jacket: Elle collection floral trench, purchased via Kohl's gift card (now in limited sizes, but I've found many other fun Spring trenches at all price points below!)
This month's Bloggers Who Budget is featuring our favorite floral pieces - for less! Make sure you check out their looks above!
We are a little lean on our blogger round-up this month - many congratulations are due to the mammas & new babies in our group! - so I am excited to also be featuring a local Nashville Blogger, XO Beverly. Beverly is also a super stylish lady who looks savvy within budget & is rocking a new floral dress she found for a steal! I love how Bev finds quality for less & consistently re-wears items from her closet in a brand new way! She is a must follow for your blog roll!
It doesn't get any more Audrey Hepburn chic than this trenched paired with skinny black pants!
Shop these exact pieces + 4 of my other fav floral trenches for Spring:
Look 3 of my blue pants challenge. If you are just joining us - in 2016 I have promised myself to wear everything in my closet or get rid of it. These pants were on the top of my "throw out" pile & I have now styled them here & here (I call them art teacher & Parisian-wanna be)
I have worn this look to worn & it was decided that my goal in life should be bringing the mock-neck back! What do you think? To mock or not to mock? Let me know!
Continuing my post from Monday, I am forcing myself to wear ALL of the items in my closet this year & in the process making the tough choices about what pieces to keep vs. toss/donate/sell.
This pair of navy pants was on the top of the "get rid" pile, so I played around with other pieces in my closet to come up with new ways to wear them. I was pleasantly surprised to find 3 different ways to wear them, so they are back into good standing in my closet!
This is my 2nd look & I feel like a quirky art teacher! I inherited this striped top from my sister (after drooling over it years ago!) & I love the bright color-blocked stripes paired with these Madewell leopard flats (see all the ways I've worn them on the blog here).
Do you have any style resolutions for 2016? Discovering you have fallen out of love with any pieces in your closet lately?
As I mentioned on my Instagram post, one of my New Year resolutions is to wear more of the clothes in my closet & if I find myself not wearing particular items, to sell/donate/give away those pieces. These navy pants were one of the items that I purchased this year, but for one reason or another, only wore them 1-2 times. After loving the "Winnie" pants in black so much, I thought the navy version would also be a great addition to my closet, but the color was more difficult to style than anticipated.
Maybe some would call it self-punishment, but when I find myself consistently reaching for an item & failing to wear it out, I make myself promise to either find a way to wear it, or remove it from my closet. This week I will be showing off 3 ways that I have now worn these pants in the past month - meaning that they have passed the test & get to stay in my closet.
How do you weed out unworn pieces? Are you a believer in having a simplified closet, or do you live by the philosophy of bigger = better? Any particular style resolutions this year?
When I struggle to style certain pieces, an easy place to start is by pairing the item with other foolproof favorites. This striped tee is a champion in my closet, & the combo of navy + blush pink felt like a safe place to start!
I declare this sneaky-PJ season! You can wear clothes that are seriously as comfy & cozy as your jammies, without sacrificing style. Blanket like sweater - check. Stretchy pants - check. Comfortable tank + shoes - check. Handy purse for all my things - check!
I stopped in to Old Navy last week to shop for this post & was literally a kid in a candy store. I love the poncho trend, and Old Navy has so many chic options! This open front cardigan that I'm wearing has the most gorgeous colors & is perfect for wearing to work or out on the weekend. I just switched over my closet for Fall/Winter, and was happy to be reunited with my Old Navy sweaters & flannel button downs from last year. If you haven't tried out their selection yet, scroll down to shop all of my favorites (sweaters, purses & more!).
Shop these exact pieces + more Fall favorites from Old Navy (be sure to click over, as these items are all available in other fabulous colors too!)
This post was compensated by Old Navy, but all thoughts & opinions are my own.
To all my teacher friends who just survived their first week of school: WE DID IT!
It certainly feels great to be back to a productive work schedule, & my new batch of 7th graders are total rockstars!
I wore this super color-coordinated outfit to school this week (yes I wore these shoes all day.. well placed moleskin + wedges are my savior for wearing heels at work). This oversized white shirt is a recent purchase from J.Crew & to be honest I didn't 100% love it at right out of the box… mostly because it was slightly out of my wheelhouse. But once it was steamed, and on my body, I was thrilled with its fit & how it works with some of my other favorite work items.
The long length is the #1 thing about this shirt. The side vents, and polished cuffs are the runner-ups!
*I was right in-between ordering a regular & a petite size, but ultimately decided to order the regular. The shoulders fit as I would like them, but I have to roll up the sleeves 1 cuff (or just not use my hands for the day…). So consider your arm length if you are between these sizes.
{ What I Wore: J.Crew Factory white button down + floral peplum top (from last year, shop similar styles linked below) + black pants // Michael Kors cross body bag (if you haven't yet noticed, this is one of my favorite bags & has been on heavy repeat this Summer!) // matte black Tieks }
As I've said before, most of my closet is what I wear all year long, adding or subtracting layers & accessories as necessary. One of the key pieces in my 365 day closet? This white button down (on sale now for under $30)! I have bought it in multiples because it gets so much wear & I never want to be with out it. I love the fun print on this peplum top, but I can't wear tanks at work & the thought of putting on a sweater in this humidity is insane! So insert my pinch hitter - the white button down & everything works! It really is my ultimate layering piece.
Another part of my 365 day wardrobe, is that many of my foundation pieces stay the same, regardless of the season. These black pants are the most comfortable thing ever & I am coming to realize that my matte black Tieks literally go with everything!
Building a wardrobe of functional, versatile basics is very important to me (& my sanity when I am getting dressed in the morning) - without these foundation pieces, the more fun & trendy items would just feel disjointed!
And many of you have been asking for my feedback on the fit/comfort of Tieks. I now have 2 pairs (pink Tieks as seen in this post & this pair of black Tieks were previously worn in this post) & think that the price point is great for the quality of leather & comfort of the shoes. I am a solidly 7.5 shoe size, but as Tieks do not come in 1/2 sizes, I went down to a size 7. This means that my toes go right to the end of the shoes. I also tried on a friend's pair of 8 & they also fit, but there was a much roomier toe situation happening. Also, I have pretty high arches, & sometimes wearing flats all day causes my arches to ache, but the Tieks have a firm foot bed that is comfortable while still being very supportive. If you have any more questions before taking the plunge of purchasing a pair of your own, just let me know in the comments!
Do you wear ballet flats even in Summer? What is your favorite way to wear them?
This post was sponsored by Tieks, but all reviews & opinions are my own. I only work with brands that I am truly passionate about, & Tieks are the real deal!
Shop this Summer Work Style Look (basics don't have to be boring!)
I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Living Proof. I received product samples to facilitate my review and to thank me for my participation.
Continuing to figure out the style that works for my new teacher lifestyle. It definitely is a balance between feeling good in what I wear, & not losing sleep over the latest stain on my favorite shirt (kids are dirty, & don't ever give them scissors or glue!)
I am finding that there are certain pieces that work for me, & from this foundation I have created my "teacher capsule wardrobe".
I have also learned that there is not much better than a new cardigan & clean hair.
I am also happy to report that after using the Living Proof PhD products for the past couple of weeks, my head of hair is changed! I've been a dedicated user of the PhD 5-in-1 styling treatment for several years now (it's magical!) but hadn't ever bought into the idea of really dishing out for the shampoo/conditioner. I mean, how different could it be from the drugstore shampoo I was already using (just whatever my husband had picked up at the grocery store)??
Well, mark this down as yet another occasion I will have to eat my words… it is a world of difference! And the price isn't that much of a hindrance anymore now that I realize how LITTLE shampoo I actually need to get my hair incredibly clean & healthy.
Being a first year teacher (& having NO CLUE what I'm doing), means that I have very few precious moments to spend doing my hair (the rest of the time is spent trying to figure out how to teach 7th graders Science!). So now with the Living Proof products, the biggest change I have seen is my hair routine. My new hair care schedule is something like this: wash hair on Sunday night. Wear hair down Monday. Wear hair in a pony on Tuesday. Spray on the dry shampoo and wrap hair into a bun on Wednesdays. Wash hair on Wednesday night. Wear hair down Thursday. Wear hair in a pony Friday. Take an hour long shower on Friday & celebrate the weekend!
Before the Living Proof products I was having to wash my hair EVERYDAY. And by the end of 1 day, it was a greasy mess. Now I can go 3 days & still feel like my hair looks presentable every day (with a little dry shampoo to freshen things up between washes).
I never thought this would be possible for me. I always figured I was just destined to a life of greasy hair. Thank goodness I was wrong. Thank you Living Proof Perfect hair day!
Saying goodbye to the greasy teacher bun & hello to more clean hair days thanks to Living Proof!
What product do you want to purchase in every color?
Have you had any hair care breakthroughs recently? Anyone else who was/is a slave to washing their hair everyday? Or are you a magical person who is a once a week washer??
**Now through November 8th, with an order of $20 or more, you can enter the code NOV2014 to get a free Perfect hair Day (PhD) 5-in-1 Styling Treatment in travel size. With this order you will also receive free samples and free shipping!
I have been desiring a more simple wardrobe for a while, but can I just say that this was way harder than I ever expected & I can't pinkie promise that my selections are 100% in stone.
HOWEVER, this is what I have come up with for my Teacher Capsule Wardrobe. These 19 pieces have been the foundation of the outfits I have been wearing to work (teaching 7th graders) since August.
My work style rules:
- no shoulders (cardigans are my best friends)
- skirts/dresses cannot be more than 3 inches above the knee
- all 5 toes cannot be showing at one time (I didn't include shoes in my capsule as I am still figuring out which shoes are comfortable, which ones are for weekends only, and the cheap shoes I regret ever purchasing that are finding their way to the trash)
- "snappy" dressing rules apply. This is not casual, not totally professional. Men must wear slacks & ties. Women must wear polished pants, skirts, dresses with appropriate tops.
