Spring is in the Air

Chicago fashion blogger Bows & Sequins wearing a white denim skirt with a blue and white striped top.

Spring is in the air… Or is it?! It actually SNOWED in Chicago on Sunday, and I’m not talking a few flurries. We had a straight up winter snow storm and the snow was falling down all day and well into the night. Crazy for mid-April, right?! I remember last year when I was at Coachella and hearing that it was snowing back in Chicago on that Sunday of the festival and being so glad that I wasn’t in town for it! Last year, I believe it was just a few flurries, but this year it was almost blizzard-like conditions with the wind! Spring, where are you at?!

Chicago fashion and beauty blogger Bows & Sequins styling a cropped green anorak jacket with white denim, round sunglasses, and a striped top.

We’ve had a few (read: one or two) beautiful days that have gotten me so excited for spring, and well, summer.ย Is it just me or does spring seem to not really exist in Chicago? In my mind, it tends to be a vicious cycle where we have one nice spring-like day, followed by ten more days of winter.

But even as I’m sitting at my desk writing this post right now, it appears to be sunny and blue skies outside and my weather app is telling me the high will be near 50 today! Which is a start contrast from Sunday afternoon when it looked like I was living in a snow globe. Ov vey!

Fashion blogger Jessica Sturdy wearing a striped mock-neck top with a white skirt and a leather belt for a casual spring summer outfit.

When we’re sporadically graced with some sunshine and warmer temperatures, I’m always the first to try to break out my spring clothes and have some fun with fashion! After months and months of being bundled up in coats, boots, and beanies, I crave being able to put on a dress or skirt and break out some of the clothes I’ve been collecting in my closet and have been not-so-patiently waiting to wear. (This could potentially also contribute to the fact that I’m currently sick as a dog, but who really knows…)

Chicago fashion blogger Bows & Sequins styling a round rattan bag for spring.

I styled this mock-neck pointelle striped sweater with a white denim skirt and my favorite white sandals that I just picked up. These braided white slides look SO much more expensive than they are (they’re $55 and I also got them in brown!) and I know I’ll be wearing them on repeat all summer long. Skinny jeans, cropped flare, jean shorts, dresses, skirts, you name it. They’re classic and go with everything, especially in a seasonally-appropriate shade of white or can’t-go-wrongย cognac brown.

Fashion blogger Bows & Sequins wearing a striped mock neck top from Miss Selfridges with a white denim skirt and white braided sandals.

If it’s still a bit chilly and you need a third piece, I think a cropped army green jacket does the trick! And if not, simply toss on a leather belt to make your outfit complete. I love this outfit styled both ways so I wanted to show how I would wear it now (with the jacket) and later (sans jacket + belt).

Fashion blogger Bows & Sequins styling a pair of Sam Edelman sandals with a white denim skirt.

I first found Prive Revaux sunglasses last year when I was shopping for new Coachella shades! Right after Coachella, I headed to Japan so you can see them a lot in this post: What I Wore in Japan. When it comes to what I wear to a music festival, the more inexpensive, the better. Everything tends to get very dirty and I’ve lost *countless* pairs of shades while dancing at shows! So when I found Prive Revaux last year and saw all of their sunglasses are under $30, but could pass as designer shades, I was sold.

Small frame glasses are all the rage right now, but they can be hard to pull off if you’ve got a round face shape. (Like I do! 🙋🏼‍♀️) Sunglasses can be super hard to shop for online (thank goodness for free returns!), but I took a gamble on this semi-small pair and absolutely loved them when they arrived in the mail. While the lenses look round, the frames stick out a bit wider than the lenses, almost making them more of an oval-y shape, which suits my face and features so much more! I’ve worn them daily since I got them a few weeks ago, highly recommend.

Plus, now that I’ve owned 3-4 pairs from Prive Revaux, I feel like I can speak to the general quality of their brand. For $29.95, they don’t fall apart after a few wears and they also come with a hard case to carry them in, not a flimsy pouch that provides hardly any protection. 🙌🏼

Chicago blogger Bows & Sequins styling Prive Revaux sunglasses.

Would you believe me if I told you that you can shop everything I’m wearing at Walmart?! Believe me, initially I was just as shocked as you probably are. When Walmart reached out about working together, the timing was pretty eerie. Just a week or two before, I was listening to my favorite business-y podcast (you can see the full list of my favorites here!) and they were talking about how Walmart has been CRUSHING IT. If you follow me on Instagram Stories, I actually talked about this on there!

Before I heard that podcast episode, I had no idea that Walmart offered free two-day shipping (without a membership fee!) and upon further investigation, I also found out that Walmart has a partnership with Lord & Taylor so you can shop lots of your favorite brands right from the Walmart site. (You can even take advantage of Lord & Taylor’s Friends & Family happening right now!)

When I agreed to take part in a partnership with Walmart, I made sure that I would be able to solely feature fashion items from their “Premium Brands” section. First and foremost, staying true to myself, my voice, my tastes, and my brand that I’ve built is the most important part of any collaboration that I say yes to.

But as I got to shopping online, I was actually pretty impressed with so many pieces that were outside of the “Premium Brands” umbrella. And just to make sure I was doing my due diligence, I ordered a ton of extra product (on my dime, mind you) to try it out for quality, fit, etc. And honestly, I was just as impressed in person! Truly. If I hadn’t been impressed, I would have just skipped over their own selection of items and solely featured items from their premium selection or their collaboration with Lord + Taylor like we originally agreed upon.

I picked up this floral maxi dress under $20, these criss-cross slide sandals under $30, and this $12 belt bag to get my trendy on. And I purchased these sunglasses under $30 elsewhere last year, but Walmart carries them!

Chicago fashion and lifestyle blogger Bows & Sequins styling a spring outfit at the Lincoln Park Conservatory Gardens.

Shop the Outfits…

Miss Selfridges Striped Pointelle Top
White Denim Skirt
Cropped Green Jacket
Rattan Bag
Sam Edelman White Sandals
Leather Belt
Privรฉ Rivaux Sunglasses

Chicago fashion blogger Bows & Sequins styling a green army jacket with a white denim skirt and a round rattan handbag.

I’d love to know… Have you purchased anything at Walmart lately? Did you know about their free two-day shipping on most items? What has your experience been? Let me know in the comments below!

Chicago fashion and beauty blogger Bows & Sequins wearing Prive Rivaux sunglasses and a long sleeved striped top from Miss Selfridges.

Fashion and lifestyle influence Bows & Sequins styling a round rattan Bali bag for a cute spring summer outfit with a white skirt.

Chicago influencer Jessica Sturdy styling a cute spring summer outfit with a striped mock-neck top, leather belt, white denim, wicker bag, and braided sandals.

Chicago blogger Jessica Sturdy of Bows & Sequins wearing a white denim skirt at the conservatory gardens in Lincoln Park.

Fashion beauty and lifestyle influencer Bows & Sequins wearing a striped pointelle top with a white skirt and a knotted leather belt.

Chicago fashion blogger Bows & Sequins styling a striped top with a leather belt and white denim for a cute spring outfit.

Jessica Sturdy styling a white denim skirt with a green army jacket.

Fashion blogger Bows & Sequins wearing Sam Edelman white braided sandals.

Chicago blogger influencer Bows & Sequins wearing a spring outfit with a long sleeve striped top, denim skirt, twisted leather belt, and Sam Edelman flat sandals.

This post was created in partnership with Walmart. Thank you for supporting the brands and collaborations that make Bows & Sequins possible!

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16 Comments

  1. 4.16.19

    These layers are so cute Jess! Love the white sandals and skirt with the navy and olive.

    — Nicole | What Nicole Wore

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      Thanks, Nicole! Navy and olive is such a classic combo… I love it with white in the warmer months and cognac brown in the fall/winter.

      xx

  2. 4.16.19
    E said:

    I bought some dresses that bloggers were raving about on instagram and they looked cute “for pictures” but were the worst quality. Now I’m trying to figure out how I want to return them.

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      That’s too bad! I was impressed with the quality of the two dresses I ordered. One was a Miss Selfridges dress so Walmart has nothing to do with the quality, they’re just the reseller. And the other dress I ordered, the $19 maxi dress I linked above, I was expecting to not love the quality, but I thought it was great. And at $19, I definitely can’t complain!

      Bummed to hear you didn’t have the same experience on the items you ordered. But thankfully returns are free! I had to return a few of the items I ordered and it was insanely easy… Just select the items you want to return in your order history and print out a free shipping label!

  3. 4.17.19
    Rena said:

    You look cute in your spring look!
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    http://www.dressedwithsoul.com

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      Thanks so much, Rena! I so appreciate you always taking time to leave such a sweet comment. Happy (almost) Friday! xoxo

  4. 4.17.19
    Marta said:

    Weather has been weird in my country as well, today is super rainy and cold and just last sunday was warm… That’s a gorgeous outfit, I love the layers and the different lengths, you styled then beautifully.

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      Thank you, Marta! Hope it warms up (and stays that way) for you guys soon! xo

  5. 4.17.19
    Jill Morrison said:

    I don’t do a lot of shopping at Wal Mart. Their treatment of their employees is terrible

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      I’m not familiar with the treatment of their employees, but I appreciate you taking the time to weigh in and leave a comment!

  6. 4.17.19
    Maddy said:

    Funny you post about this – I actually got a cute camo backpack from the Ellen Degeneres line there and a pair of BLANKNYC denim through their website. It kind of blows my mind because I hate going in their stores…

    xo, Maddy

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      Nice! I’ve seen a ton of cute things in their Ellen Degeneres line, too. I think online is probably where the best selection of merchandise lives anyhow!

  7. 4.18.19
    J Rab said:

    You are over the top gorgeous!

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      Thank you!

  8. 4.18.19
    Jennifer said:

    We know you need to make a living but partnership with Walmart feels cheap and inauthentic. We know you donโ€™t shop there and it is a company that has been frequently cited for inhumane treatments of their employees in the US and abroad. I generally enjoy your content as a blogger but this was a huge miss for me.

    • 4.18.19
      Jessica said:

      Hi Jennifer, You’re more than welcome to your opinions (although leaving them here in the comments is totally optional), but I think you’ve missed the mark. Not once did I make a false claim, or say or wear something inauthentic to me, my voice, or my style. Have I shopped at Walmart since I lived in my hometown growing up? Nope, I haven’t, and I certainly didn’t claim that I did. When Walmart approached me for this collaboration and I learned everything I mentioned above (their collaboration with Lord & Taylor, free two-day shipping, and a good selection of affordable finds), it seemed like a no-brainer to take on the partnership. I’m not sure that you DO know that I need to make a living… If you did, I don’t think you’d be leaving this type of comment on my blog trying to shame me for the decisions I’ve made for myself and my business.