All About That Lace

Lace continues to be on the red hot list this season. This is not surprising at all to me, it gives off an air of romance, femininity, and class. I gravitate towards feminine styles of clothing nine times out of ten.  This vintage inspired lace dress caught my eye during a recent impromptu ‘Shop Til You Drop Marathon’. Have you been a victim of this marathon before?  Honestly, I set out the day to hit 3-4 sales, and before I knew it I had been in over 15 stores and had more ‘hits’ than ‘misses’ in my hands…LOL!
Back to the story at hand: I actually ran into this store looking specifically for a dress that I spotted online. This lace beauty just so happened to be misplaced onto another rack - I scooped it up and jetted off to the fitting room. I loved the way that it looked when I saw it on, I mean it has bell sleeves too! I decided to snag one size down. I searched the whole area, yet I could not find another dress like this one anywhere. So… I made the executive decision to get this one anyway…
I generally style items new to my collection in a number of ways. This helps me to get a true feel for which style pairings I like it with best. This dress was no exception. I wore it to the office one day styled with a turtleneck jersey dress underneath. It was a perfect match!  I’m happy that I purchased it in a larger size :) Next up on the list for this number is to style it with a wide leather belt…I just might blog that look too – stay tuned!

Until next time,
XO

Sunnies: Nordstrom| Vintage earrings & necklace| Dress, similar here| Vintage clutch, similar here| Cork sandals, similar here

Step into Summer with SWAK

Hi Dolls!!! June 20^th marks the official first day of Summer 2016 {eagerly inserts happy dance emoji}.Unbelievably we are already in the middle of our very first heatwave of the season. How's the weather in your part of the world? In typical girly, style loving fashion, I'm celebrating the very first day of Summer by sharing with you a few of my favorite summer pieces, c/o SWAK Designs. SWAK sells plus size clothing from size 1x-6x. Last month when I received SWAK’s Splish Splash Summer 2016 Look Book via email, I was blown away!!! Beautiful colors, fantastic prints, and summertime goodness was served! 

For starters, take a gander at this wonderful butterfly print duster (Darla Duster). I’m wearing a size 1X. I absolutely swoon over it each and every single time that I wear it. I’ve mentioned before how usually when I acquire a new piece, I like to wear it several times in short succession. This helps me to get a true feel for the piece, and to generate more ideas of how I’d like to style it in the future. So far with this duster I’m already up to 4 times of wear and counting -and I’ve only had it for 2 weeks! The look as pictured here was worn on a getaway with my husband. I found it to be fabulously suitable for day life on the resort and night life out with the girls. During the day, I opted to pair it with flat black suede thong sandals.I wore it actually as pictured, for the night. This duster flows gloriously, and the fabric breathes.  An added bonus for gals on the short side: The length. Despite my height, even without my heels, it does not touch the ground, at all.

Next up we have a great floral maxi dress staple. Maxi dresses are synonymous with warm weather as is floral prints, this dress is no exception. Her name is ‘Erin’ and she has a fantastic print with wonderfully soft material that ebbs and flows. One thing that I really appreciate in all clothing items is versatility. I try to think about how many ways an item can be styled, prior to purchasing it. I can see this dress styled with a belt and cardigan (lightweight or heavy duty, depending on your need/preference) making for a great look in the Spring or Fall. Since the temperatures were in the triple digit zone when I wore/styled this, I opted for a minimal approach. Doesn't going minimal always equate to feeling 'cooler'? LOL! I added a simple gold filigree necklace along with cork heels to fit the bill. Note: This dress is long. If you have long legs and or are tall, you can wear heels with this dress, and it will still look like a maxi dress. If you're on the shorter side like me, not to worry, it can be knotted in a variety of ways, including as pictured here. I wore it with a side knot and frontal knot, and noticed that both ways vary up the length considerably. Plus, I have on four inch heels ;)

Last but certainly not least, we take a stroll over to the tropics via the Lani Wrap Dress. Lani has a wonderful print that makes me think of Hawaiian luau under the stars. It is very generous in size. I’m wearing a size 1X, but could have easily sized down. Actually, I couldn't size down because SWAK starts at at 1x :) Wearing a US size fourteen offers me opportunities to shop straight sizes along with plus sizes. One added benefit that I appreciate about shopping plus sizes is that the sizing is generally generous, versus on the small/tight side. 

Actually, I’ve blogged several looks from SWAK in the past that you may enjoy; See examples here, here, and here. 

Well Loves, I hope that this stroll through down summertime lane via SWAK designs has left you inspired and brimming with new ideas.

Until next time,
XO

1st look: Duster, c/o SWAK Designs-Halter top: Buffalo- Satin Pants: Sejour -Black shoes: Aldo- Sunnies: Marshalls

2nd look: Maxi dress, c/o SWAK Designs- Sunnies: Francesca’s- Cork sandals: Market

3rd look: Wrap dress, c/o SWAK Designs – Headscarf: Vintage- Sunnies: Nordstrom- Statement necklace: TJMAXX- Floral print heels: Unisa

An Epiphany

Today’s look features a faux suede button-up dress by GITI online (see previous feature here) styled in two ways. Although it is a dress, I opted to style it as a cardigan. We often think of wearing suede solely during cooler months, but I find that it actually can be incorporated into the warmer weather months as well. 

For me, it takes a bit of forethought- which is no biggie, as I plan out my wardrobe 85% of the time! I couldn’t make up my mind on which look I liked best, so I decided to blog both of them for you. Which look is your favorite?

I had an opportunity to escape from city life for some R&R (rest and relaxation) for a few days, I now find myself feeling renewed and determined =) While away I had time to pamper myself each day, which felt wonderful because self-love is one of the most important kinds.

One of my favorite ways to pamper myself whether I’m away or at home, is by way of a long hot bath, with lots of bubbles, shortly followed by a full body exfoliation. I use a number of products, including a homemade mixture of granulated sugar, olive oil, and water. For several nights I indulged in a recently purchased chocolate scrub made with real cocoa (I discussed it on Snapchat/InMyJoi). It smells ah-mazing, and makes my skin feel fantastic!

One night during a bath I found myself deep in thought; A hot bath always helps me to sort out things in my mind and to eliminate toxic subject matter. I reflected on personal personality changes and my perception of the changes that I’ve undergone in the past few years. I realized in that moment, that within myself, I have resisted and even felt a measure of resentment in reference to some of the changes that I’ve observed in myself. It’s as if I’ve somehow told myself that the ‘old’ me was better and or superior to who I am today.

Internal change is often the result of personal growth and life experience(s). It occurred to me that there was nor is any valid reason for me feel resentment of any kind about the woman that I have become. This woman has weathered tall challenges and notable life changes. She has emerged no longer inexperienced, but brimming with wisdom, and a deeper understanding of who she is at her core. In fact, I realized that the woman that I am today is actually on the path to becoming the absolute best possible version of “me”! 

Change is an inevitable fact of life, and it is the only thing that is forever consistently constant. Instead of resisting changes within myself, I am on the path to understand them, and in turn: embrace them. Does that make sense? Well it most certainly did to me, at least during my ‘Aha’ moment with a glass of wine- LOL!!!
I look forward to reading your thoughts below!

P.S. You may take 5% off your order with GITI online by using code “joi” at checkout.

Until next time Loves,
XO

Sunnies: Tildon & Forever 21|Dress: Express, worn previously here |Suede button-up dress: c/o GITI online, here (size 1X)

Top: Forever 21, worn here |Skirt: Vince Camuto, worn here |Shoes: Pour La Victoire, worn here & Market

Bangles: H&M, worn here |Watch: c/o JORD Wood Watches, see here & here |Clutch: Vintage, thrifted

Two Dashes of Citron

Just when I thought that Citron could not get any better, I acquired not one, but two NEON citron pieces! 

Hello Neon Nights!

Today's style recipe called for exactly two dashes of citron ;)

This t-shirt is not new to the blog, I wore it previously here. Flashback: So I was looking everywhere for a simple top, this exact color. Finally I find it - I was ecstatic! Fast forward about a year later. I spot this pair of legwarmers at American Apparel. Instantly I knew that they’d be an exact match to the tee I had at home. I have a thing for exact color matches :) Do you color match on the spot too?

On a recent date night opportunity & creativity merged, hence the birth of this ensemble. Although it is Spring, we’ve had quite a few chilly nights lately! I should pull out my tights again before the Summer heat sets in... Moving on, legwarmers and my denim jacket provided the extra layer that I needed.

I really like this white denim jacket, but it seems like every single time that I wear it, it gets dirty. I mean, I realize that it’s white, but none of my white pieces are as stain prone as this jacket, LOL! Ah, I digress…

Anywho, although temperatures have taken a momentary dip, this look totally makes me think of a warm Spring breeze and freshly bloomed tulips brimming off crisp grass topped with dew.

Until next time Beauties!

X

Sunnies: Nordstrom | White denim jacket: Ralph Lauren | Citron t-shirt: Ross Dress for Less (worn here) | Skirt: James Perse 
Leg warmers: American Apparel | Cork sandals: Market | Purse: Vintage

Remembering Marigolds

Marigolds used to be one of my favorite flowers to plant during Spring. When I lived in Michigan, for years I had a ‘green thumb’, and I excitedly anticipated the yearly day in May when it was time for me to plant all of my annuals. 

Marigolds became a fast favorite because they bloom for months, don’t require a lot of TLC, can survive full sun, and the unpredictable summers that make Michigan, well Michigan!

The background of the bodice of this dress boasts a beautiful golden hue, quite similar to the marigolds that I used to plant.

I’m particularly fond of the generously sized bow around the neckline and classic pleat skirt.

It’s really perfect attire for work, and is easily paired with sandals and a clutch for after work ease.

Gold sunnies: Nordstrom
Dress: Vintage
Bag: Vintage
Sandals: Market

Thank you for stopping by Style Lover, until next time!
Xx