Office Chic No. 2: Blouses that Work

My favorite blouse is one that is feminine, ladylike and versatile.  The right blouse can dress up a pair of jeans or create a conservative work look when paired with the right pair of trousers or pencil skirt. Women’s blouses come in so many different designs and styles, but the key to finding the right one is finding one that compliments your body type.  One blouse in particular that is a basic must-have for any working wardrobe is a white button-down shirt.  Nothing looks more confident than a crisp white button-down shirt underneath a structured blazer.  That’s just one option, but these days you don’t have to wear the traditional collared shirt under a suit or blazer.  You can mix it up to express your personality and find a blouse with a twist on a classic.  Whether you find a blouse with a ruffled collar, a blouse with no collar but a new neckline or a blouse with a bow tie like the ones below, your work wardrobe additions will create a more timeless and fashion forward look for the office.  What’s your favorite blouse in your closet?  How do you wear it to work?  Let me know.

The Blouse by natasha-xxxi featuring a tie neck shirt

xoxo Moody Girl

May Wish List – Top 5

Hiya ladies – I hope that you all are having a great week so far.  I just got my May Anthropologie catalog today and I have some favorites that I’m itching to try on.  I normally narrow my wish list down to 3 items, but I’m making an exception this month. I really loving so many of Anthropologie’s dresses right now.  I’ve literally added 10 dresses to my online wish list.  I really hope that I can get at least one of these this month or next especially if there’s a sale. Do any of you have any favorites that you can’t live without this month? Anyways, here are my top 5 items from Anthropologie for the month of May (in no particular order).

Elvia Dress

Blue Bombus Dress

 

Maia Column Dress

Revisited Impressionist Dress

Under And Over Dress

xoxo Natasha

Fresh Picks to Follow – Statement Necklaces

I love finding a great statement necklace for a low price, so I thought I would share with all of you some of my favorite finds.  One of the great things about all of these necklaces is that they are all under $100.  Check out my top 10 necklaces that make a statement for this week’s Fresh Picks to Follow.  Do you have any favorite statement necklaces? Let me know! 

1. Anna & Ava - Beaded Starfish Statement Necklace…$50.00

2. Hive & Honey - Multi Gold Strand Necklace…$52.00

3. Anthropologie - Kuychi Necklace…$58.00

4. Nordstrom - Natasha Couture Horn Statement Necklace…$68.00

5. Forever 21 - Island Beaded Necklace…$8.80

6. Kenneth Jay Lane - Coral Link Necklace…$80.00

7. Banana Republic - Beaded Maze Necklace…$59.50

8. Anthropologie - Sedge & Rush Necklace…$58.00

9. J.Crew – Tessellate Necklace…$85.00

10 H & M – Necklace…$12.95

xoxo Natasha

Moody Style: Work Style

Hi everyone…I hope that you all are having a great week.  I don’t have much to say right now, I just took a quick break from work tonight to post this.  I wore one of my favorite skirts to work today and I paired it with a funky and stylish blazer from Coach.  So far everyday this week I’ve been wearing my traditional suits to the office, but today I wanted a little something different.  I love this accordion skirt, but I wish I paid a little more attention to the weather this morning.  As soon as I walked out of my building today, the wind picked up more than normal.  It was so windy that I almost had a couple of Marilyn Monroe moments without the NYC subway vents.  I walked to lunch and to my car literally tugging my skirt down just to keep it from flying up.  And of course this was the day that I didn’t wear a slip underneath.  Has this ever happened to you?  Let me know. 

{Blazer: Coach Blazer; Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft; Skirt: Banana Republic Pleated Skirt;

Belt: Anthropologie Cylindrical Braid Belt; Bracelet: Coach Legacy Bangle;

Earrings: Pearls (gifted); Shoes: Patent Leather Pumps}

April Wish List – Top 3

As many of you know, lately I have been working like a crazy person.  I’m pretty bummed that I haven’t had time to work on my blog as well as run/work out.  I’ve been working anywhere from 10 to 12 hour a day and by the time I get home I’m just beat. I’ve been neglecting my blog so much that I just realized that I forgot to post my Top 3 list for the month. I finally went to Anthropologie last week and I have some favorites that I would love to buy if I made more money.  My absolute favorite Anthro piece right now is the Flared Caraz Dress.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to try it on because the store only had one dress left in an extra-small.  Have any of you tried it on?  What did you think about the dress?  Do any of you have any favorites that you can’t live without this month? Anyways, here are my top 3 items from Anthropologie for the month of April.

                                   Flared Caraz Dress                               Luella Dress                             Pintuck Peplum Blouse

xoxo Natasha

Fresh Picks to Follow – Mobilize the Earth

Earth Day is just around the corner, so I wanted to share some of my favorite environmentally friendly picks with all of you. Earth Day 2012 marks the 42^nd anniversary of the environmental movement from 1970.  This year’s theme is “Mobilize the Earth.” The plan is to stand up and demand action from our government leaders by rallying together and collecting One Billion Acts of Green.  This country’s environmental issues have taken a backseat for way too long - we can’t afford to let the environment down.  We all need to be more vocal and demand some changes now!  Check out my top 10 Earth Day inspired pieces for this week’s Fresh Picks to Follow.  How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day? Let me know! 

1. As Luck Would Have It - 4 Leaf Clover Dome Adjustable Resin Ring…$30.00

2.Tough and Twisted - Recycled Metal Garden Marker…$12.00

3. All Posters - Earth Day, New York, NY, c.1970…$49.99

4. Beans Things - Up-Cycled Bottle Cap Magnets…$4.00

5. Vintage Garden Art – Garden Art Spoon…$14.99

6. Old Glory - Earth Day 1970 Organic T-Shirt…$18.00

7. The Hickory Tree - Push Pins English Yew Wood Tree Branch…$10.95

8. Signature T-Shirts - Recycle Symbols T-Shirt…$10.95

9. Queen Esther’s Studio - Handmade Paper Cards and Envelopes…$25.00

10. 8 Days Of Treasures - Moss Terrarium…$26.99

Take a look at www.earthday.org/2012 to learn more about Earth Day.

xoxo Natasha

Fresh Picks to Follow – Blocks of Color

Obviously, the color-blocking trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  This trend rolled right into spring with bright neon colors and pretty pastels for another opportunity for you to wear this trend. Color blocking usually involves at least two colors in a block formation that either compliment or contrast each other.  Color blocking designs are featured in clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories to create to create a perfect color block outfit.  Check out my top 10 color-blocking pieces for this week’s Fresh Picks to Follow.  Do you have any favorite color blocking pieces in your closet?  How do you plan to wear this trend? Let me know! 

1. Anthropologie – Heat Index Tank…$68.00

2. BCBG MaxAzria – Joelle Color-Blocked Pencil Skirt…$148.00

3. Ark & Co. - Color Block Skirt…$64.00

4. Coach – Leather Colorblock New Willis…$298.00

5. Vince Camuto - Color Block Batwing Dress…$138.00

6. Old Navy - Color-Block Keyhole Dresses…$39.94

7. C&C California - Colorblock Maxi Tank Dress…$98.00

8. Tinley Road – Color Block Tank…$34.00

9. Alice and Olivia – Color Block Dress…$319.00

10.Tibi - Amber High Heel Sandals…$365.00

xoxo Natasha