Happy Dance

Blazer: H&M Dress: Guess via Marshall's (similar, love this) Heels: Jessica Simpson via DSW (old, drooling over these) Sunglasses: Target (in pink) Clutch: Danielle Nicole via DSW Necklace: The Limited Watch: Michael Kors Bracelets: Express (identical), Banana Republic Factory Store (similar), Uzbekistan (cute ones on Etsy!)

Apparently I have a thing for blazers and florals lately (as evidenced here and here). Something about taking such a summer-y print and making it work appropriate was a fun challenge for me. I didn't want to do a drab brown-on-brown so I opted for a tan blazer that's defined by black piping along the lapel. No fears of mixing black and brown here! (Although my sister would probably cringe at the sight of this!) I love the unique combination of this dress - floral print, lace cap sleeves, and pockets! If every one of my skirts and dresses could have pockets I would die a happy girl.

I wore the peep-toe pumps from this outfit to work and swapped in my Jessica Simpson Gladiator heels for an awards ceremony afterwards. My best friend is graduating from college this week and was honored as a Psychology Student of the Year! (Congrats Tina!) She's definitely a hard worker and so deserving of the award (oh and she was named Philosophy Student of the Year too, no big deal) and she's an awesome photographer as you can see from the photos above. Can't wait to see her graduate and hopefully recreate this photo from high school!

Oh, and have you ever wondered what my happy dance looks like when I find an amazing pair of shoes? Well, wonder no more:

Linking up with Coffee Beans & Bobby Pins and Style Elixir!

82 boxes of shoes on the wall...

~Kamola

Springtime Favorites: Espadrille Wedges

Hello lovelies & happy Tuesday! For today's Tuesday Shoesday, we have Andrea of Sincerely, Andrea with us again! Today she is sharing a must-have for the spring and summer - wedges! I only own a couple pairs so I am definitely taking notes from her picks below, hope you find some inspiration in them too!

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Espadrilles Wedges by atice23 featuring wedge espadrilles

DV by Dolce Vita wedge sandals / DV by Dolce Vita wedge espadrille / Seychelles / Steve Madden wedge espadrille / DV by Dolce Vita wedge espadrille / ALDO high heel shoes

When spring makes its slow arrival, the sun seems to shines a bit brighter and the warmth of the air fills our lungs with ease.  After what felt like the longest winter of my east coast living, I am ready to welcome springtime with every fashion find I have.  My most favorite comeback are espadrilles wedges.  I love all the natural looking designs, the twine and cork along the wedge, and the fun strap options to choose from.  Not to mention, wedges are so comfortable and versatile when wearing all day or walking at length.  Once the weather gets to sixty degrees and above, you won't catch me with booties.  I'll be in my strappy espradilles wedges, a floral dress, and a pair of sunglasses.  #allineedforspring

New Neutral

 Blazer: H&M Blouse: Express Pencil Skirt: Amanda + Chelsea via Nordstrom Rack (similar - love the details on the back!) Cap Toe Pumps: Diana Shoes (from Tokyo, in black, similar options here) Clutch: Danielle Nicole via DSW Necklace: TJ Maxx Watch: Michael Kors

 When wearing a head-to-toe neutral look, the key is mixing it up with texture and details. An ivory blazer, satin-y top, and animal printed pencil skirt played perfectly with my nude cap toe pumps from Tokyo. And while you can't tell that well from the pictures, my clutch is actually a soft pink which I thought was a subtle contrast to the overall neutral tone of the outfit. 

I wore this to work and a branding event afterward held by Femworking. We heard from a panelist of speakers about their successes and failures and advice for us on how to build our personal brand. It was truly inspirational and once my finals finish on Monday I will be putting all that extra spare time into my blog! If you are interested in attending any Femworking events, check us out on Meetup, Facebook, and there is an event coming up next Tuesday! Thanks for reading, hope you have a fabulous weekend!

~Kamola

Linking up with Simple Easy Style, Style Elixir & Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins today!

Expect the Unexpected

Envy / Rachel Zoe / Steve Madden / Levity / Sole Society / Sole Society

I am always on the look out for a great pair of pumps and lately I have been gravitating towards unexpected details. While a classic pair of black pointy toe pumps will never go out of style, those little details have been catching my eye such as ankle and t-straps, snake skin, pop of neon, and the adorable bow on the Steve Maddens. All of the above could be appropriate in the office and then fit in perfectly at happy hour or a nice dinner date afterwards.

~Kamola

Sock in My Hair

 Black Blazer: Express Ruffled Top: Express (old) Pencil Skirt: The Limited (on sale for $35!) Cap Toe Pumps: Ginza Diana from Tokyo (similar options here) Sunglasses: Target (in pink) Necklace: Gift Watch: Michael Kors

Photos by Andrea

I normally hate putting my hair up although you will probably find me with my hair up at least 50% of the time. Oxymoron you might say? Well, yes, but when you are the snooze queen and do not leave yourself enough time to straighten, curl, or remotely tame the wild mess of hair you have, throwing it up into a ponytail or bun is usually the only option. Lucky for me, I finally learned a chic way to do it! After many failed attempts at trying the sock bun, I think I finally mastered it. Using Wendy's tutorial here, I rolled my thick ass hair into a trouser sock and somehow, made it stay. I did not use all the products shown in the tutorial... the only thing I did was patting some Frizz Ease Finishing Creme to tame the fly away hairs and showering the bun in hair spray. I highly recommend the bobby pins!! It helps keep the bun in place and one day I didn't have enough on hand so my bun kept falling to one side. You can also try Melanie's tutorial here, she does it a little differently but my hair is too long and thick for me to actually pull off. What do you guys think of my sock bun (see my other attempts here and here)? I am such a dork, I kept thinking to myself (and saying to others out loud) "I have a sock in my hair!"

Black blazers are probably the most versatile item for your work wardrobe and even doubles as a great piece for play and casual days too (don't believe me? Check out Kelley's guest post on So Work Week Chic!). I throw my black blazer over everything. It's the perfect piece for a colored skirt or dress or for balancing out an edgier look. For this look, I wanted the color red and the floral detailing of the skirt to really pop against a contrasting black backdrop which is why I went with black-on-black on top. The trick with wearing black-on-black is making sure the shade of blacks do not differ too much. For example, if the blazer was a lighter black, it could have looked faded and old compared to the shiny black top.

And just a PS... I kind of feel like a pin-up girl in these pictures for some reason. Anyone else see it??

Happy Friday to all!

~Kamola

Linking Up With:
Long Distance Loving - Friday's Fancies
Style Elixir - Style Sessions
Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins & Face It Catalog - Friday's Five Link Up