Pencil Skirt POW: Trendy, Elegant, and all Choked up Date Night

Outfit Mission Statement: Look good coming and going in a classic, feminine pencil skirt and a trendy, elegant lace back blouse

Friday Night Drinks POW outfits are for going out on a date, getting drinks, seeing a band play, going to dinner and a movie—something where you want to look good and may wear some sexier clothes and statement pieces. The POW (Piece of the Week) is the pencil skirt in general, and the cabi Fall 2016 Sigourney skirt in particular. The pencil skirt is a perfect date night option. It’s sexy, chic, classic, and feminine all in one. Given the power of the pencil skirt, you have a lot of options to finish the date night look, from a tee shirt to an elegant silk blouse. In fact, you can even wear flannel and look hot! Here I went with a trendy, yet elegant option—lace back blouses. I love this look because it is clean and simple in front, but has the surprise of lace and a bit of skin in back. You look good coming and going! Since it is the transitional time of year where some still have winter and some spring, I am showing a colder weather version and a warmer weather one. They both are a similar look—turquoise or green pencil skirt and a lace back blouse. I went with black, boots, and a choker for the colder weather look and white with green heels for the spring look. Of course, with the right shoes/boots either can work for any time of the year.

for cooler temps

for warmer temps

Tips:

• For a trendy and sexy, yet elegant date night look pair the on-trend lace back tops with a pencil skirt
• If you want to show some skin, but don’t want to be too revealing, the lace back top is a fabulous choice
• If you wear a lace back top, think of other ways to draw attention to your back—such as a lovely updo and a statement hair pin
• Consider a neutral top color when rocking a bold pencil skirt and a lace back to draw attention to the lace and the skirt
• If you tuck your top into your pencil skirt and blouse it, you’ll draw attention to your waist and create more of an hourglass look
• If you leave your top untucked, you'll create a longer torso  and hide tummy issues
• Chokers add a dash of Victorian and a pinch of sex appeal—don’t be afraid of this trend, anyone can rock it:
  • If you have looser neck skin or a larger neck:
    • Go for a wider choker in a lace or something with varying edges, which will hide issues and be more forgiving
    • Wear it looser and lower, almost at collar level for the same look without the feeling of having something tight around your neck or creating bulges; this also works better if you have sagging skin
  • If you have a double chin or a little extra right there, go lower rather than higher to not add to this—I tend to go just under halfway or lower
  • Think about what you want to emphasize—lower will draw eyes to your collar bone, shoulders, and chest, whereas higher will emphasize your face more
  • Layer! Chokers work wonderfully with almost any length necklace, other chokers, or even a scarf
  • For a more cohesive and possibly monochromatic look match the color and material with something in your outfit (like black lace)
  • Not sure? Go for a thin one and wear it at your collar like a very short necklace, then work your way up and bigger as you feel comfortable
  • The more bare skin around the choker the more it will stand out and draw attention to that bare skin, so for greater sex appeal consider deeper cut neck lines, cold shoulder, and off-the-shoulder tops, and even put your hair up (if it is longer). To tone down the sex appeal, have your choker peak out of a button down or other shirt that does not show much skin.
  • A longer neck can rock any width of choker
  • A shorter neck may want to go with narrower chokers worn lower, which will add length—a thicker choker at mid neck will likely make your neck look shorter

Outfits:

Sigourney Skirt Outfit:

• Skirt: Sigourney Skirt from cabi Fall 2016, which is no longer readily available. See my introductory POW post for ways to get this skirt, turquoise alternatives, or other pencil skirts
• Blouse: Tempest Blouse from cabi Fall 2016, which is no longer readily available. Check out the same cabi options in my introductory POW post)
• Boots: Unnati boots from JustFab (use my referral code to save money) 
• Clutch: Old clutch, unsure of brand
• Choker: Lace choker from JustFab, that is no longer available—consider the Laser Cut N Strut instead (use my referral code to save money)
• Hair pin: Starburst hair pin from Lilla Rose, which is not available now, but there are many other options (I worked with Abby McElroy and she was very helpful)
• Earrings: older gifts

White Blouse Outfit:

• Skirt: The Cassie from LuLaRoe (The LuLaRoe stylist I have worked with the most is Emily Henry lularoeemilyhenry@gmail.com or via Facebook)
• Blouse: Ely Lace Back Detail Blouse by Q&A from Stitch Fix (use my referral link for$25 of your first Fix)
• Shoes: Hannley Mary Jane Strappy Pump by Nine West from Stitch Fix (use my referral link for$25 of your first Fix)
• Clutch: Geo Woven Box Clutch by Octavia & Co. from Le Tote (use my referral link for a free Tote!)
• Earrings: Beaded Fringe Earrings by Jessica Simpson from Le Tote (use my referral link for a free Tote!)

Related Posts:

1. Plaid POW: Date Night Flannel Heat

2. Plume POW: Touch of 70s Date Night

3. Love POW: Just add Sparkles, Fur, and Beads to make it Sunday Best

1. Plaid POW: Date Night Flannel Heat Posted February 26, 2016: Don’t rule out a flannel shirt for a sexy date outfit—just add other pieces with plenty of sex appeal
2. Plume POW: Touch of 70s Date Night Posted April 08, 2016: Reference your favorite style decade to add fun, glamour, and sex appeal to your night out looks
3. Love POW: Just add Sparkles, Fur, and Beads to make it Sunday Best Posted February 07, 2016: Take a pretty blouse and a neutral pencil skirt and turn it into a sophisticated special occasion outfit with fur, sparkles, beads, and mixing a single metal

Or check out the other date night POWs for more inspiration for a fabulous date (outfit).

Love POW Week 2: No place like Tuesday in a Blouse

Outfit Mission Statement: Chose a trendy jean and a personality-reflecting blouse for a casual, up-to-date outfit that says a lot about you

Welcome to the second week of our love POW series. Remember, POW stands for Piece of the Week, where I show off a week’s worth of outfits focused around one piece, styled seven different ways. I break this “week” of outfits over two weeks, in part to prevent too crazy of a posting schedule! This week I will be posting Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sunday I will then post the next POW. Check out last week’s post for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, which focus on career clothes, date night clothes, and special occasion.

No place like Tuesday outfits are casual, comfy clothes for working from home, working at home, stay at home parenting, and anything else where comfort is key and you are home. Although they will work for errands and anything where casual is key. The POW (Piece of the Week) is the cabi fall 2015 Love Blouse. The Love Blouse is not inherently casual, but can be part of a casual outfit with the right touches. Combine a romantic blouse with ripped jeans and you have a pretty and edgy look that can be the basis for many an outfit. This is not only the base for this Tuesday casual outfit, but also for the Spicy Sweet Friday Night Drinks outfit! Thus, you could go from day to night with a few adjustments. For the casual look, I added a casual lace-up sneaker/tennis style shoe and some simple earrings. Nothing fancy. But this is a cute casual look that works well at home, running errands, playing with kids in the park, going to a practice, shopping, checking out a farmers market, and more. While casual, this outfit does more than the tee shirt and jeans that you might wear instead. This is more flattering and it tells us something about you without using a word. Depending on the blouse, it may say you had a soft side, a creative side, a fun side, or some other side they may want to know. It says you value yourself and possibly whatever you are doing enough to put something a bit nicer on. It also says you are stylish. The jeans add a bit of street to the outfit, creating something trendy, pretty, and lifestyle friendly!

Tips:

• Think about how you can take a blouse and pair of jeans and dress it down for day and turn it up for nigh
• Go beyond the mom jean and tee shirt by replacing the tee with a pretty shirt or blouse
• Consider ripped jeans or some other fashionable jean trend instead of the classic blue jeans for a more up-to-date and memorable look
• Choose a blouse that says something about who you are—romantic, creative, sporty…
• If you are rocking one trendy item, like ripped jeans, make the other clothing items more classic pieces to give the outfit depth and personality
• Look for comfortable, cute sneaker/tennis style shoes for added comfort and to work best in a busy lifestyle 
• Do a messy jeans roll for the added touch of casual street
• See the Spicy Sweet Friday Night Drinks post for more information on choosing and wearing ombré blouses

Outfit Breakdown:

The clothing items in this outfit are all cabi Fall 2015, and no longer available. Contact me if you must have something and I may be able to direct you to a stylist who has it. Look for substitutes from your own closet or check out the alternatives below. I normally will make the POW a currently available item, but my blog launched later than planned and I wanted to share these outfits. The next POW will be of an available item, I promise!

•  Blouse: This is the cabi Fall 2015 Love Blouse. To find a substitute from your own closet, look for a feminine blouse with a special feature. If you don’t have quite the right blouse to substitute in your closet, consider these cabi Spring 2016 alternatives: 
  • Vita Blouse: This gorgeous draped blouse is also sleeveless, and has a sexy cutout in the back
  • Bella Top: This feminize, fluttery blouse has a similar feel to the love blouse
  • Plaza Top: This classic, flowing blue and white blouse has a cute Henley collar
  • Tivoli Top: This fierce black and taupe blouse has plenty of cool features
• Jeans: These are the cabi Fall 2015 Dark Destruction Slim Boyfriend, and yup, no longer available. However, there are two great cabi Spring 2016 options: 
  • Destructed Skinny in Curvy or Regular: This is a soft jean with a darker wash 
  • Destructed Slim Boyfriend: These are white with contrast stitching
• Shoes: These are an older leather version of the BeanSport Lace-up Shoes. I love the comfort and coolness of these shoes. L.L. Beans has a bunch of other shoes in this comfy chic sneaker/tennis shoe lite style.
• Earrings: These are rose gold wire wrapped crystal earrings by Shine Chaser Jewelry. She does not currently have any available on her Etsy page, but you may be able to commission some. She does currently have these similar White Sea Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings and others that will nicely work in a casual outfit (or any type of outfit!).

Love the ideas for this casual Tuesday style? Want a similar outfit you can purchase now? Consider the Plaza Top, Destructed Slim Boyfriend, BeanSport Lace-up Shoes (in tan), and the White Sea Glass Wire Wrapped Earrings

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POW 2: You’re going to love the Piece of the Week, week two!

Are you excited? My second Piece of the Week (POW, yes, I am ignoring the “the”), is the cabi fall 2015 Love Blouse! So, I'm calling this the Love POW.

Sadly, this blouse is currently no longer available from cabi. You can replace it with a pretty blouse from your closet. This one is sleeveless with a gathered collar. But you can go for sleeves if you would like. I suggest choosing one with some special feature, like the gathered collar. If you must have this amazing blouse, let me know. I may be able to find a sample for you or something like that. If you don’t have quite the right blouse to substitute in your closet, consider these cabi Spring 2016 alternatives: 

• Vita Blouse: This gorgeous draped blouse is also sleeves and has a sexy cutout in the back. 
• Bella Top: This feminize, fluttery blouse has a similar feel to the love blouse. 
• Plaza Top: This classic, flowing blue and white blouse has a cute Henley collar.
• Tivoli Top: This fierce black and taupe blouse has plenty of cool features.

As with our last POW, I will show you how to work this jacket into seven different outfits—a full week!  Again, I am breaking this “week” of outfits over two weeks, starting tomorrow with the Manic Monday outfit, and posting the outfits for Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Then next week, I’ll post the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday outfits. Then, that following Sunday I will announce the next POW, which is an item that is currently available!