Perfect Birthday Dress

I apologize for my lack of posts this summer. I decided to really focus on my career and build my resume. So I took on 2 jobs, 2 internships and played on a coed softball team. I was quite busy writing content for the blog at www.lsjmedia.com and this blog was a little left out.

 This is my Birthday Dress. I knew it was love at first sight, the contrast between the black top and  the sheer blush overlay! The fit is so feminine and flattering, it was perfect.  

I bought the dress at Plato's Closet for around $10. I'm pretty sure it's Charlotte Russe, although the label is cut off. 

The back is open with corset like crossing straps.   

My sister and nephew bought me this flower headband from Claire's for my Birthday. It was my summer obsession! Since I have such long hair, I wear it up in a bun a lot during the summer to keep cool. Buns are great because they can be fun yet they're also great for formal occasions. 

Here's a close up of my necklace. I bought it at Plato's Closet for about $5. Geometric patterns and shapes are such a hit right now! 

Contrasting leopard print with black is one of my favorite looks as well. This purse is Forever 21 and I bought it at Plato's Closet for $8. 

These strappy black sandals have a rather short heel compared to most of my heels which makes them more versatile. They are Madden Girl by Steve Madden which I purchased at Plato's Closet for around $8. 

Flower Power

Summer is officially here!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you're a dress lover like myself this means it's the best time of the year. That is because we can throw on a dress and run out the door. See how simple that is, just one piece of clothing and you're dressed for the day. Plus dresses are very versatile and can be worn to several different events and places and they're almost always acceptable attire. 

I picked this dress up at a Goodwill in the Grand Rapids area. It is Mossimo and it cost only $5.99. I can wear it for fun or I can dress it up and wear it to the office. 

I don't always wear brown accessories with the dress because it has so much color. Sometimes I spice it up with some pink or other times with white, it really just depends on my mood :) 

Here I'm wearing it with some strappy brown sandals from a Ross Dress for Less in Naples, FL. They are Joey O and cost only $15. If you look you will see this is the same shoe and purse combo in my blog 50 Shades of Brown from earlier this year. 

The polish on my toe nails is Material Girl by Ulta. 

This Black Poppy, small over the shoulder purse was purchased at PacSun for $8.  I apologize but I can't remember where I got the blue bracelet because I've had it so long but the rhinestone bracelet is American Eagle which I purchased at Plato's Closet for $2. 

I also wanted to show how to dress more casual.  A perfect look for a fun summer day that may include lots of walking or standing. So here I paired the dress with some gladiator sandals. 

The sandals are Candies which I picked up at a Garage Sale for $2 and the sandals have made a previous appearance in Reminiscing. 

Say Yes to the Dress

We've established my obsession with dresses, right?? If you aren't aware, yes I love dresses and I wear them almost everyday. To accentuate this, I've actually had people ask why I'm not wearing a dress, when I choose not to or comment that it's the first time they've seen me wear something other than a dress. 

So! Say yes to the dress :) 

This is my beloved color block maxi by Love Culture! My new favorite dress of summer 2013!

 Back in freezing cold February I did a maxi dress display at Plato's Closet, kind of a coping mechanism to get me through the harsh winter :) I also blogged about it, click here to see the pictures of Maxi'ing it Out. 

Anyway, this maxi dress was part of my display at work but after seeing it on the wall all week, I decided it had to be mine. Believe it or not I bought it for only $9.80, after my employee discount. I've never been happier :) 

Above, I'm wearing teal blue aviator sunglasses I bought at Forever 21 for like only $1 last summer.  I'm also wearing the most comfy Steve Madden flip flops. I bought them at a garage sale for only .25 cents and featured them in Week of Shoes from September 2012. 

The dress looks really cute paired with a jean vest. The one pictured above is Vanilla Star purchased at Plato's Closet for $5 and was featured in another blog post Blue Jean Baby. 

If it's a little chilly outside like it can be at night here in Michigan, I pair it with a denim or jean jacket. This one is by Rubbish and sold at Plato's Closet for $10. 

I'm dress obsessed. No shame :) 

Blue Jean Baby

I was invited to a concert at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. We went to see Chris Young, who is a country music singer. I thought I'd be cute and dress the part! Plus we had a blast!

This top is long enough to double as a dress for warmer weather and this outfit could be worn without jeans. 

One of the newest additions to my wardrobe is this racer back jean vest. The vest is Vanilla Star and was purchased at Plato's Closet for about $5.

 I'm really looking forward to wearing this top and vest combo more this summer! 

The top can also be worn as a dress, it's One Clothing bought at a Ross Dress for Less in Naples, Florida for around $10. I've worn it for many different occasions, including a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert last summer!  

These tan embroidered womens cowboy boots are Wanted which were purchased for $1 at a garage sale. They are so fun and I always get lots of compliments when I wear them!