ROYAL BLUE MAXI DRESS THREE WAYS

Dress: Xi Company // Belt: Xi Company 

Good morning friends! I have to be honest and tell you that I'm super nervous about publishing my first fashion post on this blog. Yes, it is this one, yikes!!!!

Let's talk about this gorgeous maxi dress that I bought on sale for $5.

YES $5!  I'm a horrible bargain shopper but I felt like I won the lottery with this one. 

 So this is how it all started.... Before I had children I worked in a corporate environment where you were not allowed to dress with fun colors and you had to be very conservative. The conservative part of it doesn't bother me at all. Through the years I collected a lot of clothes in neutral colors... black, white, brown, beige and blue. It worked perfect for me back then and I learned to dress this way and loved it. I was known as the elegant and sophisticated girl from the office, so wearing all these colors made me feel fancy! 

 As we all know life is a cycle and it changes constantly, so does your habits!  After having my son, my husband and I decided that it will be best for me to be a stay at home mommy, which I LOVE!  I found myself self -conscious about my weight. I gained 72 pounds, and started wearing a lot of gym clothes all the time. I told myself, I'm not going shopping until I shed this weight off! Two years later, here I am feeling amazing and back to my pre-pregnancy weight!!

So now what? Reality hits, I am a fun active mom  with no fun clothes and I found myself comparing my style to other girls and loving all the colors that everyone wears lately and looking at my closet feeling like I had no fun clothes to wear! I felt like all I owned was , as my mom says, "sad clothes"

 What I absolutely love about fashion now is that no matter what your style is, you don't need to match your colors, you can use different patterns and at the end of the day it all blends in and looks perfect. So I opened my closet, bought a few basics and started mixing my office clothes with fun clothes and it all looks great. Being creative, mixing and matching ,and having fun was all I needed!!

So I want to show you how I mixed and matched one of my favorite dresses with what I already had in my closet. I was able to create different looks by wearing a basic piece, in my case a royal blue maxi dress. I added a light beige shirt and a different belt, you now have a whole new look, change your shirt and add a different top, you have another look! I can could probably have showed you at least 10 different looks on this post, by just wearing one basic piece. The best part of it is, I really wanted to buy a blue skirt, now I don't have to!! 

Who doesn't love taking pictures when it's 107 degrees outside!



Right Hand Ring: Gem and Jewelry Show (Phoenix, AZ) // Bracelets: Zales // Watch: Caché

Shoes: De Blossom Collections (Xi Company) 

Glasses: Ray-Ban (Sunglass Hut) 

 I'm a mom of an active two-year old boy who got used to wearing flats just to keep up with him.
Sometimes I forget how to walk in heels! 

 Belt: It was my moms and it's 35 years old! //
Top: Downeast Basics (Model-scoop tee in a light beige color) //

Necklace and Earrings: Charming Charlie

I am absolutely in love with this top.
I wear it with jeans, pants, skirts and it goes with everything.

Top: Ralph Lauren (Macy's)

I seriously had to stop to smell this desert plant, just for fun!

 So to conclude..there is NO NEED TO BREAK THE BANK LADIES! You can be a mommy, dress comfortable and look great all at the same time. NO MORE GYM CLOTHES for this mama!!! Best part is, my husband loves having the old groomed Paola back. I can now see that sparkle in his eyes when he comes home to a groomed wife. I really missed that! I know that he loves me dearly and what really matters to him and should matter to all of us is, who we are as person, our  feelings, the purity of our thoughts and our actions. But lets be real guys, every man likes coming home to a loving, nurturing, caring and sexy wife!!!!



Meet my amazing friend and photographer Kimberly. I met Kim at church when she introduced herself as my visiting teacher. Since we met this girl has done nothing than bring the best out of me.

Visit her blog and get to know her. She is an amazing gal!!!!!! http://diaryofabrwneyedgirl.blogspot.com/



Which look do you like best?  I would love to challenge you to look in your closet and play around with your clothed! Mix, match, be creative and send me a picture. I would love to feature them on my blog so other people can see that you too can be creative and look absolutely gorgeous!