Speaking of guest bloggers (see yesterday’s post), I am Kmart Fashion’s official guest blogger for the month of May! It’s very exciting to see a big box retailer embrace the power of social media and put their faith in a blogger like myself. I’m honored to be creating online content directly for consumers and hopefully inspiring Kmart shoppers to have fun styling outfits with the clothing that’s at their fingertips at Kmart. If you haven’t visited the Kmart Fashion site yet, you should! They have  a variety of content ranging from interviews with real women to celebrity looks for less.

My first post for Kmart is called “Taming of the Trend” (which I’m trying to make into a series on Penny Chic too!).  The idea is to take on extreme trends and bring them back to life with affordable and practical items. The high-low trend (shown above) has been all the rage for Spring and Summer. A much as I adore the runway look above, most of us wouldn’t wear a dress with such a severe length difference, and even if we did,  there would be no need to splurge on such an item since it will be out of style by next year!

What do you think of the High-Low trend this season? Will you be sporting the look?

Every week I’ll be posting new original content on the Kmart Fashion site so be sure to check back and see what’s cookin online!

Shop it Online:
1. Straw Hat $6.99
2. Sofia by Sofia Vergara Bangle Set $16.99
3. Route 66 High-Low Maxi Dress $20.99
4. Attention “Fiona” Dress Shoe $19.99

For our new Guest Blogger Series, every week we’re inviting one of your favorite LA based fashion bloggers to the Penny Chic Headquarters so they can style their own looks! First on deck is the lovely Ms. Sydne Summer from the fashion blog SydneStyle.com which shows women how to adapt trends into their everyday lives. Sydne and her blog are all about reinventing new ways to wear the things you already own. There’s no better penny chic tactic than that!

This outfit is a cross between Beach Chic and the Kentucky Derby. Sydne put on the maxi dress I found at Kmart and it looked so effortless and perfect. Then, she immediately went in for the yellow rimmed hat…so unexpected and bold! I got a couple requests from readers about doing something in honor of the Derby so I put a flower headband around the hat to make it look Derby Chic! I had never done that before, but as I always say…Think.Outside.The.Box.

I leave you with some wise words from Ms. Summer about her philosophy on style:

“you don’t to have to spend a lot to look fabulous. It’s really about smart shoping and creativity. Invest in timeless classics and update your look every season with less expensive trendy items to stay current. And when you’re in a slump, know that you can always rework what you have in your closet with a little inspiration.”

Shop the Look:
Attention Ruffle Maxi Dress $20.99 (Kmart)
Cloth Bangle $7 (Old Navy)
Color Block Hat $14.99 (Target)
Flower Headband $4.98 (Walmart)

Photo Credit: Shideh H. Miller
Model: Sydne Summer

Congratulations to our WINNERS!!
@ambde
@chicroni
@aaalyrics
@cheeta_kat
@wampaswife

I’ve been a fan of XOXO ever since I started shopping their dresses at JCPenney. I recently learned that XOXO also has a collection of sunglasses sold on Endless.com, Amazon’s discount e-commerce site dedicated to shoes and accessories! Being from LA, sunglasses are a key ingredient to every gal’s outfit. It’s the perfect shield when you want to go undercover. Oh, and apparently it’s important to protect yourself from UV rays or something!

XOXO is giving away 5 pairs of the CHIC sunglasses you see above. Here’s what you have to do to win:

1.Follow Penny Chic on Twitter here
2. Tweet us and tell us why you wear sunglasses (sun? paparazzi? style?) and use the hashtag #xoxogiveaway
3. Tell us your twitter handle in the comments below

Good luck Pennies!

XOXO

Shauna

p.s. check back by 11:30am PST. We will have a very special post up!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a work chic outfit on the blog. Do you remember my very first work chic outfit series modeled by Hilary?

For this outfit, I paired a very high waisted pencil skirt (which shows off my waist)  with a fun floral print blouse tucked in. The look is very professional but shows off some personality from the  print. The Kardashian Kollection skirt is more than what I normally feature on the site, but the fit is impeccable…it really sucks you right in. Those Kardashian girls seem to know a thing or two about a woman’s curves. Wonder why?

Shop the Look:
Attention Floral Blouse $13.99 (Kmart)
Kardashian Kollection Ottoman Pencil Skirt $38.99 (Sears)
Jason Wu Straw Handbag $39.99 (Target)
Bracelets $3 (Walmart)
Mossimo Nude Pumps $29.99 (Target)

Photo Credit: Shideh H. Miller
Model: Shauna Miller (Me!)

It’s officially two weeks away from Mother’s day. I’m reminding you now because we all know that most of us will be scrambling for a gift the day before. Some of us may even forget (no bueno)! This is why we’ve done the hard work for you. NO excuses this time. Check out these 8 Mother’s Day Chic gifts under $30. Moms if you’re out there (which I know YOU are), tell us which gift you’d prefer out of the 8! Help us daughters out

Shop the Look:
1. St. John’s Bay Claudia Tote $30 (JCPenney)
2. Olsenboye Foldover Tote $30 (JCPenney)
3. Sonia Kashuk Tile Weekender $24.99 (Target)
4. Merona Boyfriend Watch $14.99 (Target)
5. Pearl Necklace $17 (Walmart)
6. Jaclyn Smith Nightshirt $13.99 (Kmart)
7. Simple Pleasures Gift Set $8.80 (Kohls)
8. Earrings $23.99 (Sears)
9. Mossimo Cropped Cardigan $15 (Target)

We have a winner for the styling challenge giveaway!! Congratulations to Kimberly who came up with 3 fabulous outfits to match these 3 fabulous pairs of shoes. To see her outfits, click on the links below:

1. T Strap Wedge Outfit

2. Suede and Snake Pump Outfit

3. Cork Heeled Sandal

Armed with three pairs of Kmart shoes, Kmart challenged me to style an outfit “my way” using these shoes as inspiration. I wanted to create something floral, Spring-y, and fresh so this is what I came up with! All three pairs of shoes match the outfit, but for the purposes of my brunching plans on Sunday, I chose the platform wooden sandals for the final look.

Now we’re giving you the opportunity to tell us how you’d style these shoes your way for the chance to win $100 giftcard. Take a look at the 3 shoes in the photo (or go to the links at the bottom) and tell us in the comment box how you’d style each pair of shoes. The more detailed, the better! And make sure you’re a fan on the Penny Chic facebook if you want to enter the contest! Winner will be announced on Monday morning.

Good luck Pennies! Can’t wait to hear your answers.

XOXO
Shauna

Shop it Online:
Attention T-Strap Wedge Sandal $24.99 (Kmart)
Bongo Cork Heeled Sandal $24.99 (Kmart)
Sofia Vergara Suede and Snake Pump $34.99 (Kmart)
Covington Scoop Neck Tee $7.99 (Kmart)
Covington Floral Skirt $24.99 (Kmart)

Photo Credit: Shideh H. Miller
Model: (ME!) Shauna Miller

Shop the Look:
1. INC Faux Leather Jacket $24.99 (Macys)
2. Merona Pink Clutch $12.99 (Target)
3. East5th Tie-Neck Blouse $18 (JCPenney)
4. Glo Open Toe Pump $29.99 (Kmart)
5. Floral Skirt $11.80 (Forever21)

Remember the 90s when looking grungy was cool? As much as I am a girly girl, I’ve always had a soft spot for 90s grunge. I admire people who can pull off the sloppy look and make it look cool. That’s what we were going for with this outfit. I didn’t want to totally bore you with a pair of plain blue jeans so we added some spice to the style by using red skinny jeans.

Were any of you 90s grunge dressers back in the day?

Shop it Online:
1. Faded Glory Grey T-Shirt $11 for 3 (Walmart)
2. Mossimo Skinny Jeans $22.99 (Target)
3. Kardashian Kollection Necklace $16.80 (Sears)
4. Faded Glory Suede Wedge Boots $35.87 (Walmart)

We just got word that Walmart has launched a fun and stylish new Spring/Summer fashion campaign called The Fitting Room. Where has this been all my life!? They’ve curated outfits inspired by Summer trends such as Stripes, Tribal/Geometric Prints and mixing and matching bathing suit tops and bottoms (each $6-$12). Store after my own heart

As you know, I started Penny Chic by just using clothes from Walmart for the first year. My intention was to show American women how to create stylish outfits using the clothing from the biggest and most affordable retailer in the world, Walmart. When I started, not many people in the blogging or fashion world paid attention to the store’s fashions, but I’m proud to say that even in the last year, people have increasingly opened their eyes to the fact that just because something is low price, doesn’t mean it can’t be fabulous! The Fitting Room is a great resource for women who want to be in line with the trends while still keeping within their budgets.

Share what you see on Pinterest and Facebook! See if your friends can guess where the clothes are from!

Satchel and Messenger Bags have blown up in the last year. They became popular largely because of Proenza Schouler’s famous “PS1″ bag. In the past year, a company called the Cambridge Satchel Company based in the UK has blown up with their brightly colored satchels. Today I’m going to show you 7 options that range from $9.99-$40. It certainly beats spending $2,300 on Proenza Schouler’s bag!

Shop the Look
1. Apt. 9 Quilted Turn-Lock Satchel $23.60 (Kohls)
2. A.N.A Kara Messenger Bag $35 (JCPenney)
3. Xhilaration Blue Burlap Bag $29.99 (Target)
4. Mini-Messenger Bag $9.99 (Old Navy)
5. Xhilaration Pink Neon Crossbody $19.99 (Target)
6. Dream Out Loud Messenger Bag $14.99 (Kmart)
7. Call it Spring Striped Crossbody $40 (JCPenney)

My cousin Shira has modeled for Penny Chic many times before and this may be one of my favorite outfits that I’ve styled for her so far.
This beige floral blouse is the perfect compliment to the white eyelet skirt. The skirt is glowing in the sunlight but the beige printed top offsets the brightness of the white. Pair it with some comfy wedge sandals and a few accessories and you will breeze through the rest of your day!

Shop the Look:

Attention Floral Blouse $13.99 (Kmart)
Mossimo Eyelet Skirt $24.99 (Target)
Assorted Bracelets $5-9 (Sears)
No Boundaries Wedge Sandals $22.87 (Walmart)

Photo Credit: Shideh H. Miller
Model: Shira Hakim

**Congratulations to Megan, our winner of the “Set the Scene” Giveaway! We loved her imaginative answer and how she set the scene for the outfit. Here’s what she had to say:

“If I had my dream trip, this would be the perfect outfit for it! Boarding a mammoth cruise ship with my besties to head off for a week long trip to the Caribbean! Comfy for a trip, but chic enough to get people’s attention …and maybe even a spring fling. These stylish sunglasses are a must on the perfect, bright and sunny day that it is, and the bag is perfect for storing everything from a book to read by the pool to anything you didn’t want to check in your baggage!”

We loved ALL your responses–thank you for sharing!!! Shout to our runners up: Charmaine, Carrie P and Laura!

Happy Friday Pennies!!

On Wednesday I styled an outfit with 5 of my 10 favorite items under $50 from Sears. (view post here!) Now you have the chance to WIN a $50 gift card provided by Sears so you can purchase your favorite item!

HOW TO WIN
1. Set the Scene: Tell us where you would wear Shauna’s Sears styled outfit on an ideal spring day.
2. “Like” us on Facebook. Become a fan here if you’re not already.
3. “Like” SearsStyle on Facebook. Become a fan here.

The winner will be announced Tuesday morning!!

We have a few ideas on how to put that $50 giftcard to good use! Here are some of the items used in the above photo:

Kardashian Kollection Rope Halter Stripe Maxi $38.99 (Sears)
Covington Snake Tote $18 (Sears)
Apostrophe Wayfarer Sunglasses $18.20 (Sears)
Kardashian Kollection Slice Statement Ring $14 (Sears)
Melrose Avenue Del Mar Sandal $21.99 (Sears)