These past few days have been harsh... lots of studying, lots of green tea, and very little time for getting ready (especially when it came to changing out of my pj's). It felt nice to actually put on an outfit today and step outside to feel the sun my face; two days cooped up inside gives you the hermit feeling. Today I wanted to wear something airy and summery since the weather was GORGEOUS! I shifted through my dress collection, as I would call it, and found something that hit the bulls-eye; a short, light, and comfortable dress to wear during my two classes I had today. It has a 50's feel, with the polka dots and bow-tie neckline. How could I resist wearing it?! Dresses are perfect for the spring/summer weather that is finally beginning to develop. They are easy to "dress-up" or "dress-down" (no pun intended) and can pair easily with accessories. Dresses don't require the search for pants or a shirt to match; put the dress on and voila! I added a jean jacket to the outfit to keep warm in class. I was torn between four pairs of shoes to wear, but ended up deciding on the black kitten heels (they have a 50's look, too). They are super comfortable and the perfect height so that I didn't look formal for school. I topped off the outfit with a belt to cinch the waist. It helped that the belt had a mint color band so that I could add a splash of color and make the outfit
 more fun and chic.

                                                                     










Here are the items in my outfit (from bottom layer up):
-Polka dotted dress: Forever 21, $12 (I just love this store, their dresses are so affordable)
-Mint and (fake) leather belt: H&M, $9.99
-Black kitten heels: Target, $12.99
  -There are only three core pieces to this outfit, so simple! The rest is just jewelry.

-Rose gold Fossil watch: Lord and Taylor, $115 (however, I got mine for $86.50 because I had a 25% off coupon for the store and it conveniently worked on watches!

-Rose gold heart necklace: Tiffany, $$$ (gift from my boyfriend)

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it was finally warm enough to wear a dress again. This outfit definitely added that bubbly, warm skip to my step. There are so many options to pair with this dress I wore. You can add a cardigan instead of a jean jacket, flats instead of heels, or silver jewelry instead of gold. It all depends on what you have in your closet. If you go with a black and white palette of color, add a splash of color with a belt (like I did), or a bright colored sweater; it gives you a happier appearance with summer approaching. Purses and hats are also great accessories to bring about color. If I had worn a more "plain" belt, I could have paired a bright red purse I own to bring a POP into the outfit. With the stores bringing out so many colorful options there is no way to go wrong. Just make sure not to throw together things in an outfit just because you feel you need to. Keep things simple, and add one or two bright colors to a "plain" outfit so it doesn't look too out of control. Keep a consistent pattern and you will look polished and stylish 

Peace, love, and (fashion) happiness,

Belle