March 22, 2015

How to Wear a Crop Top without Baring it All

I'd originally written off the crop top look as a second coming of bad 90s fashion. If you recall the days of Winona Ryder's prime, short tops and high waisted pants were the ish, though looking back now, the style seems balloony and almost like everyone was trying to make the mom look cool.

Then, last summer Taylor Swift and one of my personal faves, Jessica Alba, started showing up in crop tops left and right and if not the world, I took notice (and really, so did the world). By taking notice, I also began to covet, and then, the story of my life, struggle to style it more modestly - i.e., less belly baring, without losing the fashion element.

Part of the crop top appeal is that sexy little sliver of stomach, though I think the real appeal is the slimming affect that the look gives.

So, if the point is to keep the silhouette, then the trick is to keep the crop and cover up that sliver. My choice de jour is high waisted skirts and pants.


Since I am now keeping this skirt, I'm now in the market for crop tops to go with it. Check out a few of the market hits in the lists below. What do you like best?

Crop tops:

Cropped sweaters:


High waisted pants. The higher the waist, the better.

Layer a crop top over a tank jersey maxi dress or an A-line dress.

March 19, 2015

You guys, Emma Watson

Even though I'm now 32, and someone I like to consider classy and polished with an educated manner of speech, all bets are off my when my high school friends and I get together. These are the girls with whom I went through my TRL phase, my *N Sync vs. BSB phase (and for the record, *N Sync, always!), to my first concert, and who I still regularly exchange pop culture-fueled email threads. When we're together, we revert back to the speech and slang we used as slightly-awkward but now totally hot babes, down to the same arguments (Katie and Andrea can attest to this as we had the same conversation we've had for decades over which boy band is better this past weekend at my surprise birthday party)

I digress.

The point being, Emma Watson, you guys.

This lady is ON FLEEK. (I also just really learned how to use that phrase this past week so now it's EVERYWHERE.) Lately, she's been on my mind as I've committed to re-reading the Harry Potter series, so now I keep picturing Emma-as-Hermione, but also because workplace gender equality has been the ish (and rightfully so! I work as much as the dudes on my team! Hells to the nawh if they're getting paid more than me!) and Miss Watson is the brilliant genius who will go down in history as moving the situation forward. Have you guys been paying attention to her "He for She" campaign? No? You should. Just Google "Emma Watson He For She" and spend about an hour on every result.

She's got intelligence, assertiveness, and a vision of the future in which she is advocating for a cause greater than her. Also, let's not forgot she played one of the most feminist badasses of all time - Hermione Granger.

Finally, she represents that whole package in what she wears - classy, feminine, and quietly powerful. To celebrate Emma Watson using her celebrity for good, here's a tribute to her and her style.

Click on the links below the photos to get look-alike pieces to create this outfit!

Jersey gray maxi skirt // white button down Oxford blouse

Plaid button down // black culottes

Cropped red sweater // gauzy white skirt

Crossover silk cream blouse // black pleated slim ankle pants