ONE dress, TWO ways

We all love versatility don't we? Personally I love when I have an item in my closet that I can wear endless ways. Many blouses and scarves now come with extra buttons or loops that allow you to completely change how you wear the item.

Today's outfits all started with an emerald patterned Dana  Buchman dress from Kohl's, thrifted snakeskin black pumps, and emerald bracelet and earrings.

  
 For church this morning I then added my new emerald Chaps pencil skirt over the bottom half of the dress. By doing this it provided the illusion that my top half was now a blouse paired with my skirt. (The trick is using a skirt that comes long enough so the dress does not hang out the bottom.)

The skirt, dress, and heels were all purchased at great prices or thrifted. The snakeskin black heels were found at Goodwill for $4.99. They were sent from Target; part of the Sam & Libby line. The emerald skirt is by Chaps at Kohl's and was found on the clearance rack for under $15. The emerald leopard print dress was also found at Kohl's by Dana Buchman for under $15. 

 
I love that this skirt has slant zipper pockets on each side near the hips. By having these zippers angled upwards it helps to narrow the waist & hips, compared with if they were straight across. 

 For an evening look I took off the emerald skirt, added sheer black nylons, and put on a black blazer (a pleather jacket would work well too). 

 
By starting with a few basic pieces, and adding or taking away a few more you can create countless outfits with things you already have in your closet!

<3 CMM 

Chambray'd

There has been a fall chill in the air the past few days, which has prompted many fashionistas to pull out their boots, sweaters, and tights from storage and incorporate them back into their outfit rotations.

I had the weekend off, so Shayne and I headed to 

Fond du Lac yesterday and did a bit of shopping at Kohl's. They were running a special promotion in which all clearance was an additional 25% off and then you could use your coupon on top of that! You all know I love a good deal :) I found this taupe Apt. 9 dress for just over $6! {It even has pockets.}

Although I love wearing dresses with blazers and/or cardigans on a regular basis I wanted to do something a bit different for this ensemble; taking inspiration from Pinterest. A printed button up, chambray blouse, or sleek mock turtle-neck sweater work great to pair underneath a dress such as this. This chambray blouse I purchased from Old Navy last year.

I styled it with two layered necklaces, one in gold chains from Express, and the other tortoise shell print chains from Dressbarn. To tie in with the necklace I wore my tortoise chain bracelet from Target {only $3 on clearance} & Dressbarn leopard ring.

To complete the look I chose a giraffe print (close enough to leopard print) skinny belt {thrifted from Nikki's Nex 2 New}, my printed Kate Spade bag, and black leather booties also thrifted. I found the booties at Nikki's Nex 2 New as well, and sent a picture to my friend of my find..turns out she was the one that brought them there to be resold. Twinsies! 

Going into fall you can easily turn some of those summer neutral dresses into completely new outfits just by adding some layers on top or underneath!

<3 CMM

a POP of NEON

It was a bEaUtIfUl weekend in Sheboygan. {I love when it is in the low 70's!}

On Saturday we had an all store event at Dressbarn to launch our new SMART fit pant. The pants I am wearing above our part of our Secret Agent Collection, and are my absolute favorite! They have no zippers or buttons and simply pull up. These however are not grammy pants by any means, and at the same time are not the legging pants. They are the perfect black career pant!

 Gold accented pieces served as the accessories for this ensemble. What leopard print blouse wouldn't be completed with out this adorable leopard hinge ring from Dressbarn?

I have fallen in love with these black d'Orsay flats that I picked up at Old Navy for $7 while on vacation in Missouri last weekend!

I love this neon cardi, but then again I just love this color in general! Neon works great with black and white, and is an easy way to add a POP of color to a neutral ensemble. 

I love this black and white blouse from Dressbarn, but I did not like the fact that it had semi puffy sleeves and elastic bottom. By pairing the blouse with a cardi over it, and by tucking it into my pants I was able to hide these features. 

NEONs can be worn year round, and are perfect for everyday wear or the office. Hopefully you will give this trend a try!

<3 CMM