Ask Essie: On Casual Dresses & Dress Stores

I got a question in my inbox the other day from a fellow reader who asked me where I get my casual dresses. (If you follow me on Twitter, you might be a little more familiar with my dress collection because I'm almost always posting OOTD's!) To be honest, I actually don't have much experience with dress stores. I stick to my old-and-true list of boutiques I like to go to, and don't experiment much (although I'd like to start doing so more!). My list isn't all that elaborate as of now, but I thought I'd share with you the stores that I do like going to - because, it's always good being able to see what others like and are exposed to.

As far as online boutiques go, I like:

-Modcloth for semi-casual and vintage dresses and accessories

-Libby Story for "boho" styles

-Ruche for feminine and more colorful dresses

For stores you can find in the mall:

-Forever21 for budget-friendly and trendy dresses

-Wet Seal for fun and modern dresses

-Free People for original and effortless dresses

I would definitely recommend checking all these stores out, but most of all recommend just walking around your local city in search of dress boutiques and secondhand stores. A vast majority of my cutest dresses are surprisingly from thrift stores and local boutiques. A huge plus of these kinds of stores is that there's really only one type of one dress, whereas at Modcloth or Forever21, there are probably 5-6 of the same dresses.

What's your favorite place to shop at when it comes to casual dresses?

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Credits

"Dress Rack"; Twitter; Modcloth; Libby Story; Ruche; Forever21; Wet Seal; Free People

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Want to ask the next Ask Essie question? Email your questions to pinkscriptblog@gmail.com!

Style Interview: Valerie

Today's featured post is a style interview by Valerie from Beauty + Fashion who was nice enough to allow us to interview her! Her Q&A session really allowed us to get to know her better both as a person and as a style blogger.

Q: What would you best describe your style as?

A: Casual-Chic!

Q: Do you prefer a certain color when it comes to choosing or shopping for clothes?

A: I love most colors when it comes to fashion, but sometimes find myself avoiding "louder" colors (like neons!).

Q: Who is a major influence on your style? Who is someone you always look up to when it comes to fashion?

A: I really look up to fashion wardrobe stylist Chriselle Lim (http://thechrisellefactor.com/); I absolutely adore her style!

Q: Do you have a certain store you find yourself always headed towards?

A: I might be a little obsessed with Forever 21...

Q: What is one of your favorite up-and-coming trends? What is one trend you just never understood?

A: One of my favorite up-and-coming trends is the "high-low" trend, whether it be dresses, skirts, or tops. A trend I never understood is wearing animal prints and patterns.

Q: What is your favorite piece of accessory? What do you pair it with?

A: At the moment, it's my Petit Coeur Cherie set by JewelMint. I love pairing it with soft, feminine outfits.

Q: What is one tip you would give to readers when it comes to style?

A: Wear what you love and what you feel comfortable and confident in.

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Valerie's Favorite Outfit

If there's one thing I absolutely love about this outfit, it has to be the coral-pink satchel. I think it adds such a feminine and girly (yet vintage and professional!) touch to the dress and accessories. Valerie did an amazing job with the color scheme and this is definitely something I would wear myself!

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Credits

"Glamouristas Setting"; Chriselle Lim; Forever 21; JewelMint; "Outfit"

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Interested in how you can appear in a featured post? Email me at pinkscriptofficial@gmail.com for guest blogging opportunities and programs!

Style Files: Work to Weekend

Some outfits are great when it comes to weekends, but a little lacking when it comes to work. Today's featured guest blogger Bruni from http://www.staybruniful.com/ dishes on the fabulous topic of transforming work clothes into weekend clothes.

Bruni's Advice

Pump up the play factor of this form-fitting pencil skirt with some vibrant neon's. Layer a sheer blouse over a bright tank top to make sure you aren't exactly "office appropriate", yet still right on trend.

Fashion Fact: Gray is a neutral color, so you can pair it with practically anything.

Throw a fitted blazer over casual jeans and a tee outfit for a "cool, laid back" look. Add funky wedge feels and roll up your sleeves to show off the bangles that you can't get away with wearing around the office.

Run errands in your classic crisp white button up, but instead leave it untucked and paired with dark denim for a carefree look...then grab your oxford flats and go!

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Credits

"Work Clothes"; "Pencil Skirt"; "Blazer"; "Button-Up"

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Interested in how you can appear in a featured post? Email me at pinkscriptofficial@gmail.com for guest blogging opportunities and programs!

On Purses and Backpacks

Today I decided to share with you some of my favorite purses and backpack brands. If you follow me on Twitter, I'm almost always posting an OOTD and some of you have noticed my various bag styles! Hopefully this post will give you some inspiration (if you're in need of a new purse or backpack) or some insight if you were looking into purchasing one of these brands.

For Travel: 

I always think of travel bags as more "heavy duty" and less "girly". With that said, I usually opt for sports branded bags; some of my favorite brands are Under Armour and Nike. For slightly more budget-friendly backpacks, I recommend JanSport.

For School:

I'm a university student and only have a couple classes per day, but those classes require heavy textbooks, notebooks, and tons of supplies! All throughout high school I carried around totes, but for college, that just didn't work. Honestly, I'm so in love with the Kipling backpacks that I actually don't think much about it anymore. Talk about bringing fashion into a schoolbag!

For high school students - I really liked the Vera Bradley totes when I was in high school, but I remember them being super expensive to the point where I couldn't get a new tote each year. A brand that I found just as eye-pleasing and slightly less expensive was The Sak.

For Work:

During school breaks, I intern for businesses as a journalist. For more "professional" environments, I recommend leather satchels or totes like the one in the picture above. These are for more professional duties, so I'm fine with splurging on them a little - usually I'll go to a more "higher end" store, like Nordstrom or Saks. Coach, Fossil and Kate Spade also have really cute leather bags. If you're looking for a steal, check your state's "big city" (for me, it's NYC) thrift shops and secondhand stores.

For Shopping & Everyday:

When I go shopping, I like to carry around little top handle and evening purses compared to shoulder bags. The one I'm using right now is the Cirrus PM by Louis Vuitton. Definitely a splurge, I know, but I'm probably not going to change it for awhile. I really don't have any specific "favorite brands" for everyday purses, but my recommendation is to look around local boutiques and shops for finds.

What is your favorite purse/backpack brand?

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Credits

"Whimsical Leather"; Twitter; Under Armour; Nike; JanSport; Kipling; Vera Bradley; The Sak; Nordstrom; Saks; Coach; Fossil; Kate Spade; Louis Vuitton

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Trending: Skinny Jeans + Baggy Tops

I don't know about you, but I've been to the city countless times this past weekend running errands, shopping and going to classes. I reside super close to NYC, so it's not too hard spotting trends, especially when literally everyone is sporting it.

It's been getting colder recently in New York, so us fashionistas here have been pulling out our long denim and sweaters back out. Brr! A super cute trend that I'm currently loving is the classic, chic look - dark skinny jeans paired with an over-sized sweater. Fortunately, it's not freezing to the point where I have to dig into my closet to find my pair of Uggs, so I've been pairing my outfit with gladiator sandals and casual flip flops.

Pulling off the look:
You can find skinny jeans pretty much anywhere; I've found over the years that I appreciate my Charlotte Russe ones best. It's not the best quality (compared to True Religion and Levi) but it's super budget friendly and you're not tempted to get weepy when you get them dirty. For baggy sweaters, I actually like the university logo-d sweaters for when I'm on campus - then when I'm off, I like the Wildfox, Topshop, and Forever 21 sweaters. Finally, for gladiators and flip flops, I go for the generic ones at Forever 21 and Wet Seal.
As for accessories and hair, I keep it to a minimum with dainty rings and pearl/stud earrings, and wear my hair either softly curled in front of my face or up in a messy bun.

Fashion don't dos:
-Pair the outfit with a necklace.
-Add chunky accessories.
-Wear your hair pin straight or in a ponytail.

For those of you who aren't in New York, what's super trendy right now in your area?