closet essentials / the plain white tee

and we're back with another edition of the closet essential series! this week emma and i each styled a plain white t-shirt. not only is this something that all of you probably already have, it is something that can go with just about anything and still look glamorous. the white tee can give you the casually elegant and effortless look that i'm pretty sure everyone wants to achieve.

to get my look, i put on the last bottom in my wardrobe that fits (see below)- this magenta midi skirt (found at the rack for $20). typically, i would wear this skirt high waisted and i would tuck my shirt in, but in order to show off my belly, and because i couldn't pull it up any higher, i wore the skirt low with my shirt untucked. i strapped on those old sam edelman sandals that happen to be my favorite color in the world (citron/chartreuse), and added this purse in the same color (also from the rack). i threw on my simple gold bangles, forgot to take off my black rubber band (which drive me crazy, but not crazy enough to edit out), and put on my favorite summer headband that is perfect for covering up 3-day old hair. i topped the whole look off with my ray-ban aviators from nordstrom. 

the formula for making a white t-shirt look good (in my book) is: white tee + simple and cute accessories + any bottoms you have + legit sunglasses. the sunglasses are probably the most important part. anyone can pull this look off with ease and grace!

one thing that people don't tell you when you get pregnant is just how much your butt and thighs will grow, and how quickly they will do so! or maybe they do tell you that, but you just won't believe them until it happens. like the whole morning sickness thing- i never believed that it could happen to me. it seemed like something that you could overcome with just a bit of will power. well that doesn't work either. anyways, you assume when you get pregnant that the thing that will get in the way of your old clothes will be your belly. in the beginning, my little bloated belly was uncomfortable, but i could get away with wearing my pants unbuttoned and be fine with it. i could probably continue to do so, but now i can't even get my pants past my thighs, not to mention my butt! so, pretty much every bottom that i own is out of the question. pencil skirts, high waisted pants, jeans. done for. this skirt is about the last bottom that i have that works. so, i bought my first pair of maternity shorts (did you know they have a maternity section at ross??), and i pretty much wear dresses every day. i pretty much hated pants anyways!

to see how emma styled her white t-shirt head over to her blog inspireandinstyle.com!

closet essentials / the lbd

emma (from inspire and instyle) and i are so excited to make our closet essentials series a regular column! in case you missed our first looks- we each styled a pencil skirt two ways- you can find the post here and here. this week we decided to show you how to style a little black dress. the lbd is a closet essential because it can come in so many different forms suited for every personality. i went with a dressier dress, while emma styled hers more casually.

for my look i drew inspiration from the lady who made the lbd an icon- audrey hepburn. in breakfast at tiffany's she showed how an awesome dress can be styled simply and still be a jaw-dropper. my dress is vintage- i went through a huge antique store phase in high school and collected tons of vintage dresses. this is the one that reminds me most of audrey- i wear it every year on her birthday. i am a person that tends to overdress and over-accessorize, so it was a little hard for me to not add too much to this statement piece. i kind of love that it doesn't need much though- the white detailing and black buttons give it the oomph it needs. i wore my new bcbg (via marshalls) pointy heels, and kate spade orange earrings. i stole my headband from my sister (pretty sure it was forever 21- my hair was disgusting and needed to be covered up). my purse is also vintage. this outfit is simple yet professional. i would wear it for a meeting, wedding, or church. 

I am a shameless Kim Kardashian fan. I can't explain it but every time I see her on tv or see her on the cover of a magazine at Target, it's like a force takes over my body and I am instantly absorbed. She is just fascinating to me...and I can't help it, people!! My outfit is inspired by the great Kim K. and a laid-back look she put together while taking baby North to the doctor with Kanye. She rocked some Minnetonkas, and if Kim K. says they're chic, I say they're chic. The simple black drop waist dress is from Forever21 and the chunky knit cardigan is from Lucky. The Minnetonkas have been stashed away in the closet for years, but were originally purchased from Nordstrom. I paired this casual look with some classic sunglasses (a golden find at Hobby Lobby) and my usual collection of arm candy.

closet essentials / the pencil skirt

for this week's fashion post i teamed up with emma burton from inspire and instyle to show you four easy ways to wear a pencil skirt. we each chose one skirt and created casual and dressy outfits. pretty much anyone will tell you that pencil skirts are a fashion staple, and it's pretty easy to see why. you can style them up, down, tuck your shirt in or out, wear a belt over the skirt or shirt. the options are limitless. for my two outfits i used my leather fronted emerald green pencil skirt that i got from anthro around christmas time (similar here), and i haven't stopped wearing it since. it can be styled literally a thousand ways. 

i wore my casual outfit while running errands around town- it was super comfortable and i felt glamorous all day. i paired the skirt with a lacey t-shirt, some brown pointed flats (purchased recently at tj maxx), and my new red purse from target. i had been dying for a red purse ever since i found an amazing rebecca minkoff bag that was quilted and studded and way out of my price range. this one was from target and was about 20 bucks- score! i am also wearing my warby parker (home-try-on) glasses (these ones were my favorite!).

to dress the skirt up a bit, i threw on some hot pink booties (steve madden from a couple of years ago), and a peplum shirt (that jarman picked out for me for christmas all on his own- so proud!). i added a hot pink belt, a nude clutch and so pretty pearly jewelry. i love that with pencil skirts you can wear your shirts tucked, or untucked.

here is what Emma has to say:

I was excited to style a pencil skirt two ways because you more than likely have one in your closet already; it is effortlessly chic and immensely versatile! For my casual look, I paired the Banana Republic cream lace skirt (purchased this last summer on sale for $30) with a casual, batwing shirt with a fun pastel/chevron print from Forever21 (I found this shirt in the guest bedroom closet at my mom’s house, so I can’t tell you when it was purchased, but apparently it belongs to my little sister and I believe in finders-keepers.) I tucked the front of the shirt in and put on a skinny, neutral leather belt from J.Crew that really tied everything together. I found this pair of gorgeous Tory Burch sandals at Nordstrom Rack a couple months ago (for $99 and worth every penny) and swoon over them every time I put them on. I piled my dirty/mom hair into a braided bun to dress down the skirt and kept my jewelry casual with a Michael Kors watch and a couple of gold Alex and Ani bangles I usually wear every time I leave the house. The tan leather bag is a couple years old from Nordstrom, and the whole casual combination really makes me excited for spring and summer and sunshine. Can February be over now please? This outfit is casual enough to rock anywhere yet put-together enough for any lunch date, Sunday brunch, or baby/bridal/wedding shower.

The sheer cream top from the dressed-up outfit is another gem found in the magic guest bedroom closet, also purchased at Forever21 (my family is really into bargain shopping.) It was a little bit long for my liking, so I tied it in a bow instead of the knot I’m sure it was designed for. I wanted to go for a white/black contrasting look, so I wore these Valentino Rockstud knockoff flats via Forever21 (I wasn’t lying about the bargain shopping!) that I got on sale for $8 a couple months ago. I borrowed some black bracelets my mom was gifted, put on a necklace of vintage pearls and wore my fancy-pants studded sunglasses (also from Forever21…no comment.) A pale pink lipstick (NYX Strawberry Milkshake) put the final touch on a dressed-up look perfect for a wedding reception, a business meeting, or church function.

be sure to check out emma's cute blog here!