Rompin’ around in ruffles

Oh the beloved romper. If you’re like me, rompers are one of those things that you can never have enough of; like dresses or shoes. While some may argue that they are likely to go out of style, I beg to differ. In many ways, rompers are like a glamorous adult version of a onesie, and surely as those will never go out of style for infants, we will be able to wear rompers for many more years (at least I hope). Another issue that some people have with rompers is that they feel they don’t fit their body properly. I think that while some rompers require a wearer to have a certain torso to leg proportion, there is bound to be a style of romper that fits every style of body; you’ve just got to try them on to find the one. What I especially love about rompers is that they can be trans-seasonal between spring, summer, and fall. You can even try rocking a romper in the winter if you wear tights underneath! Keep on reading to see one of my personal favorite rompers!

I’ll be honest; when I first saw this romper on the hanger, I tried it on thinking that I wouldn’t like it. I literally told one of my friend’s “I’ll never buy this, but I still want to try it on”. As soon as I zipped it up though, I was in love (I swear every time I swear to not buy something, I end up buying it). The berry tones against the black make it the perfect romper to wear during any season, and it is also super easy to accessorize. While I chose to wear a fun pair of black strappy heels and gold jewelry, there are endless options to play around with when it comes to the accessorizing game. Outfit details are below!

Romper:

As I mentioned, I was hesitant about this romper at first. But after wearing it a few times, I absolutely love it! This romper is from Dry Goods, and is made by blu pepper. My favorite part, by far, is the ruffled shorts. I also love the cap sleeves; I feel like you don’t often find short sleeved rompers that are super fun and cute, so I think that’s one feature that is great about this one. I also love the v-neck, as it’s not too low, but still shows a little skin, which allows you to wear this for multiple occasions. Seeing as I have a fairly long torso and long legs, this romper might be a little bit short on me for some events, but it’s great for a day or night out. The way that the waist is stitched is also very flattering, and the pockets add a fun little bit of flair! The floral pattern is also adorable, and the deeper hues make it a great option for year-round wear. I’m am so glad that I purchased this romper when I did, because I know that I would have major regrets if I hadn’t.

Shoes:

So can we talk about these shoes for a hot second? Honestly, they are probably my favorite pair in my wardrobe right now. These beauties are by Sam Edelman, and I bought them from Nordstrom. I found these last spring, and I was immediately sold. I needed a black pair of heels for recruitment, and although I already owned some simpler black heels, I could not resist buying these. The fringe is absolutely iconic, and I love how they can either serve as the focal point for an outfit, or they can be a way to add additional layers of texture to an already busy outfit (like what I did here). While they are beautiful to look at, they take a little bit of time to get used to walking in because the heel is very skinny. But you know, beauty is pain, so I deal with it!

Accessories:

For accessories, I decided to keep things simple because there was a lot of detail and texture between the romper and my shoes. I wore a simple gold open circle necklace from Primp, and I also accessorized with my favorite Alex and Ani charm bracelets. In my collection, I have a C initial, the Greek letters of my sorority, the Om symbol, and my personal favorite, Disney’s exclusive Cinderella bracelet. The Disney charms are hard to come by, seeing as they can only be bought at Disney parks or online, but you can bet that I took advantage of my time in Orlando this summer by stopping at Downtown Disney to purchase this in my free time. One thing that I really love about Alex and Ani bracelets is that there are so many different options, and they can be a really great conversation starter when meeting new people; you can learn a lot about someone’s interests and passions based on which charms they have.

To play in to the berry hues of the romper, I finished off my look with MAC’s D for Danger lipstick which is a rich berry/burgundy color that I can sense will be a go-to color for me this fall.

Although it will soon be time to break out our jeans and sweaters (which isn’t a bad thing), it’s fun to take advantage of warm weather while we have it. Rompers are a great way to look cute while soaking up the last bit of summer, and they transition really nicely into fall as well. Ruffled or fringy bottoms are also a big trend right now, and it’s a really fun one to try out if you haven’t yet. I’m still searching for a fun fringy skirt; I promise to keep you posted if I find the one. But for now, I’ll just be living it up in the ruffled shorts on this romper!

XOXO, Chloe

Stylish and Starving at Twenty Something

Paisley at play

The transition between summer and fall might be one of my favorite times of the year simply because it means that it’s time to start dressing up in fall fashion. Although the leaves turning in the Midwest means that the weather might start getting cooler, we still have the months of September and October to wear lighter layers. I also think that it is one of my favorite times of the year because back to school shopping was always such an exciting time for me. And while at 20 years old I might not need to buy a whole new wardrobe every fall, its still fun to pick up a couple of new items in the seasons hottest colors. So keep on reading to see one of the ways that I styled a look that is a little bit summer, a little bit fall, and perfect to wear for any occasion in between the seasons.

This outfit is great because while the colors are more fall-like, the short sleeves and the length of the dress allow you to stay cool when the weather is still warm. The dress is also made of a really lightweight material, which further assists you in staying cool and looking cool. The leather booties are a great way to transition into fall, but you could also play around with suede booties, heels, or sandals if it is still really warm out. Given the fun paisley pattern of the dress, I kept my accessories fairly simple, and played off of the blue in the dress by wearing a blue, raw stone necklace. See below for outfit specifics:

Dress:

This short sleeve shift dress is from Primp, and I am so excited to get to wear it this season. I fell in love with the colors and the patterns of the dress, as well as the fun tassels. I think the paisley pattern gives it a boho vibe, but it is definitely still dressy enough to wear to more formal events. In addition to the light blue color, the orange/coral color really caught my eye, and I like how the color is repeated along the bottom of the dress and the sleeves in addition to wrapping around the tassels. I also really like the neckline of this dress, as it isn’t too low, but it still dips down a little. Overall, I think that this is a really great piece for late summer and early fall because of the style and the colors.

Shoes:

These black leather booties were one of my many purchases at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. They are the Pistol style by Steve Madden, and while they normally cost $129.95, I got them for $89.95 (seriously if you’ve never checked out the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale you NEED to next summer). I will admit that while I may not absolutely need more black boots, these are a definite asset to my closet. I love the chunky heel and the pointed toe; I also love how clean of a look the leather is. Leather is perfect to wear in early fall and into the winter because although you should still be careful, it is a lot easier to clean and protect than suede is.

Accessories:

As I almost always do, I chose to accessorize with gold jewelry. For necklaces, I layered two necklaces, one with a simple open gold circle, and another longer one with blue raw stones and gold circles. The blue colors in the necklace match the blues in the dress perfectly, which made it an obvious choice to wear. For bracelets, I wore my go-to simple gold bangle and my gold bangle with the white dots that line the top. The white of the bracelet tied in with the white background of the dress, but in a very simple way. Given the busy and fun pattern of the dress, I felt it important to keep my accessories in matching color palettes that were still simple as not to distract from the dress.

While dressing for in between seasons can be difficult at times, wearing light weight fall styles is a great way to transition into colder weather. Dresses and skirts are great for this, especially in fall colors, denim and suede fabrics, and light knits. Pairing leather accessories with clothing is another great way to move into fall, and these black leather booties paired with a lighter colored dress is a great example. So while we should definitely enjoy the warm weather and sunshine for now, we can also begin to get excited for the weather getting cooler as with the weather comes new clothing items to break out.

XOXO, Chloe

Stylish and Starving at Twenty Something