Dear Romper

Dear Romper*,

How I love thee.  Let me count the ways...

1.  You are a top AND bottom, so I don't have to worry about matching.

2.  With ruffles on the hem and sheer sleeves, you make me feel ultra feminine.

3.  You fit like a dress, but even better because I can ride a bike, do a cartwheel, swing, jump, etc.

4.  You define my waist and show off my legs.

5.  Paired with a denim jacket and flats, you can be a casual daytime look.

6.  Paired with heels and a statement necklace, you can be a sexy evening look.

7.  You can pull off large floral or no print at all, because you're so compact.

8.  You are just plain adorable and definitely my favorite trend for Spring & Summer.

Love,

Chelsea

P.S.  I will never stop wearing you...

*My royal blue romper is from Shop 603 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  Boots are Franco Sarto from DSW.  Gucci sunglasses are from Nordstrom Rack.

 



LBD

I have a new LBD (Little Black Dress) and I think I'm in love.  I'm learning that black really is slimming, and paneling makes it even more so.  I usually try to avoid tight clothing.  My body isn't perfect and usually a tight dress will make this painfully obvious.  I love how this dress from www.dailydazzledeals.com has a thick spandex material around the back and sides and then a lined front floral panel that hides any tummy bumps and makes my waist look cinched. 

In this look (pictured above), I was going to a Food & Wine show downtown.  A pair of tights and black heels, and the look is complete.  I do love the versatility of this dress.  It doesn't have to be just a cocktail dress.  Because of the floral print in the front and the gold zipper up the back, it can be styled for almost any occasion.  Pair it with a denim jacket and a pair of canvas sneakers and it's an adorable casual daytime look. 

Every woman should own at least one little black dress.  A dress, that when you wear it, makes you feel and look amazing.  A dress that can transition from a casual daytime look, to a sexy evening statement.  A dress that is timeless and will always be your "go to" dress when you're feeling less than beautiful.  I got my fabulous little black dress for under $30 from www.dailydazzledeals.com.

Vacation Must Haves

Your next vacation is right around the corner.  Make sure you grab these adorable and affordable vacation must haves all from www.romwe.com.


Two Piece Short Set

White Triangle Bikini

 

 

Platform Sandals



 

Floral Maxi

 







Cross Body Bag

Celebrate in Style

I love to celebrate holidays.  It's one day a year that you can dress a special way and really embrace the traditions we love.  But, I did see some absolutely ridiculous get ups yesterday on St. Patrick's Day.  I mean, grown women in tutus and wigs?  It's okay to dress up, but let's keep it real.  We're adults, so let's celebrate in style.

A fun St. Patrick's Day shirt to show your spirit, mid-rise jeans and black booties.  It's the perfect balance of fun with fashion.  The shirt is from Target, the mid-rise jeans are Rock Star from Old Navy and the black booties are from DSW.  I scored the entire outfit for under $60 and it will carry over for many years to come.  Keep your look timeless so you can wear it over and over again.  There's nothing worse than looking at pictures of years past and thinking, I can't believe I wore that!



Update Your Spring Wardrobe

Update your Spring wardrobe with these 5 amazing and affordable pieces from www.sheinside.com.  Each piece is under $30, so shop away!



Graphic Print Dress

Front-Back Earrings

Light Trench

Round or Cat Eye Sunglasses

 

 

Jumpsuit

 



 



Mid-Rise Jeans

There's no one more happy than me that the low-rise is a thing of the past.  I don't miss my pants falling down every time I bend over, my thong popping out in the back and the constant muffin top.  There's nothing good about any of those looks.  I even remember in college cutting the waist band off my jeans to go even lower than the already low-rise.  That means extra falling down, extra thong, extra muffin top.  Wrong.  So wrong.  Why do we torture our bodies with ridiculous trends?

Another trend that comes and goes (and just happens to be wildly in right now) is the high-rise.  Although potentially lengthening and slimming, by cinching your waist and elongating the leg's appearance, I find a high-rise pant to be extremely uncomfortable.  Like can't sit down, uncomfortable.  Why can't I just find something that is slimming, functional and comfortable?

I did.  It's called the mid-rise.  The mid-rise jean is everything right now.  The rise is high enough that it covers belly paunch, cinches in love handles, doesn't fall down or reveal your undergarments and it's just plain comfortable.  The off-white mid-rise distressed jeans* I'm wearing in the picture above are from Express.  They fit true to size and have a bit of stretch so they move easily with you from day to night.  They come in 3 different inseams (short, regular & long), so there's a size for everyone. 

I know trends come and go, but I'm going to hold on to this one as long as I can.  If the mid-rise goes out of style, I guess I'll just have to wear dresses for the rest of my life.  A bit dramatic, but it's the truth.  I highly suggest trying the mid-rise trend.  Want to try out a mid-rise jean, but don't want to spend a lot on something you're not sure you'll love?  I just saw that Forever21 has mid-rise jeans for under $20. 

*My statement necklace is from Forever21.  The red sweater and jeans are form Express and my black booties are from DSW.  Every one of these items I scored for under $40!



Cut Outs

 

 

Ready for Spring but the weather got you down?  Me too.  This sucks.  It was 5 degrees outside this morning on my way to the gym.  5.  Come on Spring!  Where are you?  Guess I'll just have to fake it, until it comes.  Which means, showing just a tiny bit of skin until this weather warms up.

 

The perfect way to do that?  Cut outs.  They're totally on-trend this season and can be pulled off by anyone with any body type.  I'm so in love with the cut out dress* I wore to dinner last Fall in Charleston (pictured above).  It's got coverage everywhere I want and shows off the parts of my body that I love (i.e. covers my sunburnt chest and paunchy belly and features the smallest part of my body, my waist and long legs).  I specifically chose this dress with cut outs in that exact spot because I knew it would be flattering to my body type.

 

There's endless places that you can find clothing items with cut outs.  Don't want to show off your waist?  Cut outs at the shoulders are incredibly sexy without being too showy.  Love your back?  Wear a top or dress that has a cut out in the back.  Got great boobs?  I've seen some incredible tops that are cut out right above your cleavage, showing off exactly what your mama gave you. 

 

One of the easiest ways to feature the cut out trend is wearing distressed denim.  Boyfriend jeans are all the rage.  The look is casual and usually features worn holes around the knee area (see my blog about Distressed Boyfriends).  You can show off as little or as much as you want depending on how many "holes" or cut outs you have going along the jean. 

 

Anyone can wear cut outs.  Get creative and show off whatever part of your body you like the most.  You'll feel contemporary and you might actually feel like Spring is on it's way.  Or at least you can fake it until it comes.

 

*My cut out dress is from Burlington Coat Factory for under $20.00.  The shoes are Steve Madden from DSW.

Power Color

Check out my girl, Olivia.  That red dress* makes her look like she could take on the world.  A couple kids, an awesome husband, a full time career... Liv's got it.  She definitely found her "power color" and you have one too!

Your power color doesn't have to be something bold, like red.  I've seen some men in an all black suit that makes them look better than any color could.  Skin tone has a lot to do with it.  Check out the chart to see what colors look best on your warm or cool skin tone.

 

With Olivia's dark hair and eyes and warm skin tone, she nails her power color perfectly with red.  Someone with light eyes and cool skin tone should stick with blue and purple hues.  They're just going to compliment your natural features.

 

Strangely enough, one of my favorite power colors is a lack of color completely, white.  I feel crisp, clean and slightly innocent when I wear white.  Plus it makes my skin tone look darker and my hair color look richer.  For Spring, avoid white head to toe.  Pair a white sundress with a bright sandal or layer a denim jacket over it.  White pants are dangerous, so for a smart look, wear a delicate white cotton top with a pair of pastel colored bottoms.  Pastels are everything this Spring!

 

Find your power color this season and let the confidence it gives you allow you to take on the world.

 

*Olivia's stunning red dress is by Laundry and she scored it at Nordstrom Rack.