*I’m devoting this week to dresses in an attempt to motivate myself to actually wear the dresses I have in my closet.*

I shared a peak of this dress and matching cardigan in my last outfit planning post, but this is how I wore it once I got it home. I paired it with a coganc belt that matches the cognac in my wedes. When it gets cooler out, which I can’t wait for because this heat is miserable, I’ll wear it with my denim jacket and booties. How cute will that be? About as cute as this summer version, I’m sure! Anyway, I wore this outfit to my latest volunteer day. I’m wrapping up the project that I started on so that I can begin a new one, which I’m even more excited about. I’m going to be doing some content writing and I love writing so it’s a win.

Dress, Cardigan, & Belt: Old Navy | Wedges: Target | Necklace: Claire’s (old)

*I’m devoting this week to dresses in an attempt to motivate myself to actually wear the dresses I have in my closet.*

I’m not sure why but I have a closet full of dresses that I never wear. I love them all, which is why I have them, but dresses often feel too formal to me; I used to only wear them for special occasions. I keep finding really cute dresses with the intention of wearing them casually, but after wearing a dress once (usually for a special occasion) it starts to feel too formal. So I’m going to devote this entire week to wearing the dresses in my closet!

I picked up this dress on a whim while shopping with my friend. And when I say “on a whim” I mean I was literally walking up to the register when it caught my eye and I grabbed it. I didn’t try it on, I just grabbed my size and continued on my way to the register. I never do that! I figured I’d end up taking it back but when I got it home and tried it on, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I wore it for the first time to have coffee on a lazy Sunday morning with my BFF and then later to do our weekly grocery shopping. I’m feeling a little self-conscious about my tummy these days, so I added this pretty scarf to take attention away from my midsection. The colors in the scarf – pinks, grays and olive – were a perfect match for this dress. I can’t wait to wear these same pieces in the fall with tights, booties, and a jacket!

This cute little shoulder detail keeps the dress from feeling boring.

Dress: Banana Republic Outlet | Scarf: Loft Outlet | Necklace: Old Navy | Sandals: Target

Linking up with the Hello Monday linkup with More Pieces of Me and Sincerely Jenna Maria | Still Being Molly | A Lovely Little Wardrobe

I can’t get enough of this polka dot top! It’s perfect for an office setting, it’s great for a night out with friends, or it can be dressed down with some shorts or jeans. I wore this particular outfit to the office where I volunteer, giving me an opportunity to get dressed in something other than jeans or shorts and a t-shirt, which is what I wear when I’m babysitting.

Here is some of the thought process that went into putting this outfit together:

–I like wearing gray and navy together.
–The polka dots provide some interest to an all-neutral ensamble.
–A simple necklace will not overwhelm the outfit, since there are jewels/studs on my shoes.
–It’s too hot for real pants, let me wear crops instead… as if that really made much of a difference.
–I really need to figure out which exercises will slim down my thighs.
–Just kidding, I love my thighs! But seriously, I need to get to the gym and work on my fitness. Because being healthy is important!

How many of those did I get right? 🙂

I thought about wearing some dark navy blue pumps but sometimes you just need a good pair of flats to wear to the office, and I love that these provide some sparkle in the light. Also, these shoes were named after me: Nicole!

Polka Dot Top: Target | Trousers: Karen Kane via Stitch Fix | Shoes: Nicole via Ross | Necklace: Old Navy

Linking up with More Pieces of Me & Sincerely Jenna Maria | Walking in Memphis in High Heels | Tucker Up | The Pleated Poppy

Nick and I went out on a double date a few weeks ago for wine and cocktails, and this is what I wore. These coated denim jeans just scream “going out” to me… so much so that I rarely reach for them during the day. They also feel more appropriate for fall, probably because they *kind of* look like leather (if you squint your eyes really hard) so maybe I’ll wear them more during the day once the weather starts to cool down a bit.

Y’all, I bought these shoes on super sale at Banana Republic back when they were having their 50% off of the already 50% off sale. AND on top of that, we got an additional 10% off with Nick’s employee discount  and yet I still managed to pay $40 for them. I rarely purchase shoes from BR because they only carry my size online and we can’t use our discount online. Someone returned these beauties to the store so that’s how I was able to snatch them up. A sincere thank you to whomever did that!

I almost wrote that this is the first time I’ve ever worn snake skin print on my shoes but I just remembered a time in high school when I had a pair of red snake skin shoes very similar to these and I wore them with a shiny pleather skirt and a redish-purple sweater with feathers around the neck and sleeves. It was very Cher-esque from “Clueless” and I freakin’ loved that outfit!

This top is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I’ve worn it a bunch since I got it. In fact, you’ll see it again soon. I also bought it in green! I’m a big supporter of buying multiples when you find something you really like.

THESE SHOES THO!

Here’s the fun one: Say Cheese!

Blouse: Target | Jeans & Shoes: Banana Republic | Clutch: Nordstrom | Necklace: Old Navy

Linking up with Charming Friday | Tucker Up | Mix & Match Fashion | The Tiny Heart

I’ve seen a lot of inspiration lately for wearing white and gray together; more specifically, wearing a gray t-shirt with white pants and accessorized with cognac shoes, belts, purses, etc. I wanted to accessorize this outfit with cognac, too, but I ran into a few issues. First, you couldn’t see my cognac belt with my shirt untucked. Unfortunately, this t-shirt is too tight for a half tuck, AND my torso is too short so the proportions were all wrong. Second, the only cognac bag I have is huge and falling apart, which is not what I felt like carrying around to lunch and during errands. So I decided to switch it up and make it my own. That’s the point of inspiration photos, after all. A point that took me a while to realize, I’ll admit. Instead of cognac, I decided to accessorize with my favorite floral flats (that have a lot of gray in them) and my cobalt blue purse. The result? Well, as you can see, it looks pretty good!

One of these photos is not like the others. I had some extra time to take photos and the sun kept going in and out of the clouds, so I tried a few different shots. I didn’t get too many like the one below before the sun came out again and produced harsh light. But this one was alright, so I kept it.

 Tee & Sunnies: Target | Jeans: Old Navy | Shoes & Handbag: Target | Bracelet: Old Navy | Charm Necklaec: Target | Layered Necklaces: Claire’s