Pretty in Prints

Prints have been huge this year and I hope they carry over to Fall and Winter.  Fall is almost here in eastern NC.  It's still in the mid seventies most days, which is nice because it means I can keep wearing my sandals for another week or so.  Though I do have some new leggings stockpiled and waiting in the wings to wear with boots soon.  Sometimes drab and neutral, fall clothes get me a little bit down, but I am looking forward to watching my razor collect dust during the coming cold months.  (Thanks, Leggings!)

I ordered this great mixed paisley print dress from Zulilly.  It was manufactured in India, though there was no manufacturer name label inside, so I can;t tell you where to get one of your own.  I love the bright colors, grass green is a pretty close runner up to orange ad my favorite color.  Since my dress came from India, I decided to pair it with some green bead earrings that Rachael brought back form her recent trip to India. The best kinds of friends to have are the kind that buy you accessories!

Lane Bryant Cardi, Naturalizer Sandals

These shoes make me feel so tall!

We will be switching gears to fall clothes coming up.  Thanks for reading!

Orange you glad?

Look, it's me, wearing more orange.  I don't know what it is with me and this color, but I can't get enough of it.  I was going through my clothes the other day and couldn't believe how much orange I have in my wardrobe.  It's starting to resemble Fred Flintsone's closet in there.

Lane Bryant cami, Asos skirt, Ralph Lauren madras clutch, Annie shoes.

Seriously, even the gemstone in my ring is orange.

One of my many orange dresses, this one is by Asos.

What colors are ya'll obsessed with, Stripers?   Please tell me that I'm not the only one with this problem.

xo, Kelly

Maxi-mize your wardrobe!

Greeting Horizontal Stripers!

     As the seasons are about to change again, I thought it would be a great time to discuss the year round favorite: the Maxi dress! As readers of the blog know, I love a maxi dress. They're quick and easy, can be dressed up or down, and can function year round to boot! What's not to love? Though most people think  about summer when they pull out their maxis, they're a great way to stretch your current wardrobe into fall with cardigans, boots, and tights. Below I challenged myself to dress up a maxi, which I never do.  If I were actually wearing this out for date night or something, I think I would've added a necklace, a cardigan, and a little makeup.

 

Dress: SWAK via Gwynnie Bee// Shoes: Torrid// Belt: Lane Bryant// Earrings: Cato

  Here are a few more ideas about how to stretch your summer wardrobe into winter.

Image courtesy of Polyvore for those end of summer days

Some more inspiration from Polyvore for those entering fall a bit earlier than the rest

 

  Please excuse my wayward hair; we don't have stylists waiting in the wings on this blog.

     The plain and simple truth is that you don't have to replace your wardrobe every season to find great new looks! Supplementing the clothing you already have is a great way to look chic, limit your purchases to trends you're interested in trying, and possibly discover a new favorite in your existing closet. Take your own adventure to Narnia during this seasonal switch. Don't be afraid to mix things up! 

Until next time Stripers!

Xoxo,

Brittani

Bargain Shoppa!

I love a deal.  I come from a long, proud, line of bargain hunters.  The women in my family do not believe in paying full price for anything.  20% off is not a bargain, 10% off won't even make us look up from our sale circular, and 5% just makes us laugh and shake our heads (seriously, Retailers?).  We want a real deal, a deal we can boast about.  When someone compliments our new sweater we want to be able to smile and say "Thanks, $4.00, Macy's clearance rack."

Bargain shopping takes patience, you can't be too impulsive with your purchases and you have to accept that sometimes you are not going to get that skirt that you love because it may sell out in your size before it gets cheap enough.  It also takes time, not everyone has a lot, I know, but it involves digging through heaps of clearance clothes and racks at consignment shops.  But it is possible to dress like a princess on a pauper's budget.


This dress I'm wearing is a true, bona fide, bargain.  It's Cynthia Rowley and I got it for........$19.99 at Marshalls a few months ago.  It wouldn't be half a lovely if I paid full price!

Lane Bryant cardi and cami, Aerosoles sansals.

Pretty in pink!

A lot of great deals can be found online too, if you prefer it.  There are some great bargain sites like Ideeli.com, Zulilly.com, and 6pm.com.  Also, before you make any online purchase, you should take a minute to do a google search for promo codes.  I find them a lot and it can save you an extra 20% off or get you free shipping.

Some of my favorite brick and mortar stores to get deals from are Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Macy's.

Happy Hunting,
Kelly

Reader Request: The Peplum Top

Greetings Horizontal Stripers!
     We love feeling the blog love and welcome your feedback. Please let us know anytime you have suggestions of styles you'd like us to cover, and we'll try our best to make it happen for you. Today's feature is the peplum top, thanks to a reader request! Now I have to admit y'all, as much as I love some crazy prints and patterns, shapewise I'm fairly traditional with clothing. I resisted the peplum top as long as I possibly could! Though I'm a late 80s baby, I wanted this style to stay back in the day with Madonna and Cyndi. Part of my apprehension was that my frame didn't need a lot of extra volume near my hip area - the widest part of my body - and the other part was that I'd tried on a few tops that were too long or too billowy, and I just didn't like any of them. But I figured if I can wear all my crazy color combos, I could definitely challenge myself to a fashion duel. I can't tell y'all to be adventurous in your fashion and not follow suit, can I? So here goes! One of the three peplum tops I now own!

Top: Cato// Skirt: City Chic// Earrings/Belt: Lane Bryant// Shoes: Guess via Marshall's

    Our reader request also wanted different ways to wear peplum, so here are a few below!

Image courtesy of Fashion Based

Peplum Wearing 101

This is a short checklist that will help you in your peplum selection:

     1) Peplum will add volume around the hip area. If you carry weight there or it is the biggest part of your body, you can still pull this top off! You'll almost always see it styled with a less voluminous piece on the bottom half of the body if it is in top form or with a sleek top if it is in dress or shirt form. This not only draws attention to the detail, the peplum, but also makes a nice line with one outstanding detail on the body.

     

     2) All styles are not created equal. There are long styles, high-low styles, and short styles as shown above. Don't count them out before you try them on. You may be surprised by which style flatters you most. 

     3) It's also ok to feel like there is too much material. Don't let one unflattering style stop you from trying other things on.

     

     4) Like any other fashion choice, don't be afraid to experiment with color, pattern, and texture. These also affect the way the style may fall on you.

    5) If you really want to ease your way into this trend, you can try adding things like a peplum belt instead of buying a top you may not know if you'll wear often. This also allows you to add a peplum look to more outfits if you like belting things.

      

    Belt available at Asos

Here are a few more variations on the peplum trend:

 

Blazer and Coat

   

Dresses 

 

Skirts

Even bathing suit options!

You CAN tackle the trend called peplum! I hope this post has given you some ideas.Keep those reader requests coming! For some other great peplum outfit ideas be sure to check out Tanesha of Girl With Curves. She has impeccable style, great beauty and lifestyle tips, and she has this peplum thing on lock!

Until next time Horizontal Stripers,

Brittani 

Hardware 101: No Hard Hat Required

Greetings Horizontal Stripers!
     Since the longer days provide plenty of summer sun, why not try jazzing up your wardrobe with metallics? Though I'm not particularly partial to vampires that sparkle, there's no reason not to add a little shine to your own look!

Dress/Flower: Cato, Shoes: Payless,  Ring/Earrings: Lane Bryant

Dress: Ashley Stewart, Shoes: Cato, Necklace: Eloquii, Flower: It's Fashion Metro

 

     Of course y'all have seen that I'm partial to gold and bronze because they compliment my skin tone so well, but feel free to mix in any metallic: silver and brass are other favorites! You can see above that I've used shoes and jewelry to add some sparkle to my ensembles, but you can also find built in beading as in the first dress above or use other accessories that take the guess work out of mixing and matching. One awesome way to try this is with purses:

    If you have an old bag you don't mind crafting on, check out this neat DIY for strap replacement here.

 You can also forgo any of the original strap and use just the chain, which can be purchased at any home store like Home Depot or Lowe's or even craft stores like Michael's or A.C. Moore. Don't forget to check out your local mom and pop first though! ;-) 

Remember that:

Stripers!
XOXO, Brittani

 

Summer Sale Round-Up

It's happening, I'm starting to get Fall preview catalogs and advertisements in the mail.  I'm not ready to think about the end of summer yet!  I mean, I love boots and leggings as much as the next girl, but it's too soon.  Lucky for me I live in NC where the weather doesn't usually turn cool until well into October, but this year is flying by and it will be here long before I'm ready.  But there's good news, retailers have to make room for all of these boring, neutral, fall clothes somehow and that is by putting all their pretty summer stuff on sale!

So just for you, my very good friends, I have collected some promo codes and sale links so you can snap up a few more bright, shiny, things before it's too late.

First up, Lane Bryant has an additional 50% off Clearance with code HOTSTUFFLB.  I picked up this adorable cover-up for my upcoming beach vaycay for a measly $18.00.

Get in my closet!

Next Simply Be has a ton of cute things on clearance and, as always, first time shoppers can get 30% of their order with code 5550.  I'm totally drooling over this maxi dress that was originally $125.00 but is now marked down to $62.00!  Then if you subtracted the additional 30% off that would be........well, you do the math.  ;)

Torrid also has 50% off clearance with code EXTRA50.  You can grab a couple of trendy pieces like these print, cropped, skinny jeans, and this pretty floral dress.

I'm not sure that I'm cool enough to wear these, but maybe you are.

One Stop Plus has 25% off orders of two or more items with code OSPSALEWEEK.

Tablbots, a retailer that I have recently fallen in love with, has an extra 50% off markdowns, no code needed.  You might see me in one of these in the near future.

Wrap tops look good on every body, true fact.

Seriously, I think this skirt and I could be best friends.

It's also not too late to get that perfect bathing suit.  Swimsuits for All has 30% with code JULY8; if you sign up for their mailing list, they will send you a promo code just about everyday for up to 50% off.

I love that retro styled swimwear is so in this year.

Always for Me has some pretty cute suits and cover-up on sale right now too.  I just got the following suit in blue and it looks even better in person.

$66.75!

This 8-way cover-up is only $24.00

Enjoy the summer and these deals while they last, friends.  XO, Kelly

Boop Boop Be Doop!

Greetings Horizontal Stripers!
    An outfit you feel sassy in is one that will be around for a long time! Everyone should have something they can throw on that makes them feel polished and happy in less than five minutes! If you don't have that outfit ladies begin the hunt!

 

Dress: Lane Bryant circa 2009 // Peeptoes: BCBG // Headband + Earrings: Cato

Ginny's not the only adorkable one in this group!

Walk this way! Attempt to look cool on camera this way!  

Alrighty Horizontal Stripers,
Now that I'm done channeling my inner Steven Tyler, I will bid you adieu! What's that outfit or makeup trick that equals instant polish for you?
Until next time!
Brittani

Gray skies are gonna clear up......

It has been a bit dreary here the past few weeks with all of this rain and it hasn't really felt like summer at all.   Nothing perks me up quite like a new dress, so I got this cheerful, poppy print, number from Simply Be and it has done the trick. 

This dress definitely spreads sunshine all over the place, especially when paired with a bright yellow Lane Bryant cardi and Aerosoles sandals.

Please focus on the dress and not the seriously weird, faces that I am making in these pics. 

I sometimes hear people say that they can't wear a particular color because of their skin tone or hair color and I can honestly say that I have never considered either of those as a factor when buying clothes.  I have four orange dresses in my closet and only one black one.  If I like a color, I wear it.  And sometimes I like to wear multiple bright colors together.  I'm sure they don't always flatter me as well as some other colors, but life's too short to wear neutrals all the time.  So rock that hot pink and neon green, friends, as long as it puts a happy face on you.

:)  Kelly

Girl Look at That Body! I Work Out!

Greetings Horizontal Stripers,
        The other Stripers and I have been shut in lately due to all the rain we've been getting here on the East Coast. So what have we been doing with our free time you ask? We've been gettin' our sweat on...literally! We decided to try Hot Yoga and everyone loved it! If you've never done yoga, I would definitely suggest trying it at least once! Here in America, yoga (Hatha yoga) primarily consists of a physical workout using a series of poses which help increase flexibility and strength. There are also stress relief and calming aspects to yoga classes that stem from deep breathing and body awareness. The ladies and I chose to do Hot Yoga (BikramYoga) which for the most part uses the same poses as Hatha Yoga, but the room it is held in is kept at 105* F and 40% humidity. Kelly and I hadn't done yoga in years, so it was fun to get back into it together! It also gave me an excuse to buy some new workout clothes!

These are just a few examples of the stuff I bought:

www.lanebryant.com

Danskin Active at Walmart

        I'd love to say I had a myriad of cute sports bras as well, but turns out very few retailers think plus sized women want cute, functional sports bras like everyone else! Is it really hard to make these above a  36D people? If they do come above that size, they will almost always have to be ordered online, which promises added expense in shipping and handling on top of the exorbitant amount of money that one must pay as a penalty for having a cup that runneth over. And, oh yeah, on top of that the increase in price does not always promise functionality or fit. Way to motivate me to workout sports bra manufacturers!

Image courtesy of  Tumblr

Without sounding crazy, I can't tell you how irritating it is to not only not be able to try them on in the store, but to be given the hope online that they exist according to a company's website, and then find that said company doesn't even stock anything in the larger sizes on the size chart;as in, it's not even an option for choosing! Isn't that just peachy?

#Largechestedproblems

    On a high note, we've also been making a splash in our Water Aerobics class! It's great cardio with the aid of buoyancy. That ab workout that you hate on land, just became a bit more doable, and it's great for those with knee problems, arthritis, or for anyone just looking a a challenge and a change from the usual routine. Most importantly another reason to search for the perfect swimsuit! Below are a few we've come to love and actually use. Who says you can't look good while working hard?

Image Courtesy of Smosh

 

 Images courtesy of SwimsuitsForAll

        I hope you're taking advantage of the sunshine and higher temps to get your exercise on too! You can start small with walking, or if you've been wanting to try something new, now is as good a time as any. Anything you can do to make yourself healthy, can't help but come across in your jeans and on your face. Even if your goal isn't to lose weight, exercise makes you feel better. It may not feel great during, but afterward you'll be glad you did it! As the infamous ElleWoods would say, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't!" So in addition to having a tried and true antidote for murder, you'll also have the satisfaction of accomplishment, an improved mood, and better regulated internal systems. That's enough of Brittani Howzer M.D. for today.

Until next time Stripers!