closet staples: how to style a summer tunic!

Today I am pulling some inspiration together on how to style summer tunics.  As I mentioned earlier this week… tunics have quickly become a mainstay in my summer wardrobe. They can be paired with shorts and jeans alike and on top of that they are perfect over swimwear for the summer.  So they can really be a workhorse in your closet in the spring and summer.

I have used tunics as a kind of "cheat" a lot so far this summer.  While they are laid back, they are also a tailored piece that makes an outfit look instantly pulled together.  So every time I throw them on I feel like a little bit more dressed up than maybe I really am.  Which is always a bonus.

one, white tunic - on sale!

two, pale blue - on sale!

three, grey/white striped - under $30!

four, lilac - under $30!

five, black/white striped - under $15!

six, blue/white striped

tip: pair these tunics with your favorite cut off shorts, white jeans, distressed jeans or over a swimsuit!

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my everyday style: transitional dressing!

Layers are layers. But in my mind spring layers are much preferable to winter layers (well, at least at this point in the game).  This time of year can be tricky because our minds are all "spring" and the weather is all "spring/winter/spring/winter/winter/spring".  It's hard to plan for to say the least.  Transitional dressing are those not quite spring and not quite winter outfits that are necessary to employ this time of year.

Lightweight and versatile layers like a sweater over your shoulders, light layers or even lightweight jackets are absolute essentials this time of year and are the hallmark of transitional dressing.

(photos by Tracy Carmody)

Details:

Sweater, Banana Republic - on sale! (or similar)

Sequin Oxford, J.Crew - on super sale! (or similar or similar)

Jeans, Gap (similar or I love these similar!)

Sneakers, J.Crew (similar or similar)

my everyday style: wardrobe foundations (+ a giveaway)!

Classic wardrobe pieces are the foundations of our closets AND our everyday outfits.  Lately I've been trying to focus more on the foundations… both acquiring them and wearing them on a regular basis.  The more I do this, the more I find getting dressed easier each morning.  I know I talk a lot about "making getting dressed easy" - sometimes I feel like a broken record - but really the easier it is to get dressed each morning, the better I feel all day.  When what I am wearing fits great and feels great it's less trips in and out of the closet each morning and less second guessing ourselves.  Do you feel the same?

Wardrobe foundations like black jeans, classic cardigans and timeless tops like this silk one seem to make my life so much easier!  Let's not forget the foundations under the foundations either.  Perfectly fitting and gorgeous intimates are the foundation to any outfit also - and are just as important!  Today I am partnering with Kohl's to chat about their intimates as an essential piece of any outfit.  They have an absolute HUGE selection of intimates for whatever your body style and preference. I am always blown away when I visit the store to try bras on.  There are literally hundreds of options.  Or you can shop online too… and don't forget to access their measuring resources before you go. You never know if your size has changed and I find their online tool to be helpful in determining your correct size.

Read on to see my favorite bras I found at Kohl's recently and for an awesome giveaway!!!

(photos above by Tracy Carmody)

Outfit Details:

Cardigan, Forever 21

Blouse, J.Crew Factory (similar or similar)

Jeans, Old Navy (or similar)

Flats, Sam Edelman

Necklace, Gorjana via Rocksbox (use code: jillggxoxo to get a FREE month of Rocksbox subscription for a limited time, or 50% off your first box after that)

top two lace bras, middle strapless bra, bottom two lightly lined bras

or shop the entire collection here!

Now for the fun part!  Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a $200 gift card to Kohl's - how awesome is that!? Winner must in the US (48 states) and must follow the Rafflecopter guidelines to be properly entered.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

floral dress… wear it now and later!

I just can't stop thinking about this fun floral dress from yesterday's post.  I love that it has a little sleeve and the blues and pinks in the pattern are totally up my alley for spring.  So I thought it would be fun to style this dress up a few ways to show it can be versatile for today (even though it's still a little chilly where I live!) and for a month or two down the road when the weather warms up a bit (or maybe it's even warm by you already, you lucky duck!).

This dress is absolutely perfect for layering… while it's cold out it pairs well with a lady like jacket and scarf and ankle boots for a day in the office, a March date night, or even an early spring wedding.  As the weather warms I love the idea of pairing this dress with more sporty pieces like a hat, sneakers and a jean jacket for a simple weekend or busy mom look.

How would you style this dress? I would love to know!

now:

dress, coat, scarf, ankle boots, bag

later:

dress, hat, bracelet, clutch, jean jacket, sneakers

my everyday style: playing favorites!

Do you have the same problem I have? This is how it goes… girl buys new sweater that she ADORES, girl wants to wear it everyday, girl loves it so much she doesn't want to wear it everyday, girl realizes she never wears the sweater.

What's up with that?!?! I can't be the only crazy person that falls in love with a new wardrobe piece and instead of wearing it all the time because I really, really love it - I just wear it every once in a while.  Like maybe it's too precious.  Like I am playing hard to get in my own closet.  Isn't that the strangest thing?  Do you ever do this with your closet? Love a piece SO much you want to protect it from being overworn?

These are some serious closet mind-games. But please tell me I am not alone.  Any way, I am having that problem with this sweater. I just adore it, it's the perfect length and it's really warm and I love the cool neck zippers and every time I go to grab it from the closet I think - oh, I'll save that for later.

(photos by Tracy Carmondy)

Details:

Sweater, Banana Republic - on sale! (similar or similar)

Blouse, J.Crew Factory (similar)

Jeans, Banana Republic

Shoes, Dolce Vita - on sale! (similar or similar)

9 pieces/9 outfits - winter to spring 2015!

By leaps and bounds the 9 pieces/9 outfits posts are my MOST popular posts around here.  You gals love 'em - and so do I!  To see all the posts click here for the archives.  Since winter is in it's twilight and we are all pining and wishing for spring I thought I would do a small capsule that was still perfect to wear this winter yet, but that also had a little hint of spring within it!

Capsule dressing seems to be all the rage these days… if you are a capsule dresser, these pieces are perfect for you. If you aren't into the capsule thing (I'm on the fence) these pieces are very capsule-esque in that they are great for mixing and matching but with less of a commitment of a full on capsule. Either way these pieces are SUPER easy to wear and can be dressed up or down for whatever your wardrobe needs may be this winter into spring!

the pieces: 

white jeans, boyfriend jeans, ponte leggings, striped duster jacket, black vest, grey sweater, white tuxedo top, pink sweater, cream sweatshirt

the accessories:

top row, from left:

tag necklace, black flats, cross body bag, brown ankle boots, bucket bag, sneakers

middle row, from left: 

strippend weekender bag, sneakers, lip gloss, necklace, brown ankle boots, leopard clutch, leather strand necklace, heels

bottom row, from left: 

riding boots, earrings, double ring, zipper bag, sneakers, scarf, ring, nude flats

three ways to style: a drapey tee!

A lot of you really loved the drapey tee I featured on Friday… so I thought it would be fun to style it up in a few different looks. You know, so if you haven't already bought it, you will really want to now (wink, wink!).  But seriously, this drapey tee is so versatile and comfortable that it can be worn from weekend to girls night out to the office even.   So here are three really easy ways to style this drapey tee…

to the office:

skirt, top, earrings, necklace, shoes, purse

all weekend long: 

scarf, top, bag, jeans, sneakers

parisian chic: 

leggings, top, scarf, flats, bracelet

winter whites!

January calls for a fresh start.  I'm craving an organized home, a fresh new calendar and simple and fresh updates to my wardrobe. Like clockwork this time of year I crave fresh, fresh, fresh!

Winter white is the perfect way to freshen up your wardrobe. Not only are these pieces great paired with grey and black for winter… but they are a gentle nod to spring as well.  They will be great paired with pastels as the weather thaws.

vest, turtleneck sweater, gold stripe clutch, white peplum top, bracelet, earrings, blouse, sequined mini skirt, white jeans, cardigan, necklace, puffer coat (on sale!) , side stripe oxford (on sale!), zip dress, flats (on sale!), cross-body bag

three ways to style your LBD this winter!

A LBD (little black dress) is a classic wardrobe staple that can get your through all your holiday wardrobe needs.  A little black dress can be styled up or down for the holiday parties on your schedule large or small and even through Christmas into New Years. Here I styled it up three fun ways… and BONUS! These great dresses are all UNDER $20 - can you believe it? So snag one now and you will be set for the holidays!

top:

dress, plaid top, red shoes, necklace

middle: 

ring, necklace, cardigan, ankle boots, dress

bottom: 

dress, faux fur scarf, clutch, earrings, shoes

Or shop the pieces below!!!

falling for leopard coats… three ways to style them!

Each fall and winter I find myself falling for leopard coats.  They seem a little wild and crazy and somehow classic at the same time.  But one thing is for sure… not only are these coats super fun to style but they would also add a lot of "happy" to any dreary winter day!

Here I found a few fun leopard coat styles at several price points and styled them up… I hope you like them as much as I do.

Tell me, would you wear a leopard coat for winter? Do you have one already?

(above: jeans, sweatshirt, coat, bag, ring, flats)

(above: coated jeans, jeweled top, earrings, clutch, flats, coat)

(above: necklace, jeans, t-shirt, cardigan, bag, boots, coat)

my everyday style: le tote boutique box!

2014 is all about the subscription box. Is it not? And I, for one, am a huge fan of this type of service.

Enter Le Tote - a try before you buy personalized clothing subscription service. You tell them what you like/love/want to try and then they send you a box of clothing & accessories in your size for you to try… or buy! You decide!  You can wear stuff and return it all or wear stuff and keep and buy the pieces you like - even at a discounted rate.  One of the things I love the best is that the shipping is LIGHTING fast.  It's almost unbelievable how fast you can exchange your tote for a new one.  And with a monthly subscription you can change in your tote as many times as you want.  With this type of service you can totally experiment with your style and even treat the service like your own personal shopper.

I've gotten a few totes from Le Tote already and I have loved trying new styles and brands that I usually wouldn't choose for myself.  This gorgeous sweater has already gotten it's fair share of attention in my closet and this delicate bracelet that they recently sent couldn't be more my style lately.  I highly recommend you try out the service yourself!

Today I've partnered with Le Tote to not only highlight their really cool service - but to also give my readers an awesome discount on their first tote.  Use code: GoodLife for 50% off your first tote! (awesome, right!?!?)

(photos by Jennifer Ketchum)

Details:

Top, via Le Tote

Bracelet, via Le Tote

Jeans, Gap (similar, similar or similar)

Shoes, Madewell (similar or similar)

Sunglasses, Ray Ban

Bag, J.Crew

*this post is sponsored by Le Tote in partnership with Collectively, all opinions are my own.

how to style graphic tees!

Graphic tees are a super fun trend that is sticking around - at least for a little bit.  While I don't usually advocate too much for trends, there are a few reasons why I love graphic tees… but the biggest reason is because they are so easy to style.  You can dress them up and dress them down and even layer them up for cooler seasons.  For this reason… they are great to buy and wear now during the summer and keep around for fall and winter by pairing with jackets or cardigans and scarves even.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to style graphic tees and my top picks for tees to snag to wear now and later!

1. adore 2. fantastique 3. paris 4. arrows 5. dry clean only 6. pour l'amour du frais 7. happy now 8. nautical 9. la marine