Leopards in the Garden

Today's outfit is the first look inspired by new Outfit Inspiration Calendar! I'm really excited about my little inspiration project, by the way.  The excitement might be more inspiring than the actual pictures. Lol! Alright, let's get right to business here.  This outfit was inspired by two looks and several trends -- mixed prints, leopard print, scarves, and ankle boots.

The first inspirational looks comes courtesy of the fabulous Maegan of ...Love Meagan.  If you read her blog (who doesn't read her blog?) you know that her style is endless and dynamic.  I am pretty bold with trends but even I couldn't have pulled this one off.  She looks FABULOUS! Mixed prints are hard to pull off and she does it effortlessly!

Photo Courtesy of Love Maegan

Inspirational look #2 is great pic of Rachel Bilson courtesy of Instyle.com.  It was one of the Look of the Day options recently and for whatever reason, I was drawn to it.  It's a really simple look, but it's very casually chic, in my opinion. I really loved the combination of the booties and the scarf with the lightweight jacket! It's fall friendly, but not to heavy looking.

....and this is my inspired look! I must admit I felt spunky and cute all day!

Jacket: Tart | Jeans: Levi's Hi Rise Skinny | Scarf: LOFT | Shoes: Alloy ($39.90) | Socks: Target ($5) | Bag: LOFT | Sunnies: H&M | Watch: Michael Kors | Cuff: Farmer's Market

My mixed print is not quite as bold as Maegan's. I kept it to accessories pairing a floral scarf with my new favorite leopard booties!

Besides the mixing of prints, I was inspired by the bold colors in Maegan's dress.  My outfit is lot more understated, but the pink bag paired with the floral print scarf added a punch and tied the outfit together perfectly!

Now clearly the colors and prints were inspired by Maegan, but the outfit is pretty much identical to Rachel Bilson's look.  A basic black jacket + a floaty top + a layered scarf + rolled jeans + black socks + non-black booties... it's funny who many elements were required to create such a simple look, but the end result is effortless chic, if I do say so myself.

In my quest to master casual dressing, I am drawn to looks like this...casual and appropriate for running errands without looking dowdy. The scarf and booties give the look just enough drama and glam.  I wore this outfit this weekend for a little shopping during the day and a casual dinner.  I got a million compliments on my shoes, but the best compliment came from a little girl in TJ Maxx. She had to be about 9 or 10 years old.

Little Girl: Oooh, I love your shoes.

Me: Thank you *smiling*

Little Girl: What size shoe do you wear? a 6 1/2?

Me: No, I wear a 7 1/2

Little Girl: Oooh. Okay.

Little Girl's Mom: What, were you planning on begging her take off her shoes and give them to you?

Little Girl: *laughing and a little embarrassed* Nooo....Nicki Minaj has those shoes.

Me: Oh, I see *laughing*

Don't forget! The last day to enter the Shoeclips giveaway is Wednesday!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!