Class it up

long-sleeve tee: LOFT via secondhand
skinnies: The Limited via Discount Fashion Warehouse
flats: Target
jacket: thrifted
I bought this top from a fellow blogger's closet sale back in May, and despite the fact that I've been wearing it constantly, it looks like this is the first time it's appearing on the blog! Shocking, if you ask me.

I've recently discovered that I have an affinity for sequined tops. I never cared for them much in the past, but lately I've realized just how easy they are to wear. I mean, not only can you forget about picking out jewelry, but the sequins add a bit of polish to any outfit. This same combo with a plain v-neck t-shirt, for example, might look almost frumpy. But with the sequins, this outfit will carry me from casual Friday at work to happy hour or date night with literally no changes. It can't get any simpler!

Do you have a go-to item or embellishment when you want to add class to an otherwise casual outfit?

Guest Post: Whitney from Between the Lines

Today's guest blogger is Whitney from Between the Lines. I love her blog because she posts awesome, workplace-appropriate outfits that are also affordable. (She's a teacher, so she has to make sure she looks good on a budget...a lot like me, actually!) I'm particularly excited about this post, because she talks about "Glee," which is probably my biggest guilty pleasure. I. Love. That. Show.

I’m Whitney from Between the Lines and I’m excited to sub for Emma while she’s on vacation.

As any of you who are familiar with my blog will know, I am a teacher. Being a teacher definitely changes and challenges the way you dress not only professionally, but also on weekends and during the summer. My once skinny-jean and sundress-filled closet is now infested with pencil skirts, button downs, and cardigans.

My teacher wardrobe is taking over.

One challenge I have faced with this invasion that I feel as though I have to compensate for the fact that I’m young, so I am trying to dress older and more modestly without being frumpy.

Another challenge is that there are not a lot of “style icons” for teachers (or for young ones, anyway). The only real source of inspiration for me is Jayma Mays’ character Emma Pilsbury from “Glee.” If you watch Glee, you know that Emma is the adorable, sincere, doe-eyed counselor who is a sufferer of a major case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Her style reflects the same sense of control and propriety with her tie-neck button-downs, pencil skirts and classic pumps.

If you know anything about Emma’s wardrobe, you know that OCD is not her only problem--she has to be thousands of dollars in debt for her shopping addiction.

In one episode alone, she wears clothes and shoes from Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Anthropologie, and J. Crew totaling in at $4,913*--probably more than my entire wardrobe put together. I don’t know about other teachers, but I don’t make that kind of money. True, I shop at J. Crew (specifically in the sale racks) and drool over Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade, but to own approximately $22,125 in clothes** from these designers seems a bit unrealistic for a teacher’s salary.

*expense estimated by the blog What Would Emma Pilsbury Wear?
**estimated expense for Emma’s season two wardrobe by WWEPW

Instead, I use her looks as inspiration and I build outfits from central pieces and styles of her wardrobe—with a much cheaper price tag. I have put together three outfits based on clothes Emma has worn. (I did my best to identify where an item is from, but I couldn’t get them all.)

Inspiration One:

Emma is wearing:
Kate Spade A-line dot skirt
Anthropologie necklace

I'm wearing:
Target skirt and plain tee
Multi-strand turquoise necklace (gift)

Inspiration Two:

Emma is wearing:
J. Crew skirts
J. Crew sweater (?)

I'm wearing:
LOFT skirt (clearance rack)
NY&Co sleeveless button down (clearance rack)
Target sweater and necklace

I, like Emma, appreciate embellished cardigans. She often tucks them in and pairs them with belts, but I can't quite pull that off as well as she can. I combined looks for inspiration and added my own personal touch with the necklace and un-tucked cardigan.


Inspiration Three:

Emma is wearing:
Anthropologie skirt

I'm wearing:
CATO shirt (clearance rack)
Target shirt and belt
DIY'ed necklace

This is one of my favorite Emma outfits. I love her Anthropologie skirt and I could not pass up the skirt I’m wearing when I saw it on clearance (for $13!). I added a red belt and necklace to add in the red my skirt is missing, but I can pair my skirt with so many other colors and shirts.

Bottom line is: Emma’s style is possible without living out of my car and eating rejected cafeteria food for a decade.

Do you have any “style icons”? What are some ways you incorporate their looks into your everyday outfits?

*All images and information borrowed from What Would Emma Pilsbury Wear with permission.