I’m no magician, but sometimes I can pull off a mean illusion when it comes to fashion. What do I mean? Well, while this adorable little number—under this embroidered mesh bomber—looks like a dress, it’s actually two separate pieces. I paired a lace and mesh underwire halter bralette with this crepe pleated skirt from Torrid to create a flirty ensemble. But I didn’t want to just wear the skirt and bralette out during the day—as it is more proper for a night out—so I threw on the embroidered mesh bomber to soften the look and make the outfit a little less revealing.

I find myself wanting to wear bralettes as tops a lot lately, whereas a couple of years ago, I would have never thought to do such a thing. But bralettes are evolving and becoming more than just a simple bandeau. In my opinion, Torrid has some of the cutest bralettes around, and just browsing through their intimates section inspired me to create this look. So, this summer, I am going to try and embrace more bralettes and style more looks featuring the garment as a top. How do you feel about this trend?

SIZING INFO: I’m wearing a size 2 in the bralette and bomber, which is my usual size, and they both fit perfectly. I’m wearing a 16 in the skirt, which is my usual size, and it also fits true to size!

Photography by: Ghaffar Gbenro

Torrid sent me this outfit to review. All opinions are 100% my own! 

I believe that the way I dress has a huge impact on how I feel throughout the day. But when my alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m. every morning, the last thing I want to do is spend the next hour getting glammed up, and squeezing my butt into a pair of dress pants before I rush out the door to my 9-to-5. What I really want to do is slide into some comfortable leggings and a baggy sweater. So, while coffee is really the only thing on my mind in the morning, I remind myself that if I don’t put 100% into my outfit for the day, I will feel less confident, motivated, and productive throughout the day.

Is it spring, summer, or winter? Chicago can’t decide, and neither can I. But if there is chance for sunshine, best believe that I am throwing on a summer-isa ensemble, and embracing it the fullest. This weekend, I took a stroll in this plus size wrap maxi skirt from Forever 21 Plus when the sun came peeking out of the clouds. Sure, it was a little chilly, but I am trying to be optimistic and enjoy the sunshine after a long, gloomy winter. Chicago was stuck in the clouds for one month straight! That’s right, the longest cloudy streak in 25 years. SHEESH.

Anyways, I am not the weather woman, and I know that you aren’t here to get the weekly weather update. So, back to this outfit! The olive/gray-colored skirt that I am wearing sold out a while ago on Forever 21, but it also comes in ginger! I scored this beautiful mock neck crochet blouse at T.J. Maxx last summer, and I just dusted it off this weekend while purging all of the old clothing in my closet to make room for some new pieces. But I couldn’t get rid of this top just yet, I’m too in love with the crochet details. I found similar mock neck crochet blouses, and put them in the widget below!

Happy spring/summer/winter! xo

Photography by: Ghaffar Gbenro

Last week, I shared one of my favorite office looks with you, and I wanted to give you another peak into my work wardrobe this week, too!

My work attire is usually an all black ensemble. However, I really love fun tops and blazers to spice up my look every once in awhile, hence this sequin blazer and the beautiful flounce elbow bell sleeve blouse that I am wearing. I scored this blouse from Eloquii, which is where I always find treasures that fit seamlessly into my office wardrobe. The brand really captures the perfect plus size girl boss on the go—that’s a mouthful, but you get what I mean! Eloquii is like the more polished, plus size Zara.

Last week, I wore this bell sleeve blouse to work with a pair of black, skinny dress pants, and a pair of pointed toe flats. After work, I attended Columbia College’s end of year LAUNCH student fashion show. So I threw on some lace up heels and put on some red lipstick, which transformed my look from office to front row at the fashion show.

Many of you ask where I find good quality and comfortable dress pants. My go-to places are T.J. Maxx and Macy’s. The Micheal Kors brand at Macy’s is great quality and they are usually on sale. T.J. Maxx sells a brand called Jules & Leopold, and they make the BEST skinny dress pants that have a lot of stretch in them! I usually purchase four or five pairs of these pull-on pants in an XL and they are the greatest!

P.S. I usually post on my blog twice per week, and I share a photo from my posts every day on Instagram. But last week, I fell behind a bit because I caught a nasty cold in the middle of the week. I didn’t think anyone would notice, but I certainly heard from many of you on Instagram. Sorry! I’ll be back on my grind this week! Thanks for being so close in tune and checking up on me! Love y’all! XO

I spend a large part of my life working—most of us do. But when it comes to office attire, I don’t take the easy way out. I love dressing up for work. I wake up at 6:00 a.m. to do my hair and pick out my outfit for the day, all the while, enjoying a huge cup of coffee.

I receive a lot of emails from you all asking me what I wear to the office and how I create comfortable and professional outfits while also incorporating fashion-forward pieces. So this week, I will be publishing two posts that show you what I wear to the office!

At work, I usually wear a pair of skinny, stretch dress pants—in either black, grey, or white. I love capri dress pants—like the ones I am wearing—for the warmer spring and summer days. I try to keep my bottoms as basic as possible so I can put all of the excitement into my tops and accessories. With that being said, I topped the outfit off with this sleeveless collar top from Eloquii, a statement necklace, and a sequin blazer. OK YEAH, a sequin blazer might be a little extra for the office, but the sequins are a dull enough silver tone that are totally appropriate for work. I bought this sequin blazer from Eloquii a while back, and it has sold out since. But here is another black sequin blazer and a cute sequin bomber to hold you over!

I hope you find some inspiration in these looks! Let me know what your favorite work pieces are in the comments below, or email me at natinthecity@gmail.com!