What I Wore Today

I really enjoy planning the outfits that I wear each day, whether I'm going to work, to church, on a date with Mr. Darcy, shopping with friends...you get the idea.  Part of it is because I have so many great sources for inspiration around me: magazines such as InStyle, StyleWatch, and Lucky, and websites such as Pinterest and, yes, Polyvore.  Another part of it is that I simply enjoy finding new ways to remix my wardrobe and develop my personal style.

Today, I picked out an outfit that was built upon a Chanel-esque theme.  Details of the outfit follow the collage below.  However--believe you me--none of the pieces that I wore today cost anything near the price that some of their equivalents that I had to use from Polyvore.  $995 for a necklace?  C'est chouette! But a little out of my price range.

(http://www.polyvore.com/little_bit_chanel/set?id=48090568)

This is the best equivalent of the outfit that I wore today, but it isn't an exact copy by any means.  Allow me to break down for you the different components of this look, as I styled it.  :)

Cardigan: Pearl-embellished cardigan, from Forever 21.

Top: from Dillard's, and mine has a fun black crocheted lace neckline.

Skirt: from the thrift store...for about $3!

Shoes: platform peeptoe slingbacks, from Charlotte Russe.  

Belt: reversible faux snakeskin, from Target. (One side is black, one side is brown.)

Earrings: from Claire's/the Icing.

Necklace: from Mr. Darcy, for Christmas 2009. 

Oh, and a nice detail for those of us who are looking to be cost-efficiently stylish?  None of these pieces--with the exception of my heart necklace, which was a gift from my husband, so I don't know how much it cost--cost over $40.  Target, Charlotte Russe, and Forever 21 are excellent stores!  

As I was going with a somewhat retro look for this Chanel-ian ensemble, I decided to pair the outfit with a modern twist on the winged-out cat eye makeup and bright lipstick.  I wore my hair down, letting it do a wavy bedhead sort of thing, but Polyvore didn't have any good photos of that sort of hairstyle, and a messy bun would look just as nice with this outfit.  

Liquid eyeliner: brown, from Lancôme.  (Brown, for a softer cat eye.)

Blush: Bella Bamba, from Benefit.  (My wedding day blush!)

Lipgloss: electric pink La Laque lipgloss, from Lancôme.

Highlighting concealer: Maybelline.  (I will review this product soon--it's amazing!)

And that's it!  I like the look of a somewhat monochromatic outfit sometimes.  The varying shades of black, neutral, cream, and white keep the look from being too severe, while the rose-shaped earrings, the lacy neckline of the shirt, and the sky-high peeptoe heels both lengthen the legs and give the feet a dainty, elegant outline.  My theory?  You can almost never, ever go wrong with an outfit when you're taking inspiration from Ms. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

À bientôt!

Cait