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

 

 

 

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

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

Sportswear with a Twist

I think the best and worst fashion moments happen when you try something a little unexpected and pair things that you wouldn't initially put together. Sometimes it comes out amazing and of course you run the risk of it being tragic - but either way it's show stopping and out of the ordinary. With sportswear being big, I love putting a girly spin on it. For this outfit I paired a Zara "Jersey" Sweatshirt (other option from ASOS) with a Zara mini skort (which I think every girl in America owns) with an amazing Juicy Couture Bling Statement Necklace, Bcbg Pocahontas Booties, and Tom Ford sunnies. Yay or nay?

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

The Higher the Heels...

The higher the heels, the closer to God. <<< words I live by


This outfit is total proof that mixing price points normally ends in the outfit looking at the level of the higher price point. Personally, I justify investing more money in shoes (specifically heels) since you can wear them with multiple outfits. I might use this theory to the point of abuse, but it's worked for me thus far. The dress was purchased a while ago on Lulus.om for around $50 and the shoes... were not haha. The heels are Jeffrey Campbell and I have neglected them in my closet for over a year (I know it's really terrible). This post really doesn't need to be long because these shoes speak for themselves :)

Here's another yellow dress option from Lulu's 

  

Here is another Jeffrey Campbell Green heel option

 

 

Keepsake Hawaiian Prints

Florals always tend to be a trend when it comes to the Spring and Summer seasons but they can quickly become redundant and seem "been there, done that." Lately I have been drawn to palm prints and Hawaiian florals that are way less traditional and ironically enough - when I looked at our design boards for Summer 2014 that is exactly the direction we are headed. Mixing in bamboo, tropical wildlife, and ocean scenes with Hawaiian florals to bring new meaning and life to what we think of when you say "floral print". Here is a Hawaiian floral print by Keepsake (same print, different style here) that I wore last weekend in Palm Beach. I love that there is so much going on with the print that there wasn't too much accessorizing that was needed. Pair of Brian Atwood heels and a C Wonder bracelet Clutch and I was good to go. What do you think? Out with the old in with the new? Or stick with the traditional because it is timeless?

 

Celine Me Alone

They say wear your heart on your sleeve but now everyone is literally wearing their feelings on their shirt. Conversational fashion statements are hotter than ever ranging from affirmation and uplifting quotes to racey and edgy phrases. As our design team is prepping for 2014, it seems that this trend is only going to become more explosive. I found this awesome "play on words T" through an account I found on Instagram. Unfortunately, I don't want to share the specific account because they took FOREVER to ship me my order and I don't want to lead you guys into that frustration but here are some other fun options I found: here, here , here, and here. Since I was wearing a basic T (which isn't really like me) I decided to be obnoxious and wear my yellow denim jeans and my pink and orange suede heels from zara - similar on sale here. The cherry on top was my neon necklace from Zara - here is a similar neon option that I love from Bauble Bar

Polo Playin

To piggyback off of yesterday's post, I wanted to share what I wore to the BCBG Press Event on Tuesday. I think I wore this outfit because I was upset I wasn't attending a polo match this past weekend in the Hamptons so maybe I subconsciously channeled what I could've worn. I think that this outfit makes me look more like an actual polo player than a spectator but that's just a technicality.

So I wasn't exactly reinventing the wheel with sporting white on white - It's a classic summer look that always looks sharp and in my opinion MUST be worn with gold jewelry and a tan, but I put my own spin on it with this amazing BCBG Motor Jacket

The best part of this jacket is that it is canvas but the tobacco brown parts are leather. To be honest when I first walked past this jacket, I thought it was ugly on the hanger but 9 times out of 10 if I go back to those items they end up being some of my favorites! This case was no exception.

The Shirt I wore was $9.99 and the pants were $29. I am a HUGE advocate of mixing price points, not to mention it's the only way I can afford to stretch my dollar on some fun pieces like this jacket

As fate should have it, this necklace from BaubleBar arrived in my mailbox the day before the press event - It was meant to be! My FAVORITE blogger Courtney Kerr designed a collection for BaubleBar and the first day it was launched I bagged two items because she is one of my accessory idols and this necklace was one of my purchases. 

I topped off this outfit with patent peep toe chocolate stilettos by Brian Atwood - if you held a gun to my head and made me pick a favorite shoe designer I would probably have to say Brian Atwood - I've rarely met a pair I wouldn't wear.

Post MDW Whites

It's no secret that this Memorial Day Weekend's Weather was a huge let down :( personally the rain and cold climate totally killed my jammed packed beach party plans. I previously posted that I don't follow the "white pants rule" but obviously after this weekend you'll be seeing them a lot more for those that have been following the rule. Here's a post MDW outfit

 

This amazing trench with studded shoulders is actually a fit sample that I got from two adorably cute gift fairies in the industry :) I've gotten a lot of use out of it in the last month with the unpredictable weather

I got this top at Lulu's but since it's no longer available, here is another pastel option that will look great with white pants from Tobi

 

The shoes are Jeffrey Campbell and were a birthday gift to myself from myself :) I got them downtown at the Piperlime store. If you live in NYC and have never been to the store, you should definitely stop by. I love that it's set up like the website and they have a "Girl On A Budget" Section

 

 

I cuffed my pants to highlight the shoes because they have an ankle strap but these pants from Lulu's would be the perfect cut without having to be cuffed

 

The finishing touch to this outfit is my necklace which is Juicy Couture and I got it from Lord & Taylor on sale. I love shopping there because it seems like every time I walk in there they seem to be running some type of sale.