple months ago, I had been working a ton of overtime and had also earned some extra money blogging, so I decided to treat myself for being so awesome, and I snagged this dress.

I love this dress so much! It's comfortable, stylish, and a little sexy.  With limited stock, the products sell out fast at Zelie for She.  This one is no longer available, but there are similar styles in other prints available here and here.

Cuff:  The Limited

I added a silver cuff just to add another touch of glam.

Have you shopped with Zelie for She before?  What has your experience been?

Are you an independent designer or clothing store who would like to be featured?  Send me an e-mail at stylecassentials29@gmail.com!

'Tis The Season

I must confess that I'm not really much of a holiday person...but winter holiday fashion is a totally different story!

Dress:  LOFT
Boots:  Betseyville by Betsey Johnson (Available here)

Clutch:  Torrid (Sold out on-line; see here)

'Tis the season for lush fabrics, sequins, metallics, and all of the other fun details of holiday fashion!  And for today's holiday-inspired look, I wanted a look that was elegant but not too serious. 

Jacket:  Eloquii (Sold out; join waitlist here)

Slightly edgy accessories add a little modern bling to my look.

Earrings and ear cuff:  Torrid

Bracelets:  LOFT; NY&CO; Wet Seal
Ring:  The Limited

Are you attending any holiday parties?  What kinds of get-togethers, ceremonies, or other holiday-related functions do you have coming up? 

Have a favorite holiday look?  Share it on Instagram using hashtag #StyleCassenialsHoliday!!

Stay tuned to the blog for lots more holiday fashion coming next week!!!

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

Saint Louis Fashion Week: My Experience, My Fashion

I hope you all enjoyed my coverage of Saint Louis Fashion Week!  You can catch up with those posts here and here.

Today, I wanted to wrap up by talking a bit about my own personal experience with STLFW, including, of course, what I wore!!

Dress:  eShakti custom

I'm always wowed by the talent during the emerging Designer Competition, and this year was no exception.  I grew up going to St. Louis Union Station to shop, and it makes an amazing venue for a fashion show!

It's always hard for me to decide what to wear to a fashion show - I want to look stylish and wear something that makes me feel great, but I also want to be comfortable, not knowing if I'll be doing a lot of standing or walking.  Since I also had to work the day of this show, I needed something that could transition well from day to evening to minimize what I would have to cart along with me to work.  I love the color and print of this dress, so for the show, I added a boyfriend blazer and quirky clutch.

Blazer:  Eloquii (Available here)

After the show, I enjoyed spending a few moments catching up with some of the other St. Louis area bloggers...even if I do totally look like I'm photobombing here.  Ha, ha!!

From left to right, Carmen of The Ruby Zipper; Julia of Oh, Julia Ann; Psyche of Economy of Style
Photo c/o Alec Wallis

Clutch:  Torrid
Ring:  The Limited

Earrings:  Ixora Boutique

Because of a super busy work schedule, I wasn't able to partake in as many of the events of STLFW that I would have liked, but I was really happy that I got to make it out to the Fantich&Young opening at Projects+Gallery. 

The show was really impressive, and it's nice to get out and discover new places in St. Louis.  I don't go out much - mostly work and home.  I'm a homebody at heart, but STLFW always pushes me to explore my corner of the world a little more!

Dress:  eShakti custom

Boots:  Betseyville at Target (Available here)

Clutch:  Torrid

For this event, I went with an LBD - a trench style dress in a custom fit from eShakti.  I added velvet platform boots and a perfume bottle clutch as accessories.

Earrings:  The Limited

For the very last night of STLFW, the Wrap Party, we went to St. Louis Ballpark Village.  I wore my lace Boleyn dress from Chubby Cartwheels, styled similarly to how I previously featured it on the blog.  After having a few drinks and enjoying the piano bar at Howl at the Moon, the hubby and I headed over to The Drunken Fish for some dinner.  As I'm not really into sports (I know...downright blasphemous in Cardinals nation), I had never been to Ballpark Village, but I also realized what a fun entertainment complex it could be. 

Hope you enjoyed my coverage of STLFW.  Saint Louis has an impressive and growing fashion scene, and it's exciting to get to share it with you!

Special thanks to the Midwest Influencer Network and Explore Saint Louis for the opportunity to take part in #STLFW as a blogger!!

Don't forget to enter my Firmoo.com giveaway here!  Ends 12/3/15!

Wild Card Wednesday: Artsy Print

Happy Wednesday! 

Dress:  eShakti (Sold out)

Today, I'm featuring a custom maxi dress from eShakti.  It was originally featured as a knee length dress, but I customized to a maxi length and did custom sizing to get the right proportions.

Jacket:  eShakti (no longer available)

I love artys, painterly type prints, and the colors in this dress are just sensational.  My favorite shade of green mixed with blush pink, navy, and black makes for the perfect fall maxi dress.

Earrings:  The Limited

Clutch:  The Limited

For today's look, I paired the dress with a cropped moto jacket in the same forest green color.  I wore this look to a recent baby shower and also to work because I was eager to wear the dress again.

Glasses:  Firmoo.com

Ring:  Purchased at local jewelry show

The satiny dress is a little formal on its own, but the wool moto jacket made it feel a little more casual.

Are you a fan of artsy prints?

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

Wild Card Wednesday: Leather & Lace

It's Huuuuuump Day, folks!

Dress:  Chubby Cartwheels (Not currently available; see more here)

That means it's time for Wild Card Wednesday, and today, I'm featuring my black lace maxi dress.  

Jacket:  Torrid

Sunglasses:  Calvin Klein

Shoes:  Target

Bracelet:  LOFT

While I love the idea of layering it with slips in various colors, I decided to take my dress a more daring direction today.

A moto jacket, worn traditionally or slung over the shoulders, adds a touch of warmth to stave off the autumnal chill (It's fall!  Color me excited!).

I added a cute rotary phone clutch to complete the look.

Clutch:  Torrid (Available here)

How would you style this dress?

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