Outfit Inspiration: Casual Cute

Casual cute sums up my fav all time looks.

A simple, good quality gray or white tee tucked into skinnies with a great belt is my go to staple outfit. Top it off with some chunky wedges, a solid bag, acessories, etc. and I'm out the door!

My 'lookbook' folder on my desktop always has a version of these causal cute looks pulled off by some of my favorite celebs that always manage to look chic.

But for some reason I SWEAR I can't seem to pull it off like these ladies do below! OOTD inspiration posts on these looks below coming soon!

  Vanessa Minillo in a Daftbird tee

Gotta love Lauren Conrad's black & gold heels, prob YSL

Taken from the Ann Taylor website

I'm always on the hunt for the 'perfect tee.' What I mean by that is quality quality QUALITY! 

I'm willing to spend more $$$ on staple items, but you prob won't catch me spending more than $30 for one...if that. I'll have a post dedicated to my fav white tees soon, but until then I'll share my favorites with you.

Tahari via TJ Maxx 
LNA via Hautelook
LOFT
Mossimo for Target
New York & Co. 
James Perse 'Scoopneck tee' via Hautelook
Ann Taylor
Michael Kors via TJ Maxx

OOTW: Happy Birthday to me!

I turned the big 2-5!

Didn't get to go much this past week to celebrate, I've been working late & have been fighting a cold, don't mind the plain looking pic below. BUT I'm celebrating this weekend with friends so I'm trying to feel better ASAP!

Here are a few OOTD's from this crazyyyy week!

Top: Threads for Thought via Hautelook.com

Jeans: Zara

Shoes: TJ Maxx

Top: H&M

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: Payless Shoes

Top: Lavish via TJ Maxx

Jeans: Joe's Jeans via TJ Maxx $60

Shoes: Aerosoles

Tank: Madison Marcus via Hautelook.com

Cropped cardi: Old Navy

Skirt: H&M

Belt: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Aerosoles

Dress: H&M

Cardi: TJ Maxx

Shoes: New York & co.

Top: August Silk via TJ Maxx

Skirt: Michael Kors via MK outlet

Necklace: Target

Shoes: TJ Maxx

DUPE IT/GOT IT: DVF Zia Heel & Miu Miu Wedge & Michael Kors Dillon Raffia Sandal

 I've been in love with the Diane von Furstenberg Zia heel, but not the $280 price tag. 

The same goes for these Miu Miu suede clog sandals with their $520 price tag...yikes!

 AND an almost exact dupe of the Michael Kors Dillon Raffia Sandal.

Michael Kors

Dillon Raffia Sandal

on sale for $157

So when I accidentally came across this dupe at DSW I freaked! They're the MRKT Trey Sandal in Taupe (not pictured, the ones below are Nude) and they were marked down to $80 which was still too much for my liking. HOWEVER, I came across a pair of these marked down by 30% while browsing in the Clearance section! $50 sounded more reasonable to me so I scooped these right up! Plus I got $5 off b/c next week is my birthday!

 MRKT via DSW

Trey Sandal

$80 got it for $50!

UPDATE 6/16/11: I received a comment below about what kinds of options to wear with the MRKT Trey sandal. My answer...JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING! They're sooo versatile & super comfortable! Based on my own personal style/pref, I prob wouldn't pair these with:

• a Maxi dress/skirt (too bulky for me)
• a Delicate summer dress (unless you are gonna add some proportion on top with a blazer/jacket)
• Flared jeans (too bulky/hippie looking for me) 
  

So to help answer your question here are some OOTD's below:

With a skirt

 

 Top: Ann Taylor $12 on sale

Skirt: New York & co. $5 clearance

Belt: New York & co. $12 clearance

With Cropped Pants

 Top: Threads for Thought via Hautelook.com

Cropped pants: Joe's Jeans via TJ Maxx $60

Ring: Forever21

Necklace: Etsy

(Yea..I don't have the back straps of the shoes on in this pic haha, sorry!)

With a Dress & Blazer

 (I'm not wearing the shoes in this pic, but this is an OOTD I would pair them up with)

 Dress: Urban Outfitters

Blazer: H&M

Belt: H&M

Shoes: Aerosoles

These would also look cute with skinny jeans and of course shorts. More OOTD's with these shoes coming soon! :)

GOT IT: Ann Taylor SALE

I ALWAYS wait until the end of the month when Ann Taylor and LOFT mark down their prices and then add on an ADDITIONAL 40%!

Here are a few items I purchased a few weeks ago from the Ann Taylor sale.

The Skirt & The Bracelet
Love Love LOVE this skirt. Super soft material, you'd never realize how comfy and lightweight of a skirt it is. PERFECT for hot summer days in the office. 
(similar skirt here)

 Skirt: Ann Taylor $12 final sale!

Bracelet: Ann Taylor $9 final sale!

Top: New York & co.

Sweater: had forever

Shoes: TJ Maxx

The Shirt
You can't really tell from the photo, but the front material of this shirt is a satin-y finish. Perfect tee to dress up any work outfit, plus the neutral color helps it goes with EVERYTHING. This type of shirt is one of my fav wardrobe staples. See it in another OOTD below.

 Top: Ann Taylor $12 final sale!

Necklace: Charlotte Russe

Skirt: LOFT $5 final sale!

Shoes: Coconuts via DSW $20

Bracelet: Ann Taylor $9 final sale!

Top: Ann Taylor $12 final sale!

Necklace: New York & co. $10

Skirt: Target $15

Shoes: Coconuts via DSW $20

Nails: Absolutely Shore by Essie (see below)

The Shirt, The Belt & The Skirt (again)
Love the classic feel of this shirt. As for the belt, I've been trying to find more of a 'chunky hardware' belt to dress up some more casual pieces. It's very pretty up close. And there's that awesome skirt again..love it!

Top: Ann Taylor $30 final sale!

Necklace: New York & co. $10

Skirt: LOFT $5 final sale!
Belt: Ann Taylor $15

Shoes: TJ Maxx $17

Bracelet: Aeropostale
Nails: Either Tart Deco or Haute as Hello by Essie

GOT IT: James Perse via Hautelook

James Perse is the epitome of classic, quality basic staples for your closet. (A post on my fav basic staples is coming soon!) However, no matter how 'on sale' his line is at Bloomingdales, etc., price-wise it is still unattainable for me.

So last week when I saw Hautelook was having a sale on James Perse.. let me tell you..not only have I been superrr excited all week, but I started saving up quite a few pennies. Sale ends this Saturday, 5/14 @ 8AM PDT.

 Double Front V-Neck Tee
$75

$33.00
see in OOTD below

Cropped pants: Joe's Jeans via TJ Maxx $60 
(LOVE these! plus they're SUPER soft)
Necklace: Charlotte Russe $12
Sandals: TJ Maxx $17
(bottoms are so soft!) 

Soft Rounded V-Neck Tee
$65

$24.00

 Narrow Scoop Long Sleeve Top
$50

$20.00

Scoop Neck Tee
$50 

$19.00

Can't wait! 

What's your favorite brand for quality staple pieces!?

Spring/Summer Staple: The Maxi Dress

The silhouette of a maxi dress on a hanger never seems to appeal to me. A long, floor length dress for someone that's 5'4 and lacking long legs or a long torso?? Yea..not very flattering on me. 

But it's the bright prints, colors, and California 'casual without trying' vibe that always draw me in a la Vanessa Hudgens & Lauren Conrad.

 

I always look bigger, wider, and stumpier than I am in them...so I always swear to vow off maxis.

But instead of erasing the simple ease of a maxi from my wardrobe, I should have been asking myself how to make the maxi work for me! 

It wasn't until I saw someone wearing a light grey maxi with a wide belt and pendant necklace that it clicked for me! 

I WANTED:

• a SOLID colored maxi with regular tank top straps!  (So I could mix & match as much as possible since I don't plan on investing in more than one maxi dress)
• NO floral/busy prints. (I only wear them in a flattering cut that I know works for my body type)
• NO strapless/halter straps! (They don't look flattering on my chest)
  

So believe it or not, the hard part was trying to find a solid/neutral colored maxi with wide tank top straps for under $30..hey now, I live in NJ, not Cali.

So where did I turn?? EBAY! I did a generic search and compared quite a few grey maxis, crossed my fingers & waited. See the Ebay seller's store here.

 Sweater: New York & co. $25

Belt: New York & co. $12

Sandals: New York & co. $12

Neckalce: Aeropostale

Other options

Target has 2 versions of the gray maxi:

This one wasn't fitted and the shade of grey was too dark, see here. 

This one was fitted, but it was racer-back and not the length I wanted, see here.

H&M also had a grey maxi for $35, but it was racer-back & had a huge number '6' on the front of it.

GOT IT: Dolce Vita for Target

I've seen Dolce Vita for Target's shoes here and there each season, but I've never really liked any of their shoe styles. They always came off as too funky and androgynous.

However, this past week on a quick random trip to Target to look for some summer & maxi dresses I took a quick peek in the shoe aisle and fell in loveee.

Cork Wedge $30

Rope Wedge $30

I've bought quite a few shoes/wedges from Target in the past and they rarely disappoint. So when I laid eyes on these I was sold. So how to choose?


Both are black, strappy and only $30...


When it comes to buying shoes, I have a rule of thumb for myself. Yes, don't buy more than 2 pairs at a time is something I painfully stick to, but that's not it. ;)

It's to avoid buying a shoe that cuts off in a straight line at the ankle. At 5'4 I don't consider myself short, but based on my body type, I don't have long legs or a long torso. So I tend to buy shoes that don't cut off around the ankle area. However, with wedges that can be a challenge so I make sure it has a slight curve/dip at the ankle in order to give my legs a much sleeker look. 

 Top: Xhiliration via Target $14

White tank underneath: Target $8

Jeggings: Lauren Conrad via Kohls

Chunky bracelet: Ann Taylor $9 final sale!

So guess which wedge I went with?? Yup, the Cork Wedge which I liked better anyway. I also picked up a new pair of patent nude heels for work.

Mossimo Pearce Pumps - Taupe $30

Althoughhhh I've been very tempted to exchange them for these almond toe heels that I saw online but not in the store....

Mossimo Black Versie Pumps - Natural Patent $30

Anyone else delightfully surprised at the recent Target shoes??