Print + Print

Today was a cold & clammy sort of day in Sheboygan.. lots of showers on and off.. but you know what they say.. "April showers bring May flowers." I just arrived home from a very busy day at work (despite the weather) and Shayne had baked a cake, made chicken soup, biscuits from scratch, and asparagus for dinner.. boy am I one lucky lady.

 

I always admire fashionistas who can mix print on print. Sometimes, in my opinion it looks quite ridiculous, but they always are able to pull it off. Take for example some of the Forever 21 or H&M ads/emails that I receive on a daily basis. I would NEVER put some of that stuff together, but the person wearing it always looks put together (for the most part haha). This is about as much print on print as I have attempted, but it has become one of my new favorite outfits! Once again I am dressed more for fall than I am for spring, but it has been hard to dress bright with the cloudy skies.

This oxblood blazer is from Dressbarn and is one of my favorites. Do you ever have problems finding blazers, because they are often too tight in the shoulders and it is hard to move? I bend and reach quite a bit while at work, and this blazer has been perfect. It has ruched three quarter length sleeves and a Whooooooleee 'lotta stretch for extra comfort. It does have a button, but I prefer to wear blazers open for the most part to show off what I have on underneath. The cream and black polka dot short sleeve blouse is from Target. Several months ago I was "thrifting" in Fond du Lac with my friend Courtney and found this same blouse in cobalt blue with black dots with the tags still attached. For those of you not aware Target sends their "old" merchandise, decorations, dollar bin items, etc. to Goodwill. There are some good deals to be found!

So I discussed my polka dot blouse, but let us talk about the other print.. shall we? I incorporated the leopard again.. My skinny belt I picked up at JCP (JcPenny) several months ago while shopping with my mom ($12). Target is another great place to find lots of thin belts for about the same price in nearly every color under the sun. Our Dressbarn store does not carry belts, so I feel like almost daily I am sending people to Target to find a great belt to go with a dress or pair of pants. My gold capped Michael Kors flats have become one of my favorite pairs of shoes (only about $50 at Boston Store on sale). Today two of my co-workers said that I could easily hurt someone with them.. let us hope I never have to, but at least I know I have that option if need be haha.

I reused two of my bracelets from yesterdays outfit and added my new thin chain pearl & tassel bracelet. I have this bracelet in the black (shown) and coral. The bracelet and my cream rosette necklace I purchased from Jane.
For those of you unfamiliar with Jane.com, previously Very Jane, I would highly recommend signing up. Each morning they send you an email with the daily deals. It usually is trendy items such as pillow case covers, jewelry, dresses, blouses, shoes, and kiddie items. I have only ever purchased jewelry, but I have been very satisfied with the quality that I have payed for the relatively low prices. I am fairly careless with my jewelry (Ask my husband, my dresser is covered in it), so I am not willing to pay high prices for jewelry (<$20 is good for me!). The tassel bracelet I paid about $4 for and then paid $2 shipping. My final accessory is my favorite ring.. a jaguar (leopard??.. some sort of large cat). It is a hinge ring and the heads meet in the middle of my finger. I purchased this at Dressbarn, and now it is on sale for 40% off (originally $15 I believe). I love the simple statement it makes!

Thanks for stopping by and see how I safely mix prints :)

<3 CMM 
 
 

A Cool Day in Cognac

Although it is spring, I could not help but dress as though it were fall today for church & lunch with my family with the chilly temps we have been having in Sheboygan recently. At least we all know that "No Winter Lasts Forever" (Unless you live in Antarctica that is). :{

What better colors & prints to wear on a fall like day than cognac, oxblood, and cheetah? As some of you may know I am a Dressbarn Store Leader. This past week (and week coming up) I have had the opportunity to fill in at our Green Bay location. This also gave me the opportunity to do one of my favorite activities...SHOP!

I love traveling to other stores, because I always find things that my store does not carry. I happened to find a dress ($12), 4 sweaters (about $6.50 each), and adorable burr like earrings in both silver and gold ($4.80 each). This Cognac sweater is one of them that I picked up. I already have it in Black and Cream (sooo I'm a bit obssessed). Comprised of a rayon/poly blend it is extremely comfortable and easy to wear. Although I styled a scarf and chain necklaces with it today, it does have a v-neck. A v-neck sweater or blouse works great for nearly any body shape, because it helps to elongate the torso and draw attention up toward the face.

Let us talk about the cheetah scarf, shall we? This is a great trend piece, and honestly anyone can do the cheetah print trend that is all around us. Maybe you do not feel comfortable buying a printed pair of pants or sweater, invest then in a pair of calf hair flats, great bag, or easy to wear scarf. This scarf I picked up at Dressbarn several months back ($4.80) and have only worn a few times (I own more than one in this print). It is a lightweight material which makes it perfect for year round wear. I paired it with two long chained necklaces that I picked up from Goodwill. One has two medallions on it, while the other has large pearls ($1.99 for both).

I chose two semi-simple bracelets to complement the outfit. The first black and gold spike bracelet is one of my absolute favorites. I purchased it in Port Washington this summer at an adorable little shop called "Pear & Simple" ($8). Lately I have seen this bracelet at Target in different colors on sale for about $5. (I have resisted the temptation to pick up more haha.) The second is a gold stretch chain bracelet that I found at St. Vincent de Paul while out  "thrifting" several weeks ago ($1). It goes with just about everything that I have in my closet :) My handbag was a very generous birthday gift from my husband that I picked out at the COACH Factory Store about a month ago. Although I have used it already quite a bit, the oxblood color is perfect for fall!

This belted trench is my absolute FAVORITE. I purchased it from Dressbarn (about $30) several months ago. A belted trench is an essential for both the spring and fall wardrobe. Not only does it work with nearly everything, but the belt is very flattering on many body shapes as it helps to define the waist. My black skinnies are also from Dressbarn. Several weeks ago I was wearing my favorite pair from Boston Store while doing a new visual floor set at work. I was climbing down from the ladder and got caught on a 4-way rack... I knock into things fairly frequently... but this time I actually ripped a hole in my pants... in the rear end region! Thank goodness I was wearing a long sweater that day that covered the hole and I did not expose any of our customers to my flesh! Crisis Averted..Favorite thing to wear my skinnies with?....BOOTS! My cognac pleather boots are from Boston Store. I got a wonderful deal on the MIA boots as our downtown location was closing ($38), and I absolutely love wearing them with my trench or a long sweater.

Thanks for stopping by!

<3 CMM