I received an anonymous question on the Ask feature about how to wear pull-over sweaters over dresses.

I think this a great question because I use this tactic all the time to get more mileage out of my dresses—and sweaters.

Here are some general tips to follow:

• This works better if the dress is sleeveless/strapless and has no large buttons, ruffles, built-in belts/ties, etc.
• Stick with slim-cut sweaters or long-sleeved shirts. Bulkier tops will look strange with this.
• A solid color sweater and a print dress or solid color sweater and solid color dress are the easiest ways to make this look work.

If you want to get the pieces in the look above, here you go:

• Old Navy “Perfect Sweater”, $15
• Arden B Floral Dress, $68
• Go Jane Leatherette Pump, $21
• Forever 21 Skinny Belt, $3
• Kenneth Jay Lane Link Necklace, $30 (from $90)

i see everyone asking advice about what to wear, but i haven’t seen this question yet:
i’ve gained a little weight recently. especially in my upper arms and legs (ick!), what are some things i can wear to camouflage the buldge until i lose it?
thanks!

There are lots of tricks you can use to hide a bit of extra weight.

For arms:

• Stay away from cap sleeves—or even short sleeves in general. Three quarter length or full length sleeves will be most flattering.
• Wear cardigans! Not skin tight, but loose, gauzy fabrics will help give a clean silhouette. Same goes for fitted blazers.

For legs:

• Don’t worry too much about weight gain in your legs! If you’re self-conscious, wear dresses (the most flattering look on anyone, I think) that have a fitted waist. No trapeze dresses: try a-line sheaths, for example.
• If you’re worried about your thighs, when wearing jeans or leggings, simply wear a slightly longer shirt for slim silhouette.

Where to buy:

• Forever 21 Long-Sleeve Black Scoopneck Dress, $23
• Forever 21 Dolman Cardigan, $25
• ModCloth “The Writer’s Retreat” Tunic, $45
• American Eagle Skinny Jeans, about $30
• Delias “Lianna” Cardigan, $40
• TopShop Floral Cami, $50
• LA Made “Alister” Dress, $80

However, let me emphasize this strongly. I’ll even use bold to help get my point across. You can wear whatever you want whenever you want, even if you’ve gained a couple pounds. And who cares! Don’t be afraid to put your arms or your legs or your butt or anything else out there. You are a beautiful person!

There ends my preachiness for the day. :)

You know what I’m talking about. You wake up late, you’re in a panic, you have nothing to wear, nothing is ironed, oh crap! You forgot you had a client meeting! Now you need something dressy!

Never fear. With a few key pieces (that you probably already own), you can have a go-to outfit for days like this so there is never a panic attack again.

The goods:

• Black Wrap Dress (Pictured: Calvin Klein Wrap Dress, $50)
• Classic Trench (Pictured: Old Navy Trenchcoat, $50)
• Black Pumps (Pictured: Hive and Honey “Lorna”, $89)

This is the basic outfit. You don’t need jewelry or any other accessories, but if you have time, check out the optional additions below. (Also, you should add black tights if it’s the dead of winter.)

Optional Additions:

• Faux Pearl Studs (Pictured: ASOS Pearl Studs, $7)
• Black Skinny Belt (Pictured: ASOS Belt, $14)

How To Wear: Spring’s Cropped, Loose Trousers

These look at first glance to be completely impossible to wear. Not true!

Here are a couple tips:

• Have the crop hit shortly above your ankle by only several inches. These are not capris, hitting right below your kneecap.
• Keep the entire look as sleek as possible. No bulky fabrics up top.
• Heels are a must. This look can be worn with flats, but it tends to emphasize the width of the pants if there’s no height on the shoes.
• Wear them to work! Pair with a work appropriate blouse and more conservative shoes/shoes.

Definitely a look I’ll be trying this spring!

American Eagle Spring Cardigan, $25-30; F21 Racerback Tank, $6; ASOS Vero Moda Cropped Trousers, $48; Target Platform Sandals, $20; Korto Momolu Seed Bead Necklace, $48

Have you seen the $75 pack of Chanel temporary tattoos?

This is only increasing my desire to get a tattoo—but I’m all for temporary, since I can’t make a decision about what to get to save my life. (The font choice alone—ugh!)

But, if you don’t want to pay $75, here are some less expensive options from Sephora:

Guess what I got? Apparently I’m a sucker for punishment, because I picked up this DVD on sale today at Target for $9.

As if 20 minutes of Jillian a day wasn’t enough, now I’m upping it to 40. Luckily this DVD seems to be mostly cardio-based instead of strength training-based so I shouldn’t get too sore. Just sweaty. Lovely.

(P.S. Jiminy Cricket, I love to swim—but have no pool access right now. But, it is definitely one of my favorite ways to have fun and exercise at the same time!)

Anyone used this one? Do you like it?

So, I forgot about this website until just now and wanted to share it with you!

Erin is the one that made me remember with her question about baby names…

And all you mommas-to-be (or if you just like lurking for great baby names like I do) should check out Zoope.com.

I hate traditional baby name websites because they are so cluttered and overwhelming, but this website has a great mix of names from a lot of different geographic locations and although the names are mostly unusual, non-traditional names, they are also not trendy and not overused.

I love the simplicity of this and some of the names are just amazing—ones you’d never think of.

For example:

• Marden : MAHR-den : old english “from the valley with the pool” (boy)
• Alodie : al-OW-dee : anglo-saxon “wealthy” (girl)

Check it out! I know you’ll love it!

Nothing gets me motivated to work out like comfortable, cute activewear. Shallow, perhaps, but true!

Forever 21 introduced some activewear—and nothing’s over $16. My pick is the jacket above that has thumbholes in the cuffs to keep the sleeves down while you’re moving around.

Crop Pant, $11; Striped Tank, $6; Sports Bra Top, $10; Jacket, $15