#thehunt: Wedding shopping.

We have a family friend's wedding in about two weeks so I went out this weekend in search of a dress with my sister. These were the three front runners.  It was disheartening to realize that 4 is snug but I made the best of it 😭😩

Option 1: Grecian Godess. 

$40 USD, Ross

This is sexy yet flattering. There were just a few things that annoyed me. 

-the shoulder strap was a little loose (curse my shoulder to boob ratio 😭)

- The ruching in my butt made it look that much bigger. 

- there's no way I can get away with not getting this dress altered. 

Option 2: Red Carpet

$15 USD, Ross

This dress was super flattering, appropriate for my 27 years and evening enough to not upstage bridesmaids but look nice enough not to be in danger of being voted "most casual". Two enthusiastic thumbs up. 

Option 3: traditional homecoming

$25 USD, Ross

This dress wasn't too terrible. Just picked it up as a third option. Wasn't too impressed. It reminds me of the dime a dozen homecoming dresses. I cannot see one homecoming without visualizing someone with no imagination wearing this. Meh. It looks alright but I wouldn't be able to do this without  a faja. 

Verdict: I bought dress two. Not only will it fit me at any size but has class like no other. 

#OOTD: Florida shouldn't get this cold

Pleather jacket ($20USD, Ross), cream sleeveless turtleneck (free-gift from mom, Cache), Jeggings ($7USD, Ross), buckle combat boots ($25USD, Charlotte Russe)

OOTD: My favorite tank

I have this one tank that reads "Rules Were Never Meant to be Broken" that is very special to me. First, because of my faith- it encompasses what my Walk is about. Second, I cut down a maxi dress to make this top. I honestly wish I could wear it more. So I wore it to church on Sunday with my favorite jeans, a ripped number from Hollister. Black & gold are my favorite combo so this may just be my favorite outfit. 

 

 

 

OOTD: Disney park attire

Who says I can't go into Disney with something that is so cute despite its comfort? Here's what I wore on vacation over the weekend. 

Top (Express, $30), Shorts (Ross), Flats (Melissa+Campana, $80), Weekender Bag (Michael Kors, $235)

OOTD: Elegance for a funeral.

My grandmother passed away & her funeral is this Saturday. Its going to be held in Jamaica so I needed something cool, sleeveless but at the same time, sophisticated as I'm meeting some of my family members for the first time.
I purchased this dress at Ross, where I have obviously purchased a vast amount of my wardrobe from that store. My mom told me that in Jamaica, you can wear black, white or purple to funerals, so I settled on black & white as I have a pair of Nine West pumps that are ivory & black that I'd love to wear with my outfit. I saw this dress & the white stitching was what sold me on it. Will upload pics in it when I wear it.

Ridiculous Deal: Steve Madden strikes again

Daisy duke. That's the first thing I thought upon beholding this lovely pair. I found these beauties in none other than Ross. I originally went in to buy a pair of shorts but figured 'hey let me look through the shoes, that's always fun' & I came across these.

Steve Madden Platforms

They're on a wood sole with leather straps & reminds me of the way a clog. The leather straps interlace & crisscross in the front, winding around the back of the heel. They're also ridiculously comfortable as they have a platform heel. They're about 5" high. Can't wait to see what outfits surface with these wonderful shoes.

OOTD: When leather meets pumps

Is there a reason that I look like a biker bitch in this picture? Like don't get me wrong, I absolutely love looking like a badass and this outfit screams it.
And the weekend before, I was in Orlando freezing my ass off. 45-55 degree weather can be brutal for a Miami girl especially if your sister is being a bitch and takes the only warm jacket that you brought because it happens to belong to her. It worked out because I ran into Ross at 8:45 & walked out with this bomber jacket at 9:10. It has turned out to be the perfect missing part of my wardrobe. I've put it with so many past outfits that now look completely different. Then you throw in those badass heels & its the perfect recipe.
Jacket.
Ross.
V-neck.
Forever XXI
Jeans.
PacSun.
Heels.
Charlotte Russe.

OOTD: Its 50 degrees in Orlando so its ok to look cool.

My cousin's birthday was spent in a trampoline room. If you've never been to one, very cool, you should definetly put that on your list of things to do before you die.
I had to wear something comfortable but knew that we were gonna take pictures so I wanted to look cute. I pack by throwing a crapload of stuff into my car & driving the 3 hrs to Orlando so I had quite a few things to pick from and came out with the quintessential Hot Topic outfit. As you know, I kill it when they do their 50% off clearance simply because I'm a G and I can.
Scarf.
Hot Topic. This scarf is 2-sided and I usually wear it on the side with the smaller checks but my cousin insisted that I debut the large checks. This was totally 1.50$. Score.
Top.
Hot Topic. Its got a lace up back. I'll add a photo of the detail later.
Jacket.
Ross.
Pants.
Hot Topic
Boots.
Traffic.

OOTD: Shirtdress front

Shirtdress is from Ross. I purchased two of the for$11.00, top that.

Sandals- Coach.

OOTD: Changing it up with some boots

I'm on vacation in Orlando & like an idiot, packed one of my black boots. So the second night I was here, a cold front had me looking through my suitcases frantically for my boots, upon which I could only find one foot & had to buy another pair of boots to protect my feet from that weather. This photo was actually taken in Miami (I had to go home for a night to take care of some things) & I decided to switch it up from the usual uniform of sandals & it made the difference. Apparently, boots change an entire outfit.

Cardigan.
Macy's. This is what made the look classy.

Top.
Forever 21.
I also have this in blue as well.

Shorts.
Ross. They're all baggy now that I lost weight.

Boots.
Traffic. Newest addition.

OOTD: Friday at the office

Cardigan
XOXO (by way of Macy's)
I took this cardigan out of hiding- it was actually missing a button. Sigh, I love repairing clothing because then I feel like I have a new article of clothing to work with. It's so empowering.

Top
Ross
No brand name really. I bought this shirt from the maternity section! I bought it one day before going over to the restaurant- as is my story with basically most of my black shirts. I love it it has that strange pregnant shape though.

Jeans
Guess
My new favorites lol

Shoes
Nine West
Staple. Brought these out to play

OOTD: What I ended up wearing to the wedding

Dianne stepped in & came with me to the wedding because my sister went out of town.

Added this shot because I don't look like a heffer here.

 

I'm horrid & sweating by then but at least you can see the dress and the shoes in this shot.

Original post

This is what I ended up wearing to Monica's wedding. I never wear strapless dresses but the color was great and I was looking for something other than black. I didn't want to be That Girl wearing black at someone else's wedding and I have enough black dressses to last me a lifetime. I bought the shoes first that day. I saw them in Macy's while picking up Monica & Trevor's wedding gift & knew that they were THE shoes. The challenge after that was to find a non-black dress with a material I preferred (here meaning satin or silky) I searched Macy's &  two Ross stores (yes I shop heavily at Ross for formal dresses- they usually have a unique collection.) At the last store, two hours before I had to be ready, I found this dress on the second fitting and it fit. I bought it and here is the finished product.

OOTD: A button down & jeans done right.

From behind

I love the material on this shirt!

From a distance

Closer view of the front.

Top.

Ross. 

I bought this during the time that I had no uniform at the restaurant. Since then I have an abundance of black tops lol I've actually stopped buying black tops because of that. In the past, I thought you couldn't have too much black but got tired of never having another option. I love the material on the shirt. It's textured and that gives it a more tailored look but at the same time it's soft & comfortable. I get lots of compliments on this shirt. The cut mimics the Express button downs so it's super classy but casual when I need it to be.

Jeans.

PacSun. 

I am barely fitting these jeans again as you can tell but it was nice to be able to button them and wear them out again. These were my go-to jeans once upon a time. Now I'm just happy to be able to button them again. Lol that's sad. That's what happens when you eat your feelings. Anyway, these jeans are a very strange length to dress them up. The color is right on the money- for me ideal! I die for indigo wash jeans- I honestly believe there is nothing better. However, these jeans are so skinny that its harder to wear with a lower heel so much that I have retired them (also because I couldn't fit them, but I could've tried with my body shaper) because it was way too frustrating to even try to wear them to work. The incline on these platforms makes them slide elegantly right into the skinny hemline.This it the first time I have worn these jeans with heels & been satisfied with the result.

Belt.

Michael Kors.

Staple. I said you'd be seeing a lot of this belt. I believe this is the first time that I have worn it on the espresso side. Usually it makes it on the platinum snakeskin side (sounds tacky but is so sexy) The espresso side is dark enough and neutral enough to be worn with black :) which benefits me greatly. It's glossy and patent which is a completely different look than the other side. 

A two sided belt is honestly the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Shoes.

Steve Madden.

Staple. I am obsessed with these shoes, I literally wear them every chance that I get. They're so boss! I've noticed that I've worn them with outfits that I've worn before and get way more compliments now! I guess shoes really do make the outfit. It may be the last time for a while that I make a shoevestment like that because I cannot afford to start supporting that habit. I just got off purses!

OOTD: Express top

 

Top.
I got this top from Express in one of their sale boxes. I fell for the pattern actually and since the top is for someone with a smaller bust, it's kind of a bitch to wear alone. The pattern is so pretty though- it's floral (black on white) and is like a bandeau babydoll dress. I thought that it was a unique versalite find. Something that could go to work and then to happy hour.

Jeans.
Victoria's Secret Pink

Shoes.
Ross

Cardigan.
Target

OOTD: Shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding.

 

 

My friend Monica is getting married this Saturday & I'm so slacking with getting a dress but I did pick up this baby from ROSS. It was 50$ but soooo beautiful! Its a peacock blue color & tafetta & skin tight. It has this crazy collar that I thought was so high fashion. However, idk how I didn't see it in the store, but there's some deodorant on the zipper & the dress & I will not go with an awesome dress that is marred. So I'm still on the search. Wish me luck!

Update: I returned the dress & got another one so I'll upload pics of that soon.

OOTD: I love a man in Uniform

This outfit was based around this top when I decided that I wanted something to rep my man and have a patriotic feel. One of the girls on Army Love brought up the link & I immediately went over to Forever XXI to try to purchase one as soon as I could. This shirt has a bit of a problem, well I have a problem with it seeing as I'm 4'10 and this shirt is clearly built for someone well over 5'6- it's super long. I tried it with so many different things: vests, belts, jeans to give this top some shape but also be able to show off the sleeves and I finally had the brilliance to try this skirt with it- which I'm glad that I did.

Top.

Forever XXI

Skirt.

Express. Back in the day when I was skinny & it was long enough for work. Now that it hugs my butt, I wear it to school and out on the weekends when shopping or running errands. It's long enough to be classy & a good length away from my minis. I chose not to wear a belt because the top of this skirt is so business inspired, I didn't want to mask it.

Shoes.

Classified? I got them from Ross. They were a replacement for a pair from Traffic that totally popped on me.