Mini-me Monday

One of my favorite things about having a daughter is all the cute girl clothes in the kids section. Dressing my daughter in fun, adorable outfits is almost as fun as shopping for the cute clothes themselves.

She started to pick out her clothes when she was 3, and already have developed her own sense of style at age 5. Sometimes hubby and I would veto her choices but for the most part we let her wear what she wants.

Little C loves watching me get dressed in the morning and am always telling me whether or not she likes my outfits. Sometimes I try to get her to wear the same outfit as me and she would say "Mommy, this is your style, not mines." My hubby thinks I shouldn't let her pick out her own clothes but sometimes I think it's good that she has a mind of her own.

I'm proud of her for having a strong sense of self. She's very eclectic and takes a lot of risks. She puts the most random things together and it would still end up looking great. She is the exact opposite of me when I was a kid. We used to wear hand-me-downs from the neighborhood church so it was hard to be stylish back then.

I love the simple look of this outfit. You can never go wrong with a white slouchy T and black boots - the addition of the mustard skirt is all you need to bring a burst of colour to this outfit.

[My Outfit]

Top :: H&M

Bottom :: F21

Boots :: Steve Madden Intyce

Earrings & Necklace :: Swapped

[Lil'C's Outfit]

Top :: Old Navy

Bottom :: OshKosh B'gosh

Shoes :: Payless

Thanks for reading!

Patterns and Ruffles

I fell in love with this pattern from H&M when I saw it on one of their Spring collection shift dress. At the time the dress was a little too pricey for me therefore I didn't purchase it. I didn't know they had the same pattern on a top until I saw this one on the clearance rack. Before trying it on I was afraid that the top would be too short and show my mid-section. As a short petite I tend to wear shorter length skirts to give the illusion of longer legs so to pair it with a short top would be a big mistake.

In any case the top worked out well. I paired it with a black skirt and beige wedges so that the focus will be on the colorful top. I also kept my jewelry simple. As you can see I was even experimenting during the photo session. In the first picture I tried it on with a long necklace but didn't really like how it hung so I took it off. I like it better with just dangling earrings and a single bangle. You can probably tell by now that I tend to be a minimalistic when it comes to accessories.

I still really like the pattern and color of this top but am in a dilemma. Last week I found the shift dress on sale in my size! So I bought it. The question is, would it make sense to keep both the top and dress in the same print? Something to ponder about this weekend...

[Outfit]

Shirt :: H&M

Skirt :: Free People via TJ Maxx

Shoes :: Aldo Cannistratro

Earrings :: F21

 Bangle & Necklace :: Swapped

Thanks for reading!

Missoni and Mustard

Do you ever wake up in the morning and just don't know what you want to wear? That was exactly how I was feeling today. It was Tuesday morning, just a day after Monday, and I did not want to get out of bed. To cheer up my dull morning I pulled out this Missoni sweater that I recently purchased from Target. Truth be told I had no idea when Missoni was going to hit Target, I was not one of those women that lined up at 7am in front of the store. Not because I did not want to but because I had no idea when the brand had launched. I know, I was missing out! In any case, during a Target shopping trip to buy Halloween costumes for my kids I walked by the Missoni rack, which at this point only had a few pieces left-over from the craze, and lo and behold I found a flower slip dress and this beautiful purple sweater, both in a size small and both clearanced at about $10+ each! (I think it's because it was an online return to a store that led to the mark-down) 

I think it's awesome that Target was pairing up with these wonderful designers to provide affordable brand-name pieces to us. A lot of the Missoni's items are very eye-catching with the vibrant colors and zig-zag patterns, but I personally was not a fan of all the patterns and lines, it kind of gave me a headache. So when I saw this plain purple sweater I was ecstatic. If you look closely enough the the zig-zag patterns are still there but all in one color so it's easier on the eyes.

As someone who tends to wear black in some form or shape on a daily basis, this is a big step for me. The only other color-blocking outfit that I've worn was my orange blouse and same mustard skirt in this post HERE. My original plan for a purple and yellow ensemble was to pair my purple pencil skirt with a yellow top, which I have yet to acquire. Therefore, as a substitute I decided to combine this purple top with my beloved mustard skirt.

With this color-blocking scheme, I believe the vibrant colors speak for themselves so I toned down the outfit with beige shoes and simple pearl-dropped earrings.

I am a big believer that what you wear has a direct impact on how you feel. So even when its dreary and the Sun isn't out, you can still brighten up your day and those around you by color-blocking, it's somewhat energizing wearing all those vibrant colors at one time! I am definitely feeling the buzz today ladies ;)

[Outfit]

Sweater :: Missoni for Target

Skirt :: F21

Shoes :: Aldo Cannistratro

Earrings :: Borrowed

Thanks for reading!

The Scarf

Today I want to focus on my dearly beloved scarf. Truth be told I was never a fan of scarves. I used to think that scarves are worn by older women as a means of protecting their hair from the wind or to warm their necks. This was my mother and mother-in-law's generation where scarves were more a practical tool rather than a fashion item. Today, with the expansion of a variety of different fabrics, colors and style to choose from, the scarf of old has become more sophisticated and a stable in many womens' wardrobe.

After a week of color-blocking and geometric pattern outfits, I was all colored out and decided to stick with a monochromatic outfit of gray and black. To add some spice to an otherwise boring outfit I paired it with my leopard print scarf. Animal print items are so trendy this season, they're fun, colorful and really adds a chic factor to any outfit. This scarf is a chiffon-like material so it's lightweight and comfy.

Depending on the fabric and color that you choose, a scarf can really add a special touch to any outfit. Make sure you take into consideration the color and texture of the scarf before making a purchase - does your eyes sparkle and your hair complement the hues in the scarf - let the color of the scarf bring out your best look. I am on a mission this weekend to search for one. Below are some that I am considering:

        

Mustard Pashmina - cashmere blended and very soft and warm

Mustard Flower Print - beautiful flower pattern

 

Sequined Mustard Scarf -  sequin and mustard, what could be better!

Any suggestions from you ladies on where to find a Mustard scarf would be greatly appreciated as well. Have a great weekend!

[Outfit]

Scarf :: H&M

Top :: TJ Maxx

Bottom :: Free People via TJ Maxx

Shoes :: Aldo Baltierra

Earrings :: Gift

Necklace used as bracelet :: Swapped

Thanks for reading!





Mustard and Color-Blocking Wheel

For months now I have been searching everywhere for any piece of clothing that was a mustard color at an affordable price. I figured with the color-blocking trend, which has been around for quite some time now, that this will be the focal color of an outfit that I will attempt to put together. Finally this past weekend I found this skirt at F21 for $6.50. If you've read my previous posts you know that I am not a fan of F21 and their return policy but for $6.50 I figure I can always exchange it for some accessories if I didn't like it.

For this outfit I chose two analogous colors - orange and yellow and paired it with a cream lace vest to soften the brightness and beige shoes to balance everything out.

These days I love anything with lace details, it just adds such a romantic and elegant look to any outfit. This chiffon blouse is very soft and flowy - initially I was going to add a belt to shape my figure but I decided to pair it with this vest instead to give it a little more structure on top.

This is my first attempt at putting together a color-blocking outfit. I've seen this trend worn by many fellow bloggers and have always been intrigued but never dared to try it. I had to do a little bit research before I made this attempt. Over at TalkNerdy2Me I found a helpful color-blocking wheel:

To achieve a look using a combination of colors you can you this wheel to see which colors are complementary.

• In my outfit above I used analogous colors - which are any three colors that are lined up on the color wheel (ex. yellow, orange/yellow, orange)
• Complementary colors are any colors that are directly across from each other (ex. yellow and violet) [I actually have a purple pencil skirt that I want to complement with a yellow top - just need to find a nice yellow top ;)]
• Pair colors that form a 90 degree angle with each other (ex. yellow and red/orange)
• Pair colors that form an X (ex. blue, orange, violet-red & yellow)
• Pair colors that form a T (ex. yellow, blue-green & red-orange)
• Or you can do a color-family combination where you can substitute pink (tint) with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel.

I am by no means an expert in this trend but I wanted to share with you ladies what I found during my research. I really like this trend a lot because there's so many affordable ways you can put together an outfit. These days there are many options to choose from when picking out a colorful piece of clothing - F21, H&M, the thrift store...once you find that one key color you can pick anything else in your closet to pair it with. Its such a challenging but at the same time fun trend and I hope you guys have as much fun pairing different colors together like I did. I hope that this was helpful and let me know how it worked out for you.

[Outfit]

Vest :: Material Girls

Top :: H&M

Cami :: Gap

Bottom :: F21

Shoes :: Aldo Gwenda

Thanks for reading!