Work Wear: Teal and Gold

Dress- Forever 21 (love this color), Heels- Tahari (similar), Belt- Primark (similar), Necklace- Libi and Lola, Watch- Fossil, Bracelet- similar

After pencil skirts, sheath dresses are my favorite thing to wear for work. I have the standard black and gray ones, but this one is a bright pop of color. I love the pairing of teal and gold for a really classy look. I was also thrilled when my new Libi and Lola statement necklace matched perfectly! I'd love to pick up some more bright sheath dresses for work, like the hot purple one I linked above.

Thursday Link Ups: Fashion and Faith Bloggers, Bethany and Meghan for Three-fer Thursday, and Agi!

Friday Link Ups: Amy, Amber, Christina, Tara, Bonnie, and Kristen!

<3 Katie

Summer Lookbook: LWD

 Dress- Forever 21, Heels- Zara (similar in beige/mint), Bag- Forever 21, borrowed (similar), Bracelet- Forever 21 (similar)

Summertime doesn't mean you have to put away your little black dresses, but it does mean that you can do something a little different- a LWD! White dresses are everywhere this summer. Aside from the obvious concern of getting it dirty, white dresses can be very easy to wear. You can pair them with any color shoes, accessories, and jewelry! For this outfit, I dressed it up a bit with heeled sandals, but I have worn this dress with a denim vest on top, a tan belt and sandals for a more casual look. If you don't yet have a white dress in your wardrobe, check out a couple of my favorites below!

How You Can Wear This Look:
Click any item below to find out where to buy it!

Next week's summer staple piece is a maxi dress! Be sure not to miss Wednesday's summer lookbook post!

Linking up with Alison, Lauren, Amy, Savannah and Kelly!

<3 Katie

Confessions of a Fashion Blogger

I'm guest posting for Robyn on What's Hanging today, sharing my favorite summer trends. Be sure to check it out!

I have been having so much fun doing these little "get-to-know-me" posts for the past few weeks, I just had to keep it going today with some confessions. Last week, I shared with you the 7 Deadly Sins of Fashion tag, and the week before was my Glamour magazine inspired "Hey, It's Okay" post. Today, I'm going to let you in on some of the silly/ridiculous/obsessive (read: necessary) things I do for the sake of my blog, or because of it.

{adapted from this meme}

1. I take my outfit pictures in bulk. Normally this happens on weekends, and the occasional weeknight. I'll pick out 4-5 outfits which I have worn recently, or plan to wear, and shoot them all at once for convenience sake. Who takes my pictures? That would be my friend Mallory. She used to have a blog of her own and we took pictures for each other, but she decided it wasn't for her. She graciously still takes my pics, though :) I also had a fabulous shoot last night with my friend Jennifer of Envision Images. You'll see those up on the blog soon!

2. I stalk other bloggers. Yep, I said it. I love to go back through my favorite bloggers' old posts to see how they started, and how they got where they are today. I love a good success story, and I also hope to learn some tips as I filter their posts.

3. I started this blog because I had a major Pinterest obsession. I was that girl who was on Pinterest for hours a day (I'm sure some of you can relate) and would make impulse purchases based on some of the pins I came across. I decided after months of being Pinterest shopping obsessed, I had to make my fashion fixation into something more productive. That's when Style Diary was born. I can't say that I'm not still a frequent pinner/online shopper, but at least I can share my finds with all of you, which is such a fun way to connect with other fashion lovers out there.

4. I follow 445 blogs on Bloglovin'. That doesn't include the ones I follow via email. Now, I don't find the time to read them all, and some I followed to enter an exceptionally awesome giveaway (we've all done it), but I try to find a little time to browse through new posts each day. My favorite thing about Bloglovin' is that you can put blogs you follow into categories (some of mine are Favorites, Nails, Food, etc.) to make them easy to sort through.

5. I am the most fashion obsessed person I know (in real life, that is). In fact, several of my closest friends don't even like shopping (GASP!!). I will be the one in a dress or skirt and heels when going out to dinner, while most of my friends are wearing tanks and jean shorts. And I don't care. I wear what I wear because I like it, not to look like everyone else.

6. I edit my photos with Gimp. What is Gimp, you ask? It's a free software that has similar features to Photoshop, because I'm too cheap to buy the real thing. Or maybe I just use most of my spending money on clothes... Anyway, I find that Gimp is fairly user friendly after you figure out what you're doing, and there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to help when you get stuck.

7. It's hard not to be influenced to be "perfect." So this one is a little more serious instead of silly or informational, but I wanted to include it because its something I think about a lot. Reading blogs, not to mention writing one, creates a lot of pressure to have it all together. I even feel this way about parts of my life that blogging doesn't touch. To name a few, blogging makes me want to: eat healthier, work out more, grow a couple inches, redecorate my apartment, buy a new wardrobe, etc. To do those things is okay, but I really have to think about the motivation behind them. (i.e. Do I want to work out more to be healthier, or because I'm afraid my thighs look a little bigger than I'm comfortable with in my pictures?) I have to remember to just be me, do what makes me happy, and do it because it makes me happy, not because I think it's what other people want to see.

On the other side of the pressure is a community of wonderfully supportive and encouraging readers and friends who make me smile with sweet comments every day. The positive feedback I get from you guys pushes me to want to put more effort into my blog and create something I am really proud of. Thank you for that!

So there you have it, a little background on how I keep this blog up and running, and why I do it. Are there things you wonder about your favorite bloggers? What are they?

<3 Katie

Southwestern Style

Top- Zara, Shorts- Old Navy, Wedges- Banana Republic (similar), Necklace- Jewelmint, Watch- Fossil, Bracelet- similar

This weekend was full of movies, pool time, grilling out, and the Mad Men season finale. I'm hoping I got a little color while I was out at the pool since as you can tell, one month into summer, I am still super pale! I still decided to try out the white nail trend (though I feel like it looks better with tanned skin) with Essie's Marshmallow. I really like it!

I got this Zara top in Paris while I was there in March. It has a very southwestern feel to it. For dinner out and a movie marathon, I paired it with some wedges to dress it up a little. I also love this Jewelmint necklace- one of the first two I have ordered from there. They have a really great selection, and I bought them while a buy one get one free promo was going on. If you haven't checked out the site before, you definitely should!

Linking up with Tara, Kayla and Amber!

<3 Katie

Work Wear: Palm Trees

Blouse- Forever 21, Skirt- Forever 21 (similar), Heels- Zara, Watch- Fossil, Bracelet- Forever 21

I love a great printed blouse, and palm tree prints are totally in this summer. What better way to celebrate vacation season than by wearing Hawaii on your shirt!? (Not to mention this top is peplum!) Pencil skirts are my fave for work, especially in the summer. Of course I chose blue instead of basic black to make my outfit a little more colorful. Oh, and I'm sure you have noticed by now that I basically switched out my standard black pumps for these Zara sandals this summer... I wear them to work almost every day! They really lighten up my work looks.

Thursday Link Ups: Fashion and Faith Bloggers, Tara, Bethany and Meghan for Three-fer Thursday, and Agi!

Friday Link Ups: Amy, Amber, Christina, Tara, Bonnie, and Kristen!

<3 Katie

Summer Lookbook: Printed Shorts

Top- Forever 21, Shorts- TJ Maxx (similar), Sandals- Target, Purse- Francesca's, Necklace- Libi and Lola, Sunglasses- Forever 21, Bracelet- similar

I have been seeing so many varieties of printed shorts lately. They are really fun for summer to bring a little more interest to your outfit than the ol' denim short. I found this pair at TJ Maxx for under $20. I love that they are close to a denim blue shade, so I knew I could wear them with just about anything. I also love that they have a little bit of a longer inseam than a lot of the daisy duke-esque shorts I've been seeing in stores.

I'd love to pick up another pair of printed shorts this summer- maybe something a little more vibrant! Check out a couple of my picks below and see how I would style them!

How You Can Wear This Look:

Next week's summer staple piece is a little white dress, so be sure not to miss Wednesday's summer lookbook post!

Linking up with Alison, Lauren, Amy, Savannah and Kelly!

<3 Katie

7 Deadly Sins of Fashion

I saw a Julie G's on the 7 Deadly Sins of Fashion tag on YouTube and thought it would be fun to do. Today I'm exposing some of my fashion secrets and shopping tendencies, so keep reading!

1. Gluttony: What do you own in excess of extravagance in your closet?
The thing I have the most of are statement necklaces. I have so many that I'm starting to run out of room to store them. But does that stop me from buying more? Of course not :)

2. Greed: What type of clothing do you always have a desire to buy?
Lately its been casual dresses. They're all I want to wear this summer.

3. Sloth: When you are getting ready to go somewhere but feeling too lazy to find something to wear, what is your go-to outfit?
If I'm in a hurry or feeling lazy, I'll usually grab some form of skinny jeans/t-shirt combo. My shirt could be a Target v-neck, or one of my favorite basic striped tees.

4. Wrath: What makes you angry when shopping?
If I'm shopping, I'm generally a happy camper. A few annoyances would be if I wore uncomfortable shoes, can't find an item in my size, or when I go out looking for something specific and can't find anything that works.

5. Envy: Which celebrity's fashion sense or style do you most envy?
I love Lauren Conrad and Olivia Palermo's styles. If I had to pick another blogger's style it would be Gal Meets Glam or Pink Peonies.

6. Lust: Which store's outside appearance do you find most physically attractive, drawing you in?
Hands down J.Crew! But even though it might draw me in, I still never buy anything there (unless its a shirt that's 30% off the sale price! I bought one during their sale last Monday- coming up on the blog soon!)

7. Pride: Out of all the outfits you have put together, which are you most proud of?

1 | 2 | 3

I'd love to see your answers, so if you decided to do this tag, be sure to let me know!

<3 Katie

China Print

Dress- Forever 21, Heels- Zara, Necklace- Libi and Lola, Bag- Target (similar), Watch- Fossil

This dress makes me think of my mom because she loves anything that's blue and white print. My siblings and I have bought her many a blue and white bowl, plate, or other home decor item over the years for her as gifts. Always an easy gift idea!

I have been loving wearing dresses this summer because it is getting super hot outside. And even on the days that is doesn't reach 95, the humidity is so high it feels even hotter. This dress is so easy wear with its light cotton fabric. I love that it's sleeveless too!

Linking up with Kayla and Amber!

<3 Katie

Casual Friday

Top- Forever 21, Jeans- similar, Heels- Zara (similar), Necklace- Francesca's, Watch- Target (love this!), Bracelet- similar, Clutch- Target (similar)

I had every intention of putting together a 3 Ways to Wear post for today...but then I got sick. I was home most of the week with a yucky cold and cough (otherwise known as an upper respiratory infection), so taking outfit pics wasn't exactly first priority. Instead, I present to you a casual Friday look! This top was such a fun find from Forever 21 (ummm, do I even own clothes from any other store?!?). I love the geometric print, cobalt, and I LOVE peplum, so it was perfect.

I've been on the hunt for silver jewelry lately ever since I bought a pair of silver ankle strap heels. I realized then that basically all the jewelry I own is gold!

I love a casual Friday outfit that can take me from day to night. These heels aren't too tall to still be somewhat "casual" (in my mind, at least!). All I have to do to take my work look to a night out is add a clutch! So easy.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Amy, Amber, Christina, Tara, Bonnie, and Kristen!

<3 Katie