The Business Casual Skirt Suit

I love blazers, but I've always found them to be a bit too stuffy to wear at work all day. My solution is a pencil skirt with a matching cardigan-- you'll get a softer, more business casual look while still maintaining the "matchy-matchy-ness" of a full suit. I'm not sure if it's appropriate for the corporate world, but it works for most office environments! Don't forget the pretty blouse. :)




Here I wore it with pumps... it increases the professional factor!

Skirt: Dillards (old)
Blouse: Mark. (old)
Cardigan: Merona for Target
Belt: Ann Taylor Patent Belt, sz XS (old)
Flats: Target
Pumps: Ann Taylor Perfect Patent Pumps, sz 7.5 (similar)

A Subtle Bit of Colorblock

I've never been one for the color blocking trends, because I've always wanted to make one color the stand-out piece of an outfit. However, I stumbled upon this skirt at Target and was contemplating what to wear with it, so I passed it. The next day I saw Annie of Really Petite styling this same skirt with a polka dot tee and belt for her vacation. So of course, with that inspiration, I bought the skirt the next day and this is the result! :)





Skirt: Mossimo for Target, sz XS (Comes in two different colors and in petite sizing!)
Cardigan: Merona for Target
Shirt: H&M (old)
Belt: Target
Shoes: Target (old)

I loved the red with the yellow stripe in the skirt. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how else to style this skirt other than this way. Suggestions are welcome!

Also, I want to thank everyone who participated in this month's PFC. I saw everyone's posts and absolutely loved them! You all did a great job, and I can't wait for the next one!
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Petite Fashion Challenge #15: Chic Pin-spiration

Today's the day! :)
This month's challenge was Chic Pin-spiration-- Find a pic of an outfit you love on Pinterest, and re-create it the best way possible!
Be sure to post the pic of your outfit inspiration in your post as well!

Here's my outfit inspiration...


And here's my re-creation!


Cardigan: Merona for Target (Recent)
Cami: Target
Skirt: Crewcuts by J. Crew, size 14
Belt: J. Crew (old)
Shoes: Lands' End (old)
Bag: Merona for Target
Watch: Fossil
Necklace: Gift from Nick

Here's the list of participants this month (in the order they signed up)!
Fashionably Yours
Katattack2000
The Little Dust Princess
Little Flowers
Petite Therapy
Easy Petite Looks
Phiphi's Blog
Sew Petite Gal
Glamorous Petite
KTR Style
Just Tututiny
Dieting Fashions
That's a Pretty Hat
Petite On A Budget
To Brighten My Day
Le Belle Mel
My Wedding Nonsense
Petite Fashions Over 40
A Preponderance of Fashion
Mix and Match Fashion Style
A Petite Treat
Petite Adventures
Petite on a Penny
Yoo Hoo, Anhie Boo!
Shorty Stories
The Petite Bow
Laces and Shades
Really Renata
Fast Food and Fast Fashion
Really Petite
With Each Passing Day
Petite In The City
Little Laura's Closet

Also, here is Richa's email entry! She is from the lifestyle blog Urban Mantra and wanted to share her "chic pin-spiration"!




What she says about her outfit... "The first... is the look that I had added to my Pinterest board. It's from the J. Crew Fall 2012 collection. The remaining three pictures are of me repeating the look to the best of my ability with what I had in my closet :)

Details about what I'm wearing:
American Apparel chambray shirt
H&M striped Tee
H&M blazer
H&M black pants
Zara shoes"

I hope you all had as much fun as I had with this challenge. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to host this month, and I look forward to what future hosts have in store! Thank you all so much for your support. :)

Spring brights and white

There is nothing I love more than a pair of crisp white pants and bright colors (or navy, of course). These pants might not be as "crisp" as I prefer them to be, but they will have to do until I can find the perfect pair. I wore this for casual Friday (I like to call it business casual Friday) and felt so in the mood for spring time. I'm so glad the weather is finally warming up!




Blouse: LC Lauren Conrad (Kohls, old)
Cardigan: Merona for Target
Pants: Dillard's (old)
Belt: Target
Shoes: Target
Bag: Target

Don't forget that PFC #15 is this Tuesday at 8pm EST! I am so excited to see all of your posts. :)
Have a great weekend!

Business Casual: Ankle Pants

I had been wanting to try out some nice ankle pants for work, but couldn't find anything I really liked. What I had been absolutely loving on other bloggers are their cropped wool pants from LOFT, but those are not available at the moment! While shopping at Costco with my mom, I stumbled upon these Calvin Klein pants in the not-so-glamorous clothing section, and was immediately intrigued. Costco of all places would not be my preferred clothing store, but these were a lucky find! They fit pretty well, so I bought them in black, white, and khaki. We'll see how those go!

Here's how I styled it for work. Anyone else have styling suggestions for cropped pants, especially for an office environment?


Pants: Calvin Klein, sz 2
Shirt: H&M
Cardigan: Gap (old)
Belt: Target
Shoes: Lands' End (old)
Bag: Merona for Target
Watch: Fossil

Petite Fashion Challenge #15 is less than a week away! Sign up here if you haven't already. :)

Preppy Pink and Stripes

Just a quick outfit post on one of my new favorite outfits-- Pink chiffon and nautical stripes! This outfit was inspired by a pic I found while browsing online, which you'll see below.




Here I'm wearing it with nude heels :)


Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad (Kohl's, old)
Shirt: J. Crew (old)
Cardigan: Merona for Target
Belt: Target
Shoes: Flats, Target; pumps, Steve Madden "Ulltra"
Bag: Merona for Target


And here is my outfit inspiration!


Enjoy the rest of the weekend! :)

Pretty Spring Pink

Reminder: I am the host for this month's Petite Fashion Challenge! Please see my announcement post here to sign up.

Many bloggers had been posting their super pretty Easter outfits, so today I was in the mood for something like it! And since my family got together and celebrated Easter at home, I didn't have a chance to wear my Sunday best this year. Today's outfit will have to do. :) I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!



Cardigan: Merona for Target (old and one size too big)
Skirt: Lands' End Canvas (old)
Flats: Lands' End Canvas (old?)

This skirt is one of my favorites for spring. I love the fit and the color, and I can't wait to wear it with different combinations! I also just brought this cardigan out from my spring/summer clothes storage. (It's finally time to switch out the closet!) When I bought this a couple years ago, I had bought it one size too big-- a size S instead of my usual XS for Target sweaters. So I folded the bottom up to make it a bit more flattering... but does it look tacky? I just think it's time for a new pink sweater!

Enjoy the rest of the week, and I hope you sign up for this month's PFC! It should be super fun. :)

Announcing Petite Fashion Challenge #15: Chic Pin-spiration

If you're an obsessed Pinterest user like me, you know that it's full of great outfit ideas. So this month's challenge is pretty simple, yet so fun!

Chic Pin-spiration-- Find a pic of an outfit you love on Pinterest, and re-create it the best way possible!
Be sure to post the pic of your outfit inspiration in your post as well!

This challenge is open to bloggers and non-bloggers as well. To participate, please leave a comment with your blog URL below! If you're not a blogger but would like to participate, please email me your entry. Please link your posts back to Long Live Classy for the full list of participants.

Please schedule your posts for
Tuesday, April 24th at 8pm Eastern time.

I'm so excited to be hosting this month's PFC! I can't wait to see all of your outfits!

From Work to Play: Gap Ruffle Wrap Dress

If you saw my post here, you'll remember this dress! I bought it from Gap on a whim and ended up absolutely loving it. You saw how I styled it for work, but I figured I'd try it more casually. I had a couple suggestions of a cardigan layered on top, as well a denim jacket for casual wear. So I went for a cardigan for a more casual day at work, and for the weekend, I'll definitely try a denim jacket and see how it goes!





Dress: Gap Ruffle Wrap Dress, sz XS
Cardigan: Merona for Target
Cami: Target
Belt: Target
Shoes: Lands' End (old)

If you compare the two posts... you can see that the dress hem has shortened. I put the dress in the wash and dried it on very low heat, but I guess it still shrank. I am definitely going to remember this for future washes!

I will be announcing PFC #15 this weekend, so check back soon!
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Wear It Three Ways: Nautical Striped Dress

So, I'm on a nautical frenzy again! I recently saw this dress in an Alloy catalog and immediately fell in love. I had been looking for a classic-cut nautical striped dress for a while now, and I got so excited when I saw this-- not to mention the price of around $29. I've been experimenting with ways to spice my outfits up so I'm not wearing the same outfit again and again. So today, I'll show you how I wear this dress three different ways!


Here's the dress by itself. It's almost like a fit and flare style, but made of comfy jersey fabric. It also has a scoop-back to it, which may take a while to get used to... but it isn't a big deal.


I styled it in two simple ways, which lean on the more casual side. First I went with a wide brown belt and brown sandals (need to get some that match the belt!), and then tried it with a skinnier belt and matching wedges. I wasn't quite sure what kind of jewelry would go well with this. I tried a navy necklace, but I don't like the way it looks in the pic. I switched to a simple silver pendant, which I think looks better. Any suggestions?

Of course, adding a bag to this ensemble really pulls it together, but I completely forgot about that until I put on my next outfit! I could also see this dress being worn casually with a yellow or red belt, nude sandals, and a floppy hat... none of which I own (yet).


My favorite of them all is this outfit. I cannot get enough of navy and red, so I absolutely love this. This would be a more dressed up outfit, but it's perfect for summer nights out. With the addition of the summery clutch... this is definitely going to be one of my favorites for the summertime!

Dress: Alloy, sz XS (fits a bit snug)
Cardigan: Merona for Target, sz XS
Sandals: American Eagle Outfitters (old)
Wedges: Antonio Melani (Dillards, old)
Wide Belt: From another dress
Skinny Belt: Target
Necklace: American Eagle Outfitters (old)
Clutch: Mark. (sold here, not available until 4/20/12)

Any other outfit suggestions? :)

Weekend Chic: Preppy Yellow and Navy

Happy Monday, everyone! Here's quick post from my first "shorts-outfit" of the year! I really have a thing for colored pants and shorts lately, and that's all I've been wanting to buy. Yesterday we had some amazingly warm weather, so I wanted to take the opportunity to expose my legs to some sunlight for once. After wearing these shorts, however, I questioned myself how I used to wear such short-shorts everyday in the summer during my high school years. So, I think next time I'm going for a longer inseam! :)



Shirt: J. Crew Vintage Cotton Tee, sz S
Shorts: Mossimo Supply Co for Target, sz 5
Belt: Target, sz S
Shoes: Gap (old)

I love wearing a comfy (but nice) tee with colored shorts on warm days. I know buying a pair of colored shorts or pants can be "scary", because you feel that there's only couple colors to pair it with. I've felt that way before! You just have to experiment with different colors and styles and you'll see how many options there are.

Just a couple style tips here: When wearing relatively short shorts, keep your top half covered. I'm sure we've all seen someone who's wearing super short-shorts and a cami, and just looks so uncomfortable. You'll maintain the classy vibe when you're not showing a lot of skin! Next, add some interest to the outfit with a skinny belt. Wider belts can work with some shorts, but I find there's a better balance when you're wearing a skinny belt with shorts. You can also add a casual necklace-- I had spotted some nautical rope necklaces at Target that would have paired well with this outfit! Light sneakers (think Keds), boat shoes, or sandals are perfect to finish off this preppy-casual outfit.

How do you all style your colored shorts or pants?

Enjoy the rest of the week, everyone! :)