Breaking the Rules

I'm breaking the rules again today! I'm wearing white after Labor Day and I'm not matching my shoes to my hemline.

I've posted about this ponte knit white dress before (see initial review here).  You can see it styled here paired with gray, and here for a summery look paired with a coral blazer.  I recently wore it with a jean jacket, turquoise belt and booties for a very casual look that I will post soon.  It's been a great addition to my closet.  I was hesitant when I purchased it.  My stylist from Trunk Club suggested it, and I would never have considered it on my own.  White goes with everything though.  It can look as formal or casual as you want. And, contrary to passé rules, it can easily be worn all year long.

My cropped orange jacket is from J Crew.  It's been in my closet for a couple of years. It is made from a light wool herringbone fabric which helps make my white dress fall appropriate.  You can see it previously styled here with a houndstooth skirt, and here with a denim skirt.  The collarless style is so elegant and easy to wear.

Another passé rule is that your shoes and hemline should match.  Personally, I love the look of matching my shoes to my blouse or jacket, especially if it's a bright color.  I recently purchased these suede orange pumps to go with this jacket and a few other orange things in my closet.  I get lots of complements when I wear them, so that just reinforces my own "match shoes to jacket" rule!

Recreate the look:
White dress: Similar white sheath dress from Nordstrom
Orange pumps: Exact Marc Fisher Pumps
Orange blazer:  similar collarless orange jacket
Purse:  similar pre-owned one that's brown and black


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Little White Dress

Every one is familiar with the "little black dress."  It's a wardrobe staple that is appropriate for just about any occasion.  Lately though, the little white dress has become just as popular. 

Hallie over at Corals + Cognac just did a great post on how to wear a little white dress five ways. Her post just happened to coincide with my latest Trunk Club delivery that included none other than a little white dress.  Hallie's post made me decide to keep it, so here's my first attempt at the now ubiquitous little white dress.

This dress is that wonderful ponte knit that looks professional, but stretches like a t-shirt and doesn't loose its shape.  Lucky for me it comes in comes in petites too, so it hits at mid-knee without alterations (I'm 5'3" for reference).  It's from Nordstrom via Trunk Club available here. (Read about my fun with Trunk Club here and here).

My coral blazer is a linen blend, so it's cool enough to wear all summer, but doesn't wrinkle like linen.  I got it last year at White House Black Market along with these shoes and belt.

Here are a couple of other go anywhere white dresses:
Jackie O Dress  - I've read lot's of good reviews about this dress and it comes in several colors

Tahari Dress - One of my "go to" brands

Blush Two Ways

Yesterday, my delightful colleague, Kelsey, wore a fabulous blush blazer to work.  I happened to be wearing a blush dress. As we joked about getting the "pink" memo and confided how we hope blush continues to be on trend in the business professional wardrobe for many more seasons, she kindly let me take a picture of her awesome outfit to share with you. 

 

Doesn't she look fantastic and professional! Her lovely lace skirt and blouse are from Ann Taylor.  I first started seeing lace skirts last fall, but this was the first time I had seen someone wearing one in a business setting, and it is lovely.  When they first came out I was concerned that lace might be too feminine for a business setting, but after seeing Kelsey's outfit, I realized how wrong I was.  She looked beautiful and feminine but completely professional at the same time. Nailed it!

 

She perfectly paired the neutral lace skirt with nude shoes and a blush blazer. She purchased her blazer at TJMaxx.  I love shawl collars on blazers, and they can be hard to find.  I've been on the hunt for a blush blazer like this for some time, but still haven't found a keeper yet.  I do have a blush skirt, though.  I might barrow Kelsey's color pallet, but switch the skirt and blazer.  I could combine my blush skirt with a white blouse and a neutral blazer...stay tuned!

 

 

My blush pink outfit was this Tahari dress that my Trunk Club stylist sent me (previously worn without blazer).  I paired it with a navy blazer with a stand up collar and ruffled lapel from White House Black Market.  I could have worn my nude heels like Kelsey, but chose my Ivanka Trump blush pink heels instead.

 

Charity - I use affiliate links in this blog.  That means each time you click on a link to a product I get a few cents, even if you don't purchase anything.  I have a full time job and I keep this blog purely for fun.  All proceeds I make here I donate to charity, so please click away and know it's for a great cause! Also, please tell me what your favorite charities are in the comments.  I will donate to the ones that are most popular. Many thanks!

A Summer Dress

Today I wore this light pink dress by Tahari. It has pockets! I had no idea how fun it is to have pockets in work clothes until today! I usually keep my pants' pockets sewn up so they lay flat, so it was new for me.

This was such an easy outfit. I'll have to find more dresses that I can wear to work without a blazer. I probably would never have picked this dress out, but my stylist from Trunk Club sent it. Tahari is one of my favorite brands, so I kept it even though I wasn't sure at first. I've actually put it on in the morning a several times before, but always changed into something else. I kept trying to wear a blazer with it before, but now that it's well into summer I felt alright wearing it on its own, and I got a lot of compliments from my colleagues.

Another reason I kept it on today is I wanted to wear these new shoes! They match perfectly! I just got the shoes a few days ago from DSW. They are by Ivanka Trump. This is my 3rd pair of her shoes and they are all eye catching and comfortable.

When I got back to the office this afternoon I set my purse on my desk for some reason. I usually put it in a drawer. My collguege spotted it and started gushing over it. I've always thought that everyone needs at least one Chanel purse, so last year I finally splurged. It's never made it into heavy rotation because it's a purse that generally takes two hands to get anything into or out of. It is so elegant though, and goes with everything! 

Feeling Nautical

I haven't worn this white jacket in probably over a year. I've almost gotten rid of it a couple of times, but somehow it always made its way back into the closet from my donate pile.  My Stylebook Closet App manages to keep everything in my closet top of mind. Since getting the app I've managed to wear a lot of items in my closet that haven't been in rotation!  It's a great feeling. 

I got this J Crew navy skirt on eBay at the beginning of May and have already worn it 3 times. I'd been looking for a navy pencil skirt for sometime. You'd think it is such a wardrobe basic that I would be able to find one anywhere...and how do I not already own a navy skirt to begin with!? I even asked Sheila, my personal shopper at Trunk Club (Post 1, Post 2) to send me one, and

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and she came up empty too. So I headed to eBay, filtered by my go-to brands like J Crew and Banana Republic, and got this one for $37 including shipping. I love a good find! 

The yellow top was one of the items I kept from my first Trunk Club trunk that I got in April. It is so soft, like your favorite t-shirt, and the square neck keeps it looking like a blouse. Square necklines aren't flattering on everyone, but I've always liked them.

Navy pencil skirt - J Crew

 Yellow top - Lafayette 148

White jacket - Alfani

Blue silk stripe pumps - Badalino

 

Here's a close up of my shoes. I love them and wear them a lot. They are by Bandalino and I got them at DSW. Don't they look like they are made of neck-tie material? I love menswear inspired items. The only funny thing about them is you can hear me coming and going; the chain clinks with each step!

 

If at First You Don't Succeed, Try Black

Sometimes the outfits I put together in my Stylebook Closet App look better on my phone than on my body.  I intended to wear this outfit today, but when I put it on the top and the blazer just didn't look good together.

While the colors in the picture look like a perfect match, in real life they clashed, and the silkiness of the blouse didn't coordinate with the twill-type fabric of the blazer.  I wanted to wear the same general outfit with the blazer and skirt, so after trying 3 other blouses with this outfit I ended up in this, a black button down.  Black is so good at coming to the rescue!

J Crew Campbell Jacket

Mossimo button down blouse with ruffles 

White House Black Market skirt (I had to size up)

Halogen Rockstud look alike shoes

Don't you love these shoes! I've been seeing these Valentino Rockstud shoes all over the blogger-sphere lately, but at $995 I knew I wouldn't be talking them home with me any time soon. I asked my Trunk Club Stylist, Sheila if she had anything close with a more friendly price tag, and she sent me these (here's the post about that trunk ). They are by Halogen and only about $80.

What I love about them, is that even though they are black and nude they wear just like a black shoe. The nude part just blends in with my skin and looks like I have on black shoe with some extra bling. I also have these similar shoes with the colors in reverse, that I love and get tons of complements on,  but they don't wear like a black or a nude shoe and are much more difficult to style (Last worn with this outfit).

Trunk Club #2

I got my second trunk from Trunk Club, and it was really big!  My stylist, Sheila, put 14 things in there including 2 pairs of shoes, a purse, and a raincoat (which I asked for).

 

If you are unfamiliar with how Trunk Club works see my first post about it, or you can go directly to the Trunk Club website.

Trunk Cub is great for people who don't know what they want or for someone trying to breakout of a style rut.  It is also good for people who don't have the time and/or inclination to shop, and also for people who are trying to build their wardrobe.  If you're an avid do-it-yourselfer, know what you're looking for, or love to bargain hunt then you might be less thrilled with this service.

Here is my second trunk and the stacks of clothes included inside.  Doesn't it look like Christmas!










The rules are you have to try everything on, even if you don't think you like something. Then you keep what you like, return what you don't like.  There is no charge for shipping either way, and there is no styling fee, even if you don't keep everything.  And, it can all be done from an app on your phone.

Here's what I kept:

Michael Kors Raincoat $130

I told Sheila that I needed a new raincoat and she was so nice to send me 2 to choose from (the other was the Gingham Trim Double Breasted Hooded Coat by Laundry by Shelli Segal).  I loved this one, I think it will be perfect for my trip to northern Europe in July.

This light blue cashmere sweater by Theory was another keeper. It is the perfect color blue and will again be a good layering piece for my summer trip.

Finally I kept these pumps. I've been wanting a pair of Valentino's Rockstud pumps, but at $995, I just can't bring myself to buy them. I love the similar style of these and the price tag that's 1/10 of the originals. I'll get plenty of wear out of them.

I had trouble with fit of a lot of items in this trunk. Several items were just too small, and couple were too big. That wasn't a problem with my last trunk though. 

Here are a few of the things that I liked but ended up returning anyway. There were 2 pairs of black jeans - one skinny, one boot cut, both Paige Denim 'Transcend - Skyline' - that had a great cut, were nice and soft, with the right amount of stretch, but I just don't need them right now.
 

She also included a pair on linen cargo pants that were actually really cute on, but not my style and oh the wrinkles! I almost kept the Tory Burch crossbody bag, but it seemed to be the wrong length for me and didn't lay flat.


There was also this pair of white jeans that I really wanted to love, but it is so difficult to find a good pair of white jeans. The fabric in these was just too thin that every imperfection was amplified.

If you want to see what Sheila will send you, you can sign up here:
Trunk Club

Trunk Club #1

There is a personal stylist here in Houston that I've used before.  I hired her for a consultation for the first time ten years ago.  She came into my closet, made me get rid of a bunch of stuff, and then took me shopping for everything I was missing.  It was a great experience.  I've since had her come help my husband too, and even my sister has hired her.  A good expert in any field is usually hard to find and is often easily worth the cost.



In this digital age virtual stylists keep popping up.  I've tried a few: Stitch Fix, MM La Fleur, Keaton Row, and most recently Trunk Club.



Trunk Club has been around for a long time.  Originally they just serviced men.  I actually found out about it because my husband started using them.  They have recently been purchased by Nordstrom and they now help women too!



It's easy to get started.  You just fill out a little bit online and then your stylist gives you a call to get a feel for what you need and then she sends you a trunk.  I was a little nervous about the call (introverts worst nightmare), and almost didn't sign up because of it, but it ended up not being stressful at all, and it only lasted a couple of minutes.


Since I work in a very conservative office, I told her I'm always looking for more work wear.  I also let her know that I am going on a vacation this summer to Northern Europe, so I need summer clothes that are a little warmer, which is not something I own at all!



My stylist, Sheila, then curated a few items for me.  I got to check them out on the app before they were sent just in case she was way off the mark.  A few days later a trunk was delivered to my doorstep.  I had 10 days to try them in in my own house, looking in my own mirror, and styling the items with my own items.  I decided what to keep and what to send back.  When I was done I just packet up what I wanted to return in the same box and UPS came by to pick it up.  So easy!


Here are a few items that came in my trunk:



Tahari Aline dress - $128
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/tahari-seamed-a-line-dress-regular-petite/3501047
It comes in 12 colors, and it comes in petites.
My stylist sized up one size for me, how did she know?, and it fit perfectly.  Tahari is one of my go to brands, and this dress did not disappoint.

 

Classiques Entier 'Malibu' Cotton Blend Bateau Neck Pullover      $148

http://shop.nordstrom.com/sr?origin=keywordsearch&contextualcategoryid=0&keyword=Classiques+Entier+%27Malibu%27+Cotton+Blend+Bateau+Neck+Pullover+

This is one of the items Sheila through into the trunk for my European vacation.  I told her I wanted some yellow, and this fits the bill.  It's lightweight and summery, while still being a sweater.  I ended up wearing it last week in when I went to Boston too!

Attilio Giusti Leombruni Ankle Wrap Wedge Sandal $350
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/agl-attilio-giusti-leombruni-ankle-wrap-wedge-sandal-women/3854627?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=NICKEL
She sent these wedges.  They are totally cute, and comfy, but they are so reflective.  I could have literally used the straps as a mirror.  On, I felt a bit like Wonder Woman, so I sent them back.  They come in other colors though, black, nude, and blue snake skin.  If they go on sale I think I might buy them in the blue snake skin since they are so comfortable.





AG 'The Angelina' Bootcut Jeans Midnight Swim  $168
http://shop.nordstrom.com/sr?origin=keywordsearch&contextualcategoryid=0&keyword=AG+%27The+Angelina%27+Bootcut+Jeans+Midnight+Swim


Sheila also sent me a new pair of blue jeans.  Up until now I've never ventured down the rabbit hole of designer jeans, worried that I would never come back up.  Well, thanks to Sheila, I had to try these on, and yes, there is a noticeable difference between designer jeans and the ones I've been wearing for the past 5 years.  Oh they are so soft, and there is so much stretch, yet they keep their shape.  She sent them in petite so they fit in the rise and the inseam. Once I put them on I couldn't take them off, so I definitely kept them.



What do you think about personal stylists like Trunk Club?  Have you ever used one?