The Pretty Pear

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.

Some recent acquisitions

I've been doing a little shopping lately! Well, I'm always doing a little shopping but... ok here's some stuff I've bought.

There's something about black and white damask prints that really grab me and I will always at least consider buying whatever the item is. I even have a set of dishes from Target in a similar pattern.

I took a gamble and ordered a pair of these satin flats from Old Navy online and yay, they're awesome. I went up to a 9 (I'm usually an 8.5) and they fit great. They're really flattering on the foot, too. They won't last long before wearing out but I'm not planning on hiking in them or anything.

I know I've said this about a billion times but I really do love the knit tees from Kiyonna. I haven't ordered the Central Park Keyhole Top just yet but I will, very soon. What's great is that I know I'm going to love this top. I'm not sure the red would be very flattering on me, so I'm ordering it in black. I hope they make it in more colors soon because I know I'm going to want more.

I finally found and purchased my perfect green bag: the Giani Bernini Flap Satchel from Macy's. The green looks slightly different in person. It's lighter, more vibrant and perfect. I loooooove this bag. I wish the lining was cuter but no one sees that but me anyway. Otherwise, it's perfect and not crazy expensive at $52.

A few months ago, I tried on a really cute purple CK top at Macy's that I loved. I can't find it online now but believe me, it's really cute. Unfortunately, I couldn't justify spending $70 on it but then, last weekend, I found it at Marshall's for $25! I guess that's probably only really exciting to me.

Anyway. here's a simple "Head to Toe" look that I'll be wearing once the weather stops being craptastic!

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!