Sweater Weather

Tonight want to talk about one of my favorite cold weather necessities: sweaters.  Come fall, there are few things a New England girl loves more than a warm, comfy sweater.  Don't be fooled by the 70 degree weather we are getting tomorrow, the cold will be here to stay before we know it.  And then, for us New Englanders, it will be sweater season until April.  I have made the transition in my closet from summer clothes to winter clothes.  In doing so, I have pulled aside four of my favorite sweaters to share with you!

As many of you could guess, all my favorite sweaters are all from Express.  I am happy that I work for a store where I love their product!  They have a great over-sized sweater collection.  I have couple London tunic sweaters and some over-sized cable knit tunic sweaters.  I personally like the cable knit sweaters best.  I enjoy how you can see the detailing in the knitting.  This year, Express has expanded their color selection for cable knit sweaters. 

The bottom two sweaters in this stack, seen in the picture above, are the cable knit sweaters.  You can find the similar white and gray/white sweaters seen here, and the new colors, here and here.  The difference between my over-sized tunic sweater and this year's is that mine have a v-neck and these have a crew neck.  

The top two sweaters in this stack, are the London tunic sweaters.  You can find mine, and other colors, here.  The London tunic is perfect for layering with other tops.  These sweaters, like Express' cable knit sweaters, have an over-sized fit.

Express has a great sweater collection.  The quality of their sweaters is great and worth the price, they also have frequent sales on these items.  I suggest waiting until the next sweater deal comes around, and purchase a few in your favorite colors!  And don't forget, these also make for great gift ideas! 

What is your favorite store that you like to raid and stock up on sweaters and winter attire?  Let me know!

Until Sunday, thanks for stopping by Cute Teachings!

Dinner Date

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a great weekend and are rested up for the week ahead.  I had an excellent weekend!  My boyfriend and I are typically extremely busy all week long.  However, Saturday we were able to go out for our weekly date night!  

For our date night, I decided to were my black, cable knit poncho I bought in Barcelona, Spain.  In my opinion, you can never go wrong with black.  Especially if you are out and about for a night in the city.  That night, I felt sleek and stylish in my all black ensemble.  

I love this black poncho because it is long and comfortable.  A rule of thumb I have when wearing leggings as pants, is that my top needs to cover my bottom.  This poncho does that, and falls at a perfect length.  

I am in love with my scuba side panel leggings because they are just the right amount of style and comfort.  The side panel of (minus the) leather, that Express offers, adds just enough to dress up any outfit.  I suggest these for anyone who likes the leather look, but does not feel comfortable in full leather leggings.

I chose to wear a black and white stripe shirt so I could add the perfect amount of color to my outfit.  I did not want to bring too much color to my outfit, because I was going out in the city.

Striped top: Forever 21.  Similar tops: Here.  Poncho: Purchased in Barcelona, Spain.  Similar poncho: Here & Here.  Scuba Side Panel Leggings: Express.  Similar leggings: Here.  The only difference between my leggings and these are that the leggings are now textured.  Leather Lace-up Booties: Boemos/Marshalls.

Denim Challenge (Part 2)

Last Wednesday I decided to create a fashion challenge for myself!  While at an indoor playground, I noticed that all the nannies there, myself included, were in athletic clothing.  I will be the first girl to admit that yoga pants are a God sent.  Especially for those who work with children.  But I made the decision to dress better!  Just because us ladies work hard, does not mean that we need to dress like we are working out.  Here is my seven days of denim.

Day 1

My jeans: Express.  My Tunic Sweater: Express.  My Plaid Shirt: Old Navy.  It is no longer being sold, but here is a similar one.

Day 2

My Jeans: Express.  My Belt: Express. Currently, it is only sold in stores. My Shoes: Minnetonka.  My Stripe Top: Forever 21. This top is no longer for sale.  Here is a similar one.  My Scarf: Marshalls.

Day 3

My jeans: Express.  My Top: Express.  It is no longer for sale.  Here is a similar one.  My Scarf: Express. 

Day 4

My Jeans: Express.  My Sweater: Express.  This sweater is not sold at the moment.  Here is a similar sweater.  My Top: Express. Here is a similar top.

Day 5

My jeans: Express.  My Sweater: Express. Here is this year's edition of my sweater.  My Jacket: Forever 21.  Here is a similar jacket.

Day 6

My Jeans: Express.  My Plaid Shirt: Old Navy. Here is a similar plaid flannel.  My vest was a hand-me-down.

Day 7

My Jeans: Express.  My Booties: Aldo. My Tee: Express.  My Flannel: Chaps.

I enjoyed partaking in this personal challenge! /  I woke up earlier than usual to plan outfits.  This made me begin my day feeling productive!  It was refreshing to not just roll out of bed.  Furthermore, the boys I nanny for have a lot of activities, which is great!  I felt more pulled together and presentable when I was out among mothers and other nannies.  Furthermore, with the cold weather this week, I have felt warmer in jeans opposed to leggings.

What fashion challenge would you like to partake in?  I believe that it is always a great idea to try and improve yourself, style included.  Your style is how you express and present yourself.  Look for inspiration, and find a new way to do that!

Until Sunday!

One Dress, Four Fall Looks

In my previous post, Outfit Inspiration: Dress & Poncho, I styled my Side Slit Striped Mini Sheath Dress with a black poncho.  I loved this fall look, that was inspired by my mother!  A key aspect of this dress, is how versatile it is.  The length makes it perfect for work, and the v-shaped slit at the left hem makes it trendy.  Here are a few different ways you can style this dress, and any other basic dress.

Dress and Poncho

As one could probably tell by now, I love a good poncho.  When the weather is chilly it is the perfect time to wear a poncho, especially for us nannies and sales associates.  You get the warmth of a sweater, but you can move around more freely with no sleeves.

Dress and Blanket Scarf

As I have mentioned before, a blanket scarf is perfect for the colder seasons!  This blanket scarf is warmer than the poncho.  The deep red coloring is great for fall.  I also loved this outfit because I did pattern play (mixing prints: plaid and stripes).

My Side Slit Striped Mini Sheath Dress is from Express.  My brown leather riding boots are from G.H. Bass & Co.  They do not sell this pair at the moment, however, they do sell other Riding Boots.  My blanket scarf is from The Paper Store.  They do not sell this specific scarf anymore.  They do have a new selection this year.

Dress and Statement Necklace

This look is also very simple and does not cost a lot of money, just like the previous ones.  I simply took a black and white outfit and added a splash of color through my statement necklace.  I then added a colorful bag so the necklace would not be on it's own. 

My black leather lace-up boots are Boemos.  My necklace is from Nigeria.  My purse is from Olivia + Joy.  They are not currently selling this purse.  However, I am selling this purse, and others, on my Ebay account.

Dress and Scarf

My last look has this dress with a scarf layered over it.  I chose a printed scarf, with a different print, instead of a solid color.  While choosing this pattern play item, I knew that it needed to have a more compact pattern than that of my striped dress.  The scarf also needed to have similar colors as the dress.  This one was full of grays and black, with a hint of gold.  I brought out the gold by stacking gold bangles together.  Then, I wore a large ring on my other hand to even out the jewelry.  My cognac leather booties helped even out the coloring of the scarf and dress, making the outfit look more pulled together.  These ankle booties are extremely comfortable!  I am able to wear them at Express for a six hour shift and still feel fine by the end of the night!!

My scarf was from Marshalls.  My Leather Rabalais Booties are from Aldo, I own the the cognac color.  They also come in black suede, taupe, and bordeaux suede.  My gold bangles are from Forever 21.  They do not sell these specific ones, however, they do have a large selection of Gold Bangles.  I bought my ring at a Lia Sophia party.  There is a Lia Sophia Outlet website and they sell this ring: Tulipa.  

I hope that you enjoyed these looks that I styled!  All are very simple and do not cost a lot of money.  You do not need a striped dress to pull off these looks.  They work with any basic dress!  I hope that you all have a great week!  Check in Wednesday to see how my Denim Challenge went.  

Until next time, thank you for stopping by Cute Teachings!

Denim Challenge (Part 1)

I believe that the most frequently asked question among nannies is: How can I make today fun?  Yesterday was a rainy day for us Bostonian's and I found myself asking this question again.  I personally love to be outside as much as possible.  And well a nanny can create some great rainy day activities, the rain is definitely more restricting.  This is why I found myself at an indoor bouncy house playground yesterday.  This was the exact place that inspired me to do a little fashion challenge.

Let's admit the dilemma us girls have in the workplace.  Having a dress code, or uniform, is no fun.  On the other hand, when we don't have a dress code, we run the risk of dressing lazy.  You all know what I am talking about.  We go to bed with ambitions of looking cute the next day, and then we wake up tired and leave the house in leggings and a sweatshirt.  As I looked around the indoor playground, that is exactly what I saw...about eight other nannies, all in leggings and sweats.  Myself included.  Well this week I am going to participate in a personal challenge.  I am going to wear jeans, every day, for one whole week.  Hopefully this will motivate me to leave those lazy wardrobe days behind me!

All my jeans are from Express.  Their jeans are extremely comfortable and are great quality! Check out how I style them throughout the week on my Instagram account, Cute Teachings.  Also, check in next Wednesday to see how my denim challenge went!

Have a great rest of the week!  Maybe you'll participate in this same challenge.  Maybe you'll create your own fashion challenge.  Let me know in the comment section below, or on Instagram! 

As always, thanks for reading!