Solid-colored clothing that can stay in my closet for multiple seasons are key. I love being able to grab pieces like this black chiffon midi dress and pair it with everything to create endless outfit possibilities.

This dress, in particular, is great for both a night out and an office look—aside from being an every day piece. To transform this piece into office appropriate attire, I pair the dress with a black pencil skirt and racerback tank top, or a black dress. To take this dress out for a night on the town, I tie a chiffon belt in a bow just a little under my bust and pull the dress to make it shorter and give my figure more shape. I am no stranger to midi-length dresses that have slits on both sides. Similar to this dress, I have a halter slit dress that is perfect for summer.

For this casual, everyday look that I am currently wearing, I slipped into a Vince Camuto midi pencil skirt to give a peek of contrast, topped off with a gold necklace and charm bracelet. These taupe ankle booties also go so well with everything because, of course, they are classic and nuetral, too.

Skirts that flare out toward the bottom and cinch at the waist usually never work for my figure. However, during a business trip back in November, I found this pleated leather midi skirt at a boutique in St. Petersburg, Florida. I thought I would try it on to entertain myself, but then, I fell in love with sleek look it gave my figure.

However, the showstopper of this outfit isn’t my skirt, but this beautiful, burgundy, striped, long sleeve, crop top—try saying that five times fast. This outfit was actually recommended by my boyfriend. Yes, the same one you read about in my last post who did not like my plus size cape dress. While we certainly can’t agree on everything, most girls could never rely on their boyfriends for fashion advice, but mine can’t wait to chime in—good or bad.

My last touching point of this post is my hair! I have been working to achieve a look that I am not even quite sure what the end result looks like—it changes every month—but I knew I had to find a one-of-a-kind hairstylist here in the city. Anastasia Amico styles at Mane Space in Chicago’s Loop. She definitely took my hair from blah to shiny and colorful. Thanks, Anastasia!

Men and women, we’re from different worlds, OBV. So it’s inevitable that my boyfriend will not always agree with my fashion choices, nor is he going to like every trend I become obsessed with. Heck, he won’t be the only one!

Before I get into the story behind the title of this post, can I just say that I love the cape trends that have gained footing over the past year? I loved the cape outterwear that was sported last winter, and I find the cape dress extremely elegant and chic. This dress in particular isn’t just your average LBD, it has a cape, which makes it all the more special in my eyes.

I threw on this dress with excitement as soon as I got it. Thinking that my boyfriend would praise me for my bold choice, I couldn’t wait to show him. Just as soon as I put it on, I could tell by the look on his face—which went from anticipation to confusion in less than a second—that he would not be looking forward to seeing this dress any time soon.

I couldn’t wait to wear it. However, the truth is, I let his opinion sway the way I felt about the dress, as today was the first time I had worn it out since I bought it three weeks ago. Although it’s not his favorite piece of clothing that I own, he still ventured out with me to take these photos and support my fashion decision.

Not everyone is going to agree with your life or style choices, which is why you have to do and wear what makes you the happiest. So before we left our apartment, I grabbed these Quay sunglasses—which he also said were a “little strange”—I swished my cape and joked with him, “Don’t you love superheros?”

P.S. I still love him, and the dress. 

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Do you ever see a faux fur coat or vest while shopping and think you have to have it? Well, I know I do, but when I throw on the accessory, it never really turns out the way I expected.

I saw a similar faux fur vest like the one I’m wearing on another blogger a couple weeks ago. That’s when I realized that I had a faux fur vest in my closet that had not yet seen the light of day. I was inspired by the blogger and decided to create a similar all black look to accompany the poofy vest I couldn’t wait to get home and rip out of the closet, which is what usually happens when fashion inspo takes over.

While I’m not totally satisfied with the ensemble I put together, I did learn a few things about being able to pull of the faux fur look. Peep the lessons below:

• If your faux fur piece is busy in pattern, keep the rest of your outfit all one color, color-blocked, or very minimalist. This will help you not look like Cruella de Ville as you walk down the streets—I think…
• All black ensembles pair very well with lighter furs and lighter colored outfits pair better with dark colored furs. However, if you are a rebel and you insist on switching up the above declaration, I won’t stand in your way! 
• For my curvy ladies: Fur will always look bulky on us, there is no way around it. So, embrace it! Side note: If you are short and curvy, like me, top your ensemble off with some heels or wedge booties…I wish I would have worn a pair of shoes with a couple of extra inches for this outfit shoot. 
• People may look at you funny. They are probably envying you for being able to step out in the edgy, yet glamorous winter staple…..Believe it or not, fur is harder to pull of than you may think. Try it!
• Above all else, just own it. You can sport, rock, and wear anything you feel / demonstrate confident in. 

Disclaimer: This is a freakin’ long post, sorry. But so many amazing things are happening. If you want to skip through my life update, scroll down to the bottom. I sort of buried some exciting news down there!