Since You've Been Gone-Inspired Outfit

Yesterday was a 5-star review day!  I loved Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone and especially all its characters.  It's part realistic, part romance, and all parts fun to read!

Today's outfit is based off Emily, the protagonist.  Around the middle of the book, she attends a gala event and confronts some of the romantic feelings she's starting to have.  And she makes an impression of her love interest in her dress.  So this outfit is all fancy with a little of Emily's simplicity thrown in. 

Here it is:

Here's how I designed it:

• Emily wears a backless dress, so I chose an elegant backless dress that gives Emily a mature look.  Trust me, there are a lot of immature backless dresses out there!  This one is elegant in color and style.
• The silver sandals downplay the dress a little.  Emily isn't the kind of girl to run around in heels, so sandals would keep her comfortable.
• The pearl earrings and tennis bracelet are simple, understated accessories.

So what do you think?  Would you wear an outfit like this to a gala?  Lovely, right?!

Want to find these pieces?  Check out all the outfit details here.

Inhuman-Inspired Outfit

If you read my review of Inhuman by Kat Falls, you know I loved it.  Straight up loved it.  I'm making my Library Media students read it this semester because I want someone with me about it! 

Today's outfit is obviously inspired by that book and focuses on the animal that eventually takes over a person.  So it's an outfit with a hint of animal.  *And let's just pause for a second--how scary would it be to have a virus/animal slowly take over your body?!

I chose a tiger because I loved the Tiger-Man in the book...unpredictable, vicious, yet well-spoken.  I wanted to design something that represented the danger yet fascination of a tiger.  And here's what I designed:

Chic, right?

• I think rompers are pretty eye-catching because not everyone can pull them off.  Black rompers are elegant and sophisticated, yet casual at the same time.  You could wear them to a dinner party or a movie night.
• The black sandals remind me of being outside (again, that animal trait).  There's enough detail on the sandal to keep the outfit from being too casual.
• The gold necklace and gold spike earrings are so beautiful!  Draw your eye to them for sure.  A little edgy and elegant.
• I couldn't resist the tiger bracelet.  It's not overwhelming "tiger" while still giving a punch of pattern.

What do you think?  I would totally wear this outfit!  How about you?

To see the outfit details, click here.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender-Inspired Look

If you're looking for a mysterious, strange, lovely, thought-provoking book, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is definitely one to put on your to-read list (check out my review from Tuesday).

Today's outfit is inspired by Ava's family...they're different, a little carefree, uncertain, and maybe even a little wild.  And here's what I designed:

Man, I love this outfit, and I love how it fits the family from this book.  Obviously not literally, since I'm not trying to camouflage wings in the look, but figuratively--it's wild-spirited while still staying inside the lines.

• An off-the-shoulder shirt is always a bit of a surprise and gives a sense of relaxation and unexpectedness.
• Pale pink skinny jeans give a softness and femininity.  There is a sweetness to Ava and to her mother, and this expresses that.
• The feather sandals--ADORABLE--give off the carefree spirit.
• The pop of color in the earrings (I've had my eyes on these for awhile) and watch represent boldness.  You're not afraid to make a statement if you put in a pop of color.

I would totally wear this outfit--would you?  It's an outfit that is worth a second look--just like the book keeps you thinking.

Want specific details of this look?  Check it all out here.

The Loners-Inspired Outfit

Hi, readers and fashionistas!

I recently reviewed the book The Loners from the Quarantine series by Lex Thomas (which is two guys, by the way--Lex and Thomas).  I gave it 5 high heels because I loved every minute of reading it (even when I was horrified and closing my eyes!).  So today's outfit is inspired by that book...let's jump into it!

In the book, the teens stuck inside their high school divide into different groups based on their cliques.  You've got the jocks (called Varsity), the geeks, the sluts, the artsy, etc.  And they wear different colors to identify their specific clique.  Today's outfit focuses on Varsity's girlfriends--the preppy girls.  They still try to look as stylish as possible and they are basically at Varsity's beck and call.  Not the nicest girls on the block (as the stereotype of preppy girls would suggest), and they can turn downright violent when they need to.  Trust me on that--you'll have to read the book to see how violent they get!

The preppy girls wear yellow, so that's obviously the inspiration for the outfit.  How do you focus on a single color in your outfit without it being overbearing?  Here's what I came up with:

I can totally see a preppy girl wearing this in The Loners, so let me explain why:

• Obviously the skinny pants emphasize the main color of the outfit--yellow.  Skinny pants are all the rage right now, so a popular girl would choose those over a boot cut.
• A white lacy blouse gives off a feminine touch.
• The daisy necklace is also a soft touch to the outfit while still adding yellow touches.  And even though these girls are definitely not the sweetest or softest, they often give the illusion of being so.
• Gold gladiator sandals and yellow stacked bracelets accent the outfit well without giving off a yellow explosion.

So what do you think?  Would you wear this?  Think it fits the girls in The Loners? How would you design an outfit around the color yellow?

Pants--House of Fraser
Blouse--Rag and Bone 
Necklace--Boohoo
Sandals--Sam Edelman
Bracelets--Chan Luu 

*I am not associated with any companies/products mentioned. 

Check back tomorrow for another review--on a book that I surprisingly enjoyed!

OOTD--A Pop of Lime

Hey, readers and fashionistas!  

Today I'm bringing you my own outfit--I just love Outfit of the Day posts, and it appears that you all do, too!  

With Spring slowly making its way into our lives, I've started adding a lot of color into my wardrobe.  Today's outfit does just that--it adds a burst of lime.  And lime is quickly becoming one of my favorite colors.  I've used it in my living room (lime curtains) and it really brightens up the space!

So here's my look:

Yep, just hanging out on my front porch in my cute wedges...

I am all about skinny jeans...I seriously can't fathom wearing "non-skinnies" on a regular basis.  I paired my dark jeans with a white and black polka-dot top with the cutest tie in the front.  Just darling and 1950s!  I added the lime cardigan to brighten it all up (sorry the color isn't as vibrant in the photo!).

For accessories I chose a white bangle, black dangly earrings, and THE MOST COMFORTABLE wedges I've ever owned.  Seriously--like walking on clouds.

A closer look at the accessories...and I was having a decent hair day!

So how are you embracing Spring in your wardrobe?  Do you have any lime pieces?  Share!

Jeans--American Eagle

Blouse and Cardigan--LOFT

Bracelet and Earrings--unknown (I've had for awhile)

Wedges--DSW

I'll be back tomorrow with a new book review!  See you then!

Finally Back! A Just One Day-Inspired Outfit

Well it has been awhile.  Like a LONG while.  From a sick baby to a girls' weekend to a Shakespeare festival and a book March Madness competition, my personal and professional lives have been beyond booked!  But things are FINALLY starting to slow down and I'm feeling like I'm able to breathe again.

So here's an outfit that I designed to go with my review from two weeks ago, Just One Day by Gayle Forman.  I loved this book and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!  I decided to design a chic-looking travel outfit.  Because if you're going to visit Europe, you need to ditch the tennis shoes and fanny packs and get cute!  So here's a comfortable but stylish travel outfit:

I love the color mixture of coral and turquoise...don't you?

• The coral shorts and heart graphic tee are comfortable yet contemporary.  A carefree look that still lets you look put-together.
• Gladiator sandals, ever the trend, are a worthy alternative when looking for comfortable footwear.  
• The light turquoise watch keeps you on schedule and has a more glamorous look than simple athletic watches.
• A crossbody bag (the new fanny pack!) keeps your special items close, and this turquoise bag is the perfect pop of color.

So what do you think?  Could you see yourself traveling in this outfit?

I'll be back tomorrow with my own outfit of the day--a way to dress up a T-shirt!  See you then!

Shirt--Modcloth
Shorts--American Eagle
Sandals--Sole Society
Watch--Olivia Burton
Bag--MG Collection (Amazon)

*I am not associated with any companies or products mentioned.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone-Inspired Outfit

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone is an odd book to review during Valentine's Week, but for some reason I am often drawn to murder mysteries.  But by designing a cute outfit today, maybe I'll make up for that???

Today's outfit is based off of Amelia.  When she was found dead on the side of the road, she was wearing a sundress.  That, added to the summer setting, was the outfit's inspiration.  And here it is:

Let's break it down:

• A sundress was an obvious choice.  I love the colors in this dress--orangey/red with a blue backing.  Very summery and light.
• The orange sandals complement the dress and reinforce that this is an outfit for warm weather.
• A deep brown belt adds some shape to the dress and keeps this from being a "warm color" overload.
• The arrow earrings felt perfect for the setting--warm summer nights--and kept the outfit pretty casual (after all, Amelia Anne is walking on a road shortly before her death).
• A simple gold bracelet rounds out the outfit with an extra, girly accessory.

To me, this outfit shows a girly yet not-over-the-top side...what do you think?

Tomorrow I'll have my Friday Find--this time it's fashion-related!  See you then!

Lockdown-Inspired Outfit

Monday's review was over a really scary, creepy, and super-exciting book called Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith.  Being framed for a crime and thrown into an underground prison for life?!  Ahhh, no thanks!  But I definitely had to design an outfit inspired by this book!  And here it is:

 

A prison-inspired look that isn't too heavy on the prison!  Let me explain it:

• The black romper--such a trendy piece.  And let's be honest--prisoners basically wear full-length rompers.  I love the white detail around the armholes on this one.  *This is a Chalayan Gray Line Organza Trim Romper and runs about $257.
• The scarf--classic black and white prison colors.  This scarf (Julie Egli and a whopping $474!) is nicely oversized to add some comfort to the romper.
• The black sandals have some neat chain detailing and keep the outfit's attention toward the top.  These are Jeffrey Campbell Shacked Chain Sandals for $135.
• And speaking of a chain sandal, I always think of the cartoon "ball and chain" when I think of prisoners, so I added ball earrings to complete the look of the chain sandals.  These are 9 mm sterling silver ball earrings from JC Penney ($18).

So what do you think?  Do you see the prison inspiration in the outfit?

I'll be back tomorrow with another review!  See you then!

The Boy on the Bridge-Inspired Look

Yesterday I reviewed the book The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford.  Something that I really enjoyed from this book (and from Russian culture, in general) was Alyosha's nesting dolls.  He painted a nesting doll to look like Laura and I thought that was just adorable.  And let's be honest, a nesting doll outfit would be much cuter than an outfit with a giant coat for the cold Russian weather.

Nesting dolls are pretty iconic--they're very recognizable and pretty standard in their look, so I decided to design an outfit for this book based off of nesting dolls.  So, as a reminder, here are some typical nesting dolls:

 

One thing you tend to notice on most nesting dolls is that they have a floral design and a shawl.  So keeping that in mind, plus the fact that Laura liked to look good for Alyosha in the book, here is my outfit:

Ok, so let me explain what I've done:

• The dress (AX Paris Floral Belted Skater Dress for around $33) is floral and feminine.  The floral pattern really draws you in more than the black background, and that's exactly what I wanted.
• I chose a complimentary-colored shawl that could be worn around the shoulders.  I didn't want to choose a shawl to be worn around the head since that is not very common, so this was a nice compromise.  I picked cashmere in this particular shawl since poor Laura is cold in most of the book and deserves some soft fabric--this is a Semon Cashmere Lacy Shawl and retails around $390.
• The black sandals (Steve madden Daisey, $70) are sweet but definitely don't take attention away from the dress.
• I grew up in the 80s and remember my mom always having silver and gold hoop earrings.  So I chose some gold hoops as the staple earrings for this look.  They're Kenneth Jay Lane hoops and retail for $53.

So what do you think?  Do you see the connection to the nesting dolls?

I'll be back Monday with a new book review!  Have a safe and cold weekend!

OOTD (5)--A Fall Aztec Sweater

Happy weekend!  I'm just wrapping up my vacation in North Carolina, and it will be back to work on Monday.

We're definitely getting into the heart of fall, so this outfit of the day features a comfy but colorful long cardigan.  A great outfit for layering and handling the various temperatures of autumn.

Here's how the outfit breaks down:

• The Aztec-like sweater is from Target...yep, Target!  It's super comfortable and lightweight.  The colors are great and can be played up by the color tee underneath.
• The light aqua boyfriend tee underneath is also from Target.  I love these tees because they're super inexpensive, comfortable, and adorable (they have a tiny pocket on the chest!).  I stock up every season.
• Skinny jeans from TJ Maxx
• Gold glitter sandals from DSW.
• It's hard to see, but I paired the outfit with a gold bird necklace from F21 and light pink dangly earrings from Charlotte Russe.

So what do you think?  A good fall outfit?  

Have a fun and safe end to your weekend--I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Eleanor & Park-Inspired Outfit

Yesterday's review of Eleanor & Park featured a 1980s setting...perfect for outfit design!  So today's outfit is totally inspired by the 80s...totally rad!  So I picked a couple of trends that I remember from the 80s (I was a little kid then, you know) and designed this look:

Can you guess what 80s trends I'm playing up?  Let's go through it:

• The flower tank is tied in the front--don't you remember the 80s shirts tied to the side?  That was SUCH a thing then, so I played on that with this floral shirt.  The floral is super cute and sensitive...perfect for a romance book!
• I added olive skinny pants to match the shirt.  It tames down the color and keeps it contemporary.
• Jelly shoes!  Don't you remember and love jelly shoes?!  These pink jelly sandals bring back the jelly and add the pop of color we need.  They look super comfortable, too!
• Stacked bracelets that correlate with the outfit keep the accessories simple and feminine.  

So what do you think?  A simple, girly outfit to play on the 1980s (but no one has to know that's what you're doing!).  I'll be back on Sunday with an Outfit of the Day post!

See you then!

OOTD (4)--A Nerdy Travel Outfit...and a September Favorite

Hey, guys!  I'm in Washington DC right now!  My sister, Alison, is being promoted to a Major in the Air Force, so our family has come along to celebrate (and as an added bonus, my other sister, Lauren, and I will be singing the national anthem with Alison at her ceremony!).  So I thought I'd show you the outfit I traveled in!

I'll fully admit it--I'm a nerd (although a fashionable nerd, right?).  I love learning, reading, museums--all the typical nerdy stuff.  So when I saw this owl shirt, I knew I had to have it.

Even though I'm kind of getting tired of the owl trend, I fell in love with this guy--I mean, he has a bow tie, cardigan, AND glasses!!!  Love him.  I think I'll name him Walter.

When traveling, especially flying, it's important to dress in layers.  So I paired the owl shirt with the colors in it--a red/orange tank top underneath and a mustard cardigan on top.  So comfy and so cute!
I love skinny jeans and I added some blingy sandals to dress it all up.  
I'll admit--I completely forgot jewelry and didn't want to deal with security making me take it all off.  So I just had some faux diamond studs in my ears.

Isn't he so cute?!

Owl shirt--Target
Cardigan--Target
Tank top--Old Navy
Jeans--TJ Maxx
Sandals--Rack Room Shoes

And since September is now over--I can't believe it!--I wanted to share one of my favorite products from this month.  I've heard people rave about this product for a few years now but just got around to picking it up.  And I LOVE it!

It's the Seche Vite top coat for your nails.  It totally covers and protects your nails and the best thing about it is that you can put it on your nails while THEY'RE STILL WET!  I love love love this product.  I got mine at CVS.

What have you been loving this month?  Come back tomorrow--I'll be reviewing the second and third books in the Eve series by Anna Carey, with correlating outfits, of course!

*I'm not associated with any of the companies/products mentioned.

OOTD (3)--Leopard Skirt

Today's Outfit of the Day is a great look for fall if you're wanting to step it up a bit.  The colors are deep browns and blacks but the overall effect is comfortable and flowing--that's fall, right?

Here it is:

This is also a great way to incorporate leopard print into your wardrobe without it being over-the-top.  Subtle but effective.

Adding a brown/gold belt accentuates the waist and dresses up the look while gladiator sandals keeps it comfortable.  Simple accessories--bangles and stud earrings.

I wore this on a Saturday when we were traveling to visit some friends at a local university.  This was a great outfit to wear for a comfortable trip but still sent the message that I wanted to look nice.

Skirt--TJ Maxx

V Neck T-shirt--Target (I wore a cami underneath since the shirt was a little see-through)

Belt--Target

Sandals--Boutique I found on vacation

Bangle--gift

What do you think?  What's a great comfortable yet dressy look that you've designed for fall?

*I'm not being sponsored/paid by any companies mentioned.  Just an outfit I put together!

Shine-Inspired Outfit

In yesterday's book review of Shine by Lauren Myracle, I explained that the book was set in a poor area of North Carolina during the summertime.  Immediately I knew the type of outfit that Cat (the protagonist) would wear: a lightweight floral dress with sandals.  Something simple that would flow in a summer breeze.  So here's what I designed:

Isn't it cute?

So here's my thought process behind the design:

• The dress is simple and perfect for summer.  For some reason I love shorter dresses to have a floral design, and this is a cute pattern.
• A jean jacket vest adds some warmth for cooler nights but isn't fancy.  And denim just has that country town feel, doesn't it?
• I passed on boots since the book was set in the heat of summer and opted for these cute sandals instead (these particular sandals are from Target--I love me some inexpensive but trendy Target!).
• Simple dangly gold earrings to jazz up the look.  I think every woman has some kind of earring set like this and these earrings can come super cheap.
• Lip gloss to add a little color, because who wants to load their face with makeup during the summer heat?  And FYI--NYX is a very inexpensive lip gloss brand with great color!

Such a sweet summer look--feminine but still rather modest.  What do you think?  What are some of your favorite summer looks?