Enjoy free shipping on every order at CharlotteRusse.com for one week only: 7/19-7/25!
I know, I know, the free shipping started on the 19th… I’m a slacker, what can I say? Click on the link above and go shopping!
Hi there-
I love your ensembles and am looking for “Back to School” attire for ME as I am a teacher. I teach 10 year olds, so I don’t need crawl-on-the-floor friendly pieces. I find a lot of appropriate dresses and skirts, but have a hard time completing my looks with pants. I can wear denim trousers or jeans once a week, but need some cute alternatives. Also, comfy but fashionable shoes are a must. I’m on my feet all day. I don’t want to look like a “teacher” or like a college kid. I just want to look fabulous-please help!
Natalie’s Outfit (for Natalie…):
Alright Natalie, I have a lot of stuff for you here! All of the tanks are meant to go under the cardigans below. I wanted to put a white tank on there… but it wouldn’t show up so that is where the peach tank comes in. (Imagine it white) I love mixing cardigans with tanks because it allows you to use more colors. Also I love when shoes can add a pop of color to your outfit. Those red shoes are awesome and would look good with ANY of those cardigans. I am also showing you three pairs of slacks. None of which are jeans (obviously) but I think throwing a nice pair of slacks into the mix is nice too. However, any of these tops will pair great with trouser jeans.
Stretch Wool Bootcut Pants at Calvin Klein on sale for $49.00
Wide Waistband Pants at Calvin Klein on sale for $34.00
Classiques Entier® ‘Phantom Mélange’ Pants at Nordstrom on sale for $99.90
Classiques Entier® ‘Bella Lana’ Open Front Cardigan at Nordstrom on sale for $89.90
Susina® Raised Seam Cardigan (Juniors) at Nordstrom on sale for $28.90
Plenty by Tracy Reese Appliqué Cardigan at Nordstrom for $174.00
Toni Crochet Yoke Tank at Delias on sale for $22.50
Scattered Petals Tank at JCrew for $88.00
Textured Ruffle Blouse from Charlotte Russe now on sale for $8.99!
Tama from Steve Madden for $69.95
Me Too ‘Limit’ Ruffle Ballet Flat at Nordstrom on sale for $59.90
Jessica Simpson ‘Edison’ Flat at Nordstrom for $68.95
Emily’s outfits for Natalie: 
Hi Natalie! I’ve worked as a reading teacher at an elementary school before, so I know a little bit about how it is to wake up and have about 30 minutes to get yourself pulled together for a day on your feet. Comfort is KEY! My best advice is to buy the most comfortable slacks you can find (which for me are usually wide leg trousers), easy tops that you won’t have to fuss with, simple skirts, and comfortable dresses. I would keep your clothes in simple colors so you can mix and match tops with your skirts and slacks, but use accessories to liven up your outfits. Jewelry at Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe is so inexpensive and right on trend. And, of course, a belt and/or a scarf is always a simple way to add interest and style. Lastly, the shoes that I picked for you are both Born shoes. I bought my first pair of red Born Mary-Jane flats in 2002 and then just replaced them with a new pair a few months ago. I’d say seven years of wearing them everywhere is getting my money’s worth! They are so comfortable and you’ll find yourself wearing them all the time. I wear my red flats with everything! And I would definitely invest in the boots for the days when you want to wear a skirt but you don’t want to shave your legs. For that purpose alone, I’d say they’re worth it. Have a great school year! clockwise from top left:
Khakis, Old Navy, $12.99-19.00 (a simple pair of slacks in tons of fun colors)
Trousers, Anthropologie, $118.00 (click the link to see the back of these super-cute trousers. I love them!)
Pencil Skirt, Banana Republic, $59.50
Denim Pencil Skirt, Gap, $54.50
Red Dress, Shabby Apple, $62.00
Gray Jersey Dress, Old Navy, $24.50
Faux-Wrap Dress, Shabby Apple, $55.00
Pintuck Collared Dress, Shabby Apple, $78.00
Patterned Scarf, Fossil, $17.99
Fashion Belts (in red or gold), Old Navy, $14.50
Chiffon Blouse, Forever 21, $11.50
Ruffled Top, Forever 21, $17.80
Red Mary-Janes, Zappos, $98.95
Black Boots, Born, $170.00
Ashley’s Outfit:
Everything on here can be mixed and matched! The tops can be worn alone or with the belt, or better yet with the cardigan and the belt! The Chandelier earrings and ring will coordinate well with everything. Chandelier earrings are great because they instantly dress up any outfit, and they add a lot of style! Have fun shopping!!!
Love, Ashley
Banded Cardigan at Mod Bod for $38.95.
Pencil Skirt at Mod Bod for $44.95.
Colored Denim Pencil Skirt at Gap for $54.50.
215 Martin Classic Grey Trouser Pant at Banana Republic for $98.00.
Dahlia Floral Chiffon Top at Forever 21 for $17.80.
Solid Ruffle Top on sale at Aeropostale for $19.99.
AK Ann Klein Flats on sale at Piperlime for $69.99.
BCBGIRLS Flats at Piperlime for $79.00
Stud Quad Braid Wide Belt at Forever 21 for $8.80.
Wrapped Faux Pearl Ring at Forever 21 for $4.80.
Filigree Chandelier Earrings at Charlotte Russe for $4.00. (Free Shipping!)
Here’s an email from our reader Emily (I swear it’s not from me Emily, although I would love to see Wicked):
“Next month I’m going to see Wicked for my birthday. I’m so excited and I would like to get something new (I’ll take any excuse to buy a new outfit)! Wicked is well known for it’s bright green color and with that being my favorite color I would love to find a cute green dress or something else to wear. Any ideas?”
Okay, Emily, when I first saw this email I was like, “what? How am I going to find a cute green dress?” But actually, this has been my favorite outfit to put together so far. Having the specific constraint of a green dress made it pretty easy to narrow things down. I’ve got a couple options for you, and then, just because I can, I’ll throw in my vote.
options 1 and 2:
1. Leading Lady Dress, DownEast Basics, $29.99 (very comfortable, very cute, and a perfect addition to your wardrobe. This is definitely something you’ll be able to wear often.)
2. Dressy Jersey Cinched Dress, J.Crew, $78.00 (so pretty, I love the waist and tie. You’ll need to wear something underneath, and a classic tee from DownEast is always a great option, as would be a camisole underneath with a cardigan on top.
shoes: Steve Madden Passta Platform, $62.82 or Steve Madden Witney T-strap Slingback, $99.95 (both styles are from Endless.com. I couldn’t decide, so I just showed both options. Sometimes it’s hard to make a decision when I’m play shopping for someone else.)
necklace: Mirrored Disk Necklace, Charlotte Russe, $6.99 (looks pretty darn close to the expensive one the J.Crew girl is wearing. I’d buy a few and layer them at different lengths.)
options 3 and 4:
3. Pleated Cowl Neck Dress, Nordstrom, $91.90 (I love the cute stand-up cowl neck and the 60′s mod-ish detail in the back. So cute.) Put it with these great patterned heels from Endless.com for $45.73. Top off the look with this fantastic head piece. I remember putting this etsy.com seller in my favorites a while back, then I saw that Anthropologie had picked up her Fascinator piece. They don’t carry it any longer, but I was excited to see someone’s handmade company doing well. You’ll look hip and stylish and I think it will add to the fun and fancy of the night. For accessories I would just add a fun cocktail ring, and you’re all set!
4. Lastly, my favorite look, Caranday Dress, Anthropologie, $178.00 (this dress would just be so much fun for a special night out. It’s 35.5″ long, so it might be a little short. Even if it’s not, I’ve put with it a slip from Vintage Hem. It’s the Effie’s Dessert style in vanilla, for $60.00). Then the cardigan to wear over it is from J.Crew for $49.99. The necklace ($38.00) and earrings ($18.00) are both from Anthropologie. To finish it off, you have three shoe choices. The Slingback ($43.42), the Peep-Toe Slingback ($49.76), or my pick, the Espadrille ($79.95).
You’ve got a very hard and very fun decision ahead of you. Options one and two are more casual and less expensive. But you did say this was a special occasion worthy of spending a little money…so…options three and four are a little less casual, more festive, and…more expensive.
Have a great birthday Emily, and I hope you enjoy the show!
Love, Emily
Our reader Kim:
Okay, major dilemma! Just found your blog from Cardigan Empire and I just signed up to do family pics next week (7/23) with Blue Lily. In addition to that, we’re going to my husband’s 20 year reunion next weekend as well. Unfortunately, I don’t have a CLUE what to wear. I’m 5’5″ and size 14. I don’t want to spend a ton of money, but I want to look great of course. I know it’s short notice but ANY help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Kim
Emily’s outfit:
Okay, so there are some options here, so use your imagination to visualize the outfits. I’ve created a core group of items that can work for the family picture and your husband’s reunion coming up. Bonus! Most of the items are either on sale or pretty inexpensive, or both.
Wear the cardigan over the blouse, and then wrapped around with the belt on top (like the “successful” outfit by the gorgeous Reachel Bagley. Darn right, that outfit’s successful! She looks amazing.) The shoes would look killer with any of the jeans or skirts.
For the family picture: the core group A-F with either white wide-leg jeans (G) or straight-leg denim (H).
For the reunion: the same core group with either a more casual brown corduroy skirt (I) or a sleeker white sateen pencil skirt (J).
My vote? Totally the white jeans and the white skirt. I love white in the summertime and think it would look so fresh and breezy for a family picture and for lookin’ white hot at a high school reunion. Gold accessories along with white? Even better. (And a savings tip: if you bought the shoes, white jeans and/or patterned blouse…you would qualify for free shipping. And if you bought the white cardigan and the belt, you’d be about $5 away from free shipping from Target.)
a. 3/4 Sleeve Open Cardigan, Target, $27.99 (Hopefully at your local store)
b. BCBGirls “Polands” Brown Sandals, Piperlime, $89.99 (they’re on sale!)
c. Sparkle Disc Dangle Earrings, Forever 21, $5.80
d. Dania Metallic Cuff, Forever 21, $6.80
g. White Flare Leg Jeans, Gap, $29.99 (on sale and in your size!)
h. Zipper Straight Leg Jeans, Gap, $69.50
Natalie’s Outfit:
Looks like I missed the memo… (that you don’t want to spend too much money… oops!) However, a lot of my items are on sale… But here is a pretty outfit for your liking. Family photo is everything except the ring and the jacket. And for the reunion you could wear all of this except the cuff (doesn’t make sense to wear it under the jacket, plus would look kinda weird with the ring at the same time!) Hope you like it!
A Frenchie Slicker at JCrew on sale for $89.99
B Multi Bead at Fossil for $38.00
C Flower Filigree Ring at Charlotte Russe for $4.00
D Trimmed Trousers from Anthropologie for $88.00
E Sanfrann at Steve Madden on sale for $34.98
F Perfect-Fit Corsage Scoopneck Tee at JCrew on sale for $19.99
G Textured Cuff at Charlotte Russe for $4.00
Ashley’s Outfit:
Since it is still summer I wanted to make sure to use plenty of color! The gold belt will look best worn over the shirt around the waist… and by the way, the belt is my favorite part- it adds a touch of BLING that this outfit needed. I geared this outfit more towards the reunion, but it would look great in a family picture as well! I tried to keep the items from stores that you (hopefully) have access to.
The shoes may be more then what you would want to spend.. but I just put them there for an idea. I think you could wear this outfit with any pair of cream (preferably) or white sandals. (This is Natalie, hey, I’m sorry Ashley’s outfit is pixelated (sp?)! My photo-shop wasn’t cooperating!)
Eyelet-Sleeve Top on sale at Old Navy for $17.99
Merona Two Tone Satchel on sale at Target for $14.98
Faux-Leather Fashion Belt at Old Navy for $14.50
Bernardo Madonna at Piperlime for $109.00
Elisa Flower Bangle at Forever 21 for $6.80
Okay, so these are the same dresses right? I mean… if they aren’t, they look pretty dang similar. The only difference that I can see is that the Charlotte Russe one is 35 inches long whereas the one at Forever 21 is only 33 inches long. Weird. I guess the lack of fabric is the reason the one at Forever 21 is $5.00 cheaper… Even though everything looks pretty similar, it’s funny that I think the Forever 21 dress looks nicer… What do you think?
(the one on the left is from Forever 21, the one on the right is from
Charlotte Russe)
Natalie’s outfit for Alisa:
Striped Ruffle Top at Charlotte Russe, $18.99.
Gentle Current Cardigan at Anthropologie, $88.00
Kut Button Stretch Trouser at Buckle, $78.00
Steve Madden Partiee Sandal at Nordstrom, $89.95
Stone Flower Earrings at Charlotte Russe, $4.00
Ilene Flower Bangle at Forever 21, $5.80
Emily’s outfit for Alisa
Sophia ruffled tank, Fossil, $29.99
Ruffle-trimmed cardigan, Gap, $49.50
Yoked hip slung jeans, Gap, $59.50
Abalone 4-strand Necklace, Fossil, $97.99
Steve Madden Tayla, Piperlime, $100.00
Ashley’s outfit for Alisa:
Authentic Dark Straight Jean at American Eagle Outfitters, $39.50
Short-sleeve Cashmere Cardigan on sale at J Crew, $79.99
Picot Ruffle Tank at Charlotte Russe for $17.99
Jocelyn Platform Stiletto at Forever 21, $26.80
Jewel Ellipse Bracelet at Forever 21, $5.80
Flower Shield Earrings at Charlotte Russe, $4.00
Need help planning an outfit for an event coming up? Email us! Every Tuesday we will post your requested outfits! HOLLA!
Secret sale! Take 25% off site-wide for one day only, Monday, 7/13. Use code THANKS.
Hey guys! This code only works if you click on this link from our site and shop! Sorry, should have posted it earlier! Take advantage and go shop!!! Ends at 11:59 EDT tonight!
Yet another pretty blouse. Thank you Charlotte Russe for having pretty and inexpensive clothing!
Ditsy Floral Blouse for $19.99 at Charlotte Russe.
Really? Really? This shirt is ONLY $10! Everyone run to your local Charlotte Russe and buy it NOW!
At Charlotte Russe for $10.00.
So what do you think? Should I dress brighter for an August wedding?
Dress: ‘Loraine Dress’ from Delias for $44.50, 36 inches long
Shoes: ‘Fellicia’ from Steve Madden on sale for $44.98
Clutch: Steve Madden ‘Luna’ Clutch from Endless for $34.00
Necklace: ‘Silk Flowers Necklace’ from Forever 21 for $10.80
Bracelet: ‘Round Faceted Bracelet’ from Charlotte Russe for $4.00
Earrings: ‘Stone Flower Earrings’ from Charlotte Russe for $4.00
Too much black for a summer wedding? Or is it just right?
Cropped Pants: Violet Trouser Capris at Charlotte Russe for $27.99
Top: Sadie Chiffon Ruffle Blouse at Forever 21 for $22.80
Sandals: Hermosa by Ocean Minded for $30.00
Sunglasses: At Old Navy on sale for $5.00
Bracelet: Retro Circle Bracelet at Charlotte Russe for $4.00
Earrings: Floral Enamel Earrings at Charlotte Russe for $4.00
Shorts: ‘Flat Pocket Bermuda Shorts’ at Wet Seal for $24.50
Top: ‘Pearl Flower Blouse’ at Charlotte Russe for $22.99 UPDATE: No longer available… BUMMER!
Shoes: Mossimo Supply Co. ‘Odell Ballet Flats’ at Target for $12.99
Bag: Angie & Lola ‘Hobo with Rings’ at Target for $29.99
Bracelet: ‘Grooved Bracelet Set’ at Forever 21 for $5.80
Earrings: ‘Painted Laser Cut Earrings’ at Forever 21 for $3.80
Tuck in into a cute skirt or wear it with your fav jeans! Charlotte Russe has so many cute tops right now!
Find it at Charlotte Russe for $19.99.
Jeans: J Brand Blue Label 7/8ths at Anthropologie for $158.00
Top: Candid Corsage Blouse at Anthropologie for $98.00 UPDATE!!! On Sale for $49.95!!! YEYAH!
Shoes: Patent Cut Out Flats at Charlotte Russe for $18.99
Ring: Jewel Petals Flower Ring at Forever 21 for $4.80
Earrings: Faux Pearl Stud at Forever 21 for $2.80
Bag: Petunia Pickle Bottom Empress Roll Boxy Backpack at Tutti Bella for $167.00
And yes, the bag is a diaper bag, but it’s cute! And come on… the outfit has to be at least a little bit practical… (running errands with a 3 month old who spits up all the time and has occasional blow outs, means I need to bring a lot of things with me!)
Alright, so at first I was ignoring all these short dresses. This one is only 33 inches long… But I seriously think it would look cute with a pair of jean shorts or even a pair of skinny jeans. So… don’t be suprised if you keep seeing “dresses” marked as “tops”… hehe. This one is at Charlotte Russe for $24.99.
I LOVE the embroidery on this dress! Find it at Charlotte Russe for only $32.99! This dress is 35 inches long.
More ruffles! Find it at Charlotte Russe for $19.99.
Almost anything with ruffles is a favorite of mine. Love the sunny yellow color! Find it at Charlotte Russe for $14.99.
Lots of Details.
Must have! Love the belt.
What a pretty fabric!
