Tuesday Shoesday: Slip-ons

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Did anyone else have a pair of Vans in middle school? Mine were polka dotted (I didn't think I could pull of the checkered ones) and I loved how they could be thrown on with basically anything. So, when slip-ons came back in style the past year or so, I was reminded of those I had from middle school but hesitant to get back into them again. After holding off for a while, I finally found the pair I had been searching for (#1) a pair of suede Vince ones at Nordstrom Rack for under $60 on clearance and instantly was hooked again. They are incredibly comfortable, have a sort of ease about them (no laces!), and just like the sneakers from yesterday's post, make nearly any outfit so much cooler. 

Do you have a pair of slip-ons? I think next I'll try a pair in the ankle style.

Home Improvement

Pastels are playing a huge role in coats for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. What used to be reserved for darker blacks, grey, and navy, have been replaced by more subdued cotton candy colors. With pastels making a statement in a season other than traditional Spring, I came across this room above, that keeps the pastels and sweet colors slightly toned down with a graphic black and white rug, funky light fixtures, and a bit of nature with a pop of kelly green plants. Keeping the furniture simple both in shape and style is key in a room like this one. With the prints and patterns displayed on the fabrics, the basic furniture helps to balance it out, and the robins-egg blue table picks up on colors in the blankets. 

How would you arrange pastels in your home to keep them from being overly sweet? I'm in love with that rug!

Home Improvement

When it comes to bathrooms, it's ashamed that they are often so easily overlooked design-wise. However, behind closed doors and not the center of the house, I see them as a great opportunity to test out looks that I might be trying out or just to go for it! Upon first sight of this week's home improvement feature above, I wasn't sure exactly which room it was. The bright, but not overwhelming, striped walls, various patterns seen in the towels, rug, and pillow, and the picture frames and intricate mirrors made it a space that kept my eyes perusing around a space that is otherwise not given much thought about. Although to some it may come across as a mix of many different styles, to me, everything down to the contrasting black door is fun and engaging.

What do you think of this space? Too crazy or crazy good?

Herringbone

Topshop T-shirt//Forever 21 Necklace// Skirt that I made// Steve Madden shoes// and Michael Kors watch

As much as I love colors, I really appreciate garments that have interesting patterns and textures. When I made this skirt last year, I was drawn to the corduroy fabric that instead of the typical ribbing that is associated with corduroy, had an interesting herringbone pattern on it. I have always enjoyed pairing long sleeves with shorter skirts or shorts, and on the abnormally warm December day that we had in Houston on Sunday, this was a perfect outfit for meeting up with some friends for coffee. 

Person of Interest: Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo has one of those styles that gives me closet envy time after time. I always admired her sense of style and class and her ability to combine high fashion with more affordable pieces to create the put-together quality of her looks. Aside from her obvious ability to always appear polished, I am interested in the way that she incorporates tailored jackets and coats into her looks--an easy way to add texture and make an outfit look a bit more finished and tie the look together, and, following last week's POI on pattern mixing, Olivia is a master at that, as well.

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Person of Interest: Whitney Port

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Mixing patterns is an easy way to create a greater range of variety in your wardrobe and can create a look that appears intensely thought out and difficult to pull off. While pattern mixing has become one of my favorite inspirations while getting dressed in the morning, oddly enough, it was Whitney Port and her style that had me attempt it in the first place a few years ago. Just as navy can be considered a neutral to some, I have gotten to where stripes and florals can be considered neutrals, as well. For me, in pulling off this style successfully, I have found that pairing a bolder or larger pattern (such as the bold striped skirt in the second photo) with a smaller more subdued one (the leopard print flats) usually works. I admire Whitney Port's style for the fact that she always appears put together and polished, while still maintaining an ease to her outfits by providing an undone element, as well.

Are you a fan of pattern mixing and what are some of your favorites to combine?

Tuesday Shoesday

As feminine and classic as I usually am, quite often I find myself interested in and wishing to try out pieces and styles that are a little unlike me. Anything in a brocade fabric is always beautiful to me--the way that the metallic threads shine and the way that it adds a bit of luxury to whatever it is sewn to. These Kenzo zip-front boots are a pair that while typically not my go-to style, are definitely a pair that I would love to try out. This pair is from Kenzo's pre-fall 2012 collection that was filled with an abundance of rich and deep colors (burgundy, mustard, navy blues) scattered with bits and pieces of pattern mixing and a few prints. While at first, this pair of boots may seem unpractical for their abilities to easily pair with a daily wardrobe, I am already dreaming up ways in which they can be the showstopper of the outfit throughout the fall and winter seasons. 

Would you attempt brocade boots?

Fluorescent Elements

{Forever 21 sweater,  H&M pants, Target heels,  Necklace from Dillard's}

Lately, I feel that the way that an outfit can work best is with simple and basic pieces but with amazing accessories. By using a bright fuchsia sweater and basic black pants as the base, and adding a neon green statement necklace and leopard print wedges, this otherwise simple outfit is now a lesson in mixing brights with patterns. While the traditional suit style has seemed to be fairly distant from the need to be in our wardrobes for a while now, this is an outfit--or style-- that I feel could work well for a creative office setting or even an interview, as well.

I arrived back in Syracuse last night to finish off the rest of the first semester, so look forward to starting off tomorrow with our regular school line-up starting with tomorrow's "Tuesday Shoesday" post. 

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break!

Odd Pairings

{Delia's skirt (old), Forever 21 blouse + belt, Target shoes, Michael Kors watch and Essie's "Mojito Madness" polish}

Since oxbloods and burgundies have become this seasons everything, every fashion lover has thought of how to make the fashion worlds latest color obsession work in their wardrobes. Upon seeing this photograph of a favorite, Elisa Nalin, at first, choosing to pair a deep burgundy with a lighter lilac seemed odd and contradictory. However, I found myself consistently returning to the image for reference. In my interpretation of this burgundy/lilac blend, I added a bit of subtle pattern mixing, as well. With a delicate floral blouse and a skirt with a stitched circle arrangement, I attempted to unify the light and deeper colors by adding a level of textures and prints to the mix, too. 

Would you ever try an odd pairing? Burgundy and lilac? Light pink and burnt orange?

Home Improvement

{Pick of the Week}

When I was younger, stuffy floral wallpaper lined my closet walls. Since then, I equated wallpaper to being something that old ladies were fond of to decorate as an alternative to paint. However, recently I have become a woman obsessed. As an obvious lover of patterns and prints, wallpaper is just another way to add them into my life. With so many variations from simple and demure, to more funky and playful, wallpaper is a great way to add personality to wall in a way that paint cannot. Anthropologie sells some of my favorite options for interesting and ornate wallpapers. Here are two of my favorites: 1 and 2. Pricey? Yes. But, hey, a girl can dream...right?

What are your thoughts towards wallpaper? Would you ever use it?

Dress Up

{Pick of the Week}

Prints and Patterns are some of the qualities of a garment that I really appreciate. While I do love designs like this or even this, sometimes they can get too cutesy and come across juvenile on me. The pick for this week is one that I feel is the perfect representation of a print that I love. The playing cards are playful and fun to wear, but it is a dress that can easily be styled various ways either with polka dot tights (as seen in the picture), a leather vest, or a really fun metal collar necklace to wear underneath the collar of the actual dress. And, with the length short but the sleeves long, the print is not too overwhelming on a large garment, and has just the right amount of whimsical appeal. 

What is everyone up to this weekend? Yesterday was my birthday and my friends and family helped me celebrate in so many ways. Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Purple Panther

{H&M Blouse, Forever 21 leotard and necklace, Zara skirt, Michael Kors watch, and Steve Madden shoes}

With the incredibly feminine silhouette and fun quality that peplums have on a garment, I am surprised at how long it took me to actually test them out. I am absolutely in love with this blouse from H&M. With a peplum that is lower on the waist than the ones I had been seeing and a blous-y and lightweight look, it is a perfect piece to layer over dark colored skirts and dresses and will be great with a leather jacket and dark pants when it gets cooler. In a deep purple color with an almost hidden panther pattern, it is a conversation piece that is just as easy to wear as it is fun.

Dress Up

{This Week's Pick}

When chevron was all the rage a little while ago, I quickly grew tired of it. However, with it's fun diagonal lines and whimsical appeal it still remained the perfect way to create adorable interior spaces with a chevron rug or even wallpaper. When I spotted this dress today, though, I remembered how fun of a style it was and even though it is quite popular in interiors, very rarely do you actually see it on pieces of clothing. I love the way that the chevron pattern is on the bodice part of this dress by Hallelu so that it isn't overwhelming, and the coral colored bottom is the perfect summery hue.

Have an amazing weekend, everyone!

Blue Bottomed

{Madewell blouse, H&M shorts, Michael Kors watch, Chanel's "Rouge Allure Velvet" 37 lipstick, and Aldo sandals}

With summer officially kicked off because of Memorial Day, the heat sure has made it's appearance here in NYC. With the temperature as hot as it's been, nothing feels better than the lightest clothes to provide a blocker from the sun. This is one of my favorite blouses that I have had for a few years now. I love the sort of kaleidoscope and floral look that it has to it and the way that the colors pair with the bright blue shorts is a combination that I was really into. This shows that even if you wear a bright and patterned top, you don't have to make only that a focal point--even by adding the colored shorts, the shirt still manages to shine as well. 

{We even met this adorable Pomeranian named Tarzan who was looking for a home--Adopt him! So Sweet}