For those of you wondering, the whole no white after Labor Day rule does not exist in my rule book. Then again, there are very few “fashion rules” that I really live by. I am pretty open about the fact that I think you should rock whatever style your heart desires and forget the fashion rules. Since I’ve had several people ask me about this specific rule, I went ahead and polled several of my blog friends and every single one of them agreed with me that the color white has become a year round color. Thank goodness because I own WAY too much white to limit it to one season!
Let’s skip to this darling crochet midi dress that I wore while I was in New York. It is a toss up between the collar and crochet detailing as to why this is the most chic dress that I own. For under $70, this crochet midi dress is very high quality and multifunctional. From brunch to work to cocktail hour, this dress does it all!
Since I am a little late posting this and it is still somewhat warm where I am, I paired the crochet midi dress with a colored bag and shoes. I can’t wait to wear this dress through the Fall with some black pumps and a leather jacket for an edgier vibe. Like I said before, this dress really can do it all, and for under $70 at that!
The good Lord made me a lot of things but what he did not bless me with was patience or how to be a morning person. What do these things have to do with effortless work attire? A LOT! Getting ready in the mornings for a girl is hard work and for those of us that aren’t morning people and have this thing called a J-O-B, the two don’t mix very well. Since I am one to snooze my alarm a few too many times and then get caught scrambling to make it out the door on time, the last thing I want to worry about (or have time for) is worrying about what to wear to work.
The easier and faster that I can get myself ready for work in the morning makes all of the difference, so I wanted to share my top 3 pieces of advice for effortless work attire that continue to be my saving grace for the never ending, hectic mornings.
1. Dresses are your best friend– I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again. Dresses are by far the easiest piece of clothing that a girl can wear. It’s a one and done, no hassle, no over-thinking-it kind of clothing. So there is about a 99% chance that on any given day, I will be wearing a dress. The comfier the better so what I look for is a soft material such as cotton or nylon. This one from Ellie Kai comes in 20 different patterns and is seriously one of the best feeling dresses I have ever put on! It’s made of nylon and spandex so it’s super stretchy and comfortable 🙂 Here are a few more that I am loving for work.
2.Stick to a couple pairs of neutral shoes– Call me crazy but to be honest heels are more comfortable to me than flats. Whether you are a heels or flats kind of girl, find a couple of good pairs. My black and brown pumps by far get the most use out of my entire closet because they go with everything. It makes it super simple in the morning when I need to pick out shoes because most of the time I am only choosing between 2 options so that means only 2 looks in the mirror and I’m off! I have Target brown pumps (under $30) and Sam Edelman black pumps. Here are a few more that I also own or have my eye on.
3.Dry Shampoo for the win– This one is not fashion related but it’s so important it is for sure in my top 3 pieces of advice. Really this one should go first because if I was stuck on a island and was only allowed to bring one thing, there is a good chance that my first thought would be to bring my Batiste dry shampoo. Obviously I am kidding but that stuff has saved me more time in the mornings than I can count! Bastiste– you the real MVP when it comes to bad hair days, hectic mornings, and adding a little extra volume. This stuff is the master mind of greasy hair or hair that is not willing to cooperate! I’ve also tried a lot of dry shampoos in my day and Batiste is the only one that I will use now because it is THAT good. Here are a few other products I use on the go.
I think it goes without saying that number 4 would be lots (and lots) of coffee! When in doubt, drink another cup! For all you Houston gals, here are the 10 best places to grab a cup of coffee! Now here is to hoping that your mornings be a lot more productive and less hectic then mine 🙂
*Thank you Ellie Kai for making this post possible. As always, all thoughts an opinions are my own.*
Hi friends! Last week I shared with you all a little bit about how the blog started and where the blog name came from. I love sharing fashion on a budget, but unfortunately sometimes that comes at an inconvenience when it comes to blogging because I am not always able to provide links to my exact outfits. I’ve had several people question that I (along with other fashion bloggers) have been linking “similar” options instead of what we are actually wearing. So today I thought would be the perfect time to share a few reasons why this might happen since I was not able to link the exact items for almost my entire outfit.
First and foremost I do want to establish that yes, that this is one of our jobs as fashion bloggers to provide outfit links for those interested in purchasing the outfit. You come check out a blog post, love a certain article of clothing that I am wearing, and want to know right then and there how you can buy it. 9 out of 10 times that exact piece will be linked and you can just click on the link to take you to where you can buy it! Pretty neat-o right?
But that 1 out of 10 chance that you do not see the exact piece of clothing linked but instead see something similar, you might wonder “Now why did she do that?” Before you get your panties in a twist let me give you a few reasons on why this might happen.
1.The item might be old– Just like you, I recycle my clothes and like to get as much use out of them as possible. Unfortunately most clothes are only available online for a certain amount of time before they run their course. Another problem with being a fashionista on a budget is that I haunt sales and discount stores. By the time an item is on sale in the store, there is a good chance that it is no longer available online. Win for me, lose for blogging.
2. The item might be sold out– Online shopping is a wonderful gift but just like stores can sell out of a certain size or item altogether, so do online shops. If we (fashion bloggers) get lucky, the shop will restock the item but this is not always the case. If I ever have an article of clothing that becomes available again, I will always try to let you know!
3. The brand might not be a part of Reward Style (or some other affiliate program)- While a brand does not have to be a part of Reward Style for me to link to them on the blog, they do have to be for Liketoknow.it (this is their Instagram link-up feature). If you are someone that mostly gets your outfit inspiration from my Instagram and receives Liketoknow.it emails, than this is an issue for you. The good news is, is that there is now a feature on the blog that lets you shop my Instagrams without being signed up for Instagram or Liketoknow.it (you can get to it here). If you do not know what Reward Style is, it is a third party that connects bloggers and brands. This is a service that allows me to link up each article of clothing that I am wearing. Brands have to go through a registration process in order to participate. Most large brands are a part of Reward Style but many small brands and boutiques are not. Also outlet or discount stores, such as Marshalls are not a part of Reward Style.
There could be many other reasons why an exact article of clothing is not linked. I just wanted to let you know that there is always a reason behind a “similar” item being linked. It’s annoying for all of us I can assure you. It requires more time for me to search for similar options. Believe me, if the item was available online from the store I bought it at, it would make my life 100 times easier and you a lot less frustrated!
While it can be frustrating to not find the exact piece that you were looking for, providing similar items it is a way to still be able to recreate my look. My hope is that the majority of my outfits that I post spark inspiration for what might already be in your closet or similar pieces that you might already own. On the off chance that you want to recreate the look and do not have the means to do it, than that is where my handy dandy links come in! As a side note- you can always find these links right under the last picture of the blog post as well as the small pictures below my signature at the very end of my post. All of these are clickable links that will take you directly to the item that you are wanting to buy!
Sorry for the long post, but I did want you to know that I am not linking similar items because I am lazy or can’t find them, it’s because that item really isn’t online! Thank you for understanding and following along!
I can’t believe I have been blogging for almost an entire year and I have yet to share with you how the name came about! Maybe you’ve wondered about it’s meaning, maybe not, but I wanted to clear the air on how and why I picked “It’s All Chic To Me”.
True story- it took me almost 6 months to decide on a name. I didn’t choose my blog name on a whim. I knew I wanted something that fit my style and personality. I wanted something catchy and not too long (somehow I still ended up with a 5 word blog name- #FAIL). I had an entire notepad full of ideas before I narrowed it down to this one.
Before actually starting the blog, I wasn’t entirely sure what it would be about. I knew it would be fashion based but I wanted it to be more than that, so I left the blog name open ended to encompass more than fashion. I knew my strengths when it came to fashion. My main strength being your girl knows how to ball on a budget. I’ve been doing it my whole life and frankly have always been really good at finding “steals”. All of my friends knew not to ask me how much I got something for because majority of the time it would be something crazy inexpensive while still looking super cute and trendy. (P.S.- find more tips on that here)
Ok now have you ever heard of the saying “It’s All Greek to Me”? Well, my family used it a lot growing up and after going to Greece last year and trying to come up with several punny Instagram captions- this phrase was engrained in my head. For those that don’t know, if someone uses this phrase they are meaning to say that they do not comprehend what you are talking about. It’s like you are speaking another language that is not understandable. Basically this is how I feel about boys and cooking, but fashion is another story! Fashion, I never had a hard time figuring out.
So if you have made it this far you are probably thinking- “Can she get to the point already?”. I’m almost there, I promise! I had been wanting to incorporate the word “chic” in some way and when I realized that chic and greek sounded very similar, the rest was history! I immediately knew that “It’s All Chic To Me” had to be my blog name. It fit so perfectly with my style and my views on how to go about fashion. Something does not have to be designer or expensive to be chic and that’s what I wanted to share with other women. I wanted to bring budget friendly options “out of hiding”, share my gift of finding those great “steals”, and show other women how to make (almost) anything chic!
So there you have it… “It’s All Chic To Me” and I’m hoping after reading my blog you feel the same way 🙂
It has been way too long since I did a Work Wear Wednesday post! Today I wanted to bring you all one of my favorite outfit combos for work: the pencil skirt and peplum duo. It’s not new news that I am a fan of peplums. I think they are so flattering for all body types and add extra dimension to any outfit. I specifically love peplums paired with pencil skirts for a few reasons.
You don’t have to tuck any material into your skirt! GENIUS. Any other type of top that you wear with a pencil skirt will require you to tuck in your shirt. The less time I have to spend in the morning getting ready, the better. I think we all know how long it can take to get your tuck just right. You then have to pull a little out, make it look a little less straight laced and not so proper, you all know the drill. I’m telling you, peplums are the way to go, friends!
A little extra room. Who else loves a top that you can hide a food baby in? You would be lying if you said no! Peplums add a little “fluff” in the belly region so after lunch food babies are a worry of the past!
Great all year round. Peplums work for more than just a cute Summer top. For cooler temps (or a chilly office), peplums pair great with a light sweater or cardigan. My office is usually pretty cold so you would find me pairing this look with a cardigan, similar to this one.
Ok now let’s talk about this faux leather skirt for a minute. I’ve had serious doubts if leather is appropriate for the office. My answer is yes but hear me out. Moderation and feminism is key. My simple rules of thumb are this. 1) If you would consider wearing your outfit out to a bar, it is not appropriate for work. 2) It cannot be tight or short. Like at all. If you are still scratching your head after those two rules, I promise I will have a more in depth post up about wearing leather to work at a later date!
As always, feel free to add a pop of color into your outfit with your accessories. Since my top and skirt were both neutral colors, I knew that this purse would be the perfect pop of red. A big thanks to Macy’s Backstage for gifting me my purse and heels. Macy’s Backstage is such a great way to get designer items for a steal! Y’all must check it out if you have not heard of it yet.
I should be back with another work wear post in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you what all you would like to hear about concerning anything about business. I love sharing my office outfits with you, but I also love sharing and tips and advice that I can as well. If you think of something you’d like to read about, please let me know! Have a great day, friends!
*Thank you Macy’s Backstage for making this post possible. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
