For the longest time, I thought that J.Crew was for snobby people who had no style. For the most part, I was right. The past few years have been quite different and have changed my opinions thanks to creative director Jenna Lyons. J.Crew's styling on their website always impresses me. They have a really great way of mixing color and prints that makes me stare at each look and try to analyze what the thought process was for its creation. Just some pretty pieces below that inspire me.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Spring Weddings: What to Wear?
Spring wedding season has arrived and I am sure that many of you are thinking about what options you have for a dress choice. A lot of women fear buying unique dresses because they might take away the spotlight from the bride. Can it happen? Yes. Should you feel terrible? Not really. I will be honest, not every bride is going to wear a Vera Wang gown made for a princess (although I would). If you are at a wedding where the bride is wearing something simplistic there is the possibility that any slightly offbeat dress you wear can steal her spotlight. At this point in time... who cares? Such is my feelings because I am ALWAYS the girl with the offbeat dress. That being said here is a great spring wedding choice for under $170.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Dress It Up, Dress It Down
We often find pieces in our wardrobe that we just simply don't know how to wear. Should you dress them up for cocktail parties? Or should you dress them down to run some errands? The answer is... BOTH! Check out some inspiration below.
Dressed Up
Dressed Down
Dressed Up
Dressed Down
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Care and Cleaning of Your Clothes
In my last post I gave you some tips for the spring cleaning of your closet. After you take care of the purging and organizing, take a step back to think about how you treat your clothes. As silly as it may sound, clothes need TLC too! If you are willing to spend money on them, treat them right!
1. If you, like me, wear a lot of darker clothing, consider picking up a bottle of Woolite Extra Dark Care detergent. Is it kind of pricey? Yes. Does it work? Yes. If you use this product along with cold water and a clothes drying rack, your dark clothing will thank you. This is especially good for jeans!
2. Speaking of drying racks… Do you have one? If not, you should. Check out this Whitmor Drying Rack from Target. A small investment now can mean big savings later on your electric bill as many of us don’t hesitate to throw our clothes into the dryer creating multiple loads and lots of energy usage.
3. Once you buy your drying rack there are some items that should never be put into the dryer again. These include: bras, dress shirts, tights/leggings/pantyhose, bathing suits, and skirts/dresses. I could add even more due to the fact that I barely put anything into the dryer.
4. When washing your clothes make sure that all zippers are zipped! If you wash bras in a washing machine (try to convert to hand wash) make sure their clasps are hooked as well. This will ultimately prevent snagging.
5. Consider buying a small bucket/container to hand wash clothes in. Many detergent companies make special formulas for this reason. This process is great for bras, lingerie, hosiery, and anything that says “handwash” on its tag.
Hope these tips improve the lifetime of your wardrobe!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
10 Tips For Spring Closet Cleaning
Happy Spring Everyone!
1. If it has holes or looks worn, get rid of it. I usually try to evaluate a piece before donation as donated goods can be worn but sending in a tee shirt on the borderline of dust rag status is just plain offensive.
2. Check your soles! If your the soles of your shoes are cracking or are peeling away from the actual shoe, it’s time to say goodbye as they are doing your feet no good.
3. Check all purses and pockets before donation. You will always be surprised as to what one can find, think money or your favorite lipstick.
4. Focus on purging your winter clothes as you won’t be needing them for a long time and you will want to make room for the new season. Worry about spring and summer later.
5. Clean all winter goods before storing. If you have wool coats, have them professionally dry cleaned before putting them away for good (don’t keep them in the dry cleaning bags, this is not good for the clothes). If you have leather boots, pick up some leather cleaner and give them some TLC.
6. Check all your belts and make sure that they are in good shape. Consider donating any belt that is bent to the point of cracking (this happens to cheap belts fairly quickly from constant wear).
7. If you are storing your winter clothes in boxes consider the environment where you are placing them. Humidity is bad! Dry and cool is good.
8. Even though jewelry isn’t seasonal, give it a good cleaning. I wear mostly silver and use either silver cloth or Wright’s Silver Polish to clean mine. Keep your pieces in a tray where rings can’t touch to avoid tarnishing. Save the cute hand-shaped ring holder for bracelets or other metals.
9. Go through old fashion magazines that you may be collecting. Look through them for outfit inspiration which you can cut out and turn into a cork square mood board. Buy some cork squares with adhesive for some fun new wall art.
10. If you can do all this, reward yourself with something nice. Perhaps a new shade of nail polish or a pastel clutch for spring. Cleaning out any space can be stressful as we as humans form emotional attachment to our things. It’s okay, just breathe.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Zombies Need Make-up Too!
Tonight will end the second season of The Walking Dead, one of my personal favorite TV shows. The video below shows how the zombies of The Walking Dead get made up before filming with the help of liquid latex, oatmeal, and corn syrup. (Consider this a beauty post.) Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tee Shirt Quilt
Many of us hold onto our tee shirts forever. Whether they are from high school, college, concerts, or fundraisers, they make their way into our wardrobe and usually end up collecting dust or being over worn. I feel that once you pass a certain age tee shirts (especially ones from high school and college) become less and less appropriate as everyday clothing.
For those of you who simply can’t let go, consider a tee shirt quilt. There are many companies who make these quilts but I have found The Quilt Loft to be one of the cheapest. Each square is $10 (I would say a minimum of 12 squares is best). The $20 shipping cost includes inbound and outbound shipping (your shirts need to get there somehow). So for around $140 you can keep those tees close to you at all times and free up some space in your closet.
If you think this price is expensive believe me it’s not (unless you are talented enough to do this yourself). Most other sites charge over $200 for a service such as this.
So head into your drawers and closets and see what you find, a tee quilt can help eliminate those guilty giveaway feelings!
Photo credit: The Quilt Loft
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Five Trends That Never Should Have Been
Every now and then a trend comes around that makes me cringe. Usually the general public embraces it because “everyone is wearing it” or because its the “hottest trend”. Here are the top five trends (in my opinion) that should have never come into existence.
1. Harem Pants- I have no idea why people would ever wear these. Nobody’s crotch of their pants should ever appear low, guys and girls alike. Save them for Halloween.
Photo credit: Hijabulous
2. Denim Skirt- When I see someone in a denim skirt all I can think about is how tacky it looks, especially when it’s a super light wash or frayed. It is the equivalent of jorts (jean shorts) for men.
Photo credit: Fabsugar
3. Platform Loafers- They look like clown shoes, period.
Photo credit: We Get Dressed
4. Ed Hardy clothing or anything similar- Unless you are on the Jersey Shore, please refrain from anything that contains rhinestones, skulls, hearts with daggers, crosses, etc. SO TACKY.
Photo credit: Charlo’s Streetz
5. UGGs- I am trying so hard to sell mine because I actually used to wear these lame excuses for footwear. No one wants to buy mine, which I hope that is a good sign that people are moving on to better footwear.
Photo credit: Is This Fashion
Did your trend make my list?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Style Inspiration: Olivia Palermo at Topshop/Unique
Olivia Palermo always looks amazing, even in Topshop (one of my favorite stores). Her yellow sweater and pants are both from the UK clothing retailer proving that mixing low-cost pieces with high-end pieces is very doable.
Photo credit: People StyleWatch
Here are some ways to score this look below!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Trend Watch: Metallic Shoes for Under $50
Metallic shoes are a great way to add some shine to your step this spring. Below you will find some options for everyone.
Wanted Shoes Women’s Galaxy Flat, $39.99
Gabriella Rocha Malika Sandals, $23.70
Metallic shoes are a great way for you to play up any outfit!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Top Five Tangerine Pieces Under $50 for Spring
Tangerine Tango is the Pantone color of the year. Below you will find five great pieces that you can integrate into your wardrobe for under $50.
1. ASOS Fluro Skinny Belt, $10.74
2. Express Quilted Mini Wristlet, $15.90
3. Club L Dress with Sweetheart Back, $44.76
4. Michael Antonio Wedges, $49.00
5. ASOS Skinny Jeans, $31.33
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