My Lovely Lil Valentine, Kelly - Sponsor Style!

Holy Mother of everything Pink, Red, and Girly today!!! It most definitely is Valentine's Day and I have a lovely little bit of sweetness for y'all today!!! Kelly happens to be a close friend of mine and former roomie and co-worker!  She also happens to be a fabulous wife, mommy, and fashionista which you will get to see today! Kelly is most definitely one of those friends in my life I can go weeks without talking to and years without seeing {she still lives in NOVA while I'm back in SOVA} but we pick up right where we left off without skipping a  beat! I hold her dearly to my heart as she is one person who has literally seen me at my worse in a time when life wasn't so beautiful! I hope you enjoy meeting her because I am extremely excited to be sharing her with all of you!!! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

My name is Kelly, and I blog over at Mrs in Training.  I’m a working mama, full-time student, lover of beer Diet Coke, and a wannabe fashionista.  I'm also Lauran's former roommate, so it shouldn't be any surprise that I would beg her to let me come visit for the day ;)

My motto is that I never quite got over playing dress up.   I love occasions for getting all dolled up and going out somewhere special, and so anniversaries, weddings and Valentine’s Day are some of my favorite times of the year!  There is something so wonderful about putting on a pretty dress and spending the evening with people you love.

But then, the night is over, and you have to pack your pretty cocktail dress in the back of your closet, knowing you might wear it maybe once more, but by the time the next occasion rolls around you’re dying for something new.  Right?!

Well, stop it.  I am a big fan of maximizing my closet to its biggest potential and making as many outfits and options with the clothes I have.  I don’t believe that anything should be tucked away for sporadic use and I try to pull out my favorite pieces as much as possible.  So today I wanted to show the four ways that I take a cocktail dress and make it daytime fabulous!

1.      Wear it as a shirt.

This is one of my favorite little black dresses, and its perfect for nice dinners with my husband.  But when I add a circle skirt over the dress, it gives a fun strapless top look.  Add some sandals and you’re all set for a Sunday brunch with your girlfriends!  (Tip: The black dress was longer than the yellow skirt, so I just folded it up!)

2.  Add casual accessories.

This peach lace dress is one of my favorites with gold accessories to wear to night weddings or work events.  But when you add a denim jacket, sandals, and a hat, it is perfect for a day of shopping.

3. Layer underneath.

The layered look is "in" in a big way right now, and its very easy to create tons more outfit combinations from your closet.  This could also be worn to the office with heels, but I love this for other events - a baby shower, a baptism, or even Easter dinner.

4.      Wear it as a skirt.

Remember #1, wear it as a shirt? Try it the other way around!  Add a blouse and a blazer and wear it as a skirt.  I’ve done this several times when a pencil skirt I wanted to wear wasn’t ironed, and this is a great way to expand your work wardrobe.  Just make sure the skirt is an appropriate length for your office environment!

The easiest ways to dress it down:

•         Swap tiny clutches for large tote bags.  Bigger bags definitely bring a dress out of “wedding wear” realm.
•         Lower your heels.  4” stilettos are perfect for the dance floor, but flat sandals really help a dress become practical for daytime.
•         Swap out jewelry.  Sparkle and glitter are great for evenings, but when it comes to accessories for casual events, think chunky wooden necklaces, longer length strands, lots of bracelets and stud earrings. 
•         Add accessories.  Belts, hats and scarves are all awesome ways to bring it down a notch.  Even sunglasses say “sunshine” (unless, of course, you wear your sunglasses at night). ((Sidenote: OMG Lauran, how many millions of times did I play this song on the jukebox back in our bartending days?  It now will forever remind me of BWU days!))

So I hope all you lucky gals with a special Valentine have a wonderful time tonight in your party dresses, and I hope you find ways to wear them more often!  I’d love to know if you have any other ideas for stretching your wardrobe – leave Lauran a comment below!

Seriously, how adorable is she?! She is definitely one gal pal that I look up to in the name of fashion! She has a way of pairing things together that I would never ever think to combine. Now if only we could live together again and I could have her daily "what to wear" advice! I hope you visit Kelly and fall in love with her spunky self! She puts it all on the table and never leaves you guessing! Be sure to stop by her page and leave her some love on this sweet lovie day!