Dark Green + Tangerine = Summer Queen

Confession: I consulted a rhyming website to come up with this post title.  I'm still not in love with it but sometimes the inspiration just doesn't strike when you need it!

Similarly, I struggled to style this dress for a summer look.  The cut of the dress fits the warm weather, but to me the color works better during the fall.

I wore this outfit to my cousin's rehearsal dinner and I really wanted to repurpose a dress I already own instead of purchasing a new one.  I had only worn this trapeze dress once before so it seemed like the perfect dress to wear...until I got stuck on making it work for a summer event.

I thought that some fun, pop-of-color shoes would brighten up the look but again, I didn't want to buy anything new.  I've had these tangerine hued shoes for at least five years and dug them out from the shoe bin under my bed.

Alright, so I have a contrasting colored dress and pair of shoes, how do I make this outfit cohesive?  Enter this fun little patterned clutch!  It's funny, the purse doesn't actually feature the green of the dress or the orange of the shoes but it somehow ties the look together.  I guess it goes to show that an outfit doesn't have to be matchy matchy to go together.

Do you experiment with typically cold-weather colors during the summer!  What's your favorite way to heat them up?

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: LOFT (similar fit different color)
Clutch: Boutique in D.C. (similar, similar)
Heels: DSW (similar, similar)
Earrings: Kate Spade (exact and included in the Nordstrom sale!)

Where I'm linking-up!
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Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Red, White and Blue

Happy Fourth of July, my dear blogging friends!  May your day be filled with friends, hot dogs, cold drinks, sparklers and a swell of pride for the 'ole U.S. of A!  And while you're at it, will you have an extra hot dog and cold drink for me?  Because I will be spending today driving across this great country of ours for about ten hours.  It's not exactly the way I would prefer to spend my holiday but I will make the most of it by taking in the landscape that our nation has to offer!

For the past two years, I have been invited to a wedding during Fourth of July weekend.  I love holidays and I love weddings so I think that this is a perfect way to celebrate the Fourth!  Add to the mix a self-imposed challenge to create a wedding-appropriate, not cheesy, red, white and blue outfit?!  I am in closet remixing heaven!

I purchased a beautiful, red maxi dress for the wedding last summer and decided that because I love it so much, I wanted to wear it again for this wedding!  I wanted to do red, white and blue again but in a different way than I did last year.  The dress and the shoes remain the same but I spiced up the accessories!

When Bri hosted an online Stella & Dot party a couple months ago, I found the perfect necklace and clutch to create the look I had been daydreaming about!  By purchasing these items, I won the spot of surprise hostess for the party and received some credit to purchase another couple of Stella & Dot pieces.  Thank you, Bri!

With that, have a lovely Fourth (and don't forget about that extra hot dog)!

What I'm Wearing:
Dress: Nashville Boutique (similar, similar)
Wedges: DSW (similar, similar)
Necklace: Stella & Dot (exact)
Clutch: Stella & Dot (exact)

Spring Wedding: One Dress, Two Ways

Good morning, lovelies!  I'm super excited for this post because I'm featuring two special occasion looks!  There's something about wearing a pretty dress that makes a girl feel special, don't you think?

In early April, I asked for your advice in choosing a pretty spring dress for a couple of events I had planned.  I actually ordered four of the five dresses featured in that post so that I could really choose the perfect one!  The winning dress was obvious from the moment I put it on and the rest were promptly shipped back.

I chose this dress!

I am joining four other lovely ladies today to talk about what to wear to a spring wedding!  While I didn't actually have a wedding to attend this past month, I was lucky to have two other formal events for which I could dress-up!  I decided that it would be fun to take this beautiful dress and create two different looks!

Look #1: I wore this ensemble to a tea party hosted by the Junior League of Lansing, Michigan.  It was a fun afternoon full of empowering messages for women, pretty dresses and a few glasses of tea champagne.

For this event I chose to make the dress a bit more formal with classic nude wedges and a bold coral necklace.  Dainty, stackable rings completed the look.

Look #2:  The second time I wore this dress was for a very special event...the baptism of my beautiful niece, Eloise!  I am so blessed that my sister and brother-in-law chose me to be Eloise's godmother so I got to stand up with them for this special moment.

I went a little bit more casual for this occasion by adding a belt and a pair of navy espadrilles.  What I really loved about this dress is that there are so many different hues in the floral print to pull out and work with!  Using coral in the first look versus red and navy accessories in the second almost made the colors of the dress look different to me.

Jennie              Rachel              Ada              Jill              moi

Thank you to Ada of Elegance and Mommyhood for organizing this seasonal wedding collaboration for three seasons in a row now!  You can check out my fall wedding and winter wedding looks, if you'd like!

And please take time to see how these other beautiful women have shopped their closets to style looks for a spring wedding!

Winter Wedding + Link-Up

There isn't a whole lot in this world that I love more than a pretty dress, the holiday season, or a sparkling wedding.  So when I get to wear the above-mentioned pretty dress to a sparkling wedding during my favorite season, you could say that I am in heaven!

I attended a beautiful celebration of love at the end of November.  The event was lavish and the dress code was black tie only.  And oh do I love an excuse to wear a beautiful, formal dress!  

For this occasion, I chose a mixed media dress made of black lace and berry brocade.  The materials felt well-made and decadent and the colors were perfect for the holidays!

To complete the look I added a velvet clutch and pumps.  I felt comfortable and beautiful as I danced the night away with my family.

Are you wondering what to wear to a holiday event or winter wedding?  I think that lace makes for a perfectly elegant and holiday-ready look.  Here are a few beautiful lace dresses for you to peruse.

Perhaps it was serendipity, but earlier in the fall, the lovely Ada of Elegance and Mommyhood invited me to participate in a Winter Wedding collaboration.  I had enjoyed working together to feature Fall Wedding Looks so I jumped right in!

Please visit these other beautiful bloggers today to see what they chose for their Winter Wedding Looks!  I love how different yet perfect for a holiday occasion each of our looks are!  Which would you wear?

Doused in Pink     /     Elegance and Mommyhood     /     Curly Crafty Mom

Whitney à la mode     /     A Pocket Full of Polka Dots     /     Garay Treasures

And now it's time for that Lovely Little à la Mode Link-Up!

September Wedding

It seems relatively easy to think of a pretty outfit to wear as a guest during "wedding season."  You know, June through August when it seems like you have a wedding to attend almost every weekend.  Just throw on your prettiest sundress and your strappiest sandals and you are ready to go!

Now fall weddings, that's another story entirely...especially in September!  First of all, there is the weather to contend with.  The temperatures could soar into the 80s or dip into the 60s (here in Michigan at least).  And weather aside, I know that I'm ready to look a bit more ready for fall.  So what's a girl to do?!

It's a good thing my friend Ada of Elegance and Mommyhood invited me to collaborate with her and two other lovely bloggers to feature our favorite fall-transition wedding guest looks!

So what's my answer to the September wedding-wear conundrum?  Two things: light, pretty layers and fall colors!  I know I've discussed my trouble with kimonos before, but I do love this one!  Not to mention its floral print gives it a feminine and romantic vibe-- exactly what I'm going for at a wedding.  On the practical side, it provides a bit of extra warmth on a chill almost fall evening but can be easily removed for a night on the dance floor!

Using the quintessential little black dress as a foundation, I've added elements in colors that make me think of fall!  Vibrant orange heels and floral print plus a deep green clutch take this basic dress into the cooler months.

And did you notice that my clutch speaks French?  Le Tote sure knew the way to my heart with this one!

And now let's take a look at how Ada, Carrie and Jennie dressed-up for a September Wedding!  Make sure to stop by their blogs to read about their beautiful choices!

Looks like I missed the pink memo!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet (similar, similar)

Kimono: Ruche (similar, similar)

Heels: DSW (similar, similar)

Clutch: Le Tote (exact)

Where I'm linking-up!