TGIF my amazing blog family! Are you as ready for the weekend as I am? I am so excited that it is finally starting to feel like spring, I have ditched pants this week and am feeling so much better. I am also collaborating on a special project this weekend which I am really excited about. Do you have any fun plans?
With the end of the week also comes the end of my special series this week in partnership with Torrid , “Working With Torrid“. To end the week on a high note this installment features Casual Friday looks which will take you to the office, then the weekend and beyond. * This post is sponsored but all opinions are my own, as always, xoxo. *
I am pretty sure that casual Friday means getting to wear jeans for many people but now that I can wear jeans any time I decided to feature some non traditional looks that would be perfect for a casual Friday. I think that dressing casually is likely when people are most true to their personal style when it comes to work. And I am all about not being afraid to express yourself. Remember to work it ladies!
So in celebration of spring I went with a floral theme for these looks. It is officially a floral extravaganza! Now I know for a lot of women floral isn’t necessarily their favourite thing but I think you can use the styling tips I share as a point of inspiration and rock what you love whether it’s solids, stripes, geometric, or graphic prints.
I will say that many of you have asked me why Torrid doesn’t offer more of a variety of prints and that there are too many florals. I want you to know I take the feedback you guys share with me very seriously as I feel I have a responsibility to use the face time I have with the brands I work with to make sure your voices are heard. So I shared this feedback with them and you will be happy to know that they hear you and are working on it. They have the most amazing in house print designers so I am excited to see what they come up with.
Something else that I experimented with in this post is sneakers. If you had asked me a year ago, maybe a little more than that if I would wear sneakers with a dress or a skirt I would have looked at you with a very strong side eye that stood for a hell no lol. But as the trend began I found myself taking some baby steps and giving them a try. Despite my initial skepticism I have to say I was pleased with the looks and let’s admit they are comfortable.
I think for me when I was younger sneakers didn’t really come in wide widths so I always found them uncomfortable and could only get clunky basic ones that felt like senior shoes. Well sneakers have certainly come a long way and the options for spring are amazing. And I think my Mom is going to tell me I have a problem lol. I officially plead the 5th Mom!
You know sometimes I think that I started blogging too late in life and I wish that I had started earlier. I mean I have blogger friends that are just celebrating their 30th birthday and I am like man I will be 44 in May, I am like 14 years older than most. And while I know I don’t look or feel my age (minus my broken knee), you can’t deny the life experience. But that life experience is also a good chunk of what makes me “me”. And I know that I am so fortunate to have found this version of me. So while it may have taken me longer to get here, the journey was worth it.
And it is one of the reasons I like working with brands like Torrid . If you ask them what their target demographic is I am sure it is probably women 35 and younger. But I think the amazing thing about Torrid is that they are able to transcend age and appeal to all women from teenagers to grandmothers and in between. I took my Mom to a Torrid store for the first time this summer and she absolutely loved it. I will never forget how happy she was to find a great fitting pair of jeans and a strapless bra that actually fit. Speaking of that – Do you guys want to see some more posts featuring my Mom? She’s coming to visit for a few months so if you would like to see her too leave me a comment.
The two looks I put together for this post are a bit of a contrast. One is feminine and what I call “Baby Spice” and the other definitely has more “Sporty Spice” vibes. And both have a little dash of “Posh Spice” and “Lisa” mixed in. You know I like to keep things interesting!
First up is “Baby Spice”. I can’t count the number of Torrid dresses I have owned over the years and while I love them all, there is always a few extra special ones that I will always keep in my closet. When I saw this ivory floral midi dress on the website I was pretty sure that it was going in the extra special category. And when I saw it in person it was a definite yes. This dress has everything I look for. A fit and flare shape, bra friendly straps, a midi length, v-neckline with great cleavage, a smocked back, tie at the waist and full lining.
And while it has my standards covered it also has the little extras I love. I am sure you can see what I mean – the lace inserts throughout, the bow at the bust, an extra full skirt, the ruffled hem with a full satin lining that doesn’t cling to me and an unexpected floral print combo with the ivory against the bright pink and even some shades of red. I am wearing the size 4 and the fit is perfect. You will need to wear a plunge bra and the tie at the bust is adjustable so you can get your perfect fit.
Some of you may think it is odd that I chose a dress for casual Friday but when you love wearing dresses like I do, I think it is a no brainer. To me this is way more comfortable than jeans. And the fabric is a light challis which gives it that casual feel. I know that I will be wearing this dress all spring and summer long. To keep with the casual vibe and provide more coverage for the office I added this cropped denim jacket in a medium wash with a zipper closure. A lighter wash instantly makes denim more casual in my opinion. I love a cropped jacket because it doesn’t hide what you are wearing underneath. I am wearing the size 5 and I could easily do the jacket up and it fits great at my waist and in the shoulders and the sleeves aren’t too long.
Now comes my experiment with sneakers and can I just say that I am totally obsessed with these white lace ones that are also from Torrid ? OMG they are just the cutest and comfy too. They actually have faux ties and a scrunchy back that lets you slip them on. I usually wear an 8 1/2 in Torrid shoes but for sneakers I size up to a 9. I just love how they worked perfectly with the dress and jacket. The finishing touches were a pop of bright pink in my bag and some pale pink statement earrings from Torrid along with my go to Torrid bangles. And of course a ponytail was required!
This second look definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone and my typical style because while it is a floral print, everything else is completely out of the norm for me. I saw this suit on the website and it was styled as a professional look with a cami and heels. Originally I was going to choose it for the professional post but then for some reason I thought to myself Lisa why don’t you do the unexpected? Wearing a head to toe print in a suit is a lot even for me but I loved the fact that it was a black background with a combination of two of my favourite colours, mustard and purple. And it is made with Torrid’s amazing Modern Millennium stretch fabric which not only has great stretch but doesn’t wrinkle. I love the 3/4 sleeve with the ruching detail and the relaxed clean opening on the jacket. Do you know why I love 3/4 sleeves? It is so much easier to type on my computer at my desk and I end up wearing the blazer longer. I am wearing the size 6, I likely could have sized down.
I honestly can’t describe how much I absolutely love these pants. Every time I order a pair of pants I am always hesitant as to how they will fit. They are my arch enemy when it comes to clothes. But there is a certain point when I start to pull up a pair of pants that I distinctly know whether they will work or not and these ones got the green light right away. The waist doesn’t dig in, the thigh isn’t too tight, I can sit comfortably, they don’t fall down and the pockets are front flat pockets. I can’t tell you how many times I shake my head when I see how pockets are placed on plus size clothing. Like I am sorry but pockets on the seam or side pockets are not going to lay flat and that just looks bad. I love that you can choose to keep these sewn shut or pull a single thread to open them. I am wearing the size 30 with a short inseam. Remember if you wear a short inseam to choose this option for ankle pants too, you want them to still look like ankle pants on you.
To keep the look casual I went with a simple tee in mustard, something I don’t wear very often. This tee is made of the same super soft fabric that the red tank from the last post is made of. It is also a tunic length which I love with a skinny pant. I know that a lot of you look for tops that are longer in the torso and Torrid has some great options. The mustard really pops against the dark pattern. And you can easily tuck the tee in or do a half tuck like I did here. I got the size 6 because I wanted it to purposely be over sized but I could easily wear a 5.
So how do I accessorize a look that is out of my comfort zone? I keep pushing and add these statement sneakers of course! I was obsessed with these Torrid sneakers when I saw them. They come in black too and I hemmed and hawed over being safe and getting the black and then I was like screw that, metallic it is! And of course when you just get a new mustard bamboo bag you have to use it right? I added this scarf to keep things playful. Some beaded purple earrings and matching bracelet brought it together. I felt so sassy and comfortable in this look, I literally didn’t want to take it off.
Well folks, there you have it, two casual looks that I think are completely unexpected but perfect in their own way. I hope you have enjoyed this “Working With Torrid“ series as much as I have! Let me know what other things you want to see me feature, I always take requests. And don’t forget to leave me a comment telling me which look is your fave, Lisa xoxo.
Special thanks to Rebecca of Rebecca Northcott Photography for capturing these images.
Shop Look #1 here:
Dress by TORRID | Jacket by TORRID | Sneakers by TORRID | Earrings by TORRID | Bracelet by TORRID
Shop Look #2 here:
Jacket by TORRID | Pants by TORRID | T-shirt by TORRID | Sneakers by TORRID | Bracelet by TORRID |
