Love POW: Week in Review

The cabi Fall 2105 Love Blouse was our second POW (Piece of the Week) garment! In two weeks, we took this lovely blouse casual with ripped jean, spicy sweet with those same jeans and a fur trimmed twist scarf, lady-like to work with a black suite, and chic and vintage with a lace blouse. Even this feminine sleeveless blouse can be worn in a variety of ways—as can most of those things in your closet, you may not wear enough. One great thing about this week, is I used several pieces besides the POW Love Blouse in different looks, further showing how flexible clothing can be and how you can work with a few pieces and have a great wardrobe. At the ends, I’ll provide a list of these pieces.

But first, let’s review this fabulous week!

Lovely Manic Monday: Integrate ponte knit into your career wardrobe and mix it with feminine blouses for strong, comfortable, and sweet office looks!

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse, Crew Blazer, Knight Skinny Jeans, older Aerosoles flats & older jewelry. See post for more information and an spring version of this look.

No place like Tuesday in a Blouse: Chose a trendy jean and a personality-reflecting blouse for a casual, up-to-date outfit that says a lot about you.

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse,  Dark Destruction Slim Boyfriend Jeans,  BeanSport Lace-up Shoes (older version), rose gold wire wrapped crystal earrings by Shine Chaser Jewelry (similar). Check out the post for more details a a fun Spring version.  

Working It Lady-Like Wednesday: Look for feminine details, like gathers, ruffles, and flares, and add a feminine blouse to turn a blah business suit into lady-like office style.

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse, Abbott Jacket, Skater Skirt,  Heirloom necklace (converted into a belt and bracelet), shoes are older Aerosoles. See post for details and available alternatives.

A Chic & Vintage About Town Thursday: Take romantic, vintage-inspired pieces and mix them with sleek, trendy pieces for a sweet, fresh and modern look.

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse, London Top (lace), and Knight Skinny Jeans, along with  Rose Quartz Dangle Earrings, a vintage clutch, and the  Audrey Brooke Glenda Pump. For more information, pictures, comments, and alternatives, check out the post.

Spicy Sweet Friday Night Drinks: Mix romantic pretty items with ripped denim and black leather for a look that is both sugar and spice and certainly nice.

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse,  Dark Destruction Slim Boyfriend Jeans, and Twist Scarf, with an old, beloved pair of A2s from Aerosoles and Rose Quartz Dangle Earrings. Discover more on the post. 

Sweater Saturdays are Pretty Cozy: Start with a cozy sweater and add feminine and practical pieces for a casual, pretty, and lifestyle-friendly look.

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse, Countryside Sweater, and Knight Skinny Jeanse, along with older Target boots and rose gold wire wrapped crystal earrings by Shine Chaser Jewelry (similar). Get tips and a spring version of this in the post!

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

Outfit: Fall cabi Love Blouse and Heirloom necklace as a belt. The Skirt is vintage cabi (similar). Also wearing vintage Stella & Dot Devon chandelier earrings, a very vintage clutch (50s or 60s), and  Jennifer Lopez’s Women's Metallic High Heels.

Versatile Pieces 

For these seven outfits, I not only wore the Love Blouse in each, but I repeated other pieces also, showing how we can work very different looks with the same pieces and some style.

• Bottoms: 4 in total with two skirts (each worn once) and two pairs of jeans (one worn twice the other three times)
• Toppers: 4, each worn once
• Scarf: worn twice
• Earrings: 4, gunmetal hoops worn twice, Rose Quartz Dangle Earrings worn twice, rose gold wire crystal earrings worn twice, chandeliers worn once. 
• Shoes: 6, one pair worn twice
• Belt/Bracelet: Convertible cabi necklace worn once as a belt and once as a belt and bracelet  
• Vintage clutch: Worn twice

Love POW: A Chic & Vintage About Town Thursday

Outfit Mission Statement: Take romantic, vintage-inspired pieces and mix them with sleek, trendy pieces for a sweet, fresh and modern look

TTT Thursday outfits are Trendy, Transitional, and/or Terrific—in other words my choice. Whatever other outfit ideas the garment gave me. It may be something very trendy, transitional, or something else. This week I went with cute, classy, and trendy. The POW (Piece of the Week) is the cabi fall 2015 Love Blouse. This outfit could easily work for a date night or a night out with the girls. I see a Valentine's day celebration, fancy drinks, gallery openings, dinner with friends, a weeknight celebrations, and theater in this outfit’s future (and it's great for standing in a driveway with the family’s chalk art!). This outfit is a fun mix of pretty and sweet with sleek and stylish. I love it! The trick is to not go too far with either the sleek & stylish or the pretty & sweet. The romantic Love Blouse, the pretty lace top, the vintage bead clutch, and the darling rose quartz earrings all add a pretty and even vintage feel. But add skinnies with rolled hems and sleek sexy shoes and you have a balanced fresh look. The neutral navy in the blouse, lace top, and jeans also pulls the look together with a more modern feel and tones down the sweet pieces so this is not sugary sweet. The mix of gold, a pewter, and silver in the earrings give it a chic touch that is not too matchy-matchy.

Tips:

• Pair romantic, vintage-inspired (or vintage) pieces with sleek modern pieces for a look stands out (and doesn’t go overboard in either direction) 

• Draw the outfit together with a darker neutral theme—this will tone down any sticky sweetness and provide a modern feel

• Roll those jean hems to show off sexy shoes

• Accessorizing with different metals adds a chic touch and compliments (and updates) the vintage pieces

• Consider a side ponytail when you want both sleek and free (this works especially well with waves and curls)

• When you have clothing that has its own “built in” accessories—like the ruffles collar on the Love Blouse or the lace of the lace top, you do not need to add a necklace, as it could distract. But have fun with things further away from these built in accessories, like a clutch or purse and shoes.

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
  • Positano Top: This flowy top reminds me of vintage fabric but with very current colors
  • Gemma Top: This bright green beauty has eyelets and lace for a vintage and trendy feel
• Jeans: Skinny jeans are everywhere. If you don’t already have some dark skinny jeans, I’m sure you can find some you will love. If you want something a bit less skinny (and white), consider the Slimmie. 
• Lace Top: The London Top is, yup, a cabi Fall 2015 item and no longer for sale. Here are some different directions you can go: 
  • Capri Top: With crochet ivory lace in a flowing oversized design, you get a vintage bohemian feel. Consider wearing a bright cami or tank underneath to pop color and add some pizazz, such as the Tiger Lily Layer Tank or either V-Neck Cami. 
  • Piccolo Shrug: This bright, cropped shrug has a 60s feel
  • Portico Shrug: Another bright shrug, this has more of a modern feel with dolman sleeve and an open design
• Earrings: These are Rose Quartz Dangle Earrings by Shine Chaser Jewelry
• Clutch: This is a vintage clutch (I’m guessing from the 1950s or 1960s) that my mom bought me for Christmas. I’ll put the shop name in where she got it when she gets back to me.
• Shoes: These lovely gray and pewter pumps are the Audrey Brooke Glenda Pump, which I recently got for a steal (under$20) at DSW, but are showing as $39.94 online

For a spring version with currently available pieces, consider: cabi’s2016 Spring Bella Top, Slimmie jeans, and Piccolo Shrug, with the Audrey Brooke Glenda Pump, Rose Quartz Dangle Earrings, and a vintage clutch.

An added bonus. Y'all want to see pictures of my adorable kid, right?

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

​.

Love POW: Working It Lady-Like Wednesday

Outfit Mission Statement: Look for feminine details, like gathers, ruffles, and flares, and add a feminine blouse to turn a blah business suit into lady-like office style

Working it Wednesday outfits are professional career clothes, often a step or two above Manic Monday outfits. The POW (Piece of the Week) is the cabi fall 2015 Love Blouse. This blouse makes a great pop of color in an all-black (or other neutral) suite, as you see here. I paired the Abbott Jacket with the Skater Skirt, creating this black suit. Black suits can often appear harsh, but I tone this one down not only with the feminine Love Blouse, but also by choosing suiting options with feminine features. The Abbott jacket has amazing three-quarter length sleeves with gathers and a twist to give them a unique and very lady-like appeal. The Skater Skirt has a fit and flare styling, which give it swing and more femininity. Together we have gathers, flares, ruffles, and twists for elegant business wear of the tenue de ville (or international business attire/informal) level of dress code. The skirt is also the very comfortable ponte knit I mentioned before—perfectly professional and perfectly comfortable.

Tips:

• Tone down and bring a lady-like style to the stark black suite with feminine details, like a flared skirt or gathered sleeves
• Add a pop of feminine color with a lovely blouse to also tone down the starkness of a black suit
• As I said in Monday’s post, get ponte knit career clothes, if you don’t already have some (and add more if you do
• For more formal office, keep your accessories small and neutral (such as gold or silver), but feel free to sneak in extra touches, like a belt
• When you have a lovely collar, pop it up over the jacket collar
• Create your own suit from separates, so they work great together and apart

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 with 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.
• Jacket: Shown is the cabi fall 2015 Abbott Jacket. For a business look, any jacket could work. But for this look, something with feminine details is best. 
  •  Verde Jacket: Not as formal, but t has his cotton/spandex mix is soft and stretchy and this green color is amazing! It also has lovely feminine details on the jacket pockets  
  • Lido Jacket: Also not as formal, this longer navy ponte jacket pairs well with the XXXX shirt for a suit look 
  • Cruise Jacket: Not as formal, but this nautical theme jacket can work in dressier business settings with ease
• Skirt: This Skater Skirt is also from cabi Fall 2015. There is one skirt in the cabi Spring 2016 collection that could work, the Lido Skirt. This classic pencil skirt is in navy and has a tiered hem for a feminine touch. It is a works perfectly with the Lido jacket to make a skirt. Some skater or fit and flare skirt options: 
  • Depth of Field Black Skater Skirt: On LuLu’s, this skater skirt comes in black or gray
  •  Essential Elegance Skirt: Not a skater, but it has elegant folds and a fit and flare style
  • A Line Skirt: By Calvin Klein at Macys, this is a lovely fit and flare style black skit       
• Shoes: These are older black open-toed shoes with a bow detail. Consider instead:  
  • Good Lux: Aerosoles with an open toe and buckle detail
  • Benefit: Peep toe shoes with a bow details, also by Aerosoles    
  • Benn Station: Also peep toed, with a punch design that almost looks like lace, by Aerosoles
• Jewelry: For belt and bracelet, I am wearing the cabi Fall 2016 Heirloom necklace—the necklace converts into several different pieces. My earrings are Vintage Stud earrings for cabi Fall 2014. The cabi Spring 2016 Locket Necklace is also a convertible piece and can be worn as a bracket and belt also, and has a similar feel to the Heirloom. The Dolce Charm Earrings go well with the necklace, and continue the feminine feel.

Want to work a Spring version of this outfit? Consider this outfit that applies the same rules from the cabi Spring 2016 collection: Lido Jacket, Bella Top, Lido Skirt, Locket Necklace, and the Dolce Charm Earrings. Add the Good Lux: Aerosoles for the finishing touch.

Love POW: Lovely Manic Monday

Outfit Mission Statement: Integrate ponte knit into your career wardrobe and mix it with feminine blouses for strong, comfortable, and sweet office looks!

Manic Monday outfits are easy career clothes to throw on for manic Mondays. This Monday we focus on two things: comfort and feminine details. The POW (Piece of the Week) is the cabi fall 2015 Love Blouse. Since the season is now over, this blouse can no longer be ordered. I have some substitutes below that are available. To substitute from your own closet, look for a feminine blouse with s special feature, like a riffled collar. If you must have this jacket, contact me and I may be able to put you in touch with a stylist who has a sample left.

For this outfit, I combined this lovely blouse with a career-ready jacket, for a professional look. But, then I toned it down and added comfort with skinny jeans and flats, for a comfortable, business casual look. One feature of the Love Blouse is the gathered collar, which looks great over jacket collars. With this collar or other blouses with special features near the neck, a necklace is not necessary. Another feature of the blouse is the ombré coloring that goes from light pink to a dark blue. Worn with dark blue jeans or pants, this creates a longer line, giving you additional height (even without heels!). But the jacket is a bit of a comfort secret weapon. It may look all professional, but it moves like a dream because it is a ponte knit—clean, career-minded lines with lots of give and take. If you don’t already have some ponte knit career clothes, get some! These pieces make it feel like you are working in yoga pants and a tee shirt.

Tips:

• Get ponte knit career clothes, if you don’t already have them
• Skinny jeans can work at the office, just stick to darker colors, make sure your butt is covered, and make sure the rest of the outfit is dressier (smart business or dressier)
• If you have a conservative office, tone down bright pieces with neutrals
• Add a feminine blouse to a jacket and jeans combo to show your soft side along with your strong side
• Pop that awesome collar over your jacket for added interest
• Look for flats with feature that look like nice, career heels, such as this buckle for added polish

Outfit Breakdown:

I have no idea what I am doing here, but I love the picture.

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 with 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!

Still learning how to take good pictures. 

• 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
• Jacket: I had a hard time finding good replacements for this cabi fall 2015 Crew Blazer. Your best bet may be to wait for the fall, when there should be at least one on the cabi Fall 2016 collection. 
  • Lido Jacket: A longer navy ponte jacket in the cabi Spring collection
  • Notched-Lapel Ponte-Knit Cropped Blazer: This black or light pink blazer is by Bar III and available at Macy’s
  • Playful Ponte Blazer: Another black option in a classic blazer style, by Chico’s
  • Modern Ponte Pieced Jacket: Available in a white and camel by Chico’s—the reviews are questionable, but it looks cute 
  • While not ponte, there are some other cute jackets in the cabi Spring Collection:
    • Neo Jacket: This is in a French Terry!
    • Verde Jacket: This cotton/spandex mix is soft and stretchy and this green color is amazing!
    • Cruise Jacket: Another soft jacket with give; this one with a nautical theme
• Jeans: Skinny jeans are everywhere. If you don’t already have some dark skinny jeans, I’m sure you can find some you will love. If you want something a bit less skinny (and white), consider the Slimmie. Or for a similar look, but with pants, consider the navy Capote Trouser.
• Jewelry: I kept my jewelry simple with gunmetal hoops (not the same ones I wore last week).--no idea where I got these, or when
• Shoes: These are older Aerosoles flats. Consider the Megaphone by Aerosoles, which has a cute, tailored look and silver details

Interested in a Spring version of this outfit? Consider this outfit that applies the same rules from the cabi Spring 2016 collection: Vita Blouse, Lido Jacket, and Capote Trouser with the Megaphone shoes by Aerosoles and the Dolce Charm Earrings. 

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!