Fall (in love)

This summer has been great- filled with fun, sun, and revealing outfits, but if you are like me you have already begun to dream of the next season, my favorite season. Why do I look forward to a time of declining temperature you may ask? Well I do enjoy the crisp autumn weather, but even more than that I love fall fashion and all that comes with it! To me fall has always been a time of hope and new beginnings. Much of this is due to the nostalgia of returning to school each coming fall(with a new wardrobe), this fall being the first time I will not get to experience this excitement. Autumn has also always brought new people into my life, friends and boyfriends-every relationship with a guy I have been involved with was started in the fall, including my current one (10/3/09)! It’s just a magical time of year, and the fashion represents that.

My yearning for autumn led me to scope out the trends on the runways for F/W 2011 which I would like to break down for you. This fall expect the unexpected, no longer does a drop in temperature have to mean plain dark clothes. Though the runways did have their fair share of black there were also a lot of whites, bright colors, sheer fabric, side cut shirts, sparkle/shine, appliqués, and prints (including tribal, animal and floral!) These trends were seen not only on one or two runways, but almost all of them (isn’t it strange how all designers come up with the same concepts each season-conspiracy!) There were also the returning trends that we see almost every fall on the runways including leather, lace, velvet, pleats, feathers, knits, neutrals, suiting, fur, and plaid. The overwhelming decade influences seemed to be 1940’s, 1970’s, and Victorian era, but I also noticed some 20's influence as well as world traveler themes.

The top designers that I love for this fall are Alice & Olivia, Burberry Prorsum, Vivienne Westwood and Roberto Cavalli. Alice & Olivia had a major 70's vibe with hints of other eras. It displayed a variety of looks for different occasions including -corduroy bellbottoms paired with a sweater and blazer for a casual day look, a glitzy sparkly dress paired with a fur wrap for a fancy evening out and a tweed skirt paired with a fur trimmed jacket for the office. As usual Burberry captured me with their amazing coats, which I long for every season. They switched it up this year though and incorporated the trends of bright colors and animal prints. There were also fur, puffed, and plaid coats. Each outfit was very simple-bright pieces were allowed to shine paired with monotone neutrals. The overall feel of Burberry was classic, clean and modern. Vivienne Westwood showed modern takes on suiting and many shiny pieces-including coats, pants, dresses and boots, and even had some tribal inspired designs. The pairing of each piece was uniquely Westwood-yellow body suit with long sleeve cropped top, shorts and boots, or how about a sheer plaid mini-skirt with metallic puff sleeve top, maroon knee highs and black crystal adorned shoes? O, and let’s not forget the crazy tribal face makeup. Roberto Cavalli truly amazed me, every outfit incorporated multiple trends and prints-there was so much going on, which would have been easy to make look like a jumbled mess, but was very well executed. The collection was a mix of deep blues, reds and even black and white. Many beautiful skirts and dresses were shown, as well as jackets with a mix of suiting- trouser and vest separates. Each look exuded elegance and opulence with a rock star edge.

So now I’m going to put on some big bossy plaid pants and tell you what to buy for this fall (this will ironically not include plaid pants). If you are a person who dresses up and wears suits to work, this is the season to stock up. Invest in suiting that is unique and interesting, which can also be mixed and matched or broken up for a more casual look, a la Chanel. Pencil skirts, belts, stockings, and dresses are 40’s inspirations that are hot right now! For the weekend or after work change it up with sheer lace tops, bright accessories, shiny pants, or a leather skirt. Make outfits unique and funky by mixing unexpected patterns and layering!

If you don’t really dress up or you are still a student (I envy you!) go for some more casual pieces that are 70’s inspired. D&G showed all sorts of fun, young designs for this fall including stripes, bright colors (Orange & Yellow), letter prints, sheer and lots of layering! The classics like cords can be a great addition- skinny or flare, neutral or bright! The school girl look will always be popular, grab a pleated mini and take it in a different direction by pairing it with a printed tee or sheer blouse, as seen from Mulberry. A new bag with fringe or animal print, tribal inspired jewelry, or cutting the sides of pre-existing tops (sounds a bit crazy) are smart ways to incorporate trends without spending all your hard earned cash.

I hope this overview of the fall season will guide your upcoming purchases and lead to great on trend style! I myself am looking forward to rocking some of these trends, after I convince my mom to go not-back to school shopping with me (with her handling the expenses still of course) and buy some knits, skinny cords, belts, stockings and printed dresses(not to mention more boots and shoes!)

Happy shopping everyone!!

Fly Feathers

Hello all its been a while, but hopefully worth the wait. Today I wanted to share with you my new obsession: HAIR FEATHERS!! For those of you who have not heard of this wonderful new accessory trend let me enlighten you. Hair feathers are rooster feathers around 10in. in length that one can put in their hair just like hair extensions to add some flair. These feathers were originally used by fly fisherman, but now that us fashionistas want them the demand has increased causing supplies to become scarce (especially because our fine feathered friends can take up to a year to grow them). This means that hair feathers aren't cheap, especially for those who go to a salon to get them done. The salon nearest me that does hair feather extensions charges $25.00 for 3.


Don't panic though fellow fashionistas with just a few supplies(and the knowledge of where to get them) you can do your own feather hair extensions at home! Everything that I got for the extensions were purchased from Etsy, which is a great site where you can buy from individuals who have all sorts of great handmade items. The first items you need are extension tools- pliers, a hair hook, and special beads. I got my tools from "P Soup Designs" for around $20.00. Then you just need to choose what kind of feathers you want, they come in many colors and styles. I decided on a natural colored bunch(usually called "grizzly) of 6 which are all already connected together at the top, some feathers are bunched together like this and others are individual feathers. I purchased my feathers from "zeezoes" also for around $20.00 for the bunch of 6 that also came with 2 beads.
Therefore I did spend $40.00, but I see the tools as a future investment because they allow me to put in and take out my own extensions as I wish. Also I already have 6 feathers in my hair that cost me less than 3 at the salon. These were the best deals I could find on the web that had the supplies in stock. There are quite a few retailers that sell feather extensions, but many are either expensive or sold out. Other places I would recommend other than individual sellers on Etsy are Famous Feathers (which is currently sold out because of the great prices) and Hair Feather. Lastly I would like to leave you with a great tutorial that I followed that will teach you how to install your hair feathers. Enjoy!!

Graduation Fashion!

This weekend was my College Graduation Ceremony!! I now have my Bachelors of Science Degree in Marketing! The weekend was full of friends, family and fashion. I made sure that I wore something comfortable yet chic under the weird and ugly graduation gown and hat(I do not understand these traditional garbs). I found my beautiful printed dress surprisingly at Burlington Coat Factory for only $25.00! I was expecting to pay much more for a dress and almost ordered one for $70.00 from Urban Outfitters. The shoes were also a vital part of the outfit, because with the gown on they are all that can be seen of my personal fashion. I searched and search for the perfect nude pumps, orginally with Steve Madden's Caryssa pumps in mind. I went to many stores and websites and ended up finding these ones from Call it Spring on zappos.com for $50.00. I ordered them on a Tuesday and received them the next day on Wednesday with free shipping! I ordered a size 8 and they fit perfectly and have already worn them for more than one occasion and have a wedding coming up that they will be perfect for. These are not the most comfortable shoes(as you can probably guess!) but they look soo good! My feet did hurt almost all day, especially due to the lengthy standing and waiting time, but I would do it all over again.

The night before graduation was an honors ceremony I was invited to for my cumulative GPA of 3.5(yes, I am bragging). I also had to wear the ugly gown to this, but wore a different dress underneath. This dress was also a new purchase, it was a potential for my graduation dress and then I found the other one. This dress was from Charlotte Russe and also only cost $25.00 it was gray with flowers on top with a build in empire waist black belt with black skirt(and pockets!). I paired silver Nine West heels with it that I already had and in fact were the shoes I wore to my High School Graduation Ceremony.

Lesson for today is for that special occasion start looking wayy ahead, and look in unexpected places! You don't have to spend big bucks for a great outfit, look for deals and look at what you already own. IF you are going to spend a considerable amount of money be sure that it is something worth it, spend money on investment pieces that you will wear over and over again. Also as usual suffering for fashion a little is okay. My dress was very comfortable-made of cotton and fit perfectly,however; the shoes pained me, but they looked amazing. Don't be that person in the pictures with jeans and sneakers, step it up for your big day and shine!

Business Meets Fashion

I am constantly a day or two behind on posting, please bear with me. I just simply wanted to share my fashionable, yet business appropriate outfit that I wore for a presentation this week! I am wearing a cardigan from H&M, blouse from The Limited, pencil skirt from H&M, belt from Express(which I have since lost!!)and Jones NY shoes from DSW. Sometimes its hard to find the right balance between Business and Fashion, but I think I have finally figured it out!

Here is what I have learned:

1.Always wear a closed toe heel that is preferably a pointed toe around 3 in in height(style+comfort).

2.Solid black basic are your friend!

3.Offset the solid colors with a fun printed blouse.

4.Don't show too much skin- skirts should be to the knee, and please no cleavage.

5.Finally accessorize, but keep it to a minimum- one accessory is usually enough.

So now I want to ask you how do you incorporate your personal style for school or work?

Spring Chic

I'm loving this weather! Yesterday I just needed to wear some destroyed capris so I reached for my Pacsun destroyed skinny/straight jeans! I paired these with a new top that I purchased from TJ Maxx, my pendant from Forever21, a skinny braided belt from Urban Outfitters and moccasins from Target! I also wore my H&M green military jacket because it was still a bit chilly, and it pulled together the outfit. This was just a simple, comfortable and affordable look that I quickly threw together. I was also rocking the nuetral trend, which apparently did not go unnoticed. I was sitting in a building at school and was approached by a manager from Abercrombie who was looking to recruit people, she was interested in hiring me. I gave her my information and am expecting a call from the district manager. Looking good is so important, and this potential job is most definitely because I looked put together that day! Those who may slouch around in sweats, even just to class don't think that your appearance goes unnoticed, opportunities await everywhere!

For the Love of the Earth!

Happy Earth day everyone!! In celebration of this holiday lets talk about Eco-friendly fashion! Environmentally friendly fashion no longer means giving up style for a cleaner earth. I have gathered the Eco-fashions that are currently on my wish list to share with you all!

1) Toms Shoes- I have been wanting a pair of these for so long! Toms shoes is known for its "one for One" movement, which is whenever someone buys a pair of toms shoes a pair is donated to a child in need. Toms shoes also has vegan footwear options, which is also an Eco-choice! I personally have my eye on the Passport Lilac Vegan Classics.

2)Baggu- Looking for a stylish and versatile new bag? Baggu offers bags in a variety of styles, colors and prints! These can be use for school, the weekend, or grocery shopping. Instead of using those not so earth friendly plastic bags, why not invest in a stylish reusable bag? Grocery store bags starts at just $8.00, but the more you buy the less it costs, so stock up!!

3)Nvey- How much thought do you give to what you put on your face? This company thinks about it, a lot. Nvey offers certified organic makeup, and vegan brushes. This means that when using this makeup you will not have to worry about the unpronounceable chemicals that may be lurking in the products or harm that may have been done to animals in the making of them.

4)Ten Thousand Villages- This is another business that is not only concerned about the Earth, but also the people that inhabit it. This website offers a variety of free trade gifts made by people from around the world! Help your fellow human and the earth with unique gifts for you or friends such as an Eco-friendly vase made from recycled magazines in Vietnam, a tea light candle holder made from broken bangles in India, or a rags to riches pillow made from fabric remnants in Egypt. Remember style should be reflected in not only on you, but also where you live!

Stylistas Unite!

I have figured out that I do not have the time or commitment to constantly update a blog. I do however find the time to check out other peoples blogs! Today I wanted to talk about a stylista whose blog I am an avid follower of, and I happen to personally know. This is of course the blog of J'aime Renee, Stylista. Talk about commitment, this girl has given up shopping for lent and is blogging about how she inventively makes a cute outfit everyday without new clothes. Genius!! Although I can say I know a thing or two about fashion this stylista is a pro, and I find myself following her styling tips sometimes even unconsciously. This happened just the other day when I looked in my closet and felt the day called for a blazer. I put together the outfit in the picture, then realized something...J'aime had done something very similar on her blog! She had given advice to a follower on how to incorporate graphic tees into an adult wardrobe, and I sure listened! Check out how similar our outfits are! Most recently J'aime Renee has won my heart with a post featuring the Olsen's and spring fashion, what else is there to say? This girl is honestly the next Rachel Zoe and if your not already, become a follower of J'aime Renee, Stylista. Seriously, what are you waiting for!?