Covered in Lace

 

dress: c/o Karen Kane

shoes: Nine West {similar} via TJ Maxx

clutch: thrifted

sunnies: Ray Ban

jewelry: MK, DY, DY, Jess LC

This dress. A perfect date night dress. Also a perfect wedding, cocktail hour, girls night out, fancy brunch, or any-occasion-where-you-want-to-feel-like-a-million-bucks dress. I love this dress. It's form fitting and flattering without being overly sexy. But still quite sexy. It doesn't show too much of anything. And the combination of all these things makes it the perfect dress in my book. Do yourself a favor and add it to your wardrobe. 

A Dress for the Season

{dress: c/o Karen Kane, necklace: Versona, clutch: vintage, heels: Belk}

The holiday season is upon us. For many that means events, parties, and get-togethers for the next few weeks. If you're like me, the first thing I want to do is run out and get a new dress and/or outfit for each occasion. My suggesting is investing in quality pieces that are versatile. 

I'm in love with the dress above because it's so easy to dress up with a fancy, statement necklace and heels, but I also could have put on a pair of my favorite black flats and a leather jacket and gone for a ladies' brunch. This little number will definitely be seeing its way through the season!

New Favorite Pair of Pants

sweater: c/o Karen Kane, pants: c/o Karen Kane, shoes: TJ Maxx (similar), purse: Brahmin

bracelets: David Yurman, watch: Michael Kors

Y'all, let me introduce you to my new favorite pair of pants. There are a couple reasons they are my favorite. First, they are my favorite color to have colored pants. (I love red pants) Second, they are skinny. Third, they are a great length for my legs. Finally, they are made of an amazing material that stretches perfectly to hug my legs, but isn't too tight. Seriously, I want these pants in black, gray, mustard, navy, green, blue, and every other color. 

On a side note: you might be thinking: Linley, why are you wearing pants and a sweater in the summer? Don't you live in Alabama where it's 100 degrees out? Yeah, but I wore this over the weekend to go see Batman and I freeze in the movie theaters. So this was perfect for the evening. I'm also planning ahead for fall ensembles. (:

French Blue

dress: c/o Karen Kane, sandals: Jack Rogers, clutch: Francesca's 

I'm telling y'all, maxi dresses are where it's at. When I'm not in my scrubs, I'm in a maxi dress. Or my pj's. Anyway, I won't write two posts in a row all about maxi dresses - but do know this dress (and this one) are both on Karen Kane already marked down on sale and if you use the code DT30, you can get an extra 30% off!

That's not a deal, that's a steal.

Sooo.... we officially closed on the house! It's ours. We've spent the past weekend and afternoons this week over there painting. We plan on renting a storage truck this weekend to move the furniture and boxes. So I'm hoping in a couple weeks we should be mostly moved and hopefully starting to settle down. We were lucky enough to have a month and a half before we have to be out of our apartment. It definitely gives us some time to move at our own pace, but we're just ready to be completely over there. We'll get there eventually!

Hope y'all are doing well and enjoying your summer!

Daily Threads: Bright

Old Navy top

similar blazer

c/o Karen Kane leggings

UO pumps

c/o Handbag Heaven bag

Y'all, I wasn't kidding about taking advantage of this cool weather. Leggings and a blazer? I love it! This was the first time I've been able to wear these leggings and I can tell you right now - these guys are carrying me through winter! They are incredibly thick and cozy! The bee's knees. I'm thinking I might be living in these guys when it really gets cold around here. I can't wait to tuck them into boots and throw on a sweater and scarf!

Daily Threads: Tie Dye and Neon

top: j crew, skirt: c/o karen kane, shoes: c/o jcpenney, sunnies: UO

I originally picked out this skirt for fall, but I just couldn't wait until then - so I threw on a neon pink top and boom. I love this outfit. The silhouette is lovely and classic, but the pieces make it trendy - love! I'm not quite sure as to what other summer outfits I will make with this skirt, but I have tons of fall ideas running through the fashion part of my brain as I type this! Can you tell I'm excited for fall?

Also, if you haven't already, enter my JCPenney $50 Giftcard Giveaway!

Sponsor Spotlight: Karen Kane

Boy do I have a treat for y'all! 

Karen Kane recently launched their new online site! It's now a place where you can browse current collections, get active in the KK community, and, most importantly, SHOP ONLINE! They have everything you need in one place - whether you are looking for basic pieces, trends, or plus size - it's there! 

The best part? Karen Kane is offering you all 20% off and FREE shipping (US) from now until the end of the month! Just enter the code DWELLING20 at check out and it's done! 

Some of my favorites online right now are:

This Little Black Dress! How adorable? I know the emphasis is usually on "the" LBD, but I think you can't have too many LBDs! This one is perfect all year long (you know me and my love for versatility)! You can throw on some sandals and a turquoise pendant in the summer OR layer on a jacket, colored tights, and boots in the fall - perfect! 

Pleated Neck Belted Dress

I love floral prints, but if you take a look in my closet, you'd see very few floral pieces - it's really a shame now that I think about it. Anyway, I'd love to add this gorgeous, floral blouse to my closet. The colors are spectacular, the ribbon trim is so unique, and I love the tie at the waist!

Ribbon Trim Peplum Blouson

I love a fitted jacket. I love ruffles. I love the Olive color. Obviously this jacket makes me drool. How adorable? Perfect over a fitted, white tee or over a little back dress (scroll up if you've already forgotten).

Ruffle Trim Jacket

Now, y'all get your hind parts over to KarenKane.com and browse to your little hearts desire! Remember, when you find something you love enter DWELLING20 for 20% off and free shipping! Happy shopping!

Also, be sure to follow along on the Karen Kane LIFEstyle blog

Follow along on Facebook and Twitter

Karen Kane $200 Giveaway

A couple months back I was contacted by Karen Kane and asked if I would like to do a review of their new Summer 2011 line and host a giveaway. After browsing their pieces and reading up a bit on the company, I was more than happy to say yes! 

To be honest, I'm always a little weary of new-to-me brands - just because I'm very picky about how things fit my body. I was actually pretty curious about how the brand would fit, that shortly after our first emails back and forth I hopped over to my local Belk and tried on a few of their items. Much to my surprise (and joy!) the pieces fit like a glove. It make my day! (if you're a picky dresser, you know what I mean!)

Some of these items below are linked and some have yet to make it online, but can be found in stores that carry Karen Kane.

Double Layer Drape Jacket

I'm a sucker for soft, tailored jackets and this one is no exception. I love how the material feels - it is amazingly soft to touch and wear. The fit is wonderful - it hugged my shoulders and arms perfectly, but also gave room for the layers underneath. The layers in the front are fabulous too - they drape perfectly. This jacket could easily dress up a look or be worn with jeans and a t-shirt - versatile and comfortable. It's gold! 

Little White Dress

This dress is perfect for summer because it's a.) white and b.) versatile. I love wearing white in the summer - it's clean, fresh, and can be worn with anything. This dress has a leaf-like lace detail laying over top of it and it's sleeveless. The material and fit were beyond comfortable - it would be no problem wearing this dress throughout the day! Being so versatile, I could have worn flats with the dress to make it even more casual or I could have thrown on a blazer and pumps to make it more dressy. Can y'all tell how much I love versatility?

White Ankle Pant

Staying with the white theme - white pants are a favorite of mine. I know many don't wear white for the simple fact that they may get dirty, but I don't care - I'm slightly more cautious of where I sit and how I eat and that's that. These pants are perfect for spring and summer. They go down to my ankles, but I wanted to roll them up for a more easy-going, beach-feel kind of look. These pants are beyond comfortable - I'd even go as far as saying they feel like you're wearing pajama pants (yeah, that amazing!). The material is light, but thick and durable enough for white pants (you know what I'm talking about - we've all seen those women wearing white pants that were just too thin). They are tailored so very well - fitting perfectly through the waist and hips, and down the leg. 

 

Lace Trim Eyelet Blouson (left)

I love these tops because they are loose and billowy, and perfect for summer time. They also give off a boho-chic feel - which I am loving! I love the easy, on-tend look of the blouson. It's perfect for a summer weekend as the material is light and airy. The pattern and cut-outs on the front of the top give a dainty and feminine feel that's simply gorgeous. 

Contrast Smock Embroidered Top (right)

The embroidered top is perfect for work with trousers or the weekend with shorts. I love the embroidered detailing - it's interesting without being overbearing. Much like the Eyelet Blouson, the material is light and loose. The sleeves are a bit longer, but the lightweight material makes up for any concerns I may have to wear this during the summer! 

Beaded Smocked Neck Top

How lovely is this top? The picture actually doesn't give the justice it deserves. The beaded detailing is simply gorgeous - so intricate and feminine. This top is made of a cotton and silk blend material - it's sheer and lightweight, and so lovely to wear. The beading gives it the perfect amount of fancy to wear all dolled up or with denim. I really wanted to wear this top with a pencil skirt - the top just deserves to be dressed up, but I didn't want to look too ridiculous sitting around the house, on the weekend, in my pencil skirt and pumps. 

So there are the pieces that I was to lucky to wear and review. If you couldn't tell by each description, I adored all these pieces! They are all comfortable, flattering, well made, and versatile - the perfect combination any one piece could ever be. Now - to the giveaway! 

THE GIVEAWAY

Karen Kane is being so generous to give one lucky person a $200 Karen Kane Styling Day!! If you live within a 50 mile radius of a Karen Kane store they'll be setting you up with one of their personal stylist for the day. You'll get one-on-one consultation with someone who knows all about the brand! If you do not live within a 50 mile radius - no problem, they'll send you a giftcard to use on Karen Kane at a near-by store (Belk, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, Nordstrom, etc.).

TO ENTER*: 

1. "Like" Karen Kane on Facebook, 

follow Karen Kane on Twitter, 

OR sign up for their email list 

(enter your email in the middle of the page)

2. Comment letting me know which of the three you did and leave a valid email address. 

EXTRA ENTRIES

be sure to leave a separate comment

1. Do two or more of the mandatory entries. 

(e.g., Like and Follow Karen Kane!)

2. Like Dwelling and Telling on Facebook.

*This giveaway is open to US readers only and will close Monday, May 23rd at midnight CST. 

GOOD LUCK!

Daily Threads: Layers

top + belt: j crew {similar}

dress: target {similar}

cardigan: c/o karen kane {similar}

shoes: jack rogers

When it (sometimes, actually, rarely) get's cool during the warmer months, I like three things: longer length on top, shorter lengths on the bottom, and layers. Some cool air has rolled in and this outfit was born. It's beyond comfortable. The material from the dress and the cardigan is ridiculously soft - soft like I want to wrap up in them and take a long nap - and I'm not even tired. It's a perfectly casual, but put together, weekend look. Oh, I love the weekend. 

Daily Threads: Weekend Ready

top: c/o Karen Kane {similar}

shorts: tj maxx

shoes: vera wang

I think this may be my go-to outfit for the summer. It's casual, but pretty and super comfortable. I just have to switch shoes for different occasions. Sandals to the farmer's market, boots to a music festival, and these gladiator heels to brunch. I'm set for every Saturday from now until August. 

See, I'm the world's worse at finding an outfit that I like and wearing it out - usually several days in a row or at least several weekends in a row. It's what I do - I like what I like. Sharing my daily threads on this blog was actually started in hopes that I would stop wearing the same things and really explore my closet more. And it has! I definitely do - but this outfit right here... might just set me back into my old ways. 

Daily Threads: Over the Weekend

  

top: c/o Karen Kane {similar}

{pants made into} shorts: Banana Republic 

shoes: Jack Rogers

watch: Francesca's

Let's talk about this shirt. The lovely people over at Karen Kane were so generous to let me pick out a few pieces from their upcoming summer line - and this shirt is one of them. I initially chose the shirt because a.) it was different from anything that I had and b.) I really liked it! And now that I actually have it and I'm wearing it - I'm in love! The looseness of the top paired with the gorgeous embroidery gives me the feeling of "Boho Sophisticated"  - and it's fabulous!

Paired with the sandals and the braid, this is my perfect weekend look. It's causal, but still very put together and wearable. To take this look into the night - perhaps for a nice dinner - I would just throw on some nude pumps, trade my braid for a top-knot, and grab a bright clutch. Boom. What's your favorite weekend look?