Layers and Lace

 

 

What I'm Wearing:

White Blazer from SheInside (c/o - thank you!)

White Lace Top by Kenar (similar)

Gold Choker Necklace from Pop of Chic (c/o - thank you!)

Pyramid Bangle from H&M (similar)

 Skirt and Purse from Forever 21 (similar from Nordstrom)

Gold Heels by Nine West (another option from Tory Burch)

Sunglasses by Michael Kors (similar)

*****

Love, S

Nudes and Floral

What I'm Wearing:

Nude Jacket - thanks to Rock With U!  (c/o)

Floral Dress (old)

KAVA Wing Necklace from Hong Kong (another pick from Dogeared)

H&M Bangles

Cathy Jeans Nude Heels (another great option for Spring)

Michael Kors Hamilton Bag

Michael Kors Sunglasses (similar)

***** 

Love, S

Army Green and Leather Sleeves

What I'm Wearing:

Trench Coat with Leather Sleeves - thanks to Haute Juncture! (c/o)

Skirt from Urban Outfitters

Striped Purse from Bebe

Leopard Print Necklace from Oasap (c/o)

Boots from Apartment9

Sunglasses by Michael Kors

Love, S

*****

Casual in Burgundy (and New Hair Color!)

I've been wearing this casual burgundy dress paired with this jacket fairly often lately, whenever I want to be comfortable while still looking somewhat put together. What I love most about this dress is that it's a stretchy, cotton material...which means lots of room for eating!  I've definitely been doing a lot of eating recently, especially with Chinese New Year this past weekend.

I also decided to ring in the start of a new lunar year with a new hair color.  It's been awhile since I last changed my hair, so I figured it was time to make a change and avoid a style rut! 

Do you change your look often? 

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What I'm Wearing:

H&M Burgundy Dress (another great pick)

H&M Bag

Jacket by Zinga

H&M Bracelet (similar)

H&M Ankle Boots (similar)

Michael Kors Sunglasses 

Vintage Gold Necklaces (from Mom)

*****

Wishing you all a happy Lunar New Year!

Love, S 

Preppy in Plaid

I wore this outfit to work this week and got several compliments on this vintage, plaid wool skirt - though I actually can't claim any credit for it.  The original owner of the skirt is my mom! As you know, I'm a big fan of borrowing from Mom's closet. Over the holidays, I had this skirt tailored to fit my size, and I've been wearing it nonstop since. 

When it comes to dressing for the office in the winter, I've found that layering is key.  Between the chilly San Francisco winds and frigid office A/C, my fail-proof work uniform usually consists of the following: a wool sweater layered over a silk dress shirt, blazer, pencil skirt, tights, and black pumps. At work, I tend to keep my accessories simple and on the conservative side.  Arm parties unfortunately don't work for me at the office, since I've found that a stack of bangles can often hinder typing (not to mention clank loudly and embarrassingly during meetings).  A single necklace or bracelet usually pulls together an outfit, while keeping it professional.         

What does your typical work outfit consist of?

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What I'm Wearing / Where to Shop:

J.Crew Blouse

J.Crew Sweater (other colors available here)

Banana Republic Work Tote

H&M Blazer (similar from Club Monaco)

Vintage Skirt (from Mom)

Gianni Bini Patent Pumps (similar)

Michael Kors Sunglasses

*****

'Til next time!

Love, S

Monrow Dress + $50 GIVEAWAY from TellStyle.com (Ends 12/22)

Read on if you'd like to win $50 to spend on your choice of clothing from TellStyle!

What I'm Wearing: Monrow Dress (c/o - TellStyle.com), Michael Kors Sunglasses, Gucci Purse, LoveCulture Coat

Special thanks to TellStyle.com for this lovely Monrow Dress in dusty plum!  I've finding it to be a great layering piece for winter, especially when worn with boots, tights, and patterned coats (like the black and white plaid one I'm wearing here).  For this casual winter outfit, I've paired it here with black accessories - wool hat, belt, necklace, sunglasses, and Gucci bag.

Like this outfit? I've partnered with the team at TellStyle.com to give away $50 worth of clothing and accessories! Details on how to enter below.

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Enter here to win $50 from TellStyle.com (by Dec. 22)!

How to Enter - 3 Easy Steps (Required): 

1. Follow Shamelessly Overdressed on Google Friend Connect (click here) or Bloglovin' (here) - +1 bonus entry if you follow on both

2. Like TellStyle.com on Facebook OR Follow @tellstyle on Twitter

3. Leave a comment on this post to let me know how you would like to be contacted if you win (email, FB, etc.) 

That's it! To increase your chances of winning, you can also earn bonus entries via the optional steps below.

Optional Steps - For Bonus Entries:

4. Follow @OverdressedByS on Twitter (here) + 1 bonus entry

5. Like Shamelessly Overdressed on Facebook (here) + 1 bonus entry

6. Post a link to this giveaway on Facebook (+2 bonus entries) and/or Twitter (+ 2 bonus entries) and/or on your blog (+3 bonus entries)  

7. Link to Shamelessly Overdressed from your blog or website + 4 bonus entries

*Winner will be selected via random drawing and will be announced on Dec. 23. 

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Good luck!

Love, S

Bengal x Bangle

Holiday party season is naturally one of my favorite times of the year. After all, it gives us even more reason to dress up...and dress up often!  

Although it's easy to stick to wearing either a little black dress or traditional holiday colors like red or green, I like mixing it up from time to time with unconventional colors and prints.  I can't get enough of this tiger print dress from Chicnova, which I foresee getting a lot of wear in both winter and summer.  To keep the attention on the bold print, I've kept my jewelry simple with a single gold pyramid bangle.

*****

What I'm Wearing / Where to Shop:

Pleat Silk Print Dress (c/o - thanks to Chicnova!) 

H&M Gold Pyramid Bangle
H&M Platform Heels

F21 Envelope Clutch (another great pick here)

Michael Kors Sunglasses

*****

Are you also a fan of tiger prints?

Love, S

Florals at Work

What I'm Wearing / Where to Shop:

J. Crew Schoolboy Blazer in Heather Caramel (here + 6% cashback)

J. Crew No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Antique White (here +  6% cashback)

F21 Dress - worn as a top (also loving this floral blouse)

Horseshoe Necklace from TopShop London (similar)

Butterfly Necklace by Warehouse from Harrod's London (similar)

Floral Heels with Pearls from Taiwan (similar)

Kate Spade Primrose Purse (here)

Michael Kors 'Karolina' Sunglasses (here)

 Love, S

*****

GFC | Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Why Every Busy Girl Needs an Emergency Dress (and How to Choose Yours)

I’m a big believer in this one fact –

Every girl needs an Emergency Dress. 

You know, that dress you keep in your bag / office desk drawer / glove compartment of your car.  The one that you pull out and do a quick-change into when an unexpected occasion arises while you're out and about.  After all, you never know when you need to dress up.

A readily accessible Emergency Dress has saved the day for me on numerous occasions.

Here are the primary  4 scenarios when the use of an Emergency Dress is in order:

• From Office -> Happy Hour or Dinner Date
  
  Imagine you're at your desk at work.  It's around 6 pm and you suddenly receive a last minute invitation to after-work drinks or dinner.  Unfortunately, there's no time to run home and change into a dress, and you don't feel like showing up to a social event in office attire.
  
  Enter the Emergency Dress that you fortunately keep in your desk drawer at work...and you're no longer stuck being the girl wearing a suit or dress shirt to a social event (or worse - having to turn down an invitation because you aren't properly dressed for a certain venue). In my opinion, this is by far the most common use case for an Emergency Dress.  I can't even begin to count the times I've gone straight from work to drinks or a nice dinner on short notice...during which an Emergency Dress (kept inside my office desk) has saved the day for me on numerous occasions.     
  
  
• From Airport -> Party
  
  You're currently on a plane, and you're about to go straight from the airport to a party you can't miss (let's say a friend's birthday), immediately upon landing at your destination. The problem is that you don't want to wear a cocktail dress on the plane (who wants to brave a 5-10 hour flight in stiff tulle or lace?), yet you don't want to show up at a fancy event looking and feeling frumpy in your travel clothes.  My typical strategy for scenarios like this is to keep a wrinkle-free Emergency Dress in my carry-on bag and then do a quick-change in the plane's lavatory shortly before landing.
  
  
• From Daytime Event -> Nighttime Event
  
  Let's say your Saturday plans consist of a going to a BBQ / tailgate party, followed by an evening event that requires dressing up (for instance, a fancy dinner or a night at the ballet) and with no time and place to change in between.   In situations like these, I sometimes resort to changing into my Emergency Dress in the backseat of my car while parked in a secluded area, no joke.  Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
  
  
• For Emergency Wardrobe Malfunctions
  
  There's nothing worse than having a wardrobe malfunction occur in a very public setting (whether it's having red wine spilled on your white dress at a party or discovering a rip in your seam).  It never hurts to have an Emergency Dress somewhere easily accessible (ex: in your car, parked outside) in cases where you desperately need something to change into.
  
  

   

Ok, so we've just gone over when and why you need an Emergency Dress.  Let's quickly recap where you should keep yours: 

• In your desk drawer at work
• In the glove compartment or trunk of your car
• In your travel bag
• In your purse

You can see in the photo above that my Emergency Dress (when folded) is compact enough to fit inside my purse.  This brings me to my next topic, which is...

What to look for in an Emergency Dress: 

An Emergency Dress should be:

• Wrinkle-Resistant
  
  This is absolutely key.  It's going to get stuffed into a bag or tossed into a drawer and needs to be made from fabric that doesn't wrinkle easily.  When looking for an Emergency Dress, avoid 100% cotton or linen and stick with man-made or blended fabrics.  Also be sure to avoid sequins, as they'll fall off after being shoved in various place.  When in doubt, you can always do what I call the "Scrunch Test" - simply take a fistful of fabric and scrunch by clenching your fist.  If the fabric smooths out afterwards with minimal wrinkles, then it may qualify for your Emergency Dress.
  
  
• Compact
  
  It needs to fit in your purse, desk drawer, or glove compartment when folded.  If you can't carry it around easily, then you won't be able to access it during emergencies.
  
  
• Basic
  
  Pick a dress in preferably a solid color or one that doesn't jump out at being particularly unique.  This allows for more flexibility, and you can change up the look with different shoes, bags, and accessories.  It should also fit in equally at a nice dinner with your boyfriend's parents and be passable at a lounge with friends, so don't pick anything too extravagant or revealing for maximum versatility.  You don’t want to be remembered as the girl that's always wearing the same dress, so be sure that your Emergency Dress is a versatile basic.   

[Above: Here I am after a quick-change into my Emergency Dress. No more having to show up at after-work events in my office clothes!]

Looking for your own Emergency Dress?  Some of my picks here:

Alice + Olivia Nell Leather Waist A-Line Dress

The Crisscross Dress

Diane von Furstenberg Terrazzo Wrap Dress

Bop basics Tracy Open Back Mini Dress

JARLO Lucie Party Dress

Kimchi Blue Soft Woven Peplum Dress

Alice + Olivia Hilly Peplum Dress

Alice + olivia Fierra Y Back Dress

Dolce vita Aven Dress

*****

Do you have an Emergency Dress?  What do you do when you're out and about and need to dress up unexpectedly?

A Bit Metallic

ASOS Collar Necklace (identical version here)

MNG by Mango Top

Gina Tricot Jacket (from Germany)

CR Bronze Leather Skirt (similar version from Piperlime here +10% cashback!)

Forever 21 Bracelet and Clutch

H&M Heels

Michael Kors 'Karolina' Sunglasses (+10% cashback)

Love, S