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Style Post: My “Go To” Casual Outfit for Fall

I love Fall and it’s not just for this reason:

1095d03d380b0aac46ec138bf68d8dd0

What’s not to love about it Fall? (Except of course, if like me, you currently  live in the Midwest, then Fall is accompanied by a gnawing feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach; an impending sense of doom knowing that winter is coming soon). But, I’m handling it the same way I handle all of my life’s problems: denial.

IMG_5959

You know, maybe I am a basic bitch- and maybe that’s ok? because I love all the basic girl things about Autumn: the falling leaves, the brisk weather, and the clothing options: boyfriend jeans, comfy sweaters, colorful  scarves, and boots (LOTS of boots). Comfort is alwayyyys number one.

IMG_5908.jpg

 

Here’s What I’m wearing:

J Cashmere’s Oversized Double V Dolman Sweater, $228.00 (40% regular price) on Amazon

lt-heather-grey-cashmere-oversized-double-v-dolman-sweater-rt

7 For All Mankind Ankle Skinny Jeans in Vibrant Blue

410pRUQLAKL._SX342_

And my trusty Clarks Women’s Desert Boot Lace-Up Boot (in taupe distressed) at  Amazon  for $57.12:

img-thing

 

And here’s a version of my go to Fall Outfit via a Polyvore set I spent way to much time putting together. You can link directly to each specific item from the list below the collection:

 

casual fall day

 

casual fall day by thiswildpreciouslifeblog featuring blue skinny jeans

Jumpers sweater
stylemoi.nu

Rag bone mini drawstring bag
forwardbyelysewalker.com

Blee Inara hamsa charm
maxandchloe.com

Vita fede jewelry
intermixonline.com

Ona Chan trio ring
$145 – wolfandbadger.com

Drinkware
anthropologie.com
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Spring Outwear: Lightweight and Versatile Longline Anorak Jacket

 

LA Hearts Pac Sun Longline Anorak Jacket

LA Hearts Longline Anorak Jacket available at Pac-Sun
LA Hearts Longline Anorak Jacket available at Pac-Sun

 

 

The women’s Longline Anorak Jacket by LA Hearts for PacSun and PacSun.com offers a draped fit with a zipper and button closure. I love the super light weight fabric and chic look and looks great dressed up or down available at Pacsun.com for $69.95. It’s one-size fits, which I was worried about because those never usually fit me but its REALLY big!

 

 

LA Hearts Longline Anorak Jacket

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spring style: fun, flowy, floral, boho dresses

hooray for all things Spring….Sun, flowers, rain, birds, allergies. I’ll take it all if it means I can stand outside for more than a minute without getting frostbite.  I’ve been waiting for a day that was nice enough to wear my Free People Parker Dress. Although there aren’t enough photoshopping or fliters that help my legs look less blindingly white and pasty.

free people dress black esparilldos

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite floral spring dresses I found online:

Free People Parker Dress, $69.00:

FREE-people-parker-dress-sage

MINKPINK Women’s Moon Flower Midi Dress:

mink-pink-midifloral-dress

Needle & Thread’s Summer Garden Floral Sequin Bodycon Dress ($360.00):

needle&thread-bodycon-sequin-garden-dress

Free People First Kiss Dress, $98.00:

free-people-first-kiss-boho-dress

 

Free People Embroidered Austin Dress, $148.00:
free-people-austin-embroidered-dress

Needle & Thread Gilded Filigree Three Quarter Sleeve Cocktail Dress:
needle&thread-gilded-filigree-dress

 BB Dakota ‘Heleen’ Print Fit and Flare Midi Dress ($98.00) at Nordstroms:

BB-dokata-heleen-floral-dress

Volcom Juniors Nevermore Dress

volcom-floral-dress

 

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Spring Style Trend: Boyfriend Jeans (My new favorite pair)

 

i don’t know if technically I could call these boyfriend jeans since my boyfriend wouldn’t be caught dead in these and also because he’s smaller than me. But I’m okay with that because that means I get them all to myself. And the last time I bought a pair of Diesel jeans was in college over 10 years ago because I wanted to be cool like my friend David Mata. I have been searching for the perfect pair of boyfriend jeans for me because I don’t have a skinny frame (tree trunk legs) and any pair of boyfriend jeans I tried on always ended up looking like a bad pair bootleg skinny leg jeans on me. I remember when I tried on “mom jeans” at H&M, ha! I love the fit of these jeans because they are super baggy, especially in the crotch (yeah, I already psychoanalyzed myself about this). Also, I love the wash and the color and I’m sold.
diesel boyfriend jeans

Working on learning from my friend Shana at the MomEdit and trying to simplify and minimills my outfits which is really really hard for me. But if I can control my urge to through on something bright orange, I do like the way the minimalist casual style looks.

I highly recommend my jeans if you like this type of style, although they are pretty pricey- I don’t think I could find a pair I love more. They are Women’s Diesel FAYZA Boyfriend Denim

Diesel Jeans Fayza 0810n Fidanzato D 80_03_LRG

which I got on Amazon for $174.00

My shoes are Viscata Escala Espadrilles

also purchased on Amazon for $44.95 and they are amazingly comfortable.


spring 2015 boyfriend jeans thiswildpreciouslife

asos kimmi shrunken boyfriend jean vintage wash

 

g star arc 3d boyfriendblend boyfriend jeans with distressing asosDiesel Jeans Fayza 0810n Fidanzato D 80_03_LRG river islandwhistles boyfriend jeans in midwash denim

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Art Collaboration with The Mom Edit Style Blog

mom edit march art style fashion collaboration jessica ross

I am so so excited to be collaborating again with the AMAZING Shana, and her equally amazing blog: The Mom Edit on a series of monthly fashion themed art pieces.

Shana's latest spring OOTD on the mom edit.
Shana’s latest spring OOTD on the mom edit.

I love being able to collaborate with Shana. She has been an enthusiastic supporter and an advocate for me and my art, even when I usually can’t stand whatever it is I’ve made. supporter and cheerleader  She is passionate, enthusiastic and just all around bad ass. I love all of her style and she approaches each post with honesty and frankness about life that makes me laugh out loud.

I was really struggling creatively the last few months and this collaboration has  breathed new life into  my art and given me a new purpose and direction. This project has also been hands down the hardest artistic challenge I’ve undertaken simply because it’s so scary for me to have my artwork “out there” to be seen and judged. I usually have two modes: 1) being super impulsive about what I publish on social media and then afterwards feeling embarrassed or 2) overthinking and analyzing every thing I make until I just stop mid-way through and never finish it.

Here is the March art piece I did for The Mom Edit along with Shana’s picks to go along with it:

jess ross mom edit art collaboration march spring style

jessbobess march-collage-01-614x1024

And here is the link to her article:

http://themomedit.com/2015/03/hello-march-and-some-exciting-news/

This is the art piece I did for the February collaboration with The Mom Edit:

valentine-01 mom edit art collaboration

Here is her AMAZING outfit that inspired the art I did for her and the LINK to her article Winter Florals and Leather Jackets (The Anti-Valentines Day Outfit):

chiffon-maxi-leather-jacket-winter-floral-beanie-681x1024 chiffon-maxi-skirt-winter-floral-tank-leather-jacket-sole-society-winter-beanie

 

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Spring Style Trend: The Summer (and Spring) of the Sneaker!

spring sneakers style trend

Hallelujah! Finally, a shoe trend I can really get behind. Comfy? check. Stylish? Check. Versatile? Check. Fun? Check.

I’m a sucker for all things colorful and loud (It’s a problem I’m working on). so while scrolling through Free Peoples’ amazing online shoe collection,  I stumbled across these bad boys:

The New Balance Classics Women’s Precious Metals Classic Sneaker

precious metal new balance sneaker

and got about as excited as a guniea pig getting a special carrot treat:

guinea pig excitedSo,  I guess you could I got pretty excited. And because there was no way I was letting those suckers get away, I added them to my little shopping cart and kept scrolling and immediately saw these Asics trainers (also on free people):

asics trainers blue

It’s like they were made for me..kind of tacky and bright blue. So you can imagine how excited I was at this  point:
OTTER HAPPY LOL

happy otter level of excitement.


 

I figured since I found two pair of sneakers I loved by just looking at Free People, there were probably more I might love even more available to me on the world wide web….

Fast forward to about 4 hours later where I had roughly 20 different sneakers in 10 different shopping carts. Here are some of my favorites I found:

Nike Women’s Internationalist Mid in Metallic Silver/Black-Hyper Jade, available for pre-order on Nike’s website for $110.00

nike air pegasus turquoise

 

These New Balance Women’s Elite 90s Running 530 Classics Running Shoe, available on Amazon for $85.00

newbalancepurple

These Nike Women’s Air Pegasus ’83 Trainers for $119.00 on Amazon
coral nike air pegasusand also another color version of the Nike Women’s Air Pegasus 83 also available on Amazon

nike-air-pegasus-83-ltr-dark-obsidian-hyper-turquoise-03

These New Balance 620 Light Grey Sneaker

new balance grey

And one more brightly colored pair of nike womens air pegasus 83/30 running trainers available on Amazon

nike air pegasus 83 grape

 


After my evening of scouring the internet for the best and the brightest sneakers, I had to narrow down my options. I told myself I would only get one pair but my materialistic impulses won out in the end and I got two pairs and Interestingly enough,  I ended up buying the first two pairs I saw on Free People.  I really like idea of pairing white jeans with the Asics but of course it snowed the day I got them in the mail and the the ground was covered in over 6 inches of fresh snow, but not one to give up easy, I jumped!

asic trainers style

And although I found dry ground when I was trying out my OTHER new pair, I liked how the first picture turned out so I jumped again!

new balance precious metal

But here’s to hoping this trend sticks around for a bit so I can justify getting another pair…maybe purple? Or Turquoise?? The possibilities are endless.

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OOTD: Playing with Prints

ootd personal style mixing patterns floral slipit’s that time of the year when I begin to feel even more crazy than usual.I like winter but, a Midwest winter is a different kind of beast. There has been snow on the ground basically since Thanksgiving and by Mid-February the temperatures average below freezing and that doesn’t even include the windchill.

Going outside means putting on every single warm-ish item I can find in my closet and looking like Joey from the Friends episode where he puts on all of Chandler’s clothes: joey-3

and then on top of that, there’s the robber face masks, scarves, gloves and beanies to cover any exposed extremities, like kitty:

winter-is-coming-23184

 


 

I like hunkering down and having an excuse to do nothing, and a snow storm is the ultimate laziness excuse but even that is has gotten old by now and I’ve developed a serious case of cabin fever, going nuts, shuffling around the house, pacing in circles, starting out at the snow for long periods of time, and murmuring unhappily to myself (even more than usual).  My boyfriend took a picture of me while I was peeking in on him just yesterday:

Here's Johnny

har. har.


all that just to say that my already questionable fashion taste is even more questionable than usual, given the previously stated circumstances. But, this led me to mixing prints and layering in a way that I otherwise wouldn’t have out of boredom, coldness, or craziness….

ootd personal style mixing patterns floral slip Details: Floral Print Lace Slip from Dailylook.com, $22.95, Ryan Crewneck Pullover from Free People, $98.00, Stripped Long Sleeve Top, Forever21, $14.90, Bettye by Bettye Zap Booties, Nordstroms, $141.95

oh and here it is with jeans:

ootdprintsfloralstripes1

Floral Print Lace Slip from Dailylook.com, $22.95:

florallaceslip

 

Ryan Crewneck Pullover in Cranberry from Free People, $98.00:

ryancrewneckpullover

 

Stripped Long Sleeve Top, Forever21, $14.90:

stripedcrew

Bettye by Bettye Zap Booties, Nordstroms, $141.95:

wedgecaramelsuedebooties

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Style Tutorial: Three Ways to Wear White Denim in Winter

 

I don’t wear white often because of a few reasons (like being unable to go more than 10 minutes without spilling something) but the after Labor Day rule isn’t one of them . But, I’ve seen a lot of cool styling this winter with white denim or trousers and I don’t know if it’s becoming more fashionably acceptable to wear white after the designated time. I kind of think wearing white is perfect in the winter, especially when I am getting sick of all the black I wear in mourning for the summer.

so here are three different ways to casually style white denim jeans for winter wear….

winterwhitedenimoutfitonestripe-cardigan-fringe-bag-white-denim-zara-nordstroms-beanie-winterwinter-white-denim-style-inspiration
white-denim-suede-wedgesplaidscarf
winteroutfit3white-denim-wedge-booties-zara-plaid-scarf-nordstromHow do you guys feel about white denim during winter? Yay or nay??

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OOTD For Under $100: Shorts, Tights, Wedge Booties, Stripe Top & Cardigan

Greetings from Arizona! I am not used to this warm, winter weather but I am definitely making the most of it. It’s nice to see the sun and to remember there is such a thing as summer….

plaidsnordstromhortstightswedgebooties

 

Top:  H&M Short Jersey Top $9.95, Shorts: Forever21 High Waisted Plaid Shorts $16.50, Tights: TopShop US Glitter Tights, $18.00,Cardigan: Zara Wrap Around Cardigan $39.00, Booties: Nordstroms, Tom’s ‘Desert’ Wedge Bootie $89.99, Bag: Rebecca Minkoff ‘Moto’ Hobo Bag $325.00, Necklace: Tiffany & Co Elsa Peretti Silver Pendant Full Heart, $150.00

wedgebootiesstightszaratopplaidshortsHere are a few similiar/different options of the same outfit:

Stripe Rib Crop Top by TopShop, $30.00

stripribedcroptoptopshop

Plaid Wool Trouser Shorts, Gap $39.99

Gap-Women-Plaid-Trousers-wool

Hue Over The Knee Chunky Stitched Ribbed Socks, Nordstroms $8.00

hue-nordstrom-knee-socks

Via Spiga Booties-Fabienne, Bloomingdales $168.00

via-spiga-bloomingdales-booties

 

Cardigan Jacket, Zara $79.99

zara-linen-cardigan-wrap-wool

 

Leather Bucket Bag, Zara $119.90

leather-bag-fringes-zara

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#OOTD: Double Side Split Top & Knee High Stockings

I’m trying out something different and just going to post more simple, short OOTD (outfit of the day) posts with the outfit details…bc sometimes I can’t think of anything really interesting to write about the outfit…unless you guys think of something.

overside baggy cardigan, tights and knee high stockings
overside baggy cardigan, tights and knee high stockings
deep, double side split top, tights and knee high stockings
deep, double side split top, tights and knee high stockings

outfit details and prices:

skirt: ZARA knit tube skirt, blush color, $79.90,

zara knit skirt

 

cardigan: Zara TWO-TONED wrap jacket, $79.95,

zara cardigan

Socks: Commando Up All Night Thigh High Socks, $34.00, Nordstroms

thigh high socks

Tights: Nordstrom’s ‘Love’ Sweater Tights, charcoal color, $28.00

or these American Apparel Above the Knee Socks available on Amazon for only $13.00

Click on picture to purchase in amazon

Nordstroms charcoal sweater tights
Nordstroms charcoal sweater tights

Boots: Madden Girl “Mistley” Combat Boots $34.99 available on 6PM.com

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My Midi Dress Dilemma: 4 Tips for Wearing a Midi for the Body Conscious Woman

6 marvelou smidis(all 6 dresses available on asos top left: ASOS RED CARPET Premium Embellished Midi Dress With Plunge Front $227.40, top middle: Asos Midi Wiggle Dress in Paisley Print $113.17, top right: ASOS Baroque Embellished Midi Shift Dress $161.08, bottom left: Self Portrait Lucille Midi Dress  $473.75, bottom middle: ASOS Petite Wiggle Dress with Wrap Back $85.28,  bottom right: ASOS Gray Floral Drape Back Midi $94.75)


I really, really love the midi dress look and I emphasis the word look because the way a midi dress looks on a model (stunning) is not how a midi LOOKS on me. The models’ curves (or lack of them) are perfectly highlighted in the form fitting style of a midi and the length accentuates their slim legs. I don’t know if I really thought that I would look the same as the 100 pound 5ft 9 model did in the same midi.

Here is the midi dress I purchased:

jersey midi asos
Asos Midi Cami Body Conscious Dress

but…SURPRISE! I didn’t look anything like the model. It accentuated my curves alright, every friggin nook and cranny was on display. It probably didn’t help that the midi I bought was thin jersey fabric, which is probably one of the least forgiving fabrics there is. So I buried the dress in the back of my closet and tried to forget I ever thought I could pull the look off.

The thing is…I’ve never liked my body, but I also think most women in America have struggled with loving and accepting their bodies at some point. I’ve been working up to writing about the journey I am on to loving myself and it’s been a long, bloody battle for me but….(and I swear all this has to it has to do with the midi dress!)

But since I turning 30 this year, it really hit me how much of life I have wasted and how many experiences I missed out on because I’ve been to busy disliking myself and caring to much what people think.Doing these self-absorbed, materialistic Personal Style posts was a coconscious decision of mine to do what makes me happy and to (try) not to worry about whether or not people like it. Also, it’s nice to actually start caring about myself again 🙂


So, when cleaning up my closet, I stumbling on the crumpled up midi dress of disappointment and gave it another go (outfitted in my spanx body armor) and decided to give it another try and I came up with a few different ways to wear a form fitting midi with more confidence.

#1 Oversized Cardigans like this one from Revolve Clothing, are your friends.

drapey cardigan

Wearing a big, drapey cardigan helps me feel like I have a layer of protection and it keeps all my lumpy areas that I am self-conscious about covered. But the open front still shows off the cute length and style of the midi.

midi skirt winter outfit

#2 Wearing shoes with heels (booties are my favorite for winter) add much needed length to your frame.

Here are a few pair of booties that give me the warm fuzzies and that I think would look good with a a casual style midi dress:

Joe's Cutout booties

 

 

above: Joe’s ‘Abby’ Cutout Leather Booties available at Nordstroms for $119.37 (40% off from original price of $198.95) Sam Edelman booties

 

Above: Circus by Sam Edelman “Talon” Booties  available on sale at Nordstroms for $87.06 (originally $129.95)

wedge booties

Above: Naughty Monkey ‘Angle Tangle’ Toe Wedge Bootie also at Nordstroms for $129.95

For a dressier look here are a few heels I am currently drooling over:

Gucci Gold toe Heel

above: Gucci’ ‘Coline’ T-Strap Cap Toe Heels at Nordstroms for $398.98

capped toe heels

 

 

above: Joe’s  ‘Ali’ Ankle Strap Pump, on sale at Nordstroms for $72.95dark blue pumps

 

above: Louise et Cie ‘Sarmienta’ Pump at Nordstroms for only $79.95 (50% off)

Most midis cut off at around calf-level (depending on height) which I love but also has the tendency to make legs look shorter and bulkier.

#3 Layer it up to create different looks.

A midi is fun to play around with different looks and is a versatile dress that can be simple and classic or fun and trendy.  Adding colorful layers, like my favorite crazy plaid pants, creates lines, and helps to “distract” the eye from those worry areas.


IMG_6163 - Version 2
midiandblacktopA split sided basic top is perfect to throw over a midi because it covers my least favorite areas (my tummy and the booty) and I like the look it creates.

#4: Spanx is also your friend.

Good ole trusty spanx, instilling confidence into the self-conscious since the dawning of time.

 

 

 

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It’s a Plaid, Plaid World!

plaid skirt, winter style

You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to use that title!

Maybe turning 30 brought some maturity to me finally, as seen in my new found love of all things plaid.

I don’t know.

But I do know that before this winter I have never preferred Plaid or any other “Classic” styles. But as in most things with me, I always go overboard with any new interest of mine, Whether it’s: painting, DIY projects, yoga, or clothing, I suck all the fun out of whatever it is I like, until I am sick of it. That’s probably how my new love of “Plaid” will end up, but for now, me and plaid are BFFs.

I have seen so many cute plaid scarfs, hats, and ect. on my friends and people I see out and about, this winter that I wish I could have taken pictures of some people I saw who inspired my new obsession for plaid. If anyone has any pics of them wearing their favorite plaid accessory or  clothing item to add to this post, or your opinion on plaid, my email thiswildpreciouslifeblog@gmail.com and I will add it!

But For now, here are some of my favorite plaidy plaids…

plaid skirtI’ve got a little pooch belly, but hey that’s okay!

Skirt is from Charlotte Russe ($19.99 or buy 1 get 1 for $10.00) which I bought in store and couldn’t find online but they have a similar one online (for $19.99):

plaid bodycon midi skirt

Knit short sleeve white top is from H&M from this summer but I found a similar top from H&M that I actually think would look better with the plaid skirt. Their Heavy Jersey Fabric Short Sleeve Top available online in black or light grey for only $17.95:

H&M heavy jersey light grey top

The boots I bought at Target, probably 2 winters ago, and are still my tried and true favorites (plus the heels are about 2″ so I can actually go wear them out without walking like I am on stilts ) I love the contrasting brown leather ankle strappy things that make it okay for me to wear with black or brown (at least thats what I tell myself..fashion experts would probably say different). But I found a very similar pair by Dv by Dolce Vita Brand, called their Jaxen Suede Booties available at Lord and Taylor online and on sale for only $64.48 (marked down from $128):

Dv by Dolce Vita Suede Booties

and if you’re a big spender I also love these similar Rag & Bone Harrow Suede Ankle Boots available on their website for $370.00. (I can dream, right?)

Rag&Bone Harrow Suede booties

 

My bag is Steve Madden Brand, and is called the Broyale Convertible Tote and is for sale at Macy’s online for $108.00, although I found it out shopping at Marshalls. 

steve Madden Broyale Bag


 

My second “Plaid” winter  outfit, is mainly just these pants I found at Forever21. I bought them online, (Got super excited and actually bought two of the same exact pair..so if anyone is interested in a free pair of pants…email me!) A lot of my style decision thought process goes something like this: “Should I really be considering wearing this?” “I look ridiculous.” and finally “Oh well, who cares!” and then proceed to checkout. And so it was with these pants:

plaid pants! These Gingham plaid pants are available at Forever 21 currently on sale for only $16.99. But aren’t for the faint of heart,  I’ve got some junk in my trunks and these pants def. don’t help to conceal that. :/ But they are red plaid pants for under $20 so…

A more conservative (and more expensive) choice, if I had the means are these lovely Petite Cafe Red Tartan Capres from J.Crew for $168.00:

J.Crew Plaid Capris


 

My final Plaid clothing collection (so far!)  is my new favorite scarf:

plaid scarf

The scarf is Forever21’s Frayed Plaid Scarf for only $10.80. And if you are looking for cute, cheap, plaid accessories, they are the place to go, they have well over 10 different plaid scarfs all at a a very reasonable price!

Thanks for sticking around to read this extra long post…as always I would really, REALLY love to hear and see what you guys are wearing this winter. Email or comment below.