Fashion in the Eye of the Beholder

Aren’t weddings great? Well, I am officially going to my first wedding! In December I will be traveling to New York to be the maid of honor at my oldest cousin’s nuptials. Now while this will be the smaller wedding, make no doubt it will still be all about the dress.

            While my cousin has the cutest wedding dress, I have yet to find an outfit for me. I did find a great black and grey dress from Forever21, but for some reason I tried it on this past weekend, with these amazing pumps I got from Piperlime.com, and it was much shorter than I remembered! So now I must go shopping, yet again!

            While I love to shop, I must say that I hate shopping for dresses! I find that I don’t look good in them so I try to stay as far away from them as possible, with the exception of a few sun dresses here and there.

            As I was talking to my mom, trying to think of anything else other than a dress, because let’s face it New York at the end of December isn’t exactly warm weather. And I came up with this fabulous idea of a pant suit! I have always wanted a really great black pant suit and now I actually have a place to wear it too!

            It’s funny that we thought of this outfit this past weekend because as I am looking at People’s style section, pant suits are very in this season! With Halle Berry wearing a gold embroidered pant suit and Jessica Alba wearing a great black pant suit, I am so excited to go hunting for the perfect suit!

Pictures courtesy of People.com

As I write this I am listening to the new Rihanna album, “Loud” and I must say that it has to be her best album yet! It got me thinking about her style and how she takes risks and loves color! I have always loved Rihanna’s style from her crazy hair colors to her choices in footwear. She has to be one of the boldest dressers out there and while she doesn’t always get it right, I love that she doesn’t care what fashion critics say.

I always look to her to see hat hairstyles she has come up with and while I know that she has a professional stylist that works with her all the time, I know her input is in there just as our input goes into our haircuts. I wish I had that “no fear” attitude when it came to my hair. I have to say my favorite look was when she had a pixie cut with long bangs in the front.

She recently went to the American Music Awards, where she opened the show and she had three outfit changes. I only liked two of them and the other one was just OK for me. She wore a see thru red lace long dress on the red carpet, a fun skirt and bra set while she was performing and then changed into an elegant pale green dress.

I find that she can pull off so many different looks ranging from elegant and classy to wild, crazy, fun looks. I haven’t been a fan of her bright red hair, especially when she added the extensions and hr hair fell to her back, but I love how she darkened it and made it big and curly! I love big curly hair!!

My favorite look of the night was her light green dress at the end of the night! I think she looks so classy but still sexy with that slit!

 People.com

As I child my mother used to dress my sisters and I in some pretty ridiculous outfits, especially for the holidays. I remember those patent shoes that were really shiny and if we would scuff them, there would be a white line that was there forever. And then there were those puffy dresses with the little socks that had ruffles on the top and we couldn’t wear a coat so she would make us wear these ponchos that we could put our hands through; how I hated them.

            Well now they are back and I must say, I don’t know how I feel about them! While my style icon, Kim Kardashian pulls them off with her great style, I just don’t know if it would be something I would wear! I feel that they make you look boxy and don’t accentuate someone’s shape, and if they have a pattern that is even worse!

            But on the other hand I love the easiness of the poncho. You can put on some great jeans, some boots and the poncho over your sweater and you’re nice and cozy. I think I would have to try it for myself to see how I feel in a poncho. But it’s always about what you feel comfortable and great in!

http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/2010/10/14/casual-poncho-for-a-day-out-in-the-city/kardashian-100710-1/

Here is Kim wearing a beige poncho with those fabulous leopard print Louboutins, which I would love to own! And the most beautiful bag on Earth,in my opinion, a Birkin bag, which retails for thousands of dollars. I just love her style!!!!

Now that winter has officially started here in Gainesville and many other states, I found myself talking with a girlfriend about dressing warm summer vs. winter. She thinks that dressing for summer is so much easier and while I agree with her, there is something about dressing for winter that I love. While I do not like the cold, I do love the coats, gloves, hats and boots that come along with the season.

The main thing I look for in a coat is how well it will keep me warm? I am always cold so I need something warm. I have found some great coats at Alloy that are chic and kept me very warm. I bought a new one a couple weeks ago from Alloy and finally got to test it out and it passed!

Usually I tend to get shorter coats that hit at the hip but this time I decided to go for a longer coat because I thought it would have a more slimming effect. The belt in the middle helps a lot with that aspect. I wore it with short sleeves underneath and a bright magenta looking scarf so it could add some color to the light brown coat. Now I just need to find some brown boots to go with the coat!

Alloy always has some great coats and the plus is that if you sign up for their emails you get coupons for anywhere from 10%-20% off. So it helps with buying a jacket from them seeing as they can be a bit pricey but well worth the money. Not to mention you usually get your orders way ahead of the scheduled delivery date!

Stay warm but cute everyone! Here’s a coat from Alloy that’s great!

These days when it comes to shopping, budget is everything, but does that mean we should skimp on good quality just because it can save us a few dollars? Should we buy those jeans that are $10 but will probably only last a year, maybe less?

            For me, I think that it all depends on what you use the most. For me I am an avid jean wearer and purse collector. I have learned that spending $20 on jeans may not save me money in the long run. If you really look at it, you will just end up having to buy another pair in a couple months. So why not spend ten extra dollars and get good quality fabric that will last you much longer.

            Banana Republic has great jeans that I have come to love. I was first turned onto them by my best friend who worked there for years. I still have the jeans she got me for Christmas!! Then, I started to date a guy who also worked there, and my love for Banana Republic jeans grew. I have gained and lost weight in these past couple months and they are jeans that I can always wear.

            The company that owns Banana Republic also owns Old Navy and The Gap. Old Navy also has some great jeans for those who may not have Banana Republic jean money. Old Navy is always having some type of sale and their jeans just fit great! The only thing that I wish their jeans had is more stretch! I am a hippy girl, so I need that extra little stretch in the jeans to fit me well.

            Whether you are a shoe fanatic, jean lover or purse collector; decide what you will be able to use years from now. I have an all black, classic leather Coach purse that I got for my 18^th birthday. I am now going to be 21 years old and it still looks great, fits everything and goes with anything! It was the best investment Thanks, Mom!! Make sure that you’re not spending your money on things that will fade out! Classic is always in style.

So, I went shopping last weekend and I noticed that a lot of shirts and dresses have something that my mom used to wear; shoulder pads! Now when I was little and I saw my mom’s shirts and jackets with these weird things on top of the shoulders I was like, “this is so ugly, who would wear this?” And the answer to that question is now: me!

When I was perusing the racks at Forever 21, I found this great dress! Not too short, three- quarter sleeves and most importantly black with some gray to give it dimension. But what I noticed when I was in the fitting room was that they had shoulder pads! When I put the dress on it looked great, which is shocking because for me to find a dress that is form fitting but not to skimpy, is shocking.

I also noticed that there were a lot of shirts and cardigans with embellishments, especially on top of the shoulders. Little rhinestones here and there and pearl looking beads. Now for some people this look really looks great on them. But for me I try to stay away from shinning things because they tend to make things look bigger, and I don’t need that! But nonetheless, I found some great things and not expensive at all, which is a major plus!

 Have fun shopping this season, fall always has some of the best shopping!

Here are some examples of the shoulder embellishments.

This past week I was thinking about how we all develop our fashion sense. Is it seeing your mom getting dressed when you were little that made you first interested? Or was it looking at magazines and TV shows? I think mine developed from growing up. We all went through phases that we regret looking back.

Ever since I can remember I have been always very aware of what everyone wears, how they put outfits together and why they choose certain combinations. For me fashion is an extension of how I am feeling that day. There are days where I feel really girly and I want to wear a pretty dress and cute flats. Then there are those days where I just want to be comfy but still cute; those are the days that classic basic pair of jeans and a white tee shirt look comes into play.

I think the clothes we choose to wear send messages. You can tell when some just didn’t care about what they were wearing and just wanted to go back to bed. And you can tell when a person feels good because they have an extra spring in their step and a smile on their face; at least I know I do.

Fashion shouldn’t be about what name brands you have or how much your purse costs, it should be about how you feel. If you can afford that $500 purse then by all means enjoy it. But you can get the same look and feeling with a cheaper purse while saving money! I myself have a weakness for purses and shoes, but I know my limits. If I do want that special purse I will save my pennies and wait till I can get it, but I also know that spending however much money on that course I will get use out of it because a purse is something that almost every woman uses daily.

So go out there and find those little hidden gems that cost a fraction of the price of that designer bag or shoe! I guarantee you will feel even better if you found something that looks great on you while saving a little extra cash for those bills!!!

 In a couple days I will also start posting pictures of outfits that I have worn to class, dinner, or just a trip to Walmart!

Hey guys! Hope everyone is having a great week! Well it’s officially fall here in Gainesville, as it is in most of the states and one of my style icons, Kim Kardashian, has moved to New York City with her sister Kourtney for a couple months to open up another DASH boutique.

Kim always has the best outfits put together. I love her style and how she dresses for her curves. As someone who also has curves and at times want to hide a troublesome area, like the tummy, I look to her to see how I can put outfits together.

When she arrived in New York a couple days ago, she had one of the cutest outfits for fall. She wore the military pants and boots and added a twist. She added a big scarf that she wrapped around her neck a couple times and a big flowy shirt and a little back jacket.

Kimkardashianfan.net

Although everyone wants to be able to buy whatever they want, like Kim, we all know that isn’t possible. So I looked around and put together an outfit that is wearable this fall. Each of these items are under $30 except for the shoes. I think that shoes are such an investment and you can spend a little more on them because they will always come back into style. 

Stay Warm!

With this shirt if you don’t like how see-thru it is, just add a cami underneath.

Pants

• Photos

Sweater

• Photos

Shoes

It’s that time again where leaves are changing colors, crunching under our feet, and the trends are changing to sweaters and boots; it’s fall! Possibly my favorite season, fall has that great weather that’s cool enough to wear a cozy sweater but not cold enough yet for a huge jacket. Having lived in New York for many years I miss the noticeable changes that each season brings but what I miss most is the chance to change up my wardrobe. This fall a huge trend is going to be military clothing and boots.

The military look is such a great, versatile trend that can be used in any season but the boots that have come out this season are beautiful! From flat thigh high boots, lace up boots and platform booties, there are so many choices that one won’t know what to do with herself. These aren’t just a fall trend; they can be used during winter too!

Aldo, Nine West, and Steve Madden, just to name a few, have great lace up boots and platform booties with buckle embellishments that give it that military look. Urban Outfitters also has great clothes with the military theme, but with their prices, a college student like me can’t necessarily afford most of the items, but just looking at them, I can get ideas and I can find something that looks similar.

For those pieces that can be worn in any season, like a good pair of jeans, shoes, or a purse I think that spending the money can be beneficial. You are getting great quality clothing that you will get great use out of.  

Here is something I would put together for this military trend:

Shirt


Pants


Shoes

Purse