style your passion

Happy Spring, Passionistas! Welcome to my guide for Spring fashion.

I am a huge advocate of revamping closets for spring season. What better way to do it than going to the mall? I've visited Woodfield Mall in Schamburg to find these four stunning outfits. I loved how all the stores I usually shop at, were all conveniently located in one place. Normally, I shop online and going to a mall was an exciting experience I haven't done in awhile. By doing do, I discovered other cute stores I've never even heard of before. As I browsed through different shops, all the employees I encountered were extremely helpful and friendly. I never felt forced to purchase anything. After a couple hours of shopping and sipping my Chi tea latte, here are the final looks I pulled for spring. All of them are distinctively different from each other, but they are still true to my personal style. I went for one timeless classic look, fun going out look, brunch with the girls look and an office appropriate one. I will be coming back to shop at Woodifield more often. Did I mention they offer vip parking and one convenient gift card to shop at all the stores? Talk about the perfect present and hassle free parking.

Altar'd State Dress

Classic lace A-line dress in dusty blue. love the subtle pastel.

Altar'd State is one of the stores I discovered at Woodfield Mall. It's decor drew me in, it's absolutely the cutest shop with amazingly decorated fitting rooms. You could actually host a party in there because it's that gorgeous and spacious. It's mix of boho chic styles reminded me of Anthropologie but with lower price tags. This dress was $79 and what's most amazing is that with every purchase you make, Altar'd State will donate a portion to local causes. We need more brands like these on a mission to change and better the world we live in.

This dusty blue A-line dress is perfect for spring and I'm planning on wearing it on Easter Sunday (weather permitting, since it still feels like winter in Chicago). I love the lace and crochet detail at the waist and around the sleeves. Classic white Coach pumps and my pink blush Rebecca Minkoff bag just complements the dress. Wearing this Altar'd State dress makes me feel lady like and classic. I think it will be a great option for all derby events, all I'll need is just an awesome derby hat. Make sure you check out Altar'd State and I highly recommend having this dress in your closet. It's THAT good and flattering.

Shop my Top picks from Altar'd State:

Francesca's Romper

The face I make when Weekend comes around!

For that 70's retro inspired look pair up white sock booties and rose tinted sunglasses

All my girls out there rave about rompers and jumpsuits. It's not that easy to find one that works for me. Francesca's has so many great options for fun every day going out dresses and rompers and affordable prices. I tried on a few and discovered that bigger and bolder print looks better than smaller prints on me. Also, having long sleeves with the short length of the romper helped balance out the look. I'm not a huge fan of exposing too much skin all at once, I'm kind of old school like that. Exception is when it's 90 degrees and humid, then you'll see me wearing just a bra ;)

You can dress up this look with fun sandals or white booties like I did (they work so well with lots of outfits and they are super comfy). I went for full on 70's kind of feel with my rose tinted sunglasses. Life is too short to wear boring outfits!

Shop my Top picks from Francesca's:

Dreamy Banana Republic dress

As soon as I've put this dress on, I knew we were meant to be. The pleats in the dress add extra movement and it's fully lined inside. It's fit and flare, looks great on especially with that bold asymmetrical color block pattern. Aside from the cool bold fabric, I really fell in love with the delicate square neckline. I'm looking forward to wearing it well into spring and even summer. For chilly days, wear a leather/jean jacket or for more formal event, dress it up with a khaki trench coat. White pumps add boldness and keep the look fresh and clean. Keep jewelry to minimum as this dress is and should be the focal point. It also comes in brown pattern and petite sizes.

Shop my top BR picks:

Banana Republic girl boss look

It essential to keep our closets fresh and fun but we all need a killer office look. Btw, did you know I used to work at Banana Republic store back in the day? I loved it, although retail hours were killer and sometimes exhausting, I loved being surrounded by fashion and interesting people. And yes you may have guessed it, all my paychecks went right back into the store. The discounts were just wayyyy too good to pass up.

If you need a nice slimming pair of pants for work, Sloan fit is the best (also available in petite sizes). They make you look slim and the cropped length is perfect for spring and summer. A great fitting pant will take you to higher places and we all know that these days, girl bosses need to feel amazing in clothes they wear. I've paired up bell sleeve top in white (it's actually cotton, so it's very comfy) with these pants and I think that makes a bold statement. There are so many ways to style these two pieces. Top will look great with jeans and the pants with a button down shirt or a silky cami for a classy happy hour. Possibilities are endless. That's why when shopping for your new pieces for spring, remember to pick items that you could style in multiple ways. This way you'll get more wear out of them and your fashion game will always be on point.

Have fun shopping for your new spring wardrobe, I hope this post inspired you to do so. Should I say:

Let's go to the mall, today! (for those of you who watched How I met your Mother)

Love,

Marlena

Special thank you to Woodfield Mall in Schamburg for making this post possible and for your hospitality. #woodfieldmall #foundatsimon

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