Lovely dress.

At Fossil for $64.00.

Love this sweater! Same print as the skirt below but in blue… so cute. (And look how freaking awesome her hair is too!)

At Fossil for $64.00

I’m loving the vibrant print on this skirt!

At Fossil for $58.00

I love the bow on this!

At Fossil for $58.00.

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!)

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

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

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!

Belts are the perfect way to liven up a wardrobe, emphasize (or create) a waist, and show off some personal style.

Summertime is perfect for bright skinny belts.  This belt (also comes in bright pink) is from J.Crew, on sale for $12.99, and can be worn all sort of fun ways.

Try wearing it over a blouse, over a lightweight jacket and a cotton, summery skirt, with some trousers and your favorite t-shirt for some instant style, or with a high-waisted skirt and a pretty blouse.

Style made easy, and that’s just with skinny belts!  There’s a whole new array of options with regular and wide belts.

Give it a try.

1. Skinny Leather Belt, J.Crew, $12.99

2. Jan Blouse, Fossil, $48

3. Charlie Blouse, Fossil, $48

4. Summer Linen Blazer, J.Crew, $148

5. Favorite Fit Stretch Wool Trouser, J.Crew, $138

6. High-waisted Light weight Wool Skirt, Banana Republic, $79.50

Super cute sweater vest!

At Fossil for $22.99 down from $48.00.

Dress: ‘Sasha’ Dress from Fossil for $74.00

Bracelet: Quail Egg Elastic Bracelet from Forever 21 for $4.80

Bracelet: Perforated Bangle Bracelet from Wet Seal for $6.00

Earrings: Floral Medallion Earrings from Forever 21 for $5.80

Shoes: Steve Madden ‘Hanaa’ Shoes from Dillard’s for $69.00

Bag: B. Makowsky ‘Studded Soft’ Pleated Hobo bag from Nordstrom for $228.00

This is a fun flirty top. Found at Fossil on sale from $58.00 to $19.99. And that necklace is a perfect addition!

Okay, here is another sweater, but it’s on sale and it is SO super cute! I love what I call the “Mr. Rogers” style sweaters. They are so lovely. You can find it at Fossil for $19.99 on sale from $54.00! That’s a huge savings! WOO HOO!

Okay, so I am not going to post all the modest sweaters because let’s face it… they are all modest! But when I come across a super cute one like this, I will definitely be letting you know. This SUPER cute sweater can be found at Fossil for $39.99 on sale from $58.00!

UPDATE: Now on sale for $29.99!

Sometimes it’s nice to not ALWAYS be wearing fitted clothing. And this top sure looks comfy, and super cute! (I really like that scarve too!) You can find this at Fossil for only $39.99 on sale from $58.00!!!

Very simple and cute skirt. You can buy it at Fossil and it’s on sale from $48.00 to $29.99! Awesome! Unfortunately Fossil doesn’t provide the length of their clothing.

UPDATE: Now on sale for $22.99

I love all the colors in this fun and flirty skirt! You can buy it at Fossil for only $54.00. Unfortunately Fossil doesn’t provide the length of their clothing.

This skirt looks super comfy and casual. Good combo! You can buy it at Fossil for only $54.00. Unfortunately Fossil doesn’t provide the length of their clothing.

Super cute yellow floral skirt, you can buy it at Fossil for only $39.99 on sale from $54.00. Gotta love the sales!Unfortunately Fossil doesn’t provide the length of their clothing.

Update: Now on sale for $29.99