9.20.15

It is crazy to think that fall will officially be in full swing in a very short time! Today was a beautiful Sunday, so I chose to embrace the warm temperatures in a summer dress.

I usually love a big statement, but in this look the color does all the talking. This dress is from dressbarn, a piece I scored for under $10 last year!

Part of why I love this dress so much other than the price and color of course, is the way it works to flatter! Ladies, dresses with lines and texture like this can give the optical illusion of a smaller waist. See above how the lines work diagonally? It works to draw the eye, rather than having only horizontal lines, which often widen. It's a great way to do "stripes" and flatter at the same time :)

I chose accessories that focused around neutrals and animal prints to complement the bright color of the dress, but not take away from it. The gold, pave, and tortoise shell link necklace has been something I have gotten lots of use out of. It makes a great piece to layer with other necklaces when looking to make a statement. 

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!

<3 CMM

 

Welcome to the Jungle

Leopard print just has my heart, it's as simple as that...I'll take it as an accent or as a focal piece, but any way I wear it I love the way it amps up an outfit.

 Although the leopard makes a statement, the true pop in this outfit is the bright geranium pencil skirt. I found this pretty piece at TJ Maxx for under $20. I don't often find things at TJ Maxx, but I still like to go often, because every once in a while I do find a great piece at a great price.

I've worn this skirt with a gingham blouse that I have in my closet, but I love the way that this color and leopard work together (I have pants in this hue as well). 

Going into the fall season this skirt is a piece I see wearing a lot more, especially with tights and boots.

 I chose a dressbarn black tassel clutch as the perfect bag to go with this look. Tassels are everywhere right now especially in the world of accessories (bags and jewelry). I've embraced this trend in several pairs of sandals, bracelets, and necklaces as well. 

Let's talk about these shoes shall we? As we know summer is coming to an end and along with that comes end of season sales. These gorgeous heels are by Coach, and I scored them for $25 from Boston Store last week, down from $198! Gotta love those yellow & black dot deals :)

Although the bright geranium skirt and leopard blouse do make a statement, the real stunner of this look is this gold necklace. I recently started a collaboration with mirina collections, and this is one of their gorgeous "famous necklaces." You can get your very own or anything on their site for 20% off & free shipping with code Vollrath20 at checkout here :)

I hope you have a fabulous Friday! I'm looking forward to seeing my best friend get married tomorrow--eek!

<3 CMM

 

Lemoncello

Happy #maximonday! Yellow, the color of sunflowers and lemonade, and the many memories that the warmth of summer brings is a favorite color of mine to wear, but is one I have hardly any of in my closet. 

My mom mentioned she was going to Kohl's last night, since her 30% off coupon was going to expire, so I chose to meet her there. It had been a while since we had gone to Kohl's together, and as usual I tried on a lot of great clearance deals. I found two dresses, along with lots of jewelry and accessory pieces.

 

This gorgeous floral maxi is by CHAPS and was originally listed at over $100 (well we all know no one should be crazy enough to pay full price at Kohl's). It was on clearance for $22, all clearance is an additional 20% off, plus we used the 30% off coupon on top of that. I would say it was a pretty good deal for such a beautiful dress!

 I feel like I'm ready for the derby in this hat, but I love that it offers the perfect shade for a sunny summer afternoon! I chose the black because it helped to bring the black out of the dress. Most of my dresses are a round neck, but I love that this changes it up for me a bit with the v-neckline. If you don't wear v-necks...START! V-necks help to elongate and draw the eye up toward your face. 

I love this hammered gold necklace (one of the great deals I found last night) and how well it plays off of the yellows in the dress. It was on sale for $11 + an extra 20% off + an extra 30% off :)

To tie in the black hat, I chose the perfect black clutch from dressbarn. It is currently on clearance for under $15. I love the braiding on the sides, the fold-over style, and tassel zipper. It is definitely large enough to hold all of the essentials! To finalize this look this turquoise ring brings in a pop of unexpected color.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend!

<3 CMM

8.9.2015

75 and sunny? Not usually boots weather, but booties really are something you can wear anytime. Since it is August now, it is practically fall right? I've been seeing so many ladies showing off their latest boot finds from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale that just ended, so I wanted to join in on the fun. These boots however, were one of my online steals from Vinted, $4+shipping, originally from Target.

Usually my Sunday look consists more of dresses, but today we had our church service in the park and picnic afterward, #WOGFamilyPicnic. Because of this I wanted a look that was a bit more casual and comfy. 

 As I've said previously a dark wash jean is an absolute essential! Did you know the average woman has at least 7 pairs of jeans in her closet? I have five, two dark-wash, one light-wash, one distressed, and one light-wash polka dot. Although I do not wear jeans often (at least not like I did when I worked at A&F) this dark-wash pair from dressbarn is always my go to. 

 At $29.50, I love that it has the look of a higher end jean, but doesn't give me the sticker shock. The comfort level is also divine! Some jeans I have had have not given or moved with me. I often found myself feeling very stiff and uncomfortable, so I am happy to have found my perfect pair. This signature fit by dressbarn, part of their Westport 1962 line, also comes in a straight leg and bootcut and in other washes as well!

 What's classic with a pair of jeans? How about a white t & moto jacket. I have newly discovered that Wal-mart has v-neck t's for only $4.88, considering I'm generally pretty accident prone (voted most accident prone in high school, so obviously I'm not the only one who thinks that), these work perfectly. If I get it stained, I can just buy a new one! I paired it with this new soft moto-jacket from dressbarn. 

 Sometimes the details stand out more than others. Today's look focused around simple silver elements that played off of the tones in the moto jacket. The statement with this look is the oversized white stone ring from H&M, that has been part of my jewelry collection for several years.

 I'm off to enjoy some of the PGA at Whistling Straights before dinner with the fam. I hope you're having a great Sunday!

<3 CMM 

Olivya a little, Olivya alot

Olive is often a color that is associated with fall fashions, but this year has been shown to be a color that can be worn anytime of year. It was particularly popular for spring this year, and it has proven to be on trend for summer and of course this coming fall. 

 I had the privilege of spending yesterday afternoon in Brookfield with the Wisconsin dressbarn Store Leaders and some of their teams. It is always so nice to get together, catch up, learn, and be inspired by others! Since I had the opportunity afterwards, of course I went shopping :)

 Since we are ending the summer season (remember retail always works a season ahead) I was hoping to find some good deals and clearance finds. The stores I normally find steals at ie J C Penny were sadly a disappointment, but stores that I usually don't shop at actually surprised me. I love LOFT, when I say love, I mean if I could afford everything in the store I would buy the store out. haha. Soon our retail group, Ascena, will have added LOFT to our umbrella of stores, and I am so excited :) Currently LOFT is offering 50% off all clearance prices. I found this skirt for $25, originally $60.

The top I chose for today's look is a classic piece I found at TJ Maxx several years back. You can't go wrong with a neutral blouse. To bring pattern in the look I took off the olive string belt the skirt came with and added a leopard print belt. I found the belt at a resale store for $2, and I have gotten so much use out of it. 

Since I kept it simple with my #ArmParty I chose a statement ring to bring the bling. Although the stone is more grey in color it plays nicely with the olive tones of the skirt. I found this ring at Kohl's on clearance for a steal.

I hope you are all having a great week!

<3 CMM

Naturally Neutral

When dressing for summer many of us often think...bright...bold...color! Who wants to be drab when it is gorgeous outside? Although there is no bright color involved, neutrals often offer a nice palette cleanser and can still work for any look anytime of year.

 Today's look was all about embracing creamy neutrals and warm gold tones. This dress...can we just say amazing?! I know I say it all the time.."this is my new favorite piece" yadda yadda, but seriously love love love the versatility of this dress! It is definitely something I can bring into fall with a cute hat & booties.

 Several months ago I was shopping with my best friend trying to find a dress for her to wear to an upcoming wedding. We weren't shopping for me, but of course I found something I had to try on...I decided against it...until this past weekend I saw Maurices was offering 50% off their sale prices. My size was still left so I guess it was meant to be :) You can get your very own dress here for only $19.99.

 The midi length is a bit tricky for anyone, as it is at that "awkward length." To have the end of the dress hit you at the widest point towards the bottom of your leg is not always the most flattering look. The one thing that makes this dress a bit different however, which I love, is that it is basically a knee length dress, because the long layer is knit. It allows the leg to show through underneath, so it is not as unflattering! :)

 To stick with the neutral look I chose this gold statement necklace from dressbarn. It is on clearance currently for $9.99.

This #ArmParty consists of random pieces...a bangle set from dressbarn, a thin wood bangle with beads from Salvation Army, and a thick wood bangle with wire from Goodwill.

I hope you're all having a great week!

<3 CMM

MiXT part tres

 A maxi dress is an effortlessly chic summer piece that every lady should have at least one of in her closet. I honestly used to HATE maxi dresses, I think it was because I always associated them with the whole boho style, which at the time I was not a fan of. I only seemed to see browns and peasant styles which were not for me. Times have changed however and maxis are available in nearly every sort of fabric and print that you can imagine. I purchased this floral maxi from dressbarn yesterday, so of course I had to wear it today!  

I see no boho or brown in this dress that is for sure! I love that this color combo is somewhat unexpected, but totally gorgeous together. Bold. Bright. Beautiful. These earrings are a favorite, even though I haven't really worn them with...well...anything--until yesterday I didn't seem to have the right piece to pair them with. I scored them at H&M earlier this year for under $3!

The all over pattern keeps the eye moving and unfocused--not like some patterns which can have the tendency to create a giant bullseye on the body--who wants that?!

Because this pattern is pretty fierce I chose a simple #ArmParty-lots of gold bangles from dressbarn & a cobalt dome bracelet from Shopko. 

Although I wore this dress to work today with a new pair of coral-orange sandals from dressbarn..

what if I wanted to take this look from everyday to be fit for a special event or wedding? I swapped out the sandals for this wedge. The best part? I scored these thrifting for $7 today!

This clutch would also work perfectly, because it can hold all of the essentials! I found it at a resale store yesterday for $4.

So since I've spoken about the accessories.. are you ready to hear how much this dress is? It's part of dressbarn's summer sale right now and is only $29.99 for sizes 4-16 and $34.99 for sizes 14W-24W; talk about a great deal for a gorgeous dress! What makes it even better? It has a bow that ties at the neck & comes with pockets! :)

Hope you're having a great week!

<3 CMM