Zara Basic Blazer and Ruffled Skirt

I was recently down in Orange County for a business meeting and of course had to stop by the beautiful South Coast Plaza after work... Combating a bad case of the work-day blues (echoing Janice when I apologize for my lack of postings as well) with shopping was definitely a much needed remedy. Not exactly having the means for some actual designer shopping, I went straight to my beloved Zara in hopes of checking out the summer collection I recently wrote about. No such luck with finding any of those items I mentioned, but I finally found the perfect-fitting blazer I have been hoping for.

There's no denying how important it is to have a classic fitting blazer, but I wanted one that was still casual enough that it wouldn't completely remind me of a work blazer. The slouchy blazer look was something I always wanted to try, but most of the longer blazers just look overwhelming over my short torso. As such, they never seemed to hit my hips the right way. I love the Zara Basic blazer I found for its structured fit, cropped sleeves, buttons (sets of three line the arm cuffs as well), and striped lining. The XS fit my shoulders perfectly and the shoulder pads don't protrude one bit. It's also roomy enough to button up without the lapels bunching up. Love, love this blazer and am looking forward to throwing this over a dressy shirt paired with leggings in the fall... or wearing it with a cute pair of trouser shorts a la Urban Outfitters' lookbooks. Oh the possibilities!

For now, I decided to have some fun and style it with a tiered ruffle skirt. I bought the skirt from F21 months ago and love that it employs the use of mixing up the purple and black tiers. The addition of an exposed back zipper also won me over. Unfortunately, I have never really found the right way to wear it... until now! Ann Taylor's Spring 2010 ad campaign featured a model in a tiered skirt and blazer, and I've never been able to shake that image from my mind! Sleek and classy, I loved the look and have to give full credit to that campaign for my intensified longing for a blazer of my own. I was definitely excited about finally having the chance to imitate the Ann Taylor outfit! I finished off the look with another oldie, but goodie, my favorite pair of Steve Madden bow-tie peeptoe heels. These heels have gone everywhere with me because of their versatility and comfort. Despite being only 3 1/2 inches, I've always felt that they still somehow make my legs look longer and slimmer. I can't wait to actually go out and wear this outfit somewhere fun (and fine, I might even wear the blazer to work one day).

Surprisingly, the black version of my skirt is still available online, but here are some other ideas for fun skirts to wear with your blazers:

Pleated Satin Skirt

Crinkled Tiered Woven Skirt

Silky Staggered Stacked Skirt

For those of you still on the hunt for a blazer, I would definitely recommend stopping by Zara as they actually have a pretty large variety of blazers out right now (and all for $99 or $79). The grey jersey blazer which Tiffany of I am Style-ish has is back on the salesfloor and definitely cute, cute in person! The store didn't have any XS in stock, but I think it still might be a little too baggy for the smaller girls out there. I was pretty torn between the two choices, but was so glad I settled on the fitted one. For under $100, the Zara blazer was a great find compared to the (almost identical) $985 Barney's version:

As an aside to this, while searching online for some blazer styling tips, I stumbled upon chictopia.com. Wow! I've definitely heard of the site before, but never knew what a great community it was. I love that I can search by brand, clothing, style, location, or occasion and tons and tons of user pictures are immediately available for my perusal. I envy all these amazingly stylish girls out there and will definitely be using this tool for future style ideas. Check it out if you haven't! Some of my favorite blazer pictures: MSignature, zanzapan, constance_victoria, and thischicksgotstyle. Let me know what your favorite blazer looks are. I want to get as much wear out of mine as possible!

P.S. I am obviously in desperate need of a real camera. Any suggestions for a good beginner-friendly DSLR?