Leopard Print + Plum Pants

Happy Tuesday loves! I hope you all survived your Mondays. I, for one, am happy to be one day closer to the weekend! So today I would like to talk briefly about my relationship with leopard. Before this year I didn't own a single item in this gorgeous print. Hard to believe, right? I was a little scared that I would look silly, that it wasn't age appropriate, and even that I would look cheap (I could only image leopard print velour clothing lined with faux fur, eek!). A lot of fear for a print right? Well I am happy to report that I am a full leopard convert. It is seriously one of my favorite prints now, and I could not possibly agree more with Jenna Lyons that leopard is a neutral. It is the perfect print to mix with any color or print and can actually add a little something special to an otherwise ordinary outfit. I now own several pair of leopard print shoes, a belt, and now this fabulous cardigan which I grabbed on sale with the cartwheel app at Target for $12, win!

Cardigan - Target / Chambray - Old Navy / Pants - Old Navy / Shoes - Target 

Purse - Target, out online (option) / Bracelets - c/o Hawthorne Collection & Urban Peach Boutique

Necklace - Jane (original) / Nail Polish - Essie Sole Mate

Today I have paired my leopard print cardigan with plum colored cords and a chambray shirt. Since colored pants tend to be a bolder fashion choice for me, I kept my accessories neutral with black flats and bag, and simple gold and jewelry. I also broke out my darker lip colors as the temperatures began to drop last week, so I am officially using a bold lip as the finishing accessory to my outfits. This outfit is comfortable, but put-together, and is perfect for wearing to work and then transitioning to class at night.

I must admit that when this J.Crew Factory inspired piece showed up on Jane.com a few weeks ago, I was thrilled. Being on a grad student budget, I couldn't justify spending over $60 on one necklace. Luckily the bargain site allowed me to score this gorgeous inspired piece for only $20, a mere fraction of the cost of the original, but with all of the wow factor. It seriously goes with everything and I have been wearing it pretty non-stop the last few weeks. I'm totally smitten.

Lastly, I want to take a moment to speak quickly about these pants (also seen here). I love colored pants and that you can flip the traditional way of associating colors and patterns with the shirt or top portion of an outfit and switch to have the pants or bottom portion of an outfit be the focus. When wearing colored bottoms, it is important to keep the top off of your outfit relatively neutral to avoid looking like a clown. Chambray and leopard are both things that I would consider neutral, to pairing them on top of a colored pant seems like a natural fit to me. If you want to get yourself a pair of these cords, they are currently an extra 30% on Old Navy's website (promo code HOL2013)

(image via)

How do you wear leopard in your outfits?

How would you style colored pants?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Preppy in Plaid

So, this is an outfit I wore last week and didn't have time to post. It was my first date with this gorgeous Phillip Lim for Target bag and I must admit, it was love at first sight! I have been searching for a new black purse for awhile now, and this one does not disappoint. I was lucky enough to get the medium satchel in both taupe and black in store and ordered the large carry-all tote with gusset in brown online. It was quite the shopping bender (and consequently forced me into my #noshoptilnovember challenge), but even after sobering up from my shopping high, I still have no regrets and love each bag.

Sweater: J.Crew Factory (cashmere option) / Cords: Old Navy (similar)

Plaid Shirt: J.Crew Factory (out online, check in store) (similar)  / Shoes: Target

Bag: Phillip Lim for Target (out online, check in store) (similar) / Necklace: c/o Our World Boutique

Spike Bracelet: Urban Peach Boutique / Tassel Bracelet: c/o Hawthorne Collection

The satchels, which I typically remove the straps from and carry on my arm, are the perfect size for me. Although I loved the black tote with gusset, but was it sold out in my store and online, which I took as a sign that I only needed the medium size. Plus, after seeing pictures of the larger bag with girls on instagram, I think it would have been too large to carry around in addition to all of my school related bags (computer, lunch, books, etc.). I am quite the bag lady these days and these new additions are perfect for my lifestyle. But I digress...

Anyways, this outfit features one of the plaid shirts I featured in yesterday's post, as well as a sweater, both from from J.Crew Factory. I picked up this soft sweater on major discount this summer ($12!!) and love the saturated hue. To off set the bold color of the sweater and print of the plaid, I chose a pair of grey skinny cords and black bag to complement, but not overshadow, them.

To finish off this preppy outfit, I added a some small pops of accent color with my cobalt flats, yellow rosette necklace and delicate bracelets. These cobalt flats have extra cushion inside of them and are probably the most comfortable pair I own, think walking on clouds. I have a few J.Crew inspired rosette necklaces, but this one is by far the easiest to wear.

Incorporating a bright necklace into a look is a fun way to transition from summer to fall without doing a complete closet 180. This yellow rosette necklace won't be hibernating this winter, no sir! Sidebar - ok, so I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but on a few of the necklaces I have ordered, the roses do not lay flat and constantly turn or flip over, which for an O.C.D., perfectionist, crazy person like myself, is maddening. Thankfully, the ladies over at Our World Boutique hooked me up with this yellow one, which lays flat with none of the roses falling bottoms up. I am amazed and grateful! Not that this is a surprise; I have been ordering jewelry from their online boutique since March and have loved every piece and every price (seriously you NEED to check them out!).

The last piece I want to talk about is this incredible tassel bracelet. It is the perfect shade of cobalt for the fall...and winter...and spring...see where I am going with this? I love the subtle class a tassel on a bracelet brings and how it can take an arm party to the next level. This fabulous piece from Hawthorne Collection does just that! I am sure it will be around a lot the next few months =)

So, I think that is all I wanted to say in regards to this fun preppy outfit. I can't wait to remix these pieces throughout the fall!

Did you snag any of Phillip Lim's Collection for Target pieces?

Does your closet do a 180 from summer to fall?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!