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Mixing Denim

May 26, 2017

Hello, loves!
It’s National Wine Day, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t currently sipping on some Syrah right now. Red wine has longtime been a favorite of mine, and after the day I had, I was planning on coming home to a glass (or two), after work regardless of the “holiday”. Whew, it was bonkers today at the urgent care. It seemed that people today were especially grumpy, in a hurry, and overall so rude! Thankfully, I was working with someone who has a wonderful sense of humor, so we were doing our best to take things in stride.
Moving on to spring fashion, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite denim pairings! I’m wearing here one example of mixing denim, colored bottoms with a jean jacket. The look is playful, casual, and great for this weather. A fun outfit for spring and going in to summer is a white denim top or bottom mixed with a faded denim piece. I love the idea of a little pale blue denim skirt paired with a white tank and white denim jacket.
Another classic look is to pair a lighter chambray-like button-down with slightly darker jeans. I love how simple it is, but give a pulled-together vibe. With sandals or a pair of sneakers, it’s casual for brunch, and with shiny heels and a bold necklace, it’s perfect for a not-too-fancy date night.
I used to be so scared of mixing denim, for fear of that dreaded “NOT” label that some magazines used to put on the overly loose (or tight), same color outfits of the past, but I think starting off with two completely different colors is a perfect “gateway” outfit. Here’s to conquering fashion fears and exploring new ways of styling!
What’s a fashion fear that you’d like to try out? Jumpsuits? Asymmetrical hemlines? I’d love to hear!

Jeans, Top, Necklace / StitchFix // Jacket / Gap // Bracelet / Kyle Chan Design // Bag / Forever 21 // Mules / Nordstrom Rack

Shot by Holli Z Photography.

This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on these links or purchasing items through them may provide me with a small commission.

PS by Just Fab Review & Crochet Bomber Look

May 6, 2017

Hello, my dears!
Today I wanted to share with you my experience with a new styling service called PS by JustFab. I’ve been a member of JustFab for some time now, and love 95% of the shoes I’ve purchased from them. I’d been looking into their clothing selections for a bit, but noticed the reviews for clothing are much harder to come by than for shoes and bags. I didn’t want to take a chance on something, not knowing how their sizing runs, the quality, etc. When I saw that JustFab was now offering a styling service, I got super excited! I do love my ongoing subscription to StitchFix, but it can get a bit pricey. With JustFab’s more moderate price points, I took a chance and signed up for a box!
I filled out a detailed survey, paid a $20 styling fee, and within a couple weeks, a shipment arrived at my door. Inside was a statement necklace, a crochet bomber (pictured), an embroidered jacket, distressed jeans, and an off-the-shoulder tunic. Everything comes wrapped up, with a price list and return mailer. Starting from the top, the statement necklace definitely caught my eye. It’s three layers, and definitely eye-catching and unlike anything I currently owned. The crochet bomber seemed a touch baggy but I loved the color and the texture. The embroidered jacket was OK, but other than with a white or black top and jeans, I couldn’t think of anything else to pair it with. The jeans were WAY too tight, didn’t have any stretch, and I couldn’t get them up past the middle of my thighs. Lastly, the tunic was very baggy around the hips but super snug around the chest, which rarely happens to me, so the sizing on this one was very off.
I decided to keep just the necklace, because nothing else I was completely over the moon about. I sent the other items back a couple days later, and was actually looking forward to my next shipment. I checked out online, but when I looked at my receipt, it said my total was $41.50, odd, because the necklace was only $19.95 plus tax.
I reached out to the customer service department at PS by JustFab to voice my concern about the mis-charge on my account. She informed me that because the item I kept wasn’t over $20, that I was also being charged a $20 styling fee. We went back and forth about the fine print not saying $20 pre-tax, but she was not helpful at all and refused to get a manager for me to speak with. Basically, my only option was to keep another item from my box, to not be charged a separate styling fee. I guess this was sort of a blessing in disguise, because I realized how much I loved this crochet bomber jacket!
To wrap it up, due to the lack of stellar customer service, I probably won’t be using the PS by JustFab styling service again, but I’m open to purchasing solo pieces from the website. And I can’t seem to get enough of their shoes!
I’d love to know.. What are your subscription services? Do they end up sending you just the things you never knew you needed or do they not get your sense of style at all? Which ones have you tried?

Crochet jacket / JustFab // Top / Daniel Rainn at Nordstrom Rack // Jeans / Old Navy // Bucket bag / Forever 21 (similar) // Sandals / JustFab // Necklace / LA find (similar)

Shot by Holli Z Photography.

This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on these links or purchasing items through them may provide me with a small commission.

Elevated Basics with Ellie & Adair

April 29, 2017

Hello, loves!
I know I have very much been slacking on getting posts up, but I was deep in sickness (bronchitis/sinus infection) for almost 3 weeks this month, and I’ve had little to no energy to do anything beyond robotic functions until this week. Thankfully, I’m feeling at about 95% and ready to get back in to the swing of things!
OK, so when I first heard the term “elevated basics” I kind of scoffed at it. Like, basics are just that, meant to be paired with more interesting and vibrant items. I’ve come to a realization that they’re actually just what my closet was missing. Most of these pieces are simple enough to be able to pick a top and a bottom and just tie them together with the accessories. My definition of an elevated basic is something that is at first glance quite simple, like this t-shirt, but then it has added details to make it a bit special. The subtle broken grey stripes add interest but aren’t distracting, regardless of what I pair it with. The gathering at the bottom gives that “tucked-in” vibe, but is much more flattering and even covers a bit of a tummy bump. I’m just now starting to work on my “summer body” (Vanderpump Rules shoutout), so this top paired with some black skinnies is great for camouflaging a little tummy.
Black jeans are classic and pretty much go with everything, but I’ve cuffed them up a but to show off my shoes. I consider these sandals elevated basics too, because they’re a simple shape and color, but have added gunmetal studs. I paired all of those pieces with some super sparkly layered necklaces and a simple black bag with gold hardware, and the look is complete! I would wear this outfit almost anywhere, from running errands during the day, to a casual date night or brunch with my girls.
I would also wear this shirt with a denim skirt, white capris, even with my black work pants. It’s super versatile! This and other cute, super affordable elevated basics are available on Ellie & Adair’s website. This top, believe it or not, is under $25, and they’re offering a 15% discount on top of their already crazy low prices to all of my readers with code “VIP15”! Go check them out 😀

Top c/o Ellie & Adair // Jeans / Old Navy // Sandals / Simply Vera Vera Wang // Bag / Forever 21 // Pyrite necklace and Love Initials necklace / Kyle Chan Design // Long necklace / LA find // Sunnies / Amazon

Shot by Holli Zenko Photography.

This post is sponsored by Ellie & Adair. Items in this post were provided to me for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Girls Who Wear Glasses

March 10, 2017

Hello, loves!
I’m starting to get in to the habit of sharing more about myself on here, and I realized I’ve been leaving out a huge part of my daily life. I wear glasses. Almost all of the time.
I got my first pair at the age of 19, and they were supposed to only be for night driving. I wasn’t driving much at the time, but thought that the Dior frames looked really cute on me, so I wore them whenever the mood struck, but not habitually.
Since I started a job 6 years ago that consists of 7 hours of staring at a computer screen each day, I’ve noticed my vision continually getting worse. I’m sure the texting and Instagramming doesn’t help, but that’s another story. I used to be able to read street signs at night, then it seemed all of a sudden, I could barely tell the score while watching a football game. I’ve been wearing glasses daily for about the past 4 years, and now have trouble seeing anything past my hand without them.
I knew when I was shopping for glasses that I needed ones that not only framed my face nicely, but were super affordable. I go through sunglasses so frequently, because I seem to lose/break/scratch them at a rapid rate. Even though I knew I would be more cautious with prescription glasses, I am a klutz, and I freely admit that. I would hate to spend $200 on a pair that I scratched beyond comprehension within a month of purchase.
About a month back, my coworker referred me to EyeBuyDirect, an online retailer of prescription and non-prescription glasses and sunglasses. I commented on how cute her frames were and was amazed when she told me how little she paid for them.
I went online and picked out a couple of everyday pairs, along with a pair of rx sunnies, which I never knew how much I was missing until I got them. They took a couple of weeks to make and ship and arrived in individual boxes. I picked out a couple of cute little cases to keep them safe, and was really impressed with the quality for around $4.
The lovely aubergine frames here are called Dialogue, and are $15! I added the anti-reflective coating to help with glare. I also picked up the Ember style, which are probably my favorite. I’d never tried steel frames before, and they are so light, I barely notice them on! For sunnies, I went with the Deja Vu. They were a little bit pricier than other styles, coming it at around $45, but are now essential every time I leave the house. My total for 3 pairs was well under $100, definitely a different story than those Dior’s I wore for aesthetics.
For my next pairs, when I decide I’m ready to add some fun prints and colors to my glasses collection, I’m looking at Chilling in Tortoise or Pink Floral, Warren in Navy or the Lindsey in Green.

Bodysuit / H&M (similar) // Vest / B. Son // Skirt / Forever 21 // Sandals / Nordstrom Rack // Bag / Philip Lim for Target (so old but I still adore it!) // Rings / bday gift from my lovely photographer // Necklace / LA find // Glasses / EyeBuyDirect : Dialogue

Shot by Holli Zenko Photography.

This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on or buying items through these links may provide me with a small commission. This is part of what helps keep Dressed for Time going.