Gingham Lovin'

outfit details: button-up [J. Crew] sweater [J. Crew] pants [love culture] shoes [aldo] jewelry [forever 21] lip color [MAC girl about town] nail color [sinful colors easy going] crossbody bag [michael kors]

outfit chat: i am currently obsessing over these three things: gingham, bright colors to break up the cold, dark winter months & also all things J. Crew! and this fabulous post includes all of thee above! this also was my first real go at online shopping! I must admit I am all about going in to my favorite store & walking out with a bag full of my most favorite items! I may be okay trading that feeling for the happiness felt when the UPS truck pulls up to my home! so fabulous! well, what can i tell you about this fun little outfit? first off button-ups are so fun right now! you can throw them under a sweater [as in this look] or you can put them underneath a cardigan. i went with a basic, blue denim because of the already fun use of colors in the outfit. i also did this because this is a classic look, putting a pair of black leggings with it would have made it look harsh & confusing. it needed the denim to calm the look down & help give it that simple, classy look that a sweater + gingham button-up already totally gives! so you may be wondering why i went with a leopard print shoe if i was trying to keep in simple, right? i could also have pair this outfit with boots. that would have been safe & perfect for the wintery weather. although, that would have been safe & typical. i like to think of leopard as a neutral color [even though it's not just one color] and since mixing prints & patterns is all the rage right now i can be brave & bold by mixing a gingham print with a leopard shoe! a few things to keep in mind when mixing prints: the colors go perfectly together, i didn't have patterns or prints that were too much together & the mix of color [as in the button-up and sweater] was simple enough that a bold shoe just made the look complete! lets just say, i always like to try & add something a little bold to my outfits. a little something to make it exciting & different! go grab a fun button-up top & get playing with this fun look, why don't ya?

[xoxo] allyLou