Let's Link Up! One Piece Many Ways

Today I am oh so excited to participate in my very first link up hosted by Audrey at Putting Me Together!  Audrey has challenged her readers to choose one piece of clothing and incorporate it into several outfits…”one piece many ways!”

For my featured item of clothing, I chose a knee-length navy and white printed skirt with an elastic waistband and pockets (who doesn’t love a skirt with pockets?!?).  This skirt has been one of my favorite purchases of the summer because it is super comfy!  Also, navy is one of my favorite neutrals and I have been having fun remixing it with different tops.   Here are a few of the outfits I’ve been wearing!

This first look is a casual, every-day ensemble.  This is also one of my first experiments with pattern mixing.  I find pattern mixing to be pretty scary because I’m worried I will do it horribly wrong and consequently will look like a crazy person.  I think this skirt works with the purple, striped tee because the print on top is big and bold while the print on the bottom is smaller and subtle.  What do you think?  Does my pattern mixing attempt work for you and why?  I’ve added a jean jacket, cognac sandals and my amber necklace to accessorize the look!

I think that my second ensemble would make for a fun summer date-night outfit!  I’m wearing a slim-fitting pink tank top and a pink bubble necklace for a monochromatic look.  Add some fun printed wedges (mine are covered in tiny pink flamingos), and you are ready for a hot night on the town!

My third and final look can be worn on breezy summer days and into the fall.  I will definitely be wearing this outfit to work when I go back to school!  I’ve combined my go-to skirt with the ever-versatile chambray shirt.  I added the belt to lend a different structure to the skirt and the coral heels for a pop of color!

Don’t forget to visit Putting Me Together to see lots of ways that readers have worn “one piece many ways!”

What I'm Wearing:

• Navy Printed Skirt: Target (exact)

• Striped T-Shirt: Old Navy (exact)
• Jean Jacket: Hand-Me-Down (similar, similar)
• Amber Necklace: Gift (similar, similar)
• Cognac Sandals: Target (exact)

• Pink Tank Top: Gap Outlet (similar, similar)
• Pink Bubble Necklace: Francesca's (exact)
• Printed Wedges: Gift (exact)

• Chambray Shirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
• Belt: Eastern Market D.C. (similar, similar)
• Coral Heels: DSW (similar, similar)

Monday Fashion Challenges

Over at one of my favorite blogs, Greater Than Rubies, Caitlin hosts a fun weekly fashion challenge called Remix Rewear Refashion.  Each week Caitlin gives us a theme, whether it be stripes, statement necklaces or shorts, et cetera.  All readers (bloggers and nonbloggers alike) are invited to send-in pictures of themselves wearing an outfit that features the theme of the week.  Each Monday, Caitlin posts reader pictures of the weekly fashion feature.

The Remix Rewear Refashion challenge motivates me to try to incorporate new pieces or ideas into my look that I might not try otherwise.  This really helps me to freshen-up my style!  You never know, you may find that you can totally rock a striped shirt when you thought that stripes weren’t really “you.”  The challenge also serves as a reminder not to get stuck in a rut.  Maybe there is a great statement necklace hiding in your jewelry box that you’ve forgotten about! 

Speaking of statement necklaces, run and grab your favorite because they are the fashion feature of the week!  Here is a sneak preview of the outfit I submitted to Caitlin for tomorrow’s challenge!

So don’t forget to visit Greater Than Rubies!  I hope that the reader photos will inspire you to spice-up your style and to perhaps participate in the challenges yourself!  

What I'm Wearing:

• Tank Top: Gap (similar, similar)
• Jean Jacket: Hand-Me-Down (similar, similar)
• Pink Bubble Necklace: Francesca's (exact)

Peplum Pairings

I am loving the peplum trend right now!  Who doesn’t love a style that gives you a tiny-looking waist?!?  Peplums make me feel really feminine and sexy without showing too much skin.   

When I started reading personal style blogs regularly, however, I started to shy away from peplum tops because I struggled to remix them into unique-looking ensembles.  To me, a peplum has such a distinct style and structure.  How do you alter it to create a new look?

When I get stuck in a fashion rut, I often return to Audrey’s blog, Putting Me Together.  Audrey is a whiz at looking stylish and, well, put together while dressing in an affordable and down to earth manner.  She also provides very focused advice and directions for creating a remixable wardrobe.  I am an organized, detail-oriented person and Audrey’s logical approach to fashion really works for me!

In her series, “Building a Remixable Wardrobe,” Audrey writes about shopping for remixable pieces.  When she gives tips on purchasing shirts, Audrey suggests finding tops that can be worn alone, belted, tied and tucked.  That way you can get four different looks out of one shirt…and we haven’t even thought about the bottoms yet!

So back to remixing peplum tops… I got to thinking about tucking peplums.  I don’t think this would work with just any old bottoms because of the particular structure of the top, but with the right outfit, it works!  AND it makes the shirt look totally different!

Peplum Untucked!

Peplum Tucked!

What do you think?  Are you into the peplum trend?  I would love to see some links to peplums that you’ve been coveting!

What I'm Wearing:

• Peplum Top: Anthropologie (exact) <--(on sale!)
• Skirt: Banana Republic (exact)
• Cognac Belt: Charming Charlie (similar, similar)
• Cognac Sandals: Target (exact)

A Birthday Party and a Big Necklace

This weekend I attended a first birthday party for my friend’s daughter.  For some reason, deciding what to wear to this event had me stumped!  On one hand, this is obviously a big event (I mean, you only get one first birthday party, right?).  However, kids’ birthday parties aren’t typically very formal occasions.  Each outfit I contemplated seemed either too casual or too formal.

I managed to make a decision by focusing my attention on one piece that I truly wanted to wear, and then I built my outfit around that item.  During previous snuggles with the birthday baby, I have noticed that she loves touching and holding on to my statement necklaces.  Therefore I decided that my outfit must include a big necklace in honor of the glamour girl in the making.  This also seemed like the perfect moment to sport a necklace that I bought last week!

I paired the necklace with one of my go-to skirts (super comfy).  I liked the way the skirt accentuated the pretty blues in the necklace.  I used to strictly wear this skirt with solid-colored tops but as I continue to experiment with remixing my wardrobe, I find that this skirt is really versatile! In this case, I decided that a striped t-shirt kept the outfit casual while adding a bit more character than a plain tee.

What do you think?  What are your go-to ensembles for events that are somewhere between formal and casual?

What I'm wearing:

• Striped Tee: Old Navy (exact)
• Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar, similar, similar)
• Blue Statement Necklace: Francesca's (exact)
• Wedges: DSW (exact)

And it all starts with a dress!

Welcome to the first Whitney a la mode post!  I am relatively new to the world of personal style blogs.  I have been reading them regularly for about six months and have been thinking for some time about starting my own.  I am in no way, shape or form a fashion expert!  This blog is my own personal motivation to be more creative with what I have in my closet, to budget and choose new clothing more carefully in order to add to my creative closet, and to weed-out old clothes that don’t contribute to my overall goal…to look more fashionable and put together!  Over time, I hope to have readers that will feel inspired by my fashion journey and who will also give me tips and advice in choosing ensembles.

I have chosen to focus my first post on my favorite dress of the summer!  I purchased this dress to wear to my sister’s wedding rehearsal and dinner.  It fit my criteria for being church-appropriate as well as casual enough for a barbeque (and I think it’s pretty darn cute).  Now, old Whitney would have only worn this dress one way: with the included matching tie-belt, with one set of jewelry and with one pair of shoes.  It might seem really obvious to you that changing-up accessories is an easy way to rework a dress, but this wasn’t the way my brain functioned.  I would find an outfit that worked and I would stick to it…but no more!  Here are some fun ways that I’ve spiced-up this dress.

 

For my sister’s wedding rehearsal and dinner I went for a bit dressier of a look.  The event took place at the beginning of the summer and I was in the mood for some fun colors.  I added a mint belt, a bold mint necklace and some wedges for a monochromatic look.

   

Here is an everyday look for this dress.  The wide cognac belt and cognac sandals keep the dress casual while accentuating my amber necklace!

What is your favorite piece in your closet this summer?  What are some fun ways that you accessorize this item?

What I'm wearing:

• Dress: Loft (exact, similar, similar)
• Mint Necklace: Etsy- Lasting Impressions (exact)
• Mint Belt: Target (exact)
• Wedges: DSW (exact)
• Amber Necklace: Gift (similar, similar)
• Cognac Belt: Charming Charlie (similar, similar)
• Cognac Sandals: Target (exact)