The Cutest Affordable Embroidered Dress

March 20, 2017 by Virginia 17 Comments

Yaay!! Welcome to my new blog!! I’m so excited to be starting this new stage of my journey! So excited, in fact, that I bought balloons and braved the cold a day after our snow storm to photograph this beautiful, affordable embroidered dress. Balloons are for celebrations and THIS is a celebration! (Balloons, however, and short dresses – for that matter – are not for windy days…so I apologize if some of the shots are extra windy.)

Note: This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure page.

When I saw this cute ruffle dress, I knew I had to try it. Embroidery is all the rage right now (see this post on 50 spring trends under $50) – a trend that I absolutely love. Thankfully, this is one of those trends that you can try for an affordable price tag. Plus, if this affordable embroidered dress is not your thing, you may try a regular top or some shoes! Seriously, they are putting an embroidered detail on just about everything these days!

If you decide to try this dress, consider paying for the $1.99 return shipping. It’s sometimes hard to tell what size to order from this retailer so I always get the return insurance in case I need to return it. Thankfully, this cute ruffle dress fits well. I followed the measurements on the website and actually sized down one size for this dress. It’s definitely too short for me to wear as a dress most of the time. By adding OTK boots I reduced the amount of leg exposed, making me feel a little more covered up. As I often do with “dresses” from this retailer, I plan to wear this embroidered dress as a tunic over leggings or to tuck it in to jeans. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see this top again.

This affordable embroidered dress is the perfect embroidered piece for spring because of the variety of colors in the embroidery detail.

Get the Look:

Blue Embroidered Ruffle Dress, Shein. (Almost exact shirt version from same retailer)
Grey Over-the-Knee Boots, Forever21 (old). Similar in widget below!
Sugarfix by Baublebar Star Drop Earrings, Target.
Michael Kors Two-Tone Darci Pave Watch, Areatrends.com.
Tori Burch Three-strand Logo Bracelet, Tradesy.
Regal Jewelry Cable Bracelets, Zulily. (They return periodically. You can sign up on Zulily to be alerted when they come back into stock!)
Lips: Lined with NYX Retractable Lipliner in Hot Pink. Mixed Nyx High Voltage Lipstick in Tiara with Maybelline’s Pink N Chic on top.
Nails: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Tickled Pink.

Clickable Outfit Widget:

Or, if you’re a fan of Amazon’s free shipping and returns (Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial):

7 Embroidered Pieces from Amazon

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Click on the images below to go to the products on Amazon!

Have you tried any embroidered pieces yet? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Affordable Spring Trends: 50 Under $50

March 6, 2017 by Virginia Evans 6 Comments

Good morning friends! Spring is in the air around here! When I start hearing the birds chattering in the early morning I know that spring is right around the corner! That’s when I start packing up my boots and dark colors and start thinking about affordable spring trends!

I love transitioning my wardrobe for a new season because it means I can pull out clothes that feel new again and play around with new colors! Last year around this time my husband and I started a new healthier lifestyle and many of my old spring clothes just don’t fit (yay!) so I’ve been thinking about what pieces to invest in that will add significantly to my wardrobe without breaking the bank. As I have searched I noticed a few trends for spring that I thought I would share with you. Even more exciting, there are plenty of affordable options to mimic some of the designer styles! Some of these trends are newer (mules and embroidered pieces) and others have continued from last spring and summer (hooray for the return of ruffles!), but all are trends you will see this spring.

This spring it’s all about blush – from blush tops, to blush purses and shoes. Ruffles and bell sleeves are all the rage and you will often find them combined with other popular trends like embroidered or off-the-shoulder tops.

Many of the following items are available in multiple colors and all are under $50! Be sure to check the sizes on each retailer before you order. With retailers like Asos and Shein I always check the recommended measurements to make sure I’m ordering the correct size (for Shein I frequently size up). See this post for more tips on ordering clothing online.

Note: Clicking on links in this post may result in a commission for More to Mrs. E

Mules and Loafers

1- Bow Mule Shoe (low stock!)
2- Black Backless Loafer Shoe
3- White (and blush) Fruit Patch Mule (2 colors!)
4- T Bar Mule Loafer
5- Bow Loafer
6- Pointed Loafer
7- Metallic Tassel Slip on Loafer
8- Metallic Pointed Toe Loafer (Also in gold!)
9- Livia Pointed Loafer

Designer options I LOVE – Kate Spade Gino Loafer | Kate Spade Mallory Bow Flat Mule Loafer

Ruffle Tops

Whether long-sleeved, short-sleeved, off-the-shoulder, sleeve-less or bell-sleeved, ruffles are in!

Spring Trends Ruffle off-the-shoulder Ruffle long sleeve top

10 – Striped One-Shoulder Top
11 – One-Shoulder/Off-the-shoulder Ruffle Top
12 – Long-Sleeved Off-the-shoulder Ruffle Top
13 – Ruffle Front Tee (also in Navy)
14 – Accordion Ruffle Sleeveless Top (3 colors!)
15 – White Ruffle Detail High Neck Top (4 colors)
16 – Black Gingham Cutout High Neck Billow Sleeve Top

17 – Pink Ruffle Detail Long Sleeve Top (also in black)

Cold Shoulder Ruffle Tops

Cold Shoulder Tops Open Shoulder Tops under $50

18 – Black Ruffle Open Shoulder Tee (Super Affordable and in 3 colors!)
19 – Green Open Shoulder Pullover Tee (also in Red!)
20 – Hot Pink Satin Ruffle Top with Cold Shoulder
21 – Pink Ruffle Cold Shoulder Top (also in black)
22 – Pink Satin Cold Shoulder Bell Sleeve Peplum Top
23 – Petite May Cold Shoulder Top

Embroidered Tops

24 – Long Sleeve Embroidered Top
25 – Blue Flower Embroidered Ruffle Shirt

26 – Blue Flower Embroidery Dip Hem Shirt (Also Black and White Gingham Version)
27 – Blue Ruffled Embroidered Shirt Dress (I ordered this one and will let you know how it goes!)
28 – Black Flower Embroidered Ruffle Hem Blouse (note that this is cropped!)
29 – White Embroidered High Low Blouse
30 – Black Floral Embroidery Mesh Blouse

More Cold-Shoulder Tops

Here are some more cold-shoulder tops. So sorry I didn’t include these earlier, but I forgot I had saved them!

31 – Mauve Cold Shoulder Top

32 – Pink Cutout Choker Cold Shoulder Top
33 – Black Embroidered Bell Sleeve Cold Shoulder Top
34 – Contrast Trim Cold Shoulder Ruffle Top

Bell Sleeve Tops

35 – Navy Contrast Bell Sleeve T-shirt
36 – Black Bell Sleeve Keyhole Back Blouse (or this Black Bell Sleeve Slim T-Shirt)

37 – Black Polka Dot Print Layered Sleeve Blouse

38 – White Ruffle Collar Layered Sleeve Top

39 – Pink Layered Bell Sleeve Ribbed Top
40 – White Button Up Layered Bell Sleeve Blouse

Ruffled Dresses for Spring

41 – Black Gingham Cold Shoulder Dress

42 – Black And White Polka Dot Open Shoulder Dress

43 – Blue Striped Ruffle Off The Shoulder Belted Shirt Dress
44 – Grey Ruffle Sleeve Tee Dress

Saddle Bags and Crossbody Bags

Spring Crossbody Bags Saddle Bags under $50

45 – Mini Crossbody with Circle Closure (in 3 color combinations, love this similar saddle bag too)
46 – Canteen Crossbody Bag
47 – Square Crossbody Bag (3 colors)
48 – Laser Cut Mini Saddle Bag (also in white)
49 – Studded Faux Leather Saddle Bag (3 colors)
50 – Flap Saddle Bag with Tassels (4 colors)

Ok, there you go folks! 50 spring trends under $50! Act fast, as many of these items are already selling quickly! Let me know in the comments below which are your favorite trends for spring!

First Time Styling LuLaRoe

February 20, 2017 by Virginia Evans 14 Comments

This post has been in the works for a couple of weeks now and I’m so excited to finally be sharing my first time styling LuLaRoe! For about 6 months now I’ve been hearing about LuLaRoe and wondering how to get my hands on some of their pieces. Then Alyssa reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to try some pieces in exchange for a review! It was perfect timing! Each of these pieces was sent to me to try and review but the opinions are all my own.

According to the LuLaRoe website, “LuLaRoe exists to provide an opportunity for people to create freedom by selling comfortable, affordable, stylish clothing, and offering its Retailers the independence to set their own pace and schedule. This creates the time to spend with those closest to them…” I love the idea of shopping through consultants and helping a small business be successful. You can get your hands on LuLaRoe clothing through a consultant like Alyssa.

Overall I loved how versatile these pieces were. The fabric was thinner than I expected. But I LOVE the colors and patterns and every item was the perfect length (not always the case these days!). Alyssa told me that they come out with 400 new patterns a day so you are bound to find some unique pieces! To top it off, I love how shopping LuLaRoe supports consultants who can have the freedom to both work from home and bring in some extra income!

Julia Dress

This was one of my absolute favorites in the pictures. I love the length of the sleeves and the length of the skirt. Even though it’s a tighter-fitting skirt, the length makes it more appropriate for work. There are so many different ways to wear a dress like this. I showed some of the ways above and in the week or two since I shot these photos I’ve come up with other ways! (For instance, layer a skirt over the Julia dress!)

I am wearing a Medium in this dress and I think I should have ordered a size smaller. The material is thinner than I’d like for a dress that is a tighter fit and, being a little too big for me, the thin material wrinkled easily when I put my hand on my skirt, etc. I though you would be able to see in the pictures but I realized I didn’t like those shots and took them out! Nevertheless, I definitely want to try more of these in the future! I feel like there are endless possibilities with this dress!

The Perfect T

The Perfect T is another item that can be worn so many other ways. Wear it loose, tie it on the side, or belt it in the middle! I love the idea of layering it over the Julia dress above and belting it, but I wasn’t happy with how these two patterns worked together to photograph it.

I personally prefer a tighter-fitting top and different neckline but I know that many people prefer a looser top. What I think we can all love is the length! It is shorter in front and longer in back, perfect to wear with tighter-fitting pants or leggings! In the photo below I took this outfit from casual, to work-appropriate by adding a longer blazer! The Perfect T can worn on the weekend or your workweek!

I ordered the Perfect T in Extra Small and it was still a very loose fit. Talk to your consultant about the way you would like to wear this top and they can recommend the right size. If you size up there are even more style options!

Randy Tee

This t-shirt is so comfortable and I love the baseball sleeves. It would pair so well with the right Cassie skirt. I received this one in a Small and it was the perfect size. Out of all the items I received from Alyssa, this one is the one I wear the most. Throw it on with a pair of jeans like I did here or tuck it into a skirt for work. Sometimes t-shirts are not quite long enough on me but this one is the perfect length! Plus, I love all the patterned fabrics it comes in!

Cassie Skirt

This was my absolute favorite piece of the bunch. It’s super-comfortable and the perfect length! I felt like the material was better on this skirt than the other pieces I tried. It could be because of the pattern, but the material obscured anything underneath. It’s classy and comfortable! Every teacher or professional needs one of these skirts!! Plus, look at my Julia pictures above and see how I wore it as an infinity scarf as well!! Score! I received this skirt in a size Small.

The only piece sent to me but not photographed was a pair of leggings. LuLaRoe is known for their leggings, available in all kinds of sizes and patterns. I found them very comfortable and soft for a day at home but as I typically do not wear regular leggings out of the house, I did not feature them in outfit photos.

Questions about LuLaRoe:

You can shop LuLaRoe by going to Alyssa’s Facebook page or finding a local retailer through the LuLaRoe website. On Facebook, simply request to be added to a LuLaRoe Facebook group, even if it is marked as private. With a local consultant you can try on clothes and feel the fabric. You can see how the clothes fit and what sizes you prefer. By finding LuLaRoe retailers online, you can find more patterns, prints and sizes as it’s rare for consultants to carry the same styles and prints.

Consultants sell on Facebook by having live sales and album sales where they post each style in an album and separate them by sizes to make shopping easier. If you find a local consultant they sometimes host open houses where you can stop by and feel the fabrics in person.

Each LuLaRoe retailer has their own shipping and return policies which can usually be found on their Facebook VIP page.

If you have made it all the way to the bottom then you must be interested in styling LuLaRoe! Make sure to connect with Alyssa through her Facebook VIP page and let me know in the comments if you’ve tried LuLaRoe and what your favorite styles are!

Thanks to LuLaRoe Alyssa Lehman for providing the LuLaRoe clothing to try for this post.