Another Blazer Look

Well Dad and Diane are down in Florida visiting my baby niece Reese and siblings Steve and Jess...so glad they finally get to go see her again.  She is getting so big so fast!  Its so hard to live this far from them.  My parents booked a ridiculously early flight at 6:50 am so Jon and I decided to sleep over since we were getting up at 5!  They took us to dinner the night before to Diamond Jim Brady's in Novi.  If you are looking for a good place to eat, this place is amazing!  There are so many things on the menu that are to die for!  We had a drink before we left...hence the new pose I'm trying here :-)  I wasn't sure where we would end up for dinner so I went with a simple, classic look.  We decided it was blog worthy.  

This slouchy blazer from Nordstrom is by Eliza J for $98.  I love the look of this!  Its a great way to make a look less formal, like the dress in this picture.  P.S.  How awesome does hot pink look under this black blazer!  I wore this blazer over my brown knit skirt to dress it down a bit.  Its also great with jeans of all styles.

The jeans I have on are Paige jeans from Nordstrom Rack.  They are the best fitting jeans I have ever worn! These are close to the exact pair for $169.  (Side note...these pants are def too short for the shoes she is wearing.)

If you aren't ready go spend that much on a pair of jeans, these from the Gap are great for $70.  And they come in curvy, tall, and petite so they fit just about all body types.

I got these boots at DSW while I was killing time waiting for my mom.  They were on the clearance rack for an extra 30% off so they were only $35.  They are still available right now.  And they are so comfortable! I mean I could wear them with the kids comfortable!

I got this tan snakeskin belt at the most random of stores...Talbots.  Its not my usual style but I was there doing a return for my boss.  Since I'm never one to pass up a chance to shop, I looked around.  The belts were half off and I fell in love with this one.  I have worn it a few times a week since I bought it!  Its the easiest way to jazz up an ordinary outfit.  I cannot find the exact belt I bought, but this one by MICHAEL Michael Kors is almost the exact same for $53.  I found it on Zappos so free shipping!

Vintage Plaid Shirt

I went shopping with my mom the other night after work for some girl time.  We love meeting at Nordstrom Rack and then going down the street to have dinner at Champps.  I was looking for some winter boots and any cool work clothes I could find for Jon.  I did find him some very cool Calvin Klein work shoes and he actually really likes them!  Score!  I found an amazing blazer but my conscience took over and I decided it was too much to spend when I don't really need it.  But I made sure to point it out to my mom for a Christmas idea :-)  We did find this really cool plaid flannel shirt on the rack and both fell in love with it.  Since it was my size, I got to be the one to try it on.  Its vintage from What Goes Around Comes Around.  Its so soft and thick and warm and the most perfect fall/winter shirt!  I love it so much that I had to wear it yesterday for our errands.  Here is how I styled it.

I looked online and can't find the shirt I bought, but I found a really similar one.  Its from Kohls  by Sonoma for only $20 right now!  Plus, Kohls is having their Kohls Cash deal right now too.

I wore my skinny jeans so I could cuff them and show off my booties.  I think this top would work with flares or even slouchy boyfriend jeans for a comfortable weekend look.  The key it to keep it from looking too country western...unless you are going to a country concert of course.  If you are up for a splurge on skinny jeans, I love my Paige jeans.  These are on sale right now at Nordstrom for $101.  

And if you aren't in the mood to spend $100, American Eagle has some great options for skinny jeans.  These new skinny hi rise jeans are on sale for $40 right now.  And if you don't like the hi rise fit, they also have them in regular.

I've talked about these booties before...and how obsessed I am with them.  I just think they are so cool and versatile.  And you can find them just about anywhere and at any price point.  They come in all sorts of browns, blacks, and greys too.  I found mine at Mashall's for only $30!  I also saw a great pair at Macy's by Kelsi Dagger on sale or $80 with an extra 15% off.  

Happy November!  And don't forget to vote on Tuesday.

Leggings are not pants!

As many of you know...Michigan just got its 900th win Saturday over Michigan State!!!  Not to rub it in, but it was so exciting to be there for such a huge win.  Jon and I bought tickets last minute, and for the first time in forever, we went ourselves and didn't tailgate.  It was great quality time doing something we really love...watching our team kick ass!  But as for how this all relates to my fashion blog...as we were driving through downtown Ann Arbor I started observing all the chicks walking around and partying at the frats.  And as we started walking toward the stadium, I got a close up view of the attire.  Frankly, way more than I ever wanted to see of these ladies.

Let me make this clear...leggings are NOT pants.  They should never substitute jeans.  If your shirt does not cover all or most of your butt, then you need to wear actual pants.  90% of the girls I saw on campus were wearing leggings as if they were legitimate pants.  I mean, you could see every bit of their butt and thighs in great detail.  What happened to wearing jeans to football games???  Its almost as if these girls have a uniform and its uncool to wear jeans.  What ever happened to individuality?

Here is what I wore to the game.  Keep in mind it was 50 degrees and there was a chance of rain all day.  I wore my skinny jeans so they would fit inside my boots.  I hate when the bottom of my pants get wet!  But notice, even though I was wearing skinny jeans and not leggings, my shirt still covers my bum.

Jon would not let me take subtle pictures of these girls to show you all what NOT to do.  He said that was inappropriate...boo.  So this is my best effort to look like a sorority hoe.  Side note...they all showed much more skin and had their hair in messy side ponytails.

Please ladies, cover your butt!

Heidi Klum

This photo of Heidi Klum is from awhile ago but I have always loved it.  I keep it because I am determined to pull this look off one of these days.  I have most of the pieces, I just need to actually wear it as an outfit.  But until then, I thought I would share with you all and shop around for the key items in case you like it as much as I do.

The one piece I don't currently own is the polka dot top.  I think you could really use any black and white pattern that you choose.  I like that the polka dots are kind of innocent in a way that offsets the sex appeal of the sheer.  It is defintely bold to wear a sheer top with a black bra, but when done like this it comes off so chic!  This polka dot top by Charter Club from Macy's  is $64.  It is more black than Heidi's so it might be less scary to have yourr bra peeking out.  And if you really don't get down with the bra showing, just add the cami underneath.

I bought a pair of super flared jeans a couple years ago.  I love jeans so I try to get a pair of each style to change things up.  Super flares are very 70s and a lot of look so your top needs to be the right vibe.  I like that this polka dot look isn't too costumey.  These flared jeans from Victoria's Secret for $69.50 are perfect!  And they do great things for your bum!

The black cardigan is the easy part.  Most of us already own one...and if you don't...you should!  Its a wardrobe staple!  This one is from Gap for $45.  I have found them at New York & Company and H&M for really good prices.

Now Heidi's belt is a light pink or peach.  You can find skinny belts at Forever 21, J.Crew, Aldo, and Marshalls.  But I love this pink suede belt from Gap for $25.  Its more hot pink than Heidi's but I think it would be such a fun addition!

Purses can get expensive so I shopped around for awhile.  I like studs because they add a luxe trait without costing too much more.  I found this one by Red by Marc Ecko from DSW for $40.  You could really carry any neutral color purse with this look.

Fall Menswear and A Puffy Vest

We recently decided that my husband Jon needed some new clothes to update his wardrobe, both work and weekend.  So I decided today that I would browse what is trending for fall right now.  I could go on for days with cool looks that I found.  But I picked this one because I bought Jon a really cool puffy vest for a steal and he has yet to wear it.  He tried to tell me that it wasn't "his style."  Well I disagree...clearly cause I bought it!  When I saw this look below on the Nordstrom website I had to use it.  How cool does this dude look?  Ladies, am I right?  Of course I am!  The only problem with it is the price...so I decided to look around for some more affordable options.

I immediately thought of the Gap when I went looking for some cool cargo pants.  These from Gap are slim fitting for $60.  The also have similar styles without the cargo pockets if that's not your thing.

The vest I bought Jon is green with a hood from JC Penny, but I looked and they don't have that style anymore. Old Navy has some great deals right now on vests and outerwear.  This orange one, which comes in a few other colors, is only $20 right now!  I love the color!  But if its too bright for your taste, they also have it in grey, black, and maroon.

Since I chose the orange vest, I decided to roll with it and find a plaid shirt with orange too.  But if you had a different color, this plaid shirt from JC Penny comes in so many colored patterns.  And bonus...its only $15!

Now I know my husband and he would not wear the sweater in the top photo so I searched for one that was a bit more plain.  I really like the shawl collar look on men's sweaters.  This one is from Macy's by American Rag for only $35 right now...plus an extra 20% off!  Really, for this look, you could wear just about any sweater over the flannel.  I would be willing to bet that most men have something already in their closet for most of this outfit.

We are at a stale mate in the Franklin house over shoes like these Steve Madden boots.  I love them and think they are so cool.  Jon thinks they are horrible and won't even consider wearing them.  These exact ones are $75 from Zappos.

If you really can't get down with the boots, these Timberland shoes are great too.  They are from Macy's for $80, with an extra 15%off right now.  And...waterproof!!!

My Consignment Store Score

I found this consignment store over by our condo recently, Consignment Clothiers, and decided those kind of stores can be more fun than regular stores at the mall.  I love the thrill of the hunt...searching through racks and racks trying to find a new piece.  I love the thought that what someone else didn't want could be your new favorite piece!  Which is exactly what happened when I went back the second time.  I found this great skirt by Adrianna Papell.  It was only $17!!!  I tried it on and it fit perfect...score!  I was dying to wear it as soon as I bought it, so Marci's candle party seemed like the perfect time.  I tried to dress it down by pairing it with a plain white tee.  Here is the end result.

The skirt is from the resale store so I searched around for some similar options.  This one is from Nordstrom by Topshop for $60.

This one is really cool with the stripes and pattern.  Its from Piperlime by Jack by BB Dakota skirt for $59.

You can find a plain white t-shirt anywhere, but I really love mine from The Loft.  Its so soft and comfortable.  This one from Ann Taylor Loft is $25.

I wore the same point toe black pumps from my other post.  These are great from Lord and Taylor by BCBGeneration for $89.

My Blue Blazer and New Hibachi

Happy October everyone!!!  I am dedicating my first blog of October to our amazing friend Scotty and his new wife Qiao. We have been dying to meet her ever since he first came home and told us he met a girl.  They are finally home for a visit so we headed out to dinner at this new hibachi restaurant in Novi.  First of all, she is beautiful and it was a great night!  But I found myself unsure what to wear to meet someone's wife for the first time.  I didn't want to overdress, as I have been accused of doing in the past.  But I like to dress up for dinner, especially when I am meeting someone new.  My rule is always that its better to be overdressed than under dressed.  But I didn't want to make her uncomfortable either.  So I decided it would be the perfect situation for a blazer and jeans...my go-to outfit for any occasion.  And I spiced it up with my cobalt blue blazer for a pop of color.  Here is the result!

My blazer is from Lord and Taylor but its no longer available.  I found a similar one at Macy's by ECI for $45.  It has a button closer so you can wear it open or closed, but I almost never button my blazers.  Mine is also a bit more cropped, but you can get the same look with a waist length as well.

I wore my favorite peplum top underneath for some shape since my blazer and jeans were both slim fit.  I love this top because it is so flattering and it goes with everything from dress pants to pencil skirts to skinny jeans.  This one from Mango is perfect and only $50.

Pointy toe heels are so huge right now!  I can't think of anything sexier for your feet!  I got mine by Nine West for a steal and I wear them all the time. You will too...they are totally worth the investment.  You can find them anywhere right now...Macy's, Lord and Taylor, Amazon, Zappos, and so on.  I like these by Calvin Klein from Zappos for $70 with free shipping.

I feel like I have talked about black skinny jeans a ton of times so I am not going into that again.  But just to make it clear...you should get a pair!  I also like this outfit a ladies night out.  You can always take the blazer off if you get too warm while out dancing the night away!  Its also a great way to change up your LBD by just adding a jacket.  So fun and so versatile!