Hey y'all!

It's been a crazy fun weekend that involved a concert, the beach, cute clothes.... and an unfortunate packing mishap. I can't wait to share pictures, but at the moment my camera connector cord is M.I.A. Bear with me, but I should be back in the next few days :)

Work Wear

These sunglasses are a bit too "bug-eyes" for me- but I kind of like goofing off in them :)
About the Outfit

Blouse: Department Store, $15

Pencil Skirt: My sister's

Heels: Department Store, $12

Belt: Came with a dress I bought from Ross

Scarf: Old Navy, $2

Bracelet: Gift

Fun Sunglasses: Rue 21, $2

About the Day

Just another day at the office. For some reason I had the desire to look extra "businessy" today. I tied a printed scarf on to hold my hair back and to keep the outfit from being too boring.

Life Today

I feel like the above picture looks like I'm getting ready to do the "Walk Like a Man" Dance thing from the group The Four Seasons, haha.

About the Outfit

Top: Rue 21, $3

Skirt: Department Store, $4

Sandals: Payless, $3

Clutch: Target, $5

Bangles: Old Navy, $6

Necklace: Caire's, 50¢

About the Day

This was one of those outfits you kind of just throw on when you wake up several minutes AFTER you needed to leave your house to get to work on time. It's not anything special, but luckily it's not anything terrible either. I was having a kind of off day; the kind in which you delete important documents by accident, and all kinds of lovely things like that... But as I type this blog I'm watching my rabbit and Golden Retriever play in the front yard, and I must admit, it's making my day 100% better. Despite all the random little "bad things" that pop up, I love life.

Safari Chic

What

Dress (worn as skirt): Ross Dress for Less, $19

Top: Target, $7

Belt: Target, $17

Sandals: Forever 21, $18

Rings: Vintage

Necklace: Forever 21, $4

Where

To get pictures for What I Wore's Style Challenge- Safari Chic!

Why

This "skirt" is actually a pretty awesome pencil dress. Although I wore it as a dress to work, I decided to add my ruffle sleeved top and studded belt to make this outfit a little more interesting. Today I also went shopping in my mom's jewelry box again- hence all the pretty vintage rings.

Ugh. After a litfetime of working with my stick straight hair, I'm finally able to coax it into whatever shape I want. My hair is a perfect little chameleon... except when its humid outside like today :( I curled and teased my hair from these pictures, but within 10 minutes it completely fell (if you don't believe me, see the photo above.)

Busy Day

About the outfit

Dress: Charlotte Russe, $15

Belt: Charlotte Russe, $8

Sandals: Payless, $3

Scarf: Vintage from my mom

Sunglasses: Rue 21, $5

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

About my day

Today was one of those days I just needed to get out of the house. right. now. So I threw this on and left with sunglasses and no makeup, something I havent done since probably middle school. Then I got to chickfila for lunch with my sister and realized why this is something I normally don't do... Because once you get inside somewhere, you're expected to take off your sunglasses, or else appear hungover. Coincidentally, this is also when I ran into pretty much everyone I know. joy. Anyways, here's to a better week to start.... now :)

Easy Summer Look

What

Dress: Old Navy, $15

Sandals: Charlotte Russe, $12

Bracelets: Rue 21, $5

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

Where

A quick dinner with my dad

Why

This is one of my grab and go dresses for summer. The longer length keeps my legs from freezing at restaurants, movies, etc., but the flowiness keeps me cool too. I think that technically this dress is supposed to be worn with the strapless bandeau style top tied with the straps left hanging down, but it looked really droopy on me, so I made it into a halter for a little extra support. I just topped it off with a ring and my gold summer bangles for a quick and easy look.

Hearts & Stripes

What

Skirt: Target, $3

Top: Forever 21, $11

Sandals: Forever 21, $19

Necklace: Gift

Belt: Target, $17

Why

I really ended up loving this look. I started out with the turquoise and black and white, but then added the red necklace and lipstick for another pop of color. Another element I tried to incorporate in the this outfit is the tough and girly mixture- as you can see, the studded black belt and gladiator sandals add a little toughness to the girly heart necklace and bright turquoise skirt.

On another note, I'm terribly sorry for the lack of blogging this week- it really has just been one of "those" weeks :( I'm working on getting caught up this weekend though!

Happy Friday!

Tea Party!

What

Dress: ShopMamie, $30

Cardigan: Target, $14

Necklace: Gift

Earrings: Claire's, $4

Flats: Target, $9

Where

Out with my mom to a high tea and a fashion show to benefit my church

Why

I really wanted to do the whole "tea party look" with the hat and gloves and everything, mostly cause this would be one of the only places I could get away with it. But since I didn't have a hat or gloves and I'm trying to be good with money I decided to go with my favorite little airplane and roses dress. I added a plain black cardigan and rose flats to make it appropriate for the church-ish function. I like this outfit... but then again I like anything with this dress in it :)

A Cold Day at the Office

What

Jeans: Old Navy, $20

Top: J.C. Penneys, 97¢

Necklace: Target, $5

Jacket: Old Navy, $9

Headband: Forever 21, $2

Heels: TJ Maxx (Chinese Laundry), $10

Sandals: Payless, $3

Bracelet: Vintage, $5

Where

Work and running errands

Why

I normally don't wear jackets like this in the summer, and I almost never wear jeans to work... But dress at work is actually casual, and we just got a new airconditioning unit put in- brr! I ended up really liking this look though. It's something that's normally not "my style," but the teased/messy braid, military jacket, and skinnies all worked pretty well together.

This type of jacket was really popular earlier this year, but I hope it stays in for fall because I really like it!

Fun Find Friday- My New Site!

A really good friend of mine named Sadie is a communication major with a knack for web design. As you can tell from my overly simplistic blog, this is obviously not something I'm very good at. So, Sadie has completely redesigned my blog. She's worked on it for quite awhile now and I LOVE the new site. Check it out and be sure to let me know what you think about it too!

Visit me at theclosetfiles.com!

Going There Series Part 4: Family Reunion

With students out of school and plenty of opportunities for fun and games, summer is the season for family reunions. So what to wear when you'll be seeing extended family you likely haven't seen in awhile? Here's my personal breakdown.



For the Average Family Reunion

Family Reunion by TheClosetFiles featuring American Eagle Outfitters jackets

A casual dress a good pick because it shows that you care about looking nice for your family. I choose to pair it with wedges because they keep the nicer appearance while still being comfortable and grass friendly. If you have any type of simple heirloom jewelry like a charm bracelet or necklace, wear it! Chances are your grandma won't be able to contain her excitement. Just make sure to bring along a jacket or cardigan to cover up with.




For the Active Family Reunion

Casual Family Reunion by TheClosetFiles featuring Old Navy shoes

Lots of families choose to have a very active family reunion. With games like potatoe sack and 3-legged racing, you will want to be sure your outfit is cute and functional. For this type of event I chose cute shorts and a fun graphic tee. Complete the look with some bracelets and flat sandals and you'll be ready to go!

Do you have an upcoming event you're wondering what to wear to? Send me an email at theclostfiles@aol.com. I'd love to help!

The New Ace of Cakes

I LOVE fashion, and this blog is definitely focused towards that. However, there are lots of other things in life I find intriguing, and I'd really like to share those things with y'all too! I'll try to limit non-fashion related posts to 1 or 2 a week, but be sure to let me know your thoughts. What else would you like to see here?

Anyways, last night my mom and I started cake decorating classes at Hobby Lobby. I was all excited about the price ($20 a person included four 2 hour classes) until I found out all of the things I would need to buy... But regardless of my new investment, we had lots of fun. Sure, all we learned in our first class was how to make "stars," but that inspired me to go home and take matters into my own hands. I looked ahead in our beginner's book and taught myself a few things (Just don't tell the teacher, haha.) Sure, I'm not amazing yet, but I thought it was pretty dang good for a first timer!

This is the cake I made after class!

To make my cake I used Pillsbury Devil's food cake mix (yes, I cheated), ready made buttercream icing, and wilton's chocolate decorator icing. I torted the cakes (split each of the layers in half) and filled each layer with buttercream frosting and fresh strawberries. I did a basketweave around the edge and a few vines, leaves, roses, and chocolate chip "buds" on top.

I was really worried the strawberries would soak through and make the cake soggy, but after a night of refrigeration the cake wasn't soggy at all, just perfectly moist. The whole cake tasted like chocolate covered strawberries- SO good.

I'll have to let you know how the classes progress, maybe I'll cheat on fashion with cake and become the next ace of cakes... or maybe not :)

My Mom's Scarf

What

Top: Old Navy, $6

Shorts: Old Navy, $4

Scarf (worn as belt): Vintage

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

Bracelets: Rue 21, $5 and Old Navy, $3

Earrings: Puerto Rican Jewelry Store, $12

Sandals: Payless, $3

Why

I really wanted to try out the turban look, but just as I was getting ready to walk out the door, I changed my scarf into a belt. Maybe one of these days.... what are your opinions on headscarves and/or turbans (I'm thinking about the type that SJP wore in SATC2)?

Fun Find Friday

Today is National Donut Day! Find out if your Krispy Kreme is participating in the free donut giveaway here.

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite pastimes is to pop out and scare people. I've never really liked Ozzy Osborn, but I do appreciate a good prank.

Speaking of funny videos, the Huggies commercial for denim diapers is hilarious! It makes me laugh everytime.

Been to see Sex and the City 2? I went opening day, and although it wasn't the best movie in the world, I'm definitely a fan. Here Patricia Field (Costume designer for SATC) answers questions about the cast's wardrobe.

I love InStyle.com, and I definitely love their slideshow on how to dress up your T-shirts!

Sadly, that's all I have for today, but I have an outfit post scheduled for tomorrow!

Going There Series Part 3: Conferences

With students out of school and an abundance of nice(r) weather, conferences are abundant in the summertime. Whether you're going for work or play, it's important to make a good impression, after all, conferences are a great place to meet professionals of the area you're interested in, so you want to make sure to make a good impression!

Even as a college freshman (soon to be sophomore), I've been to quite a few conferences and a general rule of thumb I've learned to follow is to go by the guidelines of business casual, unless otherwise noted. From packing completely unmatchable separates to being the only person in jeans, there are plenty of packing mistakes to be made. However, with just a little planning, you can be the most put together attendee!

Some Outfit Ideas

Outfit One (for a casual conference)

Outfit Two

Outfit Three

General Tips

1. Plan all of your outfits a few days before leaving, that way you have plenty of time to add or change things
2. Try on each outfit (accessories and all) before leaving. Nothing is worse than arriving at your hotel and learning that you're short an outfit.
3. Bring a blazer and pair of jeans that you don't plan on wearing. That way if the conference turns out to be more casual or more professional than you expected you still have a backup.
4. Layering is important. Even though it's hot and sunny outside, conference rooms are usually air conditioned and chilly.