Tag Archives: a new day

Jul10

Brunch Babe OOTD

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Brunch Babe OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! I had a highly successful shopping trip at TJMaxx this past month with my mom and have been so excited to break out all of my new clothes! I had just the occasion to do so this past weekend because Johnny and I enjoyed a lovely birthaversary celebration brunch with my aunt and uncle. We went to First Watch and ate like kings and I did so VERY carefully to avoid a spill on this fabulous, flowery, flowy number. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Embroidered Top: Caroline Constas, TJMaxx

Bubble Skirt: A New Day, Target

Kitten Heels: A New Day, Target

Skull Earrings: Sirius Woods, these were a birthday gift from my BFF!

The piece de resistance of my TJs haul was truly the flower embroidered top by Caroline Constas. I literally clutched my pearls when I saw it and knew in an instant that it was coming home with me. I had been dying to wear it and thought it was just perfect for the weekend brunch we had planned. It’s bright, quirky, and fun and it sounds weird but it just felt like the top to wear to sip mimosas in a trendy restaurant. This top offers so much delightful movement with the huge bell sleeves and I knew I needed a skirt to match that energy. Luckily, I had exactly what I needed compliments of my Valentine’s Day date with Johnny!

In the skirt department, I chose my beloved bubble skirt from Target. I have wanted one for forever and was so happy to have finally found one! This skirt provided the volume and movement that I required to form a cohesive silhouette with the top. I wanted a bold shape and I got it in spades! The high waist meshed well with the fairly close fit of the top’s bodice and then both pieces branched out into flouncy fabulousness. It was so hard not to twirl my way through the streets with this combination!

Last but not least, was shoes and accessories. I went for a darling pair of kitten heels that were also a part of my V-Day ensemble and feature an adorable heart on the toe. These were ideal for the outfit as the slingback strap gave an unbroken leg line. This helped add length to the look by accentuating my legs as the base was quite fabric heavy. I didn’t want to go overboard with jewelry because the shapes of the clothing were eye catching enough. To keep things simple, I chose the gorgeous pair of dangly pearl skull earrings from my bestie and was ready to get my brunch on!

I absolutely love my Brunch Babe OOTD and wearing my Caroline Constas top for the first time was everything I wanted it to be and SO much more! ❤

What is your favorite brunch spot? Who is your go to brunch date? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun10

Birthday Partay OOTD

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Birthday Partay OOTD

Hello!! June first was my sweet Johnny’s birthday and we had a little get together at chez nous to celebrate. It was nothing major, just a few friends but it was oh so much fun! It was also delightful to have one of our dear friends who officiated our wedding and his fiance join us. For such a monumental occasion, we just had to show out in our birthday best to get our partay on. Who am I kidding, for every occasion, we always show out! Take a look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Lipstick Kiss Cami: A New Day, Target

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Speech Bubble Heels: LFL, TJMaxx

Bracelet: Allsaints, TJMaxx

I think the earrings are from Target!!

It has been getting hot, hot, hot in good ol’ Akron, Ohio and TMI but I had finally shaved my armpits lol. So, I started building this outfit by browsing in the cami department. Hey, I just had to show off those silky smooth pits! My eyes landed on the adorable lipstick kiss cami that I purchased at Target for mine and Johnny’s Valentine’s Day date this year. While this pattern might be traditional for V-Day, that doesn’t mean it can’t be worn literally whenever I want and I love this top. It fits like a glove, has a gorgeous sheen, and is sexy without me feeling like it’s too much. With this little number as the focal point, the rest of the outfit built itself from there.

For jeans, I decided to go for a fantastic pair of coated skinnies by Seven Jeans. These pantaloons are my pride and joy and feature the slightest snakeskin pattern. However, it is so minimal that it can be worn with another pattern no harm no foul. Of course, I chose these jeans because they are the freaking coolest, but it was primarily for the sheen from the coating. Because the cami had a similar motif, they worked in tandem rather than clashed against each other. Remember, you can always pair two shiny pieces together and they are going to work especially well if the base color is the same!

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For a pop of pure fun, I went with my word bubble heels by LFL with the bold statement of “Who Cares!”. And, the answer is: I most certainly don’t! These provided a sassy pop of red toenail polish to tie the look together from head to toe. I had plenty of open real estate for jewelry but I didn’t want to overdo it as I was already working with sheen on sheen on sheen. I put on one of my favorite bracelets by Allsaints as well as a pair of dangly black teardrop gem earrings. With that, I was ready to get my partay on with all of my favorite people!

Johnny and I were looking our best and had the best time for his birthday. If you’re going to celebrate, you have to do it in style! ❤

What have you celebrated recently? Have you done any summer clothes shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar24

Floral Flounce OOTD

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Floral Flounce OOTD

Howdy everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! I had a surprise day off on Monday and I fancied shooting some content with my tripod. I had every intention of going outside to take some OOTD shots, then I stepped foot outside and it was cold AF. Lol, so I went to the limited “blank” spaces in my apartment and in the words of Tim Gunn a la Project Runway – I made it work! Check out this super cute look that is so perfect for spring:

Who? What? Wear?

Bubble Sleeve Top: True Destiny, TJMaxx

Bubble Skirt: A New Day, Target

Heeled Mules: Betsey Johnson, TJMaxx

Lego Stud Earrings: AbbieDabbles

I have been enamored with the bubble skirt that I purchased from Target for Valentine’s Day as soon as I laid eyes on it in the store. A bubble skirt is something that I have wanted for forever and it has exceeded all of my expectations. It is just so fun, flouncy, and transforms any look with such a unique shape and lots of movement. I love that this is a piece that can be worn year round and I have every intention of doing so – starting with this look. My Floral Flounce OOTD is one that I styled in my head and I am pleased to report that it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. GREAT SUCCESS!

As the bubble skirt was a shoe-in for this fit, the question was simply what to pair it with. I had just the top in mind – a darling little bubble sleeve number by True Destiny. This top is an instant showstopper. From the vivid floral pattern to the fitted torso that explodes into huge bubble sleeves, there is no doubt about it being a statement piece. Regardless of the pretty pattern popping against the black skirt, I was more interested in the True Destiny top for the fit. As a rule of thumb for myself, I don’t like pairing two like items together – IE: Two bubble fit pieces. However, the fitted torso gave an excellent buffer between the bubble skirt and sleeves and prevented a giant marshmallow effect. 😀

Next, it was onto shoes and accessories. To keep with a nice and lean leg line, I opted for a quirky pair of mules by Betsey Johnson. These mules are jam packed with sweet surprises like the flower brooches and striped heels. As the black skirt was a buffer between the bold top, it was no harm no foul to incorporate additional patterns on the heels. Between all of different dynamic aspects of this look, jewelry wasn’t necessary in the slightest. I popped on a pair of stud earrings made from Lego bricks and was ready to take pictures in my kitchen lol.

This Floral Flounce OOTD is FUN from top to bottom and I am in love with everything about it. I can’t wait to wear it out!

Have you updated your wardrobe for spring? What are some of your own fashion rules? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar4

V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD

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V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to my better late than never V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD! Two weekends ago, Johnny and I wrapped up our Valentine’s Day celebrations by seeing our favorite musical, Hadestown, as EJ Thomas Hall in Akron. Unfortunately, the show left a lot to be desired but we still had a lot of fun! Also unfortunately, our location for our dinner beforehand was completely booked up and that left us in a mad dash to find another option and get to the theater in time. You can read all about that in the Blooper Reel but, long story short, we ended up taking OOTD shots during the super brief intermission of Hadestown. The lighting sucked, these pictures aren’t the best and kind of blurry, but it was the best we could do lol! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Kisses Cami Top: A New Day, Target

Bubble Skirt: A New Day, Target

Heart Toe Kitten Heels: A New Day, Target

The earrings are also from Target and I’m SHOOK that there is nothing from TJMaxx in this look!

I used to LOVE shopping at Target until there came a point when I hated all of the clothes there lol. In fact, I rarely even go to Target anymore so I couldn’t believe how cute all of their Valentine’s Day apparel was during a random Target Run a few months ago. I really had no intention of getting a new outfit for mine and Johnny’s Hadestown date, but I just couldn’t help myself because the OOTD built itself in a matter of seconds. The cami and bubble skirt were on the same rack, the shoes were directly across from them, and I knew it would look great so I went for it!

The first thing that caught my eye in the store was definitely the cami top adorned with red lipstick kisses. I loved the silky material and despite having a holiday themed print, it is something that could be worn year round. That was especially enticing to me because I don’t want to just wear a piece once, but as long as the weather permits. This cami is delightfully reminiscent of my go to tops from French Rooster and it’s nice to have something different because I feel like I wear them all the time. Had I not bought a new outfit, I’m ninety-nine percent confident I would have ended up wearing one or the other of my tried and true camis for Hadestown.

Next, can we please talk about how cute the bubble skirt is?! I have always been enamored with bubble skirts because they are just so whimsical and fun. Until that fateful Target Run, I had never seen one in store so I had to jump on it. I’m elated that I did because it is, hands down, one of my favorite purchases of recent memory. This skirt paired with the cami tucked in created such a unique silhouette and it was freaking awesome. I have never seen myself in a shape like that and it was exciting to wear something so different from the norm. I felt like a ballerina model and what is better than that?!

Last but not least, was shoes and accessories. As I mentioned, the kitten heels by A New Day were just a glance away from the skirt and top. I would have paired this outfit with my Nine West kitten heels but how do you say no to those adorable heart toes? I am also obsessed with the see through sides, which is a style I love but have never found anything I liked enough to get. For jewelry, I chose an elegant pair of three tiered black gemstones to elongate my neck and that was that because my tattoos were my accessory department. 😀

Stay tuned for the Blooper Reel from this look because a majority of these pictures were bloopers and so was the entire evening leading up to the show!

What is your favorite holiday to dress for? What is your favorite pattern to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb5

If The Shoe Fits: A New Day Kitten Heels Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: A New Day Kitten Heels Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of If The Shoe Fits! During my last Target Run, I purchased an All New Everything OOTD for mine and Johnny’s Valentine’s Day date. Did I have any intention of this? Shockingly, no. However, Target made it all too easy to build the perfect V-Day look. I found my new top and bubble skirt on the same rack and the shoes you are about to see were directly across the aisle! Before we begin, I’d like to give myself a pat on the back for not buying new shoes since August of last year. This further solidified my need for a little treat lol! Check out the completed look:

As a petite princess, I am most fond of chunky platform heels to elevate my height. I absolutely love the way they look and I rock them frequently. I do have a very special place in my heart for kitten heels, though! Kitten heels offer a totally different vibe than my standard platforms. They are so sweet and dainty and always remind me of doll shoes. When I saw the top and skirt, I began putting the outfit together as I made my way to the fitting rooms. I planned on pairing the ensemble with a pair of kitten heels I already own, then these little beauties caught my eye across the way and that plan went out the window.

After having great success with the clothes, I literally thought to myself “what the hell” and tried the shoes on too lol. Just by looking at them, I knew that they would work so why not! I was so right because these kitten heels were made to be worn with the rest of my outfit. In fact, I couldn’t believe I almost passed them by. These heels are the perfect adorable something to compliment my new ensemble. First and foremost, the pointed toes look like hearts and it’s just so darn cute! As an extra bonus, these heels feature see through sides, which I don’t own anything like but always wanted to. These might not be shoes that I would wear with everything in my closet, but my skirts and dresses can now rejoice from new kitten heels to be paired with!

I am already unbelievably excited for a V-Day date with my main squeeze but even more so now that I have a gorgeous new OOTD to wear for the occasion!

What is your favorite style of shoes? What are you wearing for Valentine’s Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb3

Target Run: A New Day Bubble Skirt

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Target Run: A New Day Bubble Skirt

Hello to you and welcome to Part Two of my Valentine’s Day OOTD Builder! To be perfectly honest, I feel like I am cheating on TJMaxx by buying an entire outfit from Target lol. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, it has been literal years since I purchased clothes from there. In fact, I dug through the archives of lifewithlilred to find an exact amount of time and the last thing I bought was a cardigan over three years ago. And, when you look at it like that, I suppose I was well overdue for a Target Run! Check out the rest of the base for my V-Day date night fit:

Target really did make it all too easy to create a one stop shop for a Valentine’s Day ensemble. Directly behind the lipstick print cami on the rack was this divine bubble skirt, which is also by A New Day. At this point, I threw my hands up and said “F it” lol. If I was already going to get the top, I might as well try on the skirt too! Actually, I clutched my pearls over this skirt because I have always wanted one in this style. Bubble skirts are so fantastically whimsical and gives me all of the anime vibes. They are just too sweet, provides eye catching movement, and looks so much more interesting than a standard skater, A-line, or bodycon skirt. As you all know, my MO when it comes to buying new clothes is to get pieces that I don’t own anything like already so this skirt was as good as mine.

This top and skirt were made for each other and if I was more familiar with the way clothes from Target fit, I wouldn’t have even tried them on. I was that confident that they would be perfect and my suspicions were proven spot on. Once both items were on in the fitting room, I was so enamored that I wanted to wear them out of the store. I felt like a star without wearing makeup and sporting major hat hair from the beanie I had on! The silhouette of the top tucked into the skirt was like nothing I had worn before and it was so interesting to see myself in a way that I wasn’t used to. The top fit close to my body and the skirt ballooned out like a blossoming flower. It made me feel like a ballerina and had me wishing that mine and Johnny’s date night was happening that very evening!

Keep it locked for a brand new edition of If The Shoe Fits to see my V-Day OOTD in all of its glory. All I can say is, I’m obsessed!

What is important to you about the clothes you buy? What are your Valentine’s Day plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb2

Target Run: A New Day Cami Top

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Target Run: A New Day Cami Top

Hello!! Johnny and I are celebrating Valentine’s Day by seeing our favorite musical, Hadestown, at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron. Saying we are beyond excited is an understatement!! I had no intention of buying a brand new outfit for the occasion – shocking I know. While my intentions were good, I did not hold up on them whatsoever lol. During a recent Target Run, the siren song of darling new clothes was too strong and I ended up purchasing a completed OOTD for our date night. This was actually really surprising to me because I fell out of clothes shopping at Target years ago as I was never impressed with their selection. My V-Day look has me thinking that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to do Target Runs more frequently! Check out Part One for my OOTD – a gorgeous cami top by A New Day:

While I was at Target, I wasn’t even looking at the clothes. I simply walked by the women’s department en route to what I needed to get and stopped short lol. As I strolled along, I locked in on this adorable cami and knew I had to try it on. I absolutely love silky and sweet tops like this for date nights. They are sexy without being too much and has so much potential to style multiple different looks with it. And, of course, Lil Red can’t say no to a print of bright red lipstick kisses! I am dead serious when I say that I was going to buy this top only and then style my outfit with clothes that I already have. Until I saw the perfect thing to pair it with on the same rack, which you will all see tomorrow!

But, I digress – let’s talk about styling options. 😀 With a top like this, you can pair it with just about anything and it’s going to look good as black is a neutral and there isn’t anything special about the way it fits. It isn’t too tight or overly flowy, making it ideal for tucking into skirts, wearing it underneath a blazer, or even with blue jeans and a cozy cardigan. Can you imagine this cami with sassy shorts and platform heels in the summer? Forget about it! Even though the print is traditional for Valentine’s Day, it is really something that can be worn any time of the year and that is so, totally sweet. ❤

My V-Day OOTD Builder is one third complete. Stay tuned for the remaining pieces and a killer OOTD post to show off the end result!

Do you like to shop for clothes at Target? What did you get on your last Target Run? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep22

Hello, Yellow OOTD

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Hello, Yellow OOTD

Hi hi!! This past week, duty called as a social media manager to take part in a meeting for a new project. This was on top of what is already my busiest day of the week and I was wiped out. Regardless of being tired, it is always important to me to put together an OOTD that makes me feel my best so I can put my best face forward. The said project was an art driven one so I wanted to create a look that was business casual with some funky flare. And, of course, I wanted to be comfortable. The Hello, Yellow OOTD you are about to see was so comfy, in fact, that it felt like wearing pajamas and no one was the wiser for it! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Yellow Cardigan: A New Day, Target

Navy Blue Crop Top: This was a hand me down from my sister

Pinstripe Slacks: Free People, TJMaxx

Snakeskin Pattern Kitten Heels: Splendid, TJMaxx

Retro Headband: TJMaxx

The turquoise earrings are Lucky Brand!

Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted to wear to this meeting and it was quite the mad dash to throw together. I was on a time crunch, had a decent drive ahead of me, and it felt like every idea I had sucked. So, I scrapped them all, took a breath, and did a restart with something that I knew for a fact would work. This began with my pair of pinstripe slacks by Free People. I love the modern take on business casual that they offer with the wide leg and soft cloth material. These slacks also helped set up a neutral base when paired with the navy blue crop top so that I could enhance the look with pops of color.

Speaking of pops of color, cue the mustard yellow cardigan by A New Day! The weather in Ohio has still been really warm and this was a perfect option as it was nice and light. Because navy is a neutral, I could wear this cardigan with no repercussions to the overall outfit. I am a huge fan of anything yellow and the cardi turned the very basic base into something special. It also provided me with some midriff coverage for the little bit showing between the crop top and high waisted slacks. This was great because it kept me worry free about any peek a boo moments for the duration of the evening.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I decided on a pair of snakeskin pattern kitten heels. Had the pinstriping on the pants been more bold, I would have went with something different. However, it was so light that introducing a new pattern wouldn’t clash. This was further assisted by the fully neutral palette too. Next, it was time to browse the accessory department. My hair was not behaving whatsoever, so a headband was in order. I chose a lovely retro hued headband with yellow that closely mimicked the cardigan and popped on a pair of dangly turquoise earrings for good measure. With that, I was ready to go!

There is no rule stating that business casual has to be boring. This Hello, Yellow OOTD is my take on office ready vibes with my signature Lil Red aesthetic!

How do you dress for work? How do you dress for play? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun2

A New Day Cardigan

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A New Day Cardigan

Hi! While I love Target, it is normally not the first place that comes to my mind when I want to do clothing shopping. However, I was so impressed with their selection during a quick Target run this past week for a few odds and ends and I am looking forward to going back in June once they open their fitting rooms! There were so many pieces that I had my eyes on but I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of returning the items that didn’t work after trying them on at home. That didn’t stop me from purchasing a darling dusty lavender cardigan, though, since I could just slip it on over what I was wearing! Check it out:

During my run through of the Target clothing department, I instantly fell in love with my new crocheted cardi. I have been obsessed with anything lavender ever since buying my floral lavender skirt and crop top set from Altar’d State because I have never had anything of that color in my wardrobe. When my hair was just red, lavender never used to look good on me and would really wash me out. But once I replaced the yellow in my hair with pink, it opened up so many new colors that I never dreamed of wearing before.

All of these color options that are available to me now like blue, pink, and lavender has made these first few shopping trips since the beginning of the pandemic super exciting. It makes me want to try everything on and I can’t wait to update my wardrobe accordingly once more fitting rooms in stores are open. For now, though, I think I am off to a great start thanks to my Altar’d State Haul and this sweet sweater.

The color was, obviously, a major selling point of this cardi for me as well as its shape. When it comes to cardigans, I usually opt for longer ones. However, my A New Day cardi hits right above my hips and that length combined with the roomier sleeves offers a silhouette that I didn’t have anything like.

The first thing that came to mind when I saw my purchase was how perfect it would be with my lavender skirt and top set during a breezy summer evening. I also think that this cardi will be so cute paired with dark denim shorts and a crop top, which is an outfit that can easily be transitioned into the fall with tights!

These past few shopping trips have been just as magical as I imagined them while in lockdown and it feels so good to have fun with fashion again. 🙂

Which colors look the best on you? Which colors do you avoid wearing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

 

Nov26

Holiday Gathering OOTD

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Holiday Gathering OOTD

Hi! With the holiday season in full swing now, it’s important to be able to put together a lovely OOTD for any get togethers that you might be attending. The outfit in this post is actually what I wore for Thanksgiving, and it has given me a good template to follow for a look that’s classy but still fun around your family, friends, or total strangers! Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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Who? What? Wear?

When thinking about what I wanted to wear on Thanksgiving day, my BCBG layered sweater dress seemed like an obvious choice. It’s so cute and comfortable while still looking really chic, and that is a must because Lil Red always tries to show out at family events! Plus, this dress fits a bit looser so I don’t have to worry about busting out of it after eating a huge holiday meal!

But, of course, just this dress would not be warm enough for a late November holiday so I had to enlist the help of some tights to cover my legs. And, cold or not, my legs are pretty hairy so the tights needed to happen, anyways. At first, I was going to just wear some sheer black tights but, I found this charcoal sweater pair in my closet and decided to give them a go. I was a little worried that it would be too much grey, but the heather grey of the dress looked lovely against the charcoal and the two differing sweater textures was also a nice, cozy touch. The sweet blue doves on my heels also paired well with the palette, too, so (For once!) I didn’t choose black and went with All Grey Everything.

To top this look off, literally, I decided to go with one of my favorites: My purple, orange, and navy plaid topper coat from Target. Because everything else was neutral in my OOTD, I could go color crazy and still look put together. The deep, burnt colors in this coat just scream festive fall holiday to me and I loved how it popped against the stark white and soft grey underneath. My topper coat felt like a really necessary part of this overall look, because the dress and tights were so comfortable. It took my OOTD from Thanksgiving Lounge to Thanksgiving Get Down and I absolutely love the end results!

When styling for a cold weather holiday event, it’s important that you dress for the weather without wearing a full blown snowsuit! Knitwear is a great place to start – sweaters, cardigans, cableknit dresses, and thick tights will all keep you nice and warm without breaking out the puffer coats. And, to complete your look, always top it off with a cool coat or jacket to add some pizazz to your comfortably cute OOTD.

How do you style a look for holiday gatherings? How do you stay warm while still looking chic? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah