Must Haves and Fashion Staples

Every morning each of us wake up and face that daily dilemma...what to wear. I don't know about all of you, but I stand in front of my closet going over every piece of clothing I own, hoping I'll have some fashion breakthrough. A never-worn-before combo or maybe I'll get lucky and that something new I've been lusting over will just magically appear. A girl can dream right? Most days I find myself piecing together some variation of my go-to work uniform: pencil skirt, blouse, and cardigan. Even with a dozen interchangeable pieces to this uniform it's easy to end up bored and uninspired. Unfortunately, I don't have the budget to purchase enough clothing options to keep me wearing something new and exciting everyday, but I have discovered how to shop and dress so that I feel confidant and beautiful everyday. That's a close second right?

Over the past few months I've realized I've developed a sort of fashion motto to live and shop by. "Invest on the staples first". We've all gone through our Forever 21 stage...buy 8 new, inexpensive items every few weeks. It satisfies that need to shop, but I always find that a few weeks later those "steals" I was so excited about have either shrunk, disappeared, or made their way to the bottom of the drawer. For me, I think this happens because I don't value them much even when I purchase them...so I definitely don't value them once the shine of a new purchase has worn off.

So this former Forever 21 shopping addict has changed her ways. Over the past few months I've learned that when I spend the time and money investing in a classic staple it never loses that shine and excitement. Now don't get me wrong, I still don't have the budget to go buy a Chanel suit or those Louboutin heels I would kill for, but the following pieces are some of my recent purchases and worth spending a little extra on. All of these items can either be added to my daily workwear without ever getting old or replace the pencil skirt uniform.

Tip #1: Invest in a purse you LOVE. Make sure this is a bag that can take you to work and the weekend. I love roomy purses that aren't too structured. That way they won't lose their shape after using them everyday for a few months (or years!). For example...

Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Shop Girl Tote
Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue $498

Tip #2: Invest in a pair of sturdy (and adorable) ballet flats and a great pair of knee high boots. I wear these shoes to work all the time. The boots look amazing paired with black tights and a wrap dress. The ballet flats look great with a skirt and sweater, but also are amazing when you go out on the weekends and don't feel like walking around the city in heels.

Michael Kors Lesly Boots
Michael Kors Website or Neiman Marcus $250 (on sale now for $175!)






The boots will give you that in-high-demand Kate Middleton look. Confession...she's my total fashion inspiration at the moment...put together, classic style, achievable look = perfect.

Tory Burch 'Reva' Ballerina Flats
Tory Burch Website or Nordstrom $195

Paired up with work clothes or everyday wear, these ballet flats instantly give you a more stylish look. They come in classic black and brown, as well as more fun metallic and pastel colors.

Tip #3: Get yourself a nice watch. I personally love Michael Kors' collection of watches. They are glamorous and a watch is such a nice way to dress up any outfit. It's an accessory you can wear every single day. I owe my friend Veronica BIG TIME for clueing me into the MK watches.

Michael Kors 'Runway' Rose Gold Watch
Nordstrom $250

Tip #4: Add a scarf. Scarves are an affordable way to add warmth, character, and style to any outfit. They can be worn all four seasons and you don't need to spend a lot of money on them. I love to pair a scarf with a nice structured blazer, jeans, and flats on the weekends. I also wear a scarf to work almost everyday. They really work well with blazers and it gives you the freedom to play with colors a bit more if you work in a more serious office environment.

Recently I picked up a couple of these scarves from World Market in a variety of colors. Affordable ($10) and adorable!

Tip #5: Wrap dresses. Okay I know I was going to talk about investing in the staples, but this is still a tip worth sharing. Wrap dresses give every woman a flattering shape and a beautiful figure. They are easy to wear, perfect for the office, and can be dressed up or dressed down. This is another trend we are seeing this spring/summer. They come in countless varieties, colors, fabrics...but my go to wrap dress supplier is Banana Republic.

Banana Republic Gemma Wrap Dresses $98

Okay, sorry for the long entry. I thought I'd have a really hard time writing about fashion/style but it ended up being a lot of fun. I guess next time I'll break up the blogging into multiple posts, but hopefully you enjoyed! The last thing I'll say...I know it's hard to bite the bullet and spend $200 on shoes or a purse, etc. but I promise you...it's more expensive for a reason. It'll last you forever, it'll stay "in season" longer, and you'll take better care of it and walk with a bit more confidence. And because a lot of what I talked about are accessories you can wear them much more often than any single article of clothing!

Do any of you have fashion or shopping mottos you live by? Maybe my next blog entry will be "Don't Grocery Shop When Hungry!" :)