Grunge Plaid

I like trying outfits that are a little out of my norm and typical aesthetic. I traded in my traditional bodycon style for a more relaxed and laid back look. The best part of this outfit is that there are tons of layers to help combat this in-between weather and all of them are super affordable! I found these Joe's Jeans on mega-sale on Piperlime for $46 from $218 and even though these tattered boyfriend jeans aren't typically my style, I decided the price was totally worth a try.

There is actually a funny story behind the jeans - I wore them in Santa Monica with my sister and believe it or not managed to tear them in one of the only areas that wasn't already torn - which also happened to be in a spot that made them no longer wearable - of course. I was about to throw them out and then I discovered Denim Therapy in NYC - one of the city's hidden fashion gems. They take worn, torn, and holey denim and repair them. I dropped this pair off and 3 weeks picked them up to be as good as new! Check them out :)

Other Outfit Details: Shoes BCBGeneration, Hat BCBGeneration Fall 14 Preview, Grey Shirt WINKNYC, Plaid Shirt Urban Outfitters, Clutch Fendi, Bracelet Urban Outfitters

 

 

 

Bye Bye Snow Bunny

Facebook and all social media has been flooded with disgruntled East Coasters being fed up with mother nature and the extended polar vortex that we've endured. This post is dedicated to what I hope will be the LAST winter-wear post! Although it's been slow-moving, I am hopeful that Spring is rearing it's head around the corner and I am going to pack up my winter wardrobe and begin the season change-up. Fingers crossed for warm weather, sandals, and maxi dresses!

 Details: Vest Neiman Marcus last Call - same cut, Leather Shorts BB Dakota, Custom Made Statement Necklace Jen Hodenpyle

Dressing the Part

As materialist as fashion and clothes can appear to be at times, sometimes dressing the part can help you get through the hardest times. Sure, cuddling up in bed in sweats and ordering-in your favorite junk food is always a strong healing method. But when you're ready to come out of your cave, dressing the part can really help you get beyond whatever obstacle you are facing at the present time.

Clothes give you the freedom to express whatever you are feeling- good or bad. Whether it's a tough time or something you want to celebrate- there truly is an outfit for every occasion and what you wear sends a message. 

I shot this look 6 weeks ago or so, when I was ready to pull myself out of a funk and focus on moving forward. The sparkle sweatshirt says "I'm shining bright, but I'm relaxed" and the pop of color in the skirt says "I'm ready to take chances." On the contrary, the metal zippers and studded clutch show some edge and a little glimpse of a tougher side; paired with the heels that say "don't f%#k with me."

If this comes off a little "Girl Interrupted" meets Taylor Swift, I promise I'm not hiding chicken underneath my bed and I certainly don't intend to take guitar lessons any time soon :)

Sometimes it's best to let your outfit speak for itself.

 

Details: Sweatshirt Zara similar, Skirt Missguided similar, Clutch BCBG, Sunglasses BCBG

Black Swan

It's no secret that it has been absolutely FREEZING lately, so during my last shoot I got through my first two outfits and then on the verge of turning into a popsicle, my GBF/Photog suggested we shoot inside. This is traditionally a big blogger no-no because of the lack of natural lighting, especially in my tiny NYC apartment-cave, but I decided I'd take the chance and stay warm. He probably also took one look at my outfit and decided he didn't want to be an accomplice to me getting pneumonia.

The below look is my play on Black Swan. This outfit combines a few staples that I am known for: leather, a crop top, and a statement jewelry piece. The top is from Zara Similar Here. The Quilted Skater Skirt is from ASOS Similar Here. The suspender print tights are from NastyGal, along with the hand armor bracelet. All pretty affordable items that come together for a fun night out outfit.

 

 

Back At It...

So to state the obvious, I have taken a vacation from blogging the past few weeks. To be honest I have been so busy with work in addition to other obstacles and didn't want to force my blog posts. I felt that if I kept blogging, that I would just be going through the motions and eventually something that I looked at as a hobby would inevitably become a chore or job. So... I decided to take a break and now here I am :) Thanks to anyone who sent me a message saying they missed my posts, it really made me smile.

Per usual, I feel as if I have been living out of a suitcase and constantly traveling, but I can't complain too much because I love being on the go. As some of you may know, I go out to LA for work frequently - but a typical trip consists of 10 hours of flying, ten hours of meetings, and taking the redeye back only to make it to work in glasses with limited make-up. However, this last week I was able to stay Thursday and Friday and decided to mix business with pleasure and fly my sister out as an early Xmas gift to spend the weekend.

Needless to say, my next few posts will be about various things from my trip. Below is an outfit that I wore for my second day of meetings with BCBG. The pants are from SouthMoonUnder - I have learned to love this style of pant. They are the closest thing to sweats or pajama pants that are appropriate for work! The jacket is from GAP, yes the GAP. I was shocked myself but I love the electric pink and now that I am looking online it comes in a ton of other great colors and patterns. My earrings are AUDEN - I have a slight obsession with this line and the designer. I love how his pieces are simple but edgy. I completed the look with my go-to Pour La Victoire pumps which I actually had to buy a second pair of because I had worn out my first. Go figure haha

The Perfect Peplum

I have fought the peplum trend because for a girl who has a shape and hips, I don't always think this is always the most flattering trend. It sounds silly but it has to be the perfect peplum. It has to still show my waist or else it just makes me look bigger than I am. When I saw this dress on NastyGal, I had to take a chance because I was obsessed with the print and knew it would be perfect for my Palm Beach trip that was on the horizon. Sure enough, it was the perfect peplum. Now that I look at the pictures, it's probably because it's so small and the print is so prominent that you can barely see it, but in person, it's much more visible. I paired the dress with Brian Atwood heels (I have an unhealthy obsession with his shoes) and a Tory Burch Clutch (similar here).

 

My sister and I at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach

Bendel Breakdown

Saturday I met up with my GBF (Gay Boyfriend) who works at the Henri Bendels Flagship store on 5th ave. we grabbed an amazing lunch and then searched the store for my favorite accessory picks. I have this theory that when women die and go to heaven, it's really the Bergdorff Shoe Department, but Bendels might be a close second since I'm accessory obsessed. If you get easily overwhelmed, this is not the place for you with the exception of maybe when the store first opens for the day. I think it's comparable to how I imagine Santa's workshop to be. I narrowed my favorite picks down to 7 items that if a budget didn't exist, I would've walked out the door with:

This amazing ostrich embossed leather clutch in electric yellow is Henri Bendel branded $250

My second pick is this gorgeous HB silk square scarf from their Megan Hess Collection $148. In the picture below I tied it around my pastel yellow bag for a cute added touch

Ring Party! My GBF and I fell in love with these Erickson Beamon fluorescent rings $148 - $268

I have a special attachment to this Dazzling Blue and Black Auden necklace because the designer Stephen is a complete sweetheart and loves to become friends with all of his clients. Each one of his pieces are handmade so he even will collaborate to make specific pieces for a customer. He also did a collection with J Crew that got a huge reaction. 

This Assad Mounser cuff speaks for itself. It looks like I am ready to go into fashion battle - $428

I found these dangling HB earrings on the 50% table and almost walked out with them before I came across...

The Miu Miu Purple and Pink Sunnies totally sang "Take Me Home Steph" and after I saw that the case for them was pink velvet, I couldn't help myself. I've become a little bit of a sunglass addict but they are just so practical and can totally change your look. I was lucky that this was the ONLY item that I walked out of the store with after my Bendel Breakdown :)

School's Out

I know I sound like a broken record talking about Sportswear being big but it's true! You'll really start to see a bunch of it emerge in the next month during the delivery time dubbed "Back To School."
That time growing up where you started freaking out because you didn't do any of your summer reading or book reports but your mom could get you sortaaaa excited for school by bribing you with new Back To School Clothes? Or was this just me? Here's an outfit that makes me laugh because this looks like somewhere in between a modified Girls' School Uniform and a Soccer Team Jersey Dress. I got it on sale at ASOS and decided to continue on with the sportswear theme by wearing my wedge sneakers with it. The big steal here though, is my R+J crossbody pastel yellow bag- which fits my laptop (amazing carry on for travel) that I bagged for $29 at TJMaxx (full retail price here). I have never bought anything from there but I guess if you're in the treasure hunt mood, you really can score some great things! This is my version of the backpack for BTS which I am seeing everywhere! Holographics, metallics, leather, kaleidoscope prints - they are really stepping up the backpack from the original Jansport that I used to have. Here are some of my favorites that I've spotted online:

 Clockwise from Top Left: BCBGeneration Floral, Marc by Marc Jacobs Yellow

 Nasty Gal Metallic, and MCM Red Leather

 

 

Flower Child

A little late to the party with Coachella bringing out the Halo Craze but I've had a couple of them for a while now and finally mustered up the courage to finally sport one. I went to brunch with a girlfriend in Hells Kitchen and we stopped by this adorable flower mart so I could fully embrace my inner flower child. Then I decided to really become one with nature and climb around a tree - the looks I got were as if I was from Mars but it was nothing I couldn't laugh off.

I actually found the halo through Instagram - I've found so many great new shopping sites through Instagram and GlamGirlyGirl is one of them. The shirt is Sugar Lips, the cross-body is Rebecca Minkoff, and the flower printed denim shorts are from Lord & Taylor. Lord & Taylor has the absolute best denim prices and I recently fell in love with the brand Tinsel when I was there. The sunglasses were a giveaway from the BCBG press event and I love how they are tinted blue. Here they are in purple. After this outfit, I have decided that Coachella is on my bucket list for next year :)