The Pretty Pear

Head to toe: Yay for sequins!

Is there anything more glamorous than sequins? No. And really, is there a single good reason to keep a fabulously embellished piece tucked away, waiting for a special occasion? No, there isn’t. A touch of shimmer and shine never hurt anybody, is all I’m saying.

This outfit is just an example of how I’d work a dressy, sequined shell into a casual outfit. I love the drapey sweater over the sleek tank, paired with fitted jeans tucked into a harness boot. It’s an interesting mix of feminine glam with just a bit of a rocker edge. This outfit would be cute with a plain black tank but the sequins just take it up several notches.

Sequined tank, $80-90 from Jessica London
See Thru Soul dark wash skinny jean, $90 from Torrid
Callie Cardigan, $44 from b&lu
RSVP Rider boot with 18” calf, $99 from Zappos
B. Makowsky Greenwich tote, $252 from Zappos
Rose ring, $12 from Modcloth

My inner French woman insisted that I include a beautiful scent with this look so I tossed in the new Parisienne perfume from YSL. I’m hoping Santa takes the hint and brings me a bottle for Christmas.

Shoe of the week: Peigi by Vigotti

I like this week's shoe so much that I've created an entire outfit around it. I’ve shoved as many fall trends into this one look as possible. All that’s missing is the matte nail polish.

Fall 2009 will be all about playing with silhouette and shape. I like the pairing of a slouchy top and oversized bag with sleek pants and a chunky heeled boot. I also like the mixture of feminine ruffles and the open toe on the shoe with masculine details like the grungey plaid pattern and a big, stainless steel watch. It’s time to mix things up!

Shoes: Peigi by Vigotti from Zappos. Sizes 5 - 12, medium and wide(!!!) widths. Available in the black leather shown above, black nubuck and dark brown leather.

Top: St. John's Bay ruffle placket plaid shirt from JC Penney in sizes 1 – 3X for $22. Available in the firebrick plaid shown above and three other colors.

Jeans: Seven7 slim leg jean from Lane Bryant in sizes 12 - 24.

Watch: My Fave Boyfriend by Fossil from Zappos. Stainless steel with black enamel face. This is a woman’s watch so it’s smaller than an actual men’s watch but definitely makes its presence known.

Bag: Jimi by Big Buddha from Piperlime. I love gray always and the zippers are awesome.

head to toe: black, white & gray

The weather here in Chicago has been... weird, which makes dressing lots of fun. I figure you can't really go wrong with layered tops, jeans, and a bag big enough to carry a cardigan in case you get chilly. The riveted black sandals and cherry red pedicure are just a little bit edgy and the feather earrings are just for fun!

Inspire tank from b&lu
Stretch tank from Old Navy
Pria jean from b&lu
Vigotti Calandra sandals from Zappos
Lucky Brand hobo bag from Zappos
Blackbird feather earrings from Modcloth 
Cherry Love nail polish by Rescue Beauty Lounge available from Amazon.com

Head to Toe: b&lu Odelia dress

Have you ever spotted a really cute item and said “Wow, I want that! Except.. how would I wear it?” How many great pieces have you passed up because you had no idea what to pair them with?

The answer is usually to keep it simple. If an item catches your eye enough to make you pause and then covet the hell out of it, it’s probably a piece that can stand on its own with a few simple accessories.

The Odelia dress from b&lu is one of those dresses that can definitely stand on its own. The accessories I’ve chosen are really simple and can be worn with other outfits very easily. If you do want to theme it up, replace the flats with cowboy boots. Yeehaw.

Outfit details
Odelia dress, $54 from b&lu. It comes in sizes 1 – 5X but check the size chart!
Hobo bag, $23 from Target.
Round plastic sunglasses, $17 from Target.
Odell ballet flats, $13 from Target.

Total outfit cost: $107. Not bad!

Head to Toe: Trouser Jeans!

Just a fun little Polyvore set to hold us over for my Right Fit denim trouser review. There is an infinite number of ways you can wear these jeans so I did two looks to get you started!

Click through the image for details about each item.

Head to Toe: Little Brown Dress

Target can be pretty hit or miss with their selection of plus size clothing. On any given day, you can find several pieces that are super cute or you'll find practically nothing. Right now, it seems like the selection of plus sizes at my local store is even smaller than usual. I do wish they'd stock more plus sizes because when they get it right, they get it really right. I did find a couple of items on my last trip that I like a lot, after trying on about twelve different things. Hopefully, someday Target will expand their plus size line. I know I'm not the only one who would snap it all up.

After the cut, I put together an outfit entirely from Target based on a brown dress that I picked up for myself.

Head to Toe: Easy, Breezy

A reader mentioned that she liked that I put together a full outfit for the business casual post, so I'm taking that to mean that EVERYONE loved that and I should do more! Actually, the inspiration for that came from the Fat Fashion Thursday posts at My Aim is True. It's a fun thing to do and I enjoy it so whatever. I'm calling mine "Head to Toe" because I'm not very creative with titles for things.

Here's another business casual outfit. If your office is very casual, this could be an everyday outfit. Or it'd be suitable for casual Fridays if you work in a boring office (I kid). This time, I'm looking forward to spring so I went with something light and easy, but still pulled together and polished. Click the "continue" link to see the outfit!