Spring is the time for medical school conferences, and medical school open houses. The look below is a perfect buisness casual option for any event you will be attending this Spring.

The key to this look is layering, which makes throwing this look together at the last minute simple. My cape is a find from H&M. Capes and ponchos are perfect pieces to add to your closet. They can easily be layered over a button down, are cheap and allow you the opportunity for versatility within your wardrobe when you're a college/grad student with a medically related event to attend weekly.

Underneath my cape, I am simply wearing a pair of black "harem" style pants that have previously been styled on the blog, and a navy blue turtleneck that coordinates with the navy blue in the cape.

Remember, it is important to keep your hair as professional as possible at any medically related event. These events serve as first impressions, especially if you are at your top choice professional school. You want the faculty of the school to remember you for your charm, not because you were the one with the blue hair. While I'll go into more detail about professional hair and your medical school interview at a later date, a few great alternative hair styles include a slick backed bun, or a low ponytail. My hair is huge when it's blown out, pictures don't quite do it justice at revealing how big it is (picture a lion's mane that only gets bigger as the day goes on). For this reason, I always pull my hair back as styled above, to make sure that faculty and staff focus on my face, and personality more than my hair.

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin 💋

It's been a while since I posted a Style Guide on The Mod Little Melanin! Here's a step by step guide to easily dress up a simple bodycon dress for a presentable daytime look.

For this look, you will need a bodycon dress (I found this one at Forever 21) for less than $5.00. You will also need an outerwear layer of your choice. I also found my suede fringe vest at Forever 21.

Step One: Choose a bodycon dress in your favorite color to style. This dress was purchased from Forever 21's Fall Collection when deep, rich colors were in season. For Spring however, soft "baby tone" colors are in style. These colors include light pink, mint green and peach. Bright, vivid colors are also popular this season such as royal blue and magenta. As well as your traditional floral print. However, if those aren't your colors of choice, beige or black are in season no matter the weather.

Step Two: Layer a corresponding outerwear layer over your bodycon dress. I choose to add my suede, fringe vest because of the black neckline of my dress. A perfect in season option is to add an oversized denim jacket to your look. Shophopes.com has two options that are perfect for Spring! I am in love with the Urban Desire Jacket in Pink Denim and the Spring Is In The Air Jacket on their website. Another option is to tie a button down shirt around your waist in a corresponding color to match your dress. I love to take flannel shirts for this style trick! You can find tons of flannel shirts on sale now at Rue 21.

Step Three: Complete the look with your favorite accessories. I choose to add a pair of lace up, heeled booties I found at Charlotte Russe during one of their shoe sales, and a crossbody Coach bag. My choker is from Forever 21. A popular trend this season is to pair tennis shoes such as Converses with your dress for a Sporty Chic look. I'm not a big tennis shoe wearer and find all of my shoes for this trend at Rue 21 for under $15.

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin

Happy First Day of Spring! Here's a look that I've been teasing on my personal Instagram page for the past few days that you'll be sure to love as you transition your closet to Spring!

Early Spring weather can be a bit chilly still! If you're like me and love to wear dresses year-round, layering a top underneath your dresses can be a quick fix to help you survive the breezy weather! For this look, I am wearing a blue, spaghetti strap dress found at Charlotte Russe for only $1.99. If you look closely at the detail of this dress, it is more aligned for nighttime wear, than daytime wear. It features a low v-neckline, and an open back. To make the dress more suitable for daytime wear, I layered a navy blue turtleneck (also purchased for $1.99 from Charlotte Russe) underneath! Remember, layering doesn't have to be solely for warmth, it also can be a great addition for making revealing pieces a bit more modest, and is an alternative option to wearing a tank underneath a dress or shirt.

My accessories for this look were kept to a mininum! I simply added a pair of pearl and gold hoop earrings, and added my gold sunnies from Forever 21. I know I am wearing sunglasses in just about every blog picture I post, but I have a sunglass collection and sunglasses can truly make or break an outfit. To me, sunglasses are more than just protection from the sun, they are as important of an accessory as a necklace or a pair of earrings. My booties have appeared on The Mod Little Melanin on numerous occasions and are from Target.

Med School Mondays return to The Mod Little Melanin next Monday! Stay tuned!

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin 💕

As Winter winds down, here's one last look to hold you over until next Winter, and a look that can easily be worn in early Spring. Continue reading below for outfit details!

The key to this look is layering! I started my look with a denim jumpsuit, that can easily be worn alone in warmer months. My jumpsuit is from Old Navy, and was purchased on clearance for only $0.97. It's a culottes style jumpsuit, and is actually the same jumpsuit I featured in my Spring Trends Lookbook last Spring. Because it is cooler outside, I layered a denim, button down shirt underneath the jumpsuit. You can find denim shirts just about anywhere and everywhere, but I found mine on clearance at H&M.

A culottes jumpsuit calls for a heeled bootie! Now is the perfect time to shop for boots. They should be on clearance in stores, as stores continue to prepare for their transition to Spring and Summer. I purchased my burgundy booties from Target at the end of season last year for no more than $10.00 (and likely had a Cartwheel coupon - Target's Discount App- too). I kept my accessories to a minimum for this look, and only opted to wear a pair of gold and green button style earrings and a gold and brown cross choker from Forever 21. My socks are actually fishnet style socks I found at Forever 21 on sale. I know I normally don't purchase chokers from Forever 21, but this one hasn't given me any problems thus far. If you run across a problem with chokers being too tight on your neck, purchase a pack of necklace extenders from Walmart that should do the trick, and help you loosen your choker. For my coat, I am wearing a brown "fuzzy" fur, buttondown style coat also purchased from Forever 21 at the end of season last year, likely for a good discount.

Transition this look through all four seasons, but simply removing or adding a layer as the temperature changes!

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin 💋

I realize winter is coming to an end, but I still have a few winter looks to put up on The Mod Little Melanin before Spring arrives, and since the weather around majority of the country is calling for a snowstorm this weekend (because we can never get enough of those) here's one last faux fur look to hold you over until next Winter! This one is super easy to recreate too!

For this look you will need four key pieces, a white shirt, a pair of jeans, a faux article of your choice, and a pair of boots. I am wearing a white turtleneck from Charlotte Russe that I purchased for $1.99. With my long sleeve faux fur coat (purchased from the no longer existing Wet Seal) I believed a turtleneck would pair best with this look, and give it a more classy look. If your jacket is cropped like mine, highwaisted jeans will be perfect to add to your look. My highwaisted jeans are from Garage, but they're a bit pricey (I think I paid $20, but they were worth $60). If you're looking for an affordable pair, H&M normally has highwaisted jeans for around $9.99.

If you're gonna wear highwaisted jeans, you need to complete the look with a pair of thigh high boots. I'll let my readers in on a secret, I never pay more than $10 for any of my boots. You have to buy out of season in order to get good deals. Now is the best time to buy for next Winter!

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin 💋

I personally believe that coats and jackets are more than just outerwear. They can help to further your look, and become a statement piece. I probably own around 20 or more (probably more) coats. I always purchase my coats at the end of season when they are practically being given away. If you have a Forever 21 near you, check out their 65% off clearance sale. I found a ton of coats to add to my collection and purchased all of them for under $10.00 each.

The core of this look was an updated version of a sailor's peacoat, purchased on clearance from Forever 21. This peacoat features gold, metallic accents throughout and is stitched with quirky appliques all over, including stars, lighting bolts and french fries. As too not diminish the standout effect of my statement coat, I layered it over a navy blue turtleneck.

Gold accents on the sleeves, mean you pair this coat with jeans, right? Wrong! I choose to pair my coat with a pair of coordinating, gold metallic pants from American Apparel. Remember, American Apparel is going out of business soon, so now is the time to stock up on your basics from their brand. To create a semi-sporty look, I added a pair of white Converse-like shoes, that also feature appliques, and were purchased from Gordman's (which I believe only exist in the Midwest).

- Chelsea Nicole, The Mod Little Melanin 💋