Today’s Outfit Idea: Uniquely Me Sweater Dress

All right, all you ladies who push your style aside because you’re too dang busy just trying to get your kids or your partner or yourself out the door in the morning – the Fastionista is here to ease your style fear.

Our wardrobes should always reflect our personality; every single piece, every staple, every top and bottom should be chosen by us to show the world who we are. This is especially true when it comes to trends. Being fashion forward should never equate to being lost in a sea of whatever happens to be hot this season. So when choosing trendy pieces for your wardrobe, remember to always keep your personality in the forefront. On that note, here’s what’s in my closet today:

· My Favorite Sweater Dress: I have a fair amount of sweater dresses in my boudoir, but this one is my fave because it’s comfy yet chic, sweet but sexy, flirty but fun. I guess that means it’s, like, three dresses in one. No, really, it’s all the things I like about myself and feel about myself (when I’m having a good day, anyway. Bad days mean sweatpants). It’s cream, a soft knit, and unlike many other sweater dresses, it has a flared mini-skirt rather than a pencil cut. I’m going to pair this with simple black tights—I need some coverage, but even a light legging would be too heavy for the delicate style of this dress.

· Cerulean Blue Shrug: My shrug hits right at the waist so it covers up just enough of my sleeveless sweater dress to turn this into a work (not to mention season) appropriate outfit.

· Faux Shearling Coat for Outerwear: I’m going all in with my winter whites, and wearing a white hip-length coat with shearling lining. Luckily my black tights will keep me from looking like a storm cloud just dumped a bunch of snow on me.

· Accessories: Let’s start with a cotton scarf, which will keep me warm when I’m outside but will still complement the style of my sweater dress when I’m inside. This scarf has several green tones striped through it, which all play off the cool color of my shrug nicely. It’s pretty long, so I’ll loosely drape it a couple times around my neck. Next I’ll go with a simple silver fashion ring that’s got a twisty design going on in it. And I’ll finish with a silver anklet, which will pop against the black tights.

· Purse: My cerulean cross-body tote is the perfect way to pick up the shade of my shrug, and since the purse has gold-plated fixtures, it mixes well with my other silver accessories.

· SHOES!: I just have to go with a black suede bootie. They’re low enough so my anklet can show itself off, understated enough so that they don’t distract from my sweater dress, and warm enough to keep my tootsies toasty.

Voila! There you have it: great fashion fast. And you, gorgeous lady, are ready to take on the world, Fastionista Style!

Be ahead of the trend and work these styles into your ensemble before they hit the mainstream.

Today’s Trend: Delicate and Demure

Spring’s going to bring with it delicate materials like silk and chiffon, but a great way to get started on the style is to combine that look with whatever is trending now: for instance, here’s a great sheer blouse from Urban1972.com that sports a bold animal print, which is hot this fall. You may want to hang on to this for spring, come to think of it: anytime you can successfully combine two seemingly disparate styles (in this case, a feisty animal print with a quiet fabric) into one fab look, you’re golden.