The Duster Cardigan and Why You Need One

Oh, duster cardigan. Where have you been all my life, dear friend? You cover all the right places and give the perfect amount of attitude to the classic jeans 'n' heels ensemble. (And, you make me feel taller!)

Really, you're what I've always been looking for and never knew it.

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And friends, the duster is just what you've always been looking for, too.

Duster cardigan c/o Savoir-Faire (sold in-store, but very similar here on their website) // tank c/o Savoir-Faire (sold in-store, but I love this one, too!) // jeans via Destination Maternity // heels here 

Maybe you've purchased one of these trendy jacket things this season or maybe you haven't. Point is, fall and cooler weather are here, and you need a duster cardigan, like, yesterday. My girls at Savoir-Faire have quite the collection of amazing duster cardigans.

Like this one...

Cat Call Long Cardigan

And this one...

Cream Long Lace Duster

Oh, and this one.

All the Way Lace Hooded Duster

My favorite way to wear it? Over a tank, paired with jeans and worn with heels or booties. It works for the office or out to dinner. I found mine at SF in-store, but they have several very similar online.

Want to spice it up? Put it over a mini shift dress with some over-the-knee boots. Instantly sexy without being too crazy, since the length of the duster leaves lots to the imagination. See? It's the perfect fall item.

Couple things to keep in mind with duster jackets:

1) Make sure to pair it with a shoe with at least a little bit of heel to it. I'm not saying you need to run out and purchase a pair of 6-inch stilettos; something as subtle as a wedge bootie, like this one, will give you all the height you need to pull off the duster.

2) Make sure it fits around the shoulders and arms - not tightly, but enough that it's a little snug. Nothing sadder than a beautiful girl (like you) pulling at her top or jacket all night because it's too big. The duster jacket should fit (somewhat) around the shoulders, then flow around the waist, thighs and butt.

The other rule?

WEAR it. Walk with confidence and stand tall. It's a statement piece. So make a friggin' statement.

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That's it, ladies. That's all I've got today. Get yourself a duster cardigan and, if you do, show me how you style yours on Instagram. My username is @ablondeambition and I'd love to see what you do with yours!

Vive la September: {Outfit Pics}

The official beginning of fall may not be until September 23, but in my mind, it's already here. The temps are slowly starting to drop here in Northwest Arkansas, so I've actually had a chance to bust out some of my new fall clothes, (eeeek!)

Jacket (c/o Savoir-Faire, in-store only) + Black and White Lines Tank (c/o Savoir-Faire) + Fade to Blue Fit Belly 5 Pocket Jeans (Motherhood Maternity) + shoes (Target, in-store) + Weekend Warrior Choker

(c/o Savoir-Faire) 

This get-up from Savoir-Faire is going to be on repeat for the next four months as this bump continues to grow. And, the best part is, I'll get lots of wear out of it next spring too, since it's not maternity, (hooray for that!)

I love the combo of a blousy jacket, loose tank or dress and a cuffed skinny jean. It's my go-to formula for putting together an outfit right now. And it takes zero thought, which, if you have a 10-month-old crawling/cruising around the house, is tres necessary.

For days that aren't conducive to heel-wearing, I like to sub out the stacked heel for my favorite black Converse, which are huge again this fall.

Worldly Printed Chic Blazer + Black and White Fine Lines Top (the tank I'm wearing) + Blank NYC Frenemy in Black = DONE

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Try the combo. It's an easy formula for looking put together when you have no time to think about it.

Blue Valentine

Think pink and red are the only tickets to a fab-tab-u-lous Valentine's Day look?

Au contraire, mon ami.

I've always had a crush on the color blue, specifically royal blue. No matter what my mood, I can always get a much-needed boost of "happy" from anything in this rich hue. So, you can imagine how pleased I was about this dress I saw in Savoir-Faire last week. Oh. My.

Dress + lucite/black leather cuff bracelets c/o Savoir-Faire // jacket via H&M last year // booties via Old Navy

The side slit, the skinny straps, the subtle high-low length - I loved it all and knew it needed to be mine. Everything about it pretty much fit my 'awesome dress' checklist. Above all, it's just one of those dresses that makes me happy. 

Know what else totally blisses me out? Bracelets. Lots of them. I've currently got a think for strap/cuff style bracelets and these compliment the dress really nicely, I think.

Also? A cute dress calls for a cute pony. I did some flippy, wavy curls, combed them out and poofed the crown a bit to achieve an easy, breezy ponytail.

Not sure what exactly the hubs and I will be doing on Friday, but I do know what I'll be wearing. 

What will you be wearing on Valentine's Day? Any special plans??

Minted Maxi: {Outfit Photos feat. Savoir-Faire}

I have a confession to make and it’s not even Friday: I, Leslie, used to be afraid of maxi dresses. 

I felt that at 5’4”, the maxi overwhelmed my frame. I loved them more than cupcakes on other girls and wanted so badly to be able to wear one, but my lack of height just steered me away from diving into the long dress pool.

Mint Maxi c/o Savoir-Faire; bracelets via Groopdealz - similar here; earrings via Bauble Bar

But then, I got pregnant. And, ‘lo and behold, the maxi became my new best friend. I feel like with the growing baby bump, it helped lengthen my torso – not unlike those medieval body-stretching devices featured in the iconic film, Braveheart, (but far less painfully.)

I also discovered that if I just wore the maxi with a pair of wedges or heels instead of flat sandals, I didn’t feel like a tree stump. What a novel concept – a heel to add height (go figure.)

In fact, I've been known to throw one on for lazy Sundays around the house instead of my usual running short/old sorority T-shirt combo. And that, my friends, speaks volumes of their comfort level.

Check out more magnificent maxis, including the one featured above, at Savoir-Faire either online or at their store, located on the Fayetteville Square! 

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P.S. - Special thanks to my girl (and one of the many resident hottie-patotties at SF) Ashley for selecting this beauty for me. I love it to bits!

P.P.S. - If you're pregnant with child (or pregnant with food baby from all that summer BBQ), this dress is forgiving to the nth degree. I didn't even have to wear my sexy pregnancy Spanx. Stephen was grateful. And so was the circulation to my lower body.

Savoir-Faire Moment: Thrill of the Chase(r)

I picked out this outfit in February at Savoir-Faire, and kept waiting for the perfect dreary day to snap some photos. (I dunno why I needed dreary weather…this just felt like something I’d wear on a rainy-ish day.) Unfortuntely, or rather fortunately, our February was downright beautiful. Not one cloud in the sky. So I waited…

March rolled around and again, lots of sunny weather. Totally not complaining though…

But Sunday, the clouds rolled in and I knew we had the perfect slightly overcast sky to capture the grunge of the Chaser Tee, ripped boyfriend denim and leather-sleeved army jacket. And beanie. Because I’m wearing my beanies until it’s 110 degrees outside. And then maybe I’ll still do it.

Let’s talk details. The Chaser Tee, featuring a vintage Monk illustration, is the softest thing I’ve ever worn. It’s like tiny little angel fairies knitted it out of feathers and baby giggles. And then those angel fairies said, “Let’s take this shirt one step further and leave out that awful, itchy tag. It’ll really blow their minds.” And they did. Chaser tees are tagless. And, hand to God, the most comfortable article of clothing I’ve ever worn or owned.

The Blank Denim Frayed Boyfriend jeans are perhaps the greatest thing since…I dunno, Lucky Charms. I was going to say sliced bread, but I don’t eat a lot of sandwiches. I DO eat a lot of cereal though. And just like our favorite marshmallowy breakfast cereal, these jeans are magically delicious.

The leather-sleeved army jacket? Well, it speaks for itself. Seriously. An army jacket is a glorious thing on its own, but add some leather sleeves and, as Phil would say, “Now you’re cooking with peanut oil.”

The shoes are mine. From ASOS. They are simple and not very exciting, but I’m okay with that. They do their job, which is to compliment the rest of the outfit, without being a scene-stealer. These shoes are like the Best Supporting Actors of the ensemble.

(Psssst...and a little birdie told me they come in orange, too!)

If we need to discuss the beanie, we can. But really, haven’t we beaten this undead and still trendy horse enough? Let’s just let the beanie be. Eventually, I’ll quit wearing them for outfit pics. 

Yeah, it's fair to say Blank Denim has definitely become my jean of choice. And have you seen the adorable Blank Denim Flavor Savor vest? Oh my word...so cute! 

Isn't Melissa just gorgeous? 

I'm also smitten with this adorable Check It Out blouse and the beautiful Rose Bloom Pants . 

And did y'all know that you can now purchase accessories and jewelry on SF's web store? Yup. True story. I die for this Peach Tiered Necklace and Teal Mosaic Bib. Gaw, so pretty. 

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Alright, bunnies - I'm out! Don't forget to peruse Savoir-Faire's website this week to treat yourself to a spring goody or two.

P.S. - Had a couple of you girls ask about the shoes I wore in the S.F. fashion show. Naturally, Savoir-Faire : ) Each model was outfitted from head to toe (literally) in the store's merchandise. I *think* that right now they are only available in store, but keep checking the site, in case they do post them.