Personal Style

The Dress that Broke the Closet’s Rack

March 2, 2016 by jessica 13 Comments

Sometimes coming up with copy for an outfit post is painful. While I wanted to write, “I bought a dress and I’m wearing it,” that’s glossing over what’s really noteworthy about this little frock.

It broke our closet.

I came home with the dress, eager to pack it in my suitcase for our trip. However, packing over 30 days early seemed a little premature, so I stuck it on a hanger and pushed it into my overstuffed side of the closet. I heard a rumble when I shut the door, but I figured it was just the closet settling at night. (That’s reasonable, right? I mean, a house settles…) Shortly after, I heard a loud crash and threw open the closet door to discover an avalanche of dresses carpeting the floor. Apparently my dress collection had reached critical mass and this eight-ounce piece of polyester (I weighed it) put the closet over its weight limit. I looked at Dave and whimpered, “I think I have a problem…”

The problem, of course, is a shoddy closet in our rental unit that we now have to fix. Because there’s no way I’m going to give up on dresses.

Lady in Red

February 22, 2016 by jessica 10 Comments

I’ve been looking for an easy travel dress over the last few weeks to bring on our trip to Denmark and Belgium in April. I wanted something that wasn’t fussy, could be worn more than once, and would stay wrinkle-free in a suitcase. Of course, Diane von Furstenberg came through — and it’s awfully appropriate that this dress will be on its way to DVF’s hometown of Brussels in a few weeks. Purchasing this dress was my first experience with MatchesFashion.com. The dress made it from London to Madison, Wis. in just two days and was packed beautifully in a marbleized box (which is now housing scarves after this weekend’s closet clean out). The best part? It wasn’t wrinkled at all. I have high hopes this dress is going to be the hero piece in my vacation wardrobe.

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (also comes in navy, cobalt, turquoise, black, and a print; go down a size) | Bag: Tory Burch (similar) | Shoes: Ferragamo | Necklaces: c/o Suzanne Kalan, Gorjana (similar) | Bracelets: Hermes, House of Harlow (similar) | Rings: Lulu Frost, Monica Vinader | Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop

Winter Brights

February 15, 2016 by jessica 11 Comments

The mercury rose to the mid-40s last weekend, allowing me to go sans tights and with a spring coat. Things were much different this weekend when the icy weather returned, bringing a few inches of snow with it. That didn’t stop me from daydreaming about warmer days and brighter colors. I dug this skirt out of my closet over the weekend. While I’ve only worn it once since purchasing it last spring, I just can’t bear to part with it. The obnoxious highlighter-yellow lends an unexpected jolt of color on a dreary day (and, quite frankly, welcome relief from my winter uniform of black and grey).

Queen of Hearts

February 10, 2016 by jessica 16 Comments

If you follow along on Instagram, you may remember my fitting room chronicles of this dress. I came across it in the sale section of Nordstrom Rack and fell for the mod, a-line shape (a favorite of mine) and the whimsical heart print. However, the length was laughable when I finally tried it on in the fitting room. The dress went to my knees, making me feel like a frumpy art teacher instead of the Valentine’s vixen (ha!) I had hoped for. It was too good to pass up, though. One trip to the tailor and five inches later, the dress is everything I had hoped for: romantic enough for Valentine’s Day, but versatile enough to wear year round thanks to the graphic black and white print.

I’m linking up with four other ladies to share our Valentine’s Day looks. Scroll down to meet the gals!

Ada from Elegance and Mommyhood
“For this Valentine’s Look that can take me from work to a date night, I decided to shop my closet. I have always loved pairing Leopard with Red. For this look I mixed prints by adding a subtle pinstriped jacket on top. And since all the clothes are items I have owned for a long time, I did accessorize with new jewelry from Rocksbox.”

Jessica from Bedknobs and Baubles
“When I happened upon this dress at Nordstrom Rack, I knew it was the perfect way to incorporate Valentine’s Day romance into my wardrobe without being too saccharine. (I’m not one to go overboard with pink and red on the big day.) This dress stays true to my style with a whimsical print that’s wearable throughout the year, thanks to the graphic black and white design.”

Monica from Jersey Girl Texas Heart
“Hey Everyone! First and foremost thank you Ada for hosting this collaboration for Valentine’s Day. My look is extremely subtle for those of you who don’t like to wear too much red or anything too festive for Valentine’s Day. This is something that I would definitely wear to dinner because it’s black with a pop of pink, and the pants have enough room if I eat too much at dinner with my date!”

Megan from The Fashionista Momma
“When Pinkblush asked me to share their products, I jumped at the chance. I fell in love with this floral dress and had to style it for Valentine’s Day. I decided to add a little edge with the leather jacket and lace up shoes against the soft floral pattern.”

Emily from Darling, Dearest
“Valentine’s Day is a day where I want to feel girly. Embrace my femininity and get all dolled-up. That’s exactly what this outfit does for me. The daintiness of the lace skirt and the bold red top – even the nude heels! I feel pretty in it. Whether it be drinks with the girls or date night with my boy, I’m ready!”

Earning My Stripes

February 8, 2016 by jessica 19 Comments

I’m usually opposed to buying something at full price from LOFT, but I couldn’t help myself when I tried on this tunic tee on Friday. I actually stopped at the store to try on this skirt and pulled the shirt to wear with it, assuming that it was just another striped shirt and I’d go home without. The skirt fell short of expectations. It didn’t have enough of an a-line shape for my hips and the quality seemed a bit shoddy. This shirt, on the other hand, is amazing. It’s the softest long-sleeve tee I’ve ever worn (as I admitted in this weekend’s Instagram). It runs large, likely due to the tunic-inspired loose silhouette. (I’m usually a size 8 and I went with the small.)

And, in other shopping news, I went ahead and purchased the loafers I mentioned a couple of times over the last few weeks. I wanted a pair of shoes to wear on our Europe trip that weren’t ballet flats, wouldn’t get ruined by rain, and would be versatile enough to wear with pants and dresses. The Louise et Cie loafers fit the bill. There’s a lot going on with them: brogues detailing, metallic patent leather, and tassels. I adore them, though, and they’re incredibly comfortable with a decent amount of padding inside. I wore them for a two-mile walk on Saturday and didn’t end up with sore feet or blisters.

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