I am taking a little break from vacation posts today to tell you about this fun contest I'm taking part in! The challenge: Marshall's/TJ Maxx sent me a ruana (the black item I'm wearing) + gift cards with the goal of coming up with the best outfit with the ruana. I am competing against 4 other bloggers for a grand prize of $500 gift card (!!). ( GO HERE to vote once a day, and leave a comment to be entered to win your own gift card!) Here is what I came up with:

Ruana: c/o Marshall's/TJ Maxx
Dress: Fire Los Angeles, $24.99 (Marshall's)
Belt: Joe's Jeans, $19.99 (Marshall's)
Shoes: Nine West, $49.99 (Marshall's)
Purse: Nine West, $39.99 (TJ Maxx)

Grand total = $134.96

My entry: "I'll admit, when I received the challenge from TJ Maxx/Marshall's to style an outfit with a ruana, I had to look up what a ruana was! It turns out that there are many different ways to wear this scarf/poncho/sweater, but I loved the idea of a long vest look, worn over a dress to give it an extra visual layer, but also some added warmth. I specifically wanted a long-sleeve leopard dress to go with my black ruana, and that's exactly what I found after shopping in the juniors section at Marshall's for 5 minutes! It was awesome to find the perfect dress so quickly, and all I had left to find were accessories. I decided to go with casual leather pieces to dress down the silk dress and pick up the brown and yellow tones in the print. I am loving the loafer trend this fall, so I paired my outfit with loafer pumps by Nine West. I also added a mustard purse by Nine West, and the finishing piece was a belt in a similar shade of brown to tie everything together and cinch my waist. I love the idea of wearing a ruana like this to give a party dress extra oomph and keep you warm this fall, and I'm excited to find other ways of wearing it too!"

So, how did I do? :-) Please click the picture below once a day to vote for my outfit! Thanks loves. xoxo, J.