Put a little prep in your step

In college, I hated that people would tell me "this ___ looks like something you would wear".
I had friends whose style I felt was so unpredictable and they could literally wear anything they wanted; I wanted so badly to be that person.
I went through phases of wearing baggy clothes, clothes that were too short for me, lots of dark clothes- all in efforts to keep a "well-balanced" closet.

The problem was, I never felt comfortable in most of the clothes I wore.
I was so caught up with trying to be trendy and stylish that I sacrificed my confidence.
I would try to wear those baggy, aztec-type sweaters and I just felt lost inside of clothes- I had no control over my style and certainly didn't felt comfortable with myself.

At 25, I am finally ok with being the preppy person I am.
In fact, I now fully embrace it- bring on the stripes, glitter, and hearts.
This "style crisis" was one of the reasons I started Real Life Dress Up- I have experienced how it feels to not feel comfortable with yourself and I have taken control back from my clothes.
I now wear clothes that I feel confident in and sometimes that means "skipping" on certain trends.


My tip to you- identify what you feel comfortable & confident with and embrace it.

& if your style happens to be more on the preppy side, then this is the blog for you :)

Sweater: F21 (old)

Shirt under sweater: Ross (old)

Jeans: F21 (old)

Shoes: GoJane

What is your personal style? Has anyone else experienced this shift?

Xoxo,

Nicole

Linking up: Penniless Socialite// Style Elixir

Dressing like a 25 year old

Somehow I am 25 years old.
I don't remember it happening, but it happened and I have to accept it... I am 25.
Being a lover of all things pink, floral, lace, and tulle, I have to constantly be careful of my outfit selections- I can be mistaken for a 15 year old in a second.
But often I feel even older than I really am and sometimes am drawn to things my grandmother may wear. (she is a fashionable women with a closet full of Kate Spade- so don't feel offended for her)
It's this crazy fine balance; the life of a 25 year old- don't dress too young, don't dress too old.

Naturally I choose leopard because it can go horribly wrong (who likes to play it safe?)
With the first outfit, I tried to keep it classy with a black necklace, but realized I was playing on that  "too old" line.
A simple necklace and shoe swap made for a much more age-appropriate outfit selection.
The yellow necklace keeps the outfit youthful and the nude pumps add some age.
It's a tricky balance... does it get better with age?

What about you guys? Ever have a hard time deciding if something is age appropriate?

Happy Wednesday!!!

Don't forget to check the sidebar for ways to stay connected. 

Xoxo,

Nicole

Linking up: Here

Phillip Lim for Target, again.

Ever since the Phillip Lim for Target line launched, I have been obsessing over this dress.

But I have never been able to find my size in stores & ordering online seemed risky with such mixed reviews. 

I was so excited the other day when I found it at Target... and on a clearance rack!

I was with a friend and I grabbed the dress, checked the size, and gave it a nice hug

I think my exact words to her were "I need this dress! I have been wanting it for so long & it's on sale! I am buying it!"

She didn't argue, but I don't think she was thrilled with the purchase- her facial expressions gave her away. 

When I tried it on at home, I loved it by itself but it didn't feel too office appropriate and there is no way this dress was only getting pulled out on date nights and weekends. 

Adding the blazer and rolling up the sleeves seemed to give it a more "office feel" and I was giddy over the pops of mint & red. 

(The dress pre blazer) 

What do you guys think? 

A: does the blazer make it office appropriate? 

and 

B: is it office appropriate without the blazer?

Have a great day!

Xoxo,

Nicole

Linking up: What We Wore and Trend Spin Linkup and Because Shanna Said So
The Pleated Poppy and Kiki Women Style

Mixing Reds

I love, love, love mixing reds.
In my opinion, the key is not mixing the same red- but instead, a brighter or lighter red with a deeper red.
I also love that this sweater is child size XL from Old Navy. I had never thought about ordering a kids size due to weird fits, but sweaters seem to be a different story because they are a little more snug.

However, be warned, if you wear a sweater that relates to a popular parody, people will stop and tell you.

I never want to hear "what does the fox say?" EVER again.

Jeans: JcPenney

Sweater: Old Navy

Glitter Plaid Button Up: Target

That's all I have for today!

Happy Monday!! 

Legging Loophole

I've said it once & I'll say it again- casual Friday is where it's at. 
I don't know what "it" is- but I'm confident it involves the option to dress casually.
Don't get me wrong- I love dressing up just as much as the next girl... but I want it to be by choice.
You can find me in professional attire from Monday to Thursday and on Friday, I refuse to wear anything that is acceptable on professional attire days.

However, casual Friday strictly excludes leggings.
And much against my pleading, it doesn't look like leggings will ever be approved.
When I found these pants at H&M, I knew I found a loophole to the no legging rule.
Technically- these aren't leggings, they are just really tight pants.
Do my legs know any difference?
Nope. They share the same comfort as my trusted leggings.
& here we have it folks, the leggings loophole. 

 

Shirt: Old Navy 

Pants: H&M (12.95 right now!)

Happy weekend, lovies!

Rainy Days and Tights.

I live in the land of sunshine. The sun is with us all year long & if we are lucky, we get about 6 days of rain.

I have never seen Hunters in real life and our stores don't carry jackets that are too heavy. 

I will never forget the winter that Donnie & I spent in Boston- I thought that pea coats were the thickest forms of jackets and sales people laughed at me when I asked what "down-filled jacket" meant; it was something else. 

I had a completely different outfit planned for today, but when I woke up to the smell of rain- I jumped out of bed and ran straight to my tights. 

You see, when you live in San Diego, you have to take advantage of these rainy days.

I listened to Christmas music all day long, I drank hot cocoa from a Christmas mug; I even bought myself some Christmas gifts at lunch. 

The forecast goes back to normal tomorrow and the tights get tucked back away. 

But as for right now- I sip my tea, cuddle in a blanket, and listen to the unfamiliar sound of rain. 

Do tights make anyone else feel absolutely giddy? 

Xoxo,

Nicole

P.S. Tomorrow, we chat about thrifting. Stay tuned.

Linking up:  Mix Match Fashion 

From Casual Friday to a Concert

Casual Friday is my favorite day of the work week; I seriously get upset if I miss casual Friday and have to wait a whole week to wear jeans to work.
But, since I am still at work, I try not to go too casual.
Today was going to be an even bigger challenge because the hubby & I are going to the John Mayer concert right after work (with no chance to change), so I needed an outfit that I could wear to work, but easily converted to a casual vibe without having to change.

Work:

 

 

Night: Throw on a camel bomber, pull a teal clutch out of my purse & I am ready for the night! 

 

Shirt: my favorite Kohl's shirt

 Scarf: Old Navy/old: similar

Jeans: Forever 21 Skinny Jeans

Shoes: Steve Madden Pumps via Ross 

Camel Bomber: Target (can't find online, but very recent purchase) 

What is your favorite casual Friday outfit?? 

Happy weekend time, lovies!

Xoxo,

Nicole

Linking up: Vodka Infused Lemonade & Hunters of Happiness

The evolution of the outfit

When I found this sweater at Target, I loved it and instantly thought of pairing it with my cobalt blue peplum skirt.
I put the outfit on together & realized that it failed miserably; I actually gasped when I put it on and realized how bad it looked.
(**I originally wasn't going to post a picture, but decided that it is part of the process & it's important to see that clothes can be very unflattering if you let them be. It's important to keep trying until you get the look that you originally wanted) 

1. This was the outfit that looked great in my head. On me, it looked miserable & was completely unflattering. I identified the skirt as the part that wasn't working, so I kept the sweater on & switched pants.

 

2. I added a pair of light blue corduroy pants and blue flats and knew I was on the right track, but I still wasn't convinced of the outfit.  I decided to see if it was the shoes or the pants I wasn't liking, so I tried to swap out the pants first.

 

3. I instantly knew I liked the jeans better because it made the sweater look less juvenile, but still felt a little matchy-matchy so I added the bubble necklace for some contrast. I liked the direction I was heading, but I wanted to make one more adjustment--- the competing shoes.

 

4. I swapped the blue shoes for some nude pumps and loved the chic look it created. The blue shoes were competing with the necklace and sweater and the dark denim with nude pumps allow for full focus on the sweater detail. 

By identifying pieces along the way that I wasn't crazy about, I was able to end up with an outfit that I love. When an outfit doesn't look the way you intended it to look- keep trying!

Have you ever ended up with an outfit that you loved as a result of evolving your closet? 

P.S. I am loving the comments and support--- you guys are amazing!!

Xoxo, Nicole  

Here's a sneak peak of tomorrow's post: 

Linking up: Everyday Fashion & Finance

Sequins & Plaid- A girl's best friend

My heart dropped when I saw this shirt in Target.
Sequins and plaid? It's a girls dream shirt.
I instantly grabbed it, but then stopped to try to justify the purchase & one of the biggest questions I was asking myself was "can I wear this to work?"
I knew it would be tricky and that I risked the chance of being too matchy-matchy or looking like a business farmer; but I was willing to take the chance.
& boy am I glad I did.
I love this shirt paired with this satin light pink skirt- it takes it away from looking too much like Christmas and adds a nice feminine touch.
I can't wait to wear this pair this shirt with weekend wear; boots, sweaters, chambray- the possibilities are endless!

Can you wear sequins and plaid to work?
Thanks for visiting! Make sure to follow for more outfits, and daily savings tips!


I just brainstormed some topics that I was thinking of posting in the next few weeks:
-Love it or List it, Closet Edition: A new way of cleaning out your closet
-Ways to save on JCrew, The Limited, Banana Republic, etc
-How I stick to my small Dave Ramsey clothing budget
-How I brainstorm before making new purchases
-What to do with inspiration images instead of buying new clothes

What are your thoughts? Anything stand out?

 

Shirt: Target (here)

Skirt: H&M (thrifted for $3)

Linking up here:
 

Old Navy Sweaters

Every Tuesday night, Donnie & I have our Dave Ramsey classes.
I usually have to go straight from work & after sitting in my work clothes all day, I don't want to spend another 3 hours in them- so I need something easy to change into before leaving work.
When I saw these cute graphic sweaters at Old Navy, I knew these would be something easy to change into or just something easy to throw on during the weekends.

When I first bought one of these sweaters, the Old Navy worker asked if I needed help about 743534 times- he probably thought I was crazy as I went back and forth; grabbing a sweater and putting it back, grabbing another sweater, walking around with it, putting it back, grabbing the sweater from before- it was quite the process!
I bought a different one in the store, but it paid off because this one was on sale at Old Navy! It looks like all of the rest are on sale right now & they are all SO cute.

 

Sweater: Old Navy (on sale here)

Jeans: Forever 21 (here)

Necklace: Forever 21 (here)

Flats: Target/old (similar)

I think I may need to buy this one for $12....

Are you as crazy about these sweaters as I am?

Linking up here:

Just another lazy Monday

Mondays are by far my most lazy day when I am getting dressed.
After 25 years of life, you would think that I would begin to anticipate that Monday comes after Sunday, but I never seem to quite make that connection.
Monday morning always hits me like a ton of bricks- thrown at my face.

Luckily, dresses exist and they are a quick way to get dressed on lazy Mondays.
Throw on a dress and a necklace & you are done! 

 

Dress: Target (very recent, on clearance)

Bag: Phillip Lim- Target 

What is everyone else's lazy Monday cure?