To say I am obsessed with Bailey 44 dresses is an understatement. You have seen them time and time again on the blog - whether it's just for the office or for a special occasion. It's a brand I lean on quite frequently. I love the way their made-in-the USA pieces fit me and I know I will look just as fresh after wearing them all day as I did when I left the house in the morning.
Sorry to tease you with a random roundup in the middle of the week! It's not Friday, it's only Wednesday, so you still have two more days to endure! Hopefully the short week is going quickly for you regardless! For today's post, I wanted to touch on the topic of dresses! I used to wear dresses ALL. THE. TIME. All the time. That was before blogging. Dresses are so self sufficient. If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know I love my layers, I love adding interest, I love making outfits and pieces my own. It's harder to do that with a dress unless you're able to throw on the layers for winter, so I think I inadvertently avoided buying a ton of dresses because I found it more interesting to style other pieces instead. Don't get me wrong. I still love me a good dress! Especially in the middle of summer when it's so hot you don't even want your own skin to touch other parts of your own body! (Picture me walking like a starfish. Sometimes you do what you gotta do when you're incredibly hot!!!)
Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that the holidays have come and gone. I enjoyed slowing down these last couple of weeks, but it's also nice to get back into the swing of things at the same time! So yes, I do actually have a brand new outfit post for you today to officially kick off 2017!
Clockwise from top left: Field jacket: J.Crew | Stripe sweater: Trouve | Fitbits: ChargeHR, Zip | Dress: Bailey 44 (shop more Bailey 44 dresses HERE) | Hoodie: Paige (shop more Paige HERE) | Sweatshirt: Private Party (shop more Private Party products HERE) | Leggings: bp.
Happy Friday! I haven't done one of these shopping posts in awhile, so I figured I was due! Sadly, I feel like this isn't "a lot" of shopping considering my normal volume! But it's still probably way more than the average person. Ha! It's the weird part of the season where I'm not really interested in buying anymore winter stuff, but I'm not quite ready for spring either. And let's face it, I don't NEED anything. Regardless, here's what's been recently delivered or on their way to me as we speak!
It's Friday so that means I have a handful of random outfit selfies to share with you! It's been a doozy these last couple of weeks but I'm happy that the weekend is here and I'm ready to rest and recoup. But first, the selfies.
Two dresses in one week, are you surprised? I ordered this dress through one of the Shopbop sales a few months ago because I had a bachelorette party to go to and they requested we wear all black so that the bride could stand out in her all white outfit. The party was this weekend, and thankfully, I'm nine pounds lighter than when I first received the dress, so it fit a lot more comfortably than it did originally! Yay for that!
Remember last week's post when I told you Rachelle made me shop? Well, I ordered this dress in addition to that gorgeous white lace midi dress. I'm such a fan of easy dresses like this for warmer months. They are great on their own and work well as a base layer, too! I was conflicted by the sizing because the reviews seemed a bit all over the place. I ended up ordering the pink color (which is no longer online) in a medium and this green version in a small. The green definitely fit much better. I'm not sure if I will return the other one yet because it may fit fine if I actually put it in the dryer for a little bit, but I was going to wait and see if I can swap sizes in store.
Wowee! Not only did we make it to Friday, but I wrote FIVE posts this week and that feels like a big feat! I'm excited to have accomplished that, and hopefully it wasn't all throw away content and it resonated with you guys, too! But it's Friday, so that means it's time for another dose of Random Roundup where I share some selfies lately. These are outfits that I've worn to work recently! Yes, we have a pretty liberal dress code! Let's get started!
Necklaces: CS Gems here and here (use code CARYLEE15 for 15% off) | Bag: Kate Spade (gifted) (budget option) | Vest: Express (option) | Dress:Bailey 44 (shop more Bailey 44 HERE) | Heels:SJP (other sizes and colors HERE)
Saturday was a such a fun day in blogging life! The gals at CS Gems arranged for the cutest photo shoot in the Central West End. The focus was around holiday style, New Year's Eve, and all the fun stuff in between. It was gorgeous and definitely got me just a little bit more into the holiday spirit! This was the first of three outfits I brought with me for the day. The Bailey 44 dress was one of my many Black Friday purchases, and I couldn't wait to slip this effortless piece on.
Here we are again! Another Friday, another random roundup. I hope you guys are enjoying your April so far! This time next week, I will be in Dallas for the rewardStyle conference which used to seem like it was so far away but poof! Now it's here and I'm all of a sudden panic shopping because I don't know what to pack. Ha! More on that next week. In the meantime, here are some outfit selfies lately!
I had a heck of a time finding the perfect chunky cardigan in this oatmeal color. For whatever reason, I felt like everything out there wasn't quite chunky enough. This one may even been TOO chunky - it's ridiculously warm, almost too hot to wear indoors. I loved the ease of pairing it with one of my trusty Bailey 44 dresses. I was just thinking that I could probably purge all of my dresses (which is triple digits, scary, I know), and only keep my Bailey 44 collection and still be quite content.
I'm off to Rochester today - sounds cold, huh? Well, I will leave you with one last reminder to enter the $225 Nordstrom giveaway! Only a few more hours left! Good luck!
Mixing things up a bit by doing my random roundup in the middle of the week! Sorry if you saw this post and were hoping it was Friday! Since I'm adjusting my blog schedule to be 4 days a week, this week it made sense from a content standpoint to provide this post on Wednesday vs. my usual Friday. I know it doesn't really matter either way, but I like consistency, and honestly, this whole schedule is messing with my head! I don't like change, but I also don't like feeling stressed out, so something has to give! Ha! Anyway, I have a backlog of outfit selfies, so it was time to share some with you! Let's get started!
We're back from our little SoCal trip. Ok, I'm lying. I'm typing this on the plane while finishing my Bailey's on the rocks. (Not to be confused with the Bailey 44 dresses I ordered above. Hehe) However, by the time you read this, I will be in bed home from our trip. I didn't want to do any shopping there since packing space was limited. Just to get my Christmas presents home without having to check a bag was a feat. I may or may not have looked like this:
I really didn't want to exceed my 2 carry on limit and have to check a bag. I used all my body weight and managed to get it closed.You bet I let out a victorious squeal when it zipped! The added holiday weight certainly helped my endeavors - glad I ate those two breakfast tacos this morning even though I wasn't hungry! That being said, I certainly wasn't shy about loading up some online shopping carts. I've been on a self-imposed ban since Black Friday *and* I had Christmas money?! I was practically salivating to shop. We'll see how much of this actually works, but I'm pretty excited and looking forward to more shopping fun in 2014! What are you spending your Christmas money on? Anything Santa didn't bring you that you are *forced* to just buy yourself?
Happy Friday! You know what that means! iPhone selfie dump time Random Roundup! I actually love doing these posts for you guys, as to be quite honest, the proper blog photos are fun and I enjoy them - and I miss them when I don't get to do them. However, you can't get more real than the selifes! Plus, they're easier to "pose" for. I'm just not a good poser. Ha! But anyway, as with all other random roundups, I will only be linking to those items that are still available, so let's get started!
So, everything that I am wearing for the rest of the month really, will be everything in my #RemixFix2015 capsule. I knew I wanted to add some vests to this collection, and it was a task trying to choose which ones I wanted - as I could not pick ALL of them. I decided to have this cream vest be one of them - I feel like it looks just a little bit less sporty than my other ones, and easy to transition from business travel to a casual meeting. Not to mention that it will basically go with any other color.
Necklace: Express | Sweater: Neiman Marcus | Chambray:JCrew Factory | Bracelets:H&M (gifted) | Dress: Bailey 44 (worn as a skirt) | Fleece Lined Leggings:Target | Booties:Cole Haan
This was actually my airport outfit to travel home in. Sometimes I prefer traveling in skirts and dresses - especially ones like this that are breathable and not constricting. This dress is the perfect canvas for layering, which is why it was a no brainer capsule piece.
And just like that, now I'm in New Orleans. We did a bus tour on Friday, and I wasn't sure how much walking we would end up doing so I opted for flat boots, and layers for warmth. It wasn't too terribly cold in New Orleans, but it wasn't necessarily warm either.
Speaking of layers, we ended up going to the movies Saturday night - I know, kind of silly to do on vacation, but we had done our share of sight seeing for the day and just needed to unwind for a bit. Rather than nap, we did a movie instead to relax. We watched American Sniper, which was heavy and heartbreaking, but very good. Layers are totally a necessity for the movies.
Top: Gap | Long Sleeve tee: BP | Necklace: Vince Camuto | Skirt: Express | Fleece Lined Leggings:Target | Boots:Vince Camuto (limited stock)
And this was coming home Sunday evening. I ended up layering a long sleeve tee under the plaid top because I wasn't sure how cold it was going to be when we landed, and frankly, I needed to wear as many clothes as possible since my suitcase seemed heavier on the way home. How does that happen?! I ended up being hot ALL day, but I was still happy with the way the outfit turned out, and it was comfortable for the plane.
I just finished the first week of the #RemixFix2015 challenge, and have been able to remix a few pieces already, which is where the fun begins. It's always helpful for me to see the outfits next to each other to full appreciate the remix.
Left (original post here) and Middle: same Bailey 44 dress
Middle and Right: Same sweater, necklace, booties
Wearing a dress as a skirt is one of my favorite ways to remix. I purposely picked a dress that I knew this would be possible with. The black cashmere sweater is definitely more of a no brainer staple.
Striped long sleeve tee 3 ways
Left: Original post here
I knew this long sleeved tee would make my capsule. Not only does it add a nice pop of color that pairs nicely with other palettes, but it's a great base for layering. Even though it's pretty lightweight, it definitely made the flannel shirt feel more like a sweater than just a plain top.
Left (original post here) and Middle: same striped sweater and jeans
Middle and Right: Same jacket and plaid top
Pattern mixing is also pretty important to me and my capsule. It just helps break up the monotony of looks, acting as its own accessory. And finding pieces like this plaid top that I can wear multiple ways (i.e. open or tucked, casual or more dressy) will help you style the same piece again and again.
I'm excited to get other remixes going! We would love to see your remixes on Instagram - post yours and use the hashtag #RemixFix2015!
The first week of 2018 is complete! The work week anyway. Well, if you were actually in the office this week. We are finishing up our week in Orlando, and I haven't been in the office since the 21st of December! I did some work from home in between Christmas and New Year's, but to physically go into the office is a foreign thought at the moment! It will be difficult to wake up on Monday!!! I do feel rested though, so I definitely cannot complain! I will be back next week with regular outfit posts, but in the meantime, I wanted to use today to get caught up on some outfits I wore through the end of December. Let's get started!
This is the same outfit I wore for blog photos in this post here. I re-wore the outfit to work. It's nice when you can wear the exact same outfit for two different audiences! It really is a great sweater, and surprisingly warm! I love wearing it.
Not much to say about this outfit other than the fact that it's made up of some old favorites. I have this sweater in two colors from last season, and it's just as wonderful this season, too. I just wish it were still available for you. This Grace and Lace "Perfect Fit" tank I wear all the time was on sale in shorter length in the solid colors for under $20, so I stocked up on grey, white, and black. It's the perfect little base layer. I say "shorter" length because this one could seriously be a dress on me if I pulled it straight with no ruching at all. The shorter length one you can see on me here.
Ah, Bailey 44, you never disappoint me. The last time I wore this dress was back in 2014 in this post here. It was a little bit more snug back then. I was super self conscious in it and I had to go commando because no matter what I did, you could see VPL. We had a holiday lunch at work with my little department of 4, so I decided to see if this dress fit, and I was pleasantly surprised! It fit great, AND I didn't have to go commando. WIN WIN.
This sequin sweatshirt is such a long time favorite. I always tend to whip it back out for the holidays, and this year was no exception. I wore this to work because I had our Pilates holiday party right after. I loved the mix of textures with the sequins and faux leather and suede! It was a comfy outfit to wear for 18 hours, too!
We actually got a couple of inches of snow for Christmas Eve eve, so it was perfect for my double hooded sweatshirt and some Hunters. Basically, this is what I looked like over the holidays. I was super casual and really didn't do anything with myself.
Similar outfit combo with the layers and super casual. We ran around doing some last minute Christmas shopping that day, and it was cold and snowy. Blanket scarves + this moto jacket are surprisingly warm and perfect for shopping because the jacket isn't super bulky. Shopping in the winter is so hard! You want to be warm from the car to the store, but you don't want to be sweaty or holding a big coat while you shop!
Sweater: Gap | Jeans: American Eagle | Heels: BCBG (c/o Simon Premium Outlets)
We already celebrated our Christmas with the husband's family a couple weeks ago, but we did go to his aunt's house on Christmas Day and this is what I decided to wear. I wanted to semi match the husband and all he had clean was a navy sweater. This was my way of matching but still feeling somewhat festive!
And last but not least, this is another happy hour outfit meeting a couple of friends during the break! After all the casual wear and baseball caps, it was nice to curl my hair and actually put on makeup! Even though this is a tomboyish outfit, I felt like a lady, which is exactly what I needed!!!!
And that's a wrap on the first week! Hope you all survived and I will see you back here next week!
Don't you love it when you've been working an hour on a post and then you lose everything? Which is weird because Blogger/google saves stuff in real time like every single second, and yet I lost everything; even my labels and scheduled time and all that. Yeah, pretty neat. Needless to say I'm a little angry and have lost my inspiration to write this post!!
Deep breaths.
Ok, so I didn't mean to wear two Bailey 44 dresses in one week but I realized that my collection of B44 dresses was growing, yet I wasn't wearing them. So in an effort to consciously wear them, I wore two this week. But, considering I wear something from Express every.single.day I guess it's ok for me to wear another brand multiple times in a week, too, eh?
Hope you have a good weekend! I'm headed to San Antonio and I'm ridiculously excited about it! Excited for (hopefully) better weather, Taco Cabana, family, and friends. (not necessarily in that order, heh)
Hey hey! Happy Friday! It's been a good week!! Baseball is officially upon us! We've made it through the first week of April (the year is almost a third over, holy cow!) And, well, it's Friday, which is always something to be happy about! I have a handful of outfits I wore last week to share with you along with the scoop about that "paint your pup" event I went to last Friday! Let's get started!
I've been slowly buying things throughout this week because I feel like the sales start earlier and earlier every year. But, I've been trying to focus on a specific list of "needs." I was semi successful sticking to these needs...
Ahhh, Friday - everyone else breathing a sigh of relief today? Well, in the spirit of the Friday Randomosity that I seem to be throwing at you guys lately, I decided to do another round up of outfits that didn't quite make the blog and/or that I ended up tweaking when it came down to actually wearing them. I got a lot of great feedback the last time I did this here, so I promise to make this a recurring theme since it was well received. Like last time, I will only link to the stuff where the exact item is still available.
Every time I see this picture, I feel like I should be holding a beer can, standing in the neighborhood and talking to the men on King of the Hill. Haha! And yet, I love everything about this outfit. Camo. Good. Stripes. Good. Leopard. Gooooooood. This was the outfit I wore to car shop in! Oh, speaking of car shopping outfits!
Cardinals Jersey: Jon Jay #19 | Tank: Express | Shorts: JCrew Factory | Bag: Kate Spade | Shoes:Skechers
By the time we decided to get the car, the finance manager was already gone for the day, so we had to come back and sign the paperwork the following morning. We had a Cardinals game to go to a 1pm, so we literally went to buy a car before the game. No big deal.
Necklace: Francesca's | Top:Bellatrix (Nordstrom brand) | Skinnies: 7 for all Mankind | Sandals:Antonio Melani (Dillard's brand)
I love the weather in St. Louis because one day it can be hella humid and in the 90s and the next morning, we wake up to 60 degrees with a high of 78. That's exactly what happened the day I took this wrap top and my Mini Affair out for a spin, so I ditched the skirt for pants. And I don't know about you, but I feel like wedges look best with skinny pants or shorts - I don't like them as much with skirts or dresses. I "forgot" I had these olive wedges, so I decided to take advantage of them color coordinating with my top and wear them since I had pants on.
I love that a chambray can serve as an indoor denim jacket of sorts when you feel like your outfit needs just a little something. This is the same dress you saw me wearing here with my faux daughter aka first cousin once removed.
This is definitely what you could call my foolproof outfit. Anytime I am running late or feeling uninspired, I just grab one of my striped dresses and throw on a scarf. In the winter, I will layer this over opaque tights and riding boots and top it off with my moto jacket (as seen here.) I highly suggest finding similar dresses to throw on in a pinch. They're like ninja pajamas, I tell ya!
This is a modified version of the date night outfit I shared with you here wearing these amazing and wonderful Sam Edelman sandals. I realized the only other time I've worn this top to work was here, so I decided to switch the shorts for some cuffed jeans that I can wear to work. Yes, this is what I would call a "work" outfit. I'd say I'm pretty lucky for that.
Another uniform of sorts - my weekend uniform consisting of anything + distressed jeans + leopard slip ons. I need a dressing room like this at home - so perfect for OOTD selfies.
This is a pretty lazy outfit, not gonna lie. But I always reach for this top when I want something a little bit better than tee. And stripes + a splash of leopard always makes me happy.
Tank: Spurs tee from Academy | Camo leggings:Express | Shoes: Nike
And last but not least is a little workout OOTD. And I was legit working out. I wasn't just wearing fitness wear for everywhere like apparently the entire country does per Gina's reconnaissance. I do love cute workout clothes just as much as I love cute real life clothes, so I had to throw this in for one last random selfie. :)
Hope this roundup was just as entertaining for you all as the first. My posting schedule has been a bit hectic the last couple of weeks because of busy weekends, but I'm looking forward to getting back into my normal routine! Have a great weekend!
