Wedding Guest Chic

I don't know why I never thought about this before? I dress up for different occasions all of the time and consider myself (and my clients) a walking billboard for my styling business. With that said, it is only recently that I began to post pictures of some of my favorite looks that I think you lovely readers could learn from. So, from here on out, I will make it a habit of taking shots of outfits that I truly love. Outfits that really make a statement. Outfits that serve as a learning tool. Basically, outfits that rock.

This weekend I traveled out to Cleveland, Ohio to attend a wedding. I knew not a soul there, including the bride and groom, aside from my boyfriend. To me this only means that I have even more of an opportunity to make a splash! When one's career is to dress people, it is highly important to look the part especially when the audience has never met you before!!!

This lovely recession has even hit this fashionista so my first mission was to borrow a dress. Find a stylish friend... Check! Find a stylish friend who is my size... Check! Find a stylish friend who is my size and will lend me a dress for a weekend... Check, check, check!!! The lovely Miss Erin Donnelly (Star of Sass N Style: Shop Your Closet) was kind enough to lend me this purple frock. The yellow tie is from J Crew and had nothing to do with the dress... That is until we started looking through her closet for something to cinch the dress and this jumped out! Most people would never have paired the two together, but that is what really makes "a look". A dress and heels is one thing, but creating an ensemble is quite another.

I trecked home (across the street:), toting the dress, yellow peacock feather belt and peep toe pumps. I knew I needed to complete my very stylish wedding guest look, but wasn't sure what would be the perfect fit. Everyone always goes for a shawl at weddings, stop the craziness! A shawl is fine, but you and twenty other people have one on. Go for something a little more interesting. I paired my purple dress with a tuxedo jacket from H & M that I have had for almost 5 years. By folding up the sleeves, I not only made the look a bit funkier and personalized, but I also added in another accent color of pink. My vintage citrine ring pulled in the yellow of the belt perfectly and my '50s style clutch was the sassiest topper! The shoes and purse off-set the look for a more classic feel.

Overall, there were a lot of elements going on, but they all flowed perfectly. It was a fun and flirty ensemble that set me apart from the crowd without putting a spotlight on me. They tell me that weddings are the bride's day so I never want to completely out-do them:)