#OOTD: Wild About White (Feat. Make Me Chic + Rocksbox)

One fashion "rule" I have always refused to follow is the old "you should never wear white after Labor Day". I'm sure most of us nowadays find this suggestion to be rubbish, especially considering department stores are already gearing their clothing lines toward spring and it's only February. Not to mention with the once again unseasonably warm weather we had in the 'Burgh past weekend, I decided to break this fashion rule, and stepped out in my new white dress that I received compliments of my sponsor and affiliate Make Me Chic. 

Winter Whites

Let's be honest here: Even though it is nowhere near spring time, I am pretty sure most of us aren't complaining about the randomly warm weather we had this past weekend and were all more than ready to breakout some of our spring and summer gear. On Sunday, I have to admit that with the sun starting to shine and the snow beginning to melt away, I was ready to style a fresh, light look. This is why I chose to style this pretty, white dress for my lunch date with my best friend, Nic, for his birthday.

To style this traditionally spring/summer outfit for winter, I chose to pair this dress with my black, wide brimmed, wool hat, my black Coach clutch, and some black patent leather heels. The reason I chose these three basic pieces is that I felt they added a more wintery feel to this dress with out completely taking away from it. I also felt that these three pieces added balance and depth to the dress, due to these accessories transforming this look as a whole, into a perfectly color blocked outfit.

The reason I chose this dress to model for my sponsor Make Me Chic, is because much like the other looks I have been rocking on here lately, it combines two huge trends from the runway this season, which are split sleeves and shirt dresses! The reason I love this dress so much in particular, is because of it's pretty bohemian vibe. I just love the cut of this dress' neckline, and feel that it is not only a great choice to wear up here in Pittsburgh on warm days , but would also be the perfect outfit for a day at the beach when I head to Delray to visit John. (Well actually it's fun to style for cold weather too, but more on that outfit next week!) I also have to say that this dress' split sleeves add a very chic and fun vibe to this piece, making it a lovely choice to wear as a casual outfit or as a party dress. 

Lastly to add the finishing touches to this outfit, I decided to pair this dress with some chandelier, leaf patterned earrings from Fascino (You can get similar ones here.), my gorgeous Kendra Scott pendant which I received compliments of Rocksbox, my Hermes Pop H necklace, and my black and gold cuff bracelet from White House Black Market. The reason I chose these jewelry pieces to further style this look, is because I wanted to stay true to its boho feel, and felt that these pieces were delicate enough to not take away from the outfit, but still prominent enough to add just the right amount of shine.

One Last Look

What are some fashion rules that you feel were made to be broken? Let's chat about them in the comments below, or you can tweet me at @StarkRavingChic! Have an outfit that you just need to show off? Feel free to tag me in your post or on your Instagram story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, dolls!

Xx, Bree

P.S. Pssssst! If you love my Kendra Scott necklace as much as I do, you can try Rocksbox for a whole month 100% FREE when you sign up using my promo code "starkravingchicxoxo". Don't know what Rocksbox is or how it works? You can read all about it, here!

Also, in case you haven't heard, I am now a proud member of rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it! Meaning you can shop straight from my Instagram feed when you click here or here. Don't know what LIKEtoKNOW.it is all about? Learn more, here!

#OOTD: Attractively Active (Feat. Terry Jolo Brand + Calia)

If you've been reading my blog for awhile (or follow me on Instagram and Twitter) you probably know that I absolutely hate going to the gym. Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy exercise in the form of going on walks, hiking, and dancing but the gym, eh not so much. Ironically enough, my visual merchandising job at Dick's Sporting Goods requires me to edit photos of active wear as well as wear it on the occasions that I have to help with a set at a store, and with that being said I actually own a ton of active wear, even though I hardly ever style it when I'm not on location for work. However, in the light of trying new things this year, I decided to give the athleisure trend a whirl and decided to style some of my pieces from Calia for this post. (And I gotta admit, I really did enjoy styling my yoga pants--cute and comfy? Yes please!)

Perfectly Plum

For this look, I decided to once again try a monochromatic outfit, only instead of this outfit being all black, I decided to pair up different shades of purple. The reason I am particularly digging this trend so much is because there are just so many ways to experiment with it! For instance, come warmer weather, I would love to play around with some pastels and tights (under shorts particularly). However, for this more winter weather compatible look, I chose to style my workout top and moto tights by Calia along with my ever trusty furry purple vest from one of my favorite South Side boutiques, Terry Jolo Brand.

My longtime readers may remember one of my first collaborations was with the local shop Terry Jolo Brand, back in 2015. (Woah, it's been that long already?!) However, during that collaboration, Terry, was kind enough to give me this vest and ever since it has been one of my favorite pieces in my closet. The cool thing about this vest, and all of Terry's clothing for that matter, is that they are made in house at her South Side boutique, and each garment is a limited addition, with no more than one in each size made. The reason I decided to style this vest with my active wear is because I felt the vest dressed them up a bit and really gave this outfit an athleisure feel, I just adored how perfectly this vest matched the rest of my outfit as well!

Speaking of the rest of my outfit, I'm sure you're curious where I got this kick-ass workout apparel right? Well my answer to that is Chelsea Collective! Now, I have to admit that even though I work for the company (In case you didn't know, Chelsea Collective is owned by Dick's Sporting Goods, and is actually the apparel that I work the most with for the merchandising team.) I still have to say that Chelsea is a great store for women who have an active live but still want to look chic, even at the gym. Chelsea Collective specializes in athleisure, meaning all of their pieces transition well from the gym to whatever it may be that you are doing after (or before) your work out. The core part of my outfit (aka, my top and moto tights) are by Calia. This essential Calia top is so incredibly comfortable and very soft. The material is also quite flexible so I could see where it would be a great workout piece. Then my pieced moto tights are just so incredibly chic! They seriously blend two of my favorite things: the moto style pant and comfort. Whats not to love? (And I gotta say, these tights look killer with my booties from SheIn!)

Lastly, the finishing touches I added to this outfit were a simple pair of gold earrings and a gold cuff from Victoria's Secret, along with my gold cat eye sunnies from Forever 21. The reason I chose the earrings and the modern cuff, is because I wanted to keep this look laid back and did not want to over power it with overly bulky jewelry. And as for the sunglasses, I just felt their rose gold tinted lenses were the perfect piece to completely this monochromatic, purple ensemble.

One Last Look

What are your thoughts on the athleisure trend? Let's chat about it in the comments below or you can tweet me your thoughts at @StarkRavingChic! Have an active wear outfit you just would love to show off? Feel free to tag me in your an Instagram post or your Insta Story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, dolls!

Xx, Bree

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Terry Jolo Brand, you can read my article on the boutique here. And if you've never been to Chelsea Collective and want to check it out, their Pittsburgh Location is at the Ross Park Mall right by Nordstrom, and you can click here to see some of their cool up coming events.

#OOTD: Climate Compatibility (Feat. Rocksbox + SheIn)

As I have said in the past (and in almost all of my winter posts) I really, really, hate the cold. Though sometimes I think it can be pretty, such as when the trees and ground are covered in that white fluffy stuff, but if you ask me, the cold weather is the worst when we don't even have snow or sun. However, this past weekend one of those factors were eliminated and we actually had some sun here in the 'Burgh, making going out a little bit more bearable. So since I was more that ready to get out of my house (because I was definitely getting a case of cabin fever) I took the opportunity to head to downtown Sewickley to walk around a bit and stop some of my favorite shops.

Cold Weather Comfort

Even though I hate the cold, I actually hate being stuck indoors even more. However, I generally do not do outfit of the day posts that involve my winter layers because generally I'm too bundled up to be stylish. But this weekend, that changed when I finally had the opportunity to style this coat, which I received as a Christmas present from John's mum. So, when I took to a day of shopping in town, I decided to style this fleece and suede coat with a simple striped sweater, a pair of skinnies, my favorite booties from SheIn, and my latest Rocksbox set!

Unfortunately, until I received this coat from John's mum, I hadn't had a suede coat for years because after college round one, I finally retired mine. So needless to say, I was thrilled when I received this gorgeous gift! Now, the reason I love this coat so much isn't only because it is from John's mum, but because I love (and always will love) the style of it. I always adored the tan and white contrast for these classic coats, and in my opinion, they should be a winter staple piece in every girls closet, due to the fact suede and fleece coats will always be incredibly chic and simply look timelessly stylish. The other reason I love suede and fleece coats (this coat included) is because they are so incredibly warm! Which is perfect for me due to the fact I never really want to sacrifice style for warmth.

To style this coat, I decided to pair it with a simple maroon and tan striped sweater, some light wash skinnies, and my tan suede booties from SheIn. The reason I chose this casual, crew neck sweater from Macy's to pair with this coat, is because I liked the contrast of the maroon of the sweater with the white fleece, as well as how the tan stripes matched the tan of the coat. And the reason I opted for my tan suede booties from SheIn, is due to the fact they matched the look and are incredibly comfortable, which was great for all the walking I was doing.

Curious about the ring stack? Get all the deets about my Ritani diamond ring and how I styled it, here!

Lastly, the jewelry I decided to pair with this outfit were the pieces from my most recent Rocksbox set. This set featured this cool Jenny Bird Raya Choker, this Wanderlust + Co triangle ring, and this absolutely gorgeous Trina Turk Geo Hinge Cuff! The reason I chose to style these pieces with this outfit is because I felt that the gold looked lovely with my tan coat, and the choker worked perfectly with my crew neck sweater.

One Last Look

What are some of your favorite winter staple pieces? I'd love to hear about them, so let's chat in the comments below or you can tweet me at @StarkRavingChic. Have a photo of your kick-ass coat that you'd like to show off? Feel free to tag me in a post on Instagram or in your Insta Story at @StarkRavingChic! Later, babes.

Xx, Bree

P.S. Pssssst! If you love the jewelry I styled in this post as much as I do, you can try Rocksbox for a whole month 100% FREE when you sign up using my promo code "starkravingchicxoxo". Don't know what Rocksbox is or how it works? You can learn more about it, here!