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Everyday Style & Recipes. Est. 2010

spring dress

Charcoal & Sienna

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When it comes to personal style, where do you get your color palettes for your outfit or closet? When I’m in need of some aspirational color goals, I usually turn to nature for guidance. This look was inspired by a recent early Spring hike in the canyon. This marled mini dress from TopShop (now sadly closed/absorbed by Asos) was a perfect addition for my neutral color scheme in my closet. Where I hiked in the canyon was just beginning to turn green due to recent rainstorms, and the reappearance of wildflowers added an injection of whites, purples and yellows to the landscape. The overall appearance of this landscape was mostly a mix of reds, blacks, greys and browns, hence the color scheme for this dress. The area I hiked was also home to a wildfire several years ago, and there’s still a lot of evidence of that in the landscape with the blackened trees on the hillsides. Yes, if you were wondering I am a total dork when it comes to colors.

Now back to the ‘fit: these vintage Bruno Valenti shoes add such a beautiful pop of color into any neutrals based ‘fit. Do you ever look back at your thrifting finds, and think how lucky you were to stumble across them? These simple lace-up booties look great with just about everything — from skinny jeans, to skirts, to dresses. They have been an A+ addition to my closet recently. Also love the added vintage vibes to every outfit without looking dated or “costumey.” That’s one thing I try to be aware of and actively avoid when shopping for anything vintage. Does it make you look like you’re an extra in a period movie? If the answer could possibly be ‘yes,’ avoid at all costs!! Or not, you know, whatever floats your boat, lol.

Outfit Details: Dress: TopShop; Tights: Target; Shoes: Bruno Valenti; Necklace: Vintage/thrifted; Bag: LeatherStrata

Garden Party Florals

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It has really started to feel like Spring again and it seemed fitting to bring some Spring vibes to the blog, like this lovely floral tea dress from TopShop (which FYI has since closed down). This dress is perfect for any kind of outdoor occasion, and can be easily dressed up with heels or down with sneakers. On this occasion, I styled it for a more casual “garden party” look with the classic Converse All Stars because you can’t go wrong with a pair of chucks. The fit and flare shape of this dress is also a timeless and flattering shape that looks good on just about everyone. This floral pattern along with the blush color is such a pretty combo and has such delicate/romantic vibes. Blush is such a perfect color for Spring! If you want to find out more on this one, check out my Poshmark as I currently have a duplicate of this dress for sale!

For Spring, I couldn’t resist bringing out the woven circle bag again lol. In the back of my mind I have second thoughts that maybe I have worn this a little too much buuuut…oh well. It’s just a great bag that looks perfect with so many outfits–especially in the warmer months. Speaking of which, can we ditch the “this was so last year” mentality? For one, it’s a useless attitude and bad for the environment, and two, as long as the thing isn’t completely heinous, keep rocking it! But that begs the question, if it’s heinous in the first place, why was it ever trendy to begin with?! I digress. My general philosophy on trends is to pick and choose the ones that you actually like that have some staying power in your closet and have a classic look that won’t look stupid in one year’s time (looking at you extra wide leg pants). If it’s “in” for you that is what matters! Plus it helps slow down the fast fashion cycle which is a +1 for the environment too.

Outfit Details: Dress: TopShop; Shoes: Converse; Bag: unbranded; Jewelry: Forever21; Hat; Unbranded

Vintage Reds

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I’ve been all about neutral tones lately, so it seemed fitting to mix things up and go with a little pop of color for early Spring! I have also been just a tad obsessed with shirt dresses, like this vintage Laura Ashley dress thrifted from Poshmark. Poshmark has such great vintage finds — gah! I want them all. >.< These lace-up Bruno Valenti shoes are also a vintage find from Poshmark, which have been featured in a couple of posts already because they go with so many looks. Maybe it’s me but I find shirt dress styles with a fit & flare shape to be the most flattering of all dress types. Gonna have to give a hard pass on all those trendy, shapeless “shift” dresses thank you very much! I’ve tried to make those work and have always failed, and you know what — I feel pretty okay about it. It’s more important to dress how YOU look best, not what the latest trend dictates. I also love how vintage dresses tend to offer a little more in length, unlike a lot of modern styles that are usually mini dresses. It is always a letdown when you find a dress you love buuut it’s so short that the only way to make it respectable is with tights or leggings, waaah. It’s just not that practical at least for the hotter Summer months.

On a related note, I also recently got in touch with the dance wear brand, “We Love Colors,” and they were generous enough to provide a sample of their tights. The ones I’m wearing in this post are their Microfiber Nylon/Lycra tights in Charcoal. It is a bit ironic that a brand called “We Love Colors” reached out to collab since I happen to be a neutral fanatic with an aversion to bright colors. So of course I chose their least bright color available, duh. But if you are a color fan, they have SO MANY options — and so vibrant too! Just check out their nifty guide of color options. But alas, I’m more of a black or charcoal gal myself with tights and leggings (which is perfectly fine because they have plenty of neutral options too). As for the product itself, I like the material of these tights. They seem to be made with a more durable material and are overall better made than other brands. Unlike most tights, which fall apart in like minutes it seems, these ones have held up! It’s also cool that this brand also makes most of their styles in men’s sizes as well. While I have more leggings than I know what to do with, I might try out their leggings next. If those work out I am officially sold on this brand! All styles are dyed in the United States, and are reasonably priced, so check them out if you’re looking for new tights, leggings or even workout/dancewear.

Details: Dress: Vintage, Laura Ashley; Boots: Vintage, Bruno Valenti; Tights: We Love Colors; Bag: Leather Strata (Etsy); necklace: Etsy

Babydoll Swing Dress

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I’ve never been a huge fan of babydoll dresses or tank tops as they tend to be a bit unflattering for me personally. I see them on other people and they look great so I think it’s just me! I think I am more of a ‘fit and flare’ gal. This babydoll dress from American Eagle is the exception and I love how it fits. It’s somehow very flattering even though its loose and flowy — not boxy or tented out like I would expect. It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised by a great fit.

Since it’s been warming up here, I have been wearing this non-stop! It’s so light that it is perfect for hotter days. Seriously, I wore this when it was 89 degrees and it was a life saver. It looks great dressed up or down, as a casual look with sneakers or with heels or sandals. I’m partial to the Converse All-Stars myself. Spring days tend to have colder nights so I paired this with a cozy pullover sweater…perfect for late night bonfires during this gorgeous time of year. Today is Memorial Day and it’s great for a cookout or picnic. Make sure to wear it with a wide brimmed sunhat to protect yourself from those rays!

Outfit Details: Sweater: American Eagle; Dress: American Eagle; Shoes: Converse; Bag: Leather Strata; Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Charcoal & Sage

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Happy March 1st! It’s gotta be Spring, right? Oh wait, it snowed today, lol. I have been so excited about Spring looks that I have been trying to incorporate them into cold weather times. Hence this perfect Spring dress from Abercrombie & Fitch. I love the sagey color and 90’s style floral print. It’s made from a thicker material and is fully lined–love the quality that Abercrombie has offered lately!

Next on my list are these fabulous boots and while they look like Doc Marten’s they aren’t! They’re actually Solovair, which was at one point the manufacturer of Doc Marten’s but since then the companies have split off. I’ve wanted a pair of Doc Marten’s forever, but these Solovairs are made in England and are just as good, if not better made. These are Solovair’s Astronaut boot, a slightly lower style than the typical combat boot. I like the lower ankle height because it provides a little more versatility in what I can wear it with. The cost on these are just a bit under Doc Marten’s Made in England styles so for me this was a no brainer decision to go with Solovair instead. This style is a nice way to update the 90’s classic and I am super into it!

Outfit Details: Leather Jacket: Zara; Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch; Shoes: Solovair; tights: Target

Prairie Dress & Spring Cuts

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Spring is always a wacky time in Colorado, it’s never clear when you can wear Spring attire or bundle up in layers again.  Lately I’ve been into longer “prairie” inspired dresses and when it finally warmed up I jumped at the chance to wear this one from Adored Vintage! Adored Vintage has been a recent favorite online boutique–they have so many gorgeous options for Spring!  It was hard to limit myself to just a few pieces since they’re all amazing.  Love the ditsy floral pattern and the color of this one.  While I salivate over Christy Dawn dresses, the price point is a little much for me, and this one is way more affordable.  And just as beautiful might I add!  Since I’m on a dress and sneakers kick (no pun intended) these converse All-Stars add a perfect casual vibe to make it a more every day or “out to brunch” outfit.

Oh, and as you’ve probably noticed already, I lopped off a good 8 inches of my hair a few weeks ago.  Does anyone else grow out their hair and cut it all off for Summer?  It feels amazing getting rid of the unhealthy ends and the excess weight!  Since I’ve gone with longer hair styles for several years, I had to relearn how to style short hair, and that required an addition of several products into my routine.  I’ve always loved natural waves but it was so easy to throw wet hair in a braid and be good to go in the morning.  Now that’s not really possible so I’ve started using Bumble and Bumble’s BB Texture Cream and Ouai Wave Spray on damp hair in the morning.  I just scrunch with my fingers and voila–laid back beach waves!

Outfit Set:Outfit Details: Dress: Adored Vintage; Shoes: Converse; Bag: Unbranded; Necklace: Forever 21