Not So Ordinary Black Dress

On a rainy day do you usually pull out an ordinary black or grey dress?  Sometimes I feel like doing the same thing and then I do one of the following things:

1. Add a bright blazer or cardigan
2. Make a statement with jewelry
3. Put on a hot hue shoe

What do you do to make a not so ordinary statement? 

GUEST POST: KELLEY'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH BLACK BLAZERS

Ey y'all!  I'm Kelley from kdairies.com.  Thanks for letting me butt in to Shawna's blog for a minute and share the love of my life with you: Ok here it comes, the love of my fashion life is.... Black Blazers!  Yep, you read that right.  They seem like such a simple thing in the world, no?  Well I'm here to proclaim that they are not simple, and I do, in fact, have an obsession with them.  Black blazers are the most amazing thing I have in my wardrobe, and you wanna know why?  Because they cover everything I don't want to show (::ahem:: ARMS), they nip in at my favorite area (waist!), and flare out to cover a second area I prefer to hide (hello, muffin tops!).  

Still trying to master the selfie (and that bogus ballerina bun I'm wearing). My black blazers got me through pregnancy in a formal office setting.  I love their sweet lapels of varying shapes, and the definition given to my shoulders.  Yeah it's official, I am in love with black blazers.  I have alllll different kinds.  Ones with pointy shoulders (I'm kiiiiind of Kardashian-obsessed!), ones with leather details, long blazers, short blazers, boy-cut blazers, tuxedo blazers, stretchy blazers, plain blazers, cheap blazers, expensive blazers, and of course, different SIZED blazers (because let me tell you people the last five years have done a NUMBER on the sizing you can find in my wardrobe.)  Get it?  number?  AH.

This is me and mah girl Belle.  She's my fav.  And I just noticed that I'm allllmost rocking an ombre hair thing in this pic.  Who knew months of no hair care could do that? 

I had to put this picture at the end because, I mean if I put it in the beginning   you 'd take one look at me and think I was nuts, wouldn't you?

Shawna's trying to teach me to pose like a fashion blogger (she's so GOOD at it, don't you agree!?)  Clearly I have a LOT left to learn.

So what do you guys think?  Am I too into the black blazer?  Too much of a crutch?  Should I bust out my single white blazer for summer?  Ooooh or what about like neon blazers?  I've got it bad, I need HELP!  

Kelley is a lifestyle/mommy/fashion/beauty/whatever-she-feels-like blogger over at Kdiaries.com.  When she's not blogging she's running around after her nearly one-year-old daughter, teaching group exercise, or working on Femworking, the business and blogger networking group she co-founded in early 2013.  She'd love it if you checked her out and let her know what you think of her lil' ole blog!

COFFEE TALK: AMY STRAUSS- BLOGGER, ENTREPRENEUR

Our Coffee Talk for March highlights the hilarious creator of www.storygirlpress.com and co-founder of Femworking, Amy Strauss.  Along with Kelly Sanabria, Amy created Femworking an encouraging business-to-blogger networking group for women that I happen to be a proud member of and I have to say it is one of the best business groups I have had the chance to be a part of.  Here is what Amy had to share about dressing for her day job in DC. Thank you to Brenda from Precious Wisdom Photograpy for capturing her Suite Style.

So Amy, please tell our readers a bit more about you and Femworking?

Femworking  a business-to-blogger networking group for women.  We are each other’s mini consultants and force multipliers. I also have an indie-publishing company, Story Girl Press, and I’ve seen it grow so much from the support of my fellow Femworkers. We publish what I call “E-books with a bad attitude,” and from the get go the girls really understood my brand and were so supportive. Beyond Story Girl, it is really amazing the connections the girls are making—watching their projects grow is so inspirational. And of course, each meeting we have together is a mini fashion show, we love dressing up for each other.

Tell us a bit about your work style?

Out of necessity I’m pretty conservative. As a young, female professional, you don’t get a large margin of error working in DC. I noticed early on in my career if wore a suit I got more respect at work.  It wasn’t hard letting go of the bright colors, and flirty blouses and skirts, because I just transitioned those outfits to my weekend wear.  Women express their emotions through how we dress, and I think it’s difficult for us to adopt a more severe “uniform” of a suit.  For me, the suit has become my armor.

Where  do you do your shopping?

I’m a Midwestern girl, so Nordstroms is my end-all-be-all for shopping.  I go with my girlfriend, Nesanet, and we start at the very top with lunch at the Café, and then we work our way down every floor.  Yes, I realize I sound about 70 years old, but we love it.  They have the brands I like and the most amazing customer service.

 

Who are your at-work style inspirations?

Remember when Romy and Michelle get dressed up as “serious businesswomen?” I love that part of the movie and it’s totally how I see myself at work. I really wish there were more options for that type of style.  A lot of what I see in department stores and magazines is great if you work at a fashion magazine, but unfortunately for the rest of us we need more conservative options.

Favorite labels?

Theory is great for suits, and I also love Jcrew.  Those are the two brands that fit me almost perfectly off the rack. Under my suits I wear Lululemon tops. It’s such a great tip I got from one of my girlfriends. The shirts come in great colors and don’t pill. So I can wash them over and over again and they hold up.  

Any other style tips?

A great tailor is the working women’s gift from god. Stephen the Tailor in Foggy Bottom is really good, I take almost everything there.

Check out Amy’s Handles:

Amy.Strauss@femworking.com

Twitter: @Femworking @Story Girl Press

 Website: www.femworking.com

www.storygirlpress.com