Archives for January 2015

Celtic Vibes

Posted by Jalisa's Fashion Files on 01. 29. 15. under Looks Of The Day

COAT: Jessica Simpson (Overstock) // DRESS: Marshalls // TURTLE NECK: Marshalls // LEGGINGS: Marshalls // WAIST BELT: Steve Madden (Marshalls) // PURSE: Kate Spade (Marshalls) // BOOTS: Nine West // EARRINGS: Boutique

Hey Girlies,

Today's look has a very celtic and punk rocker chic vibe. I never really thought about it until now, but I wonder if celtic tradition is what inspired the tartan print we so commonly see worn in the punk rock genre, huh. I know for a fact that my mom will love this pairing, once she stops by today because she never ceases to remind me of my Irish roots, lol! It's probably an everyday discussion somehow. I'm a mutt, by the true definition and one of those mixtures that forms the lovely concoction of me, is Irish. I thought I'd through that out there for those of you who wonder a little bit more about me, yeah, I keep you guessing, since I don't really mention much of my personal life, but I have and will when it fits :)

What I love about tartan is that it can be worn with various pieces to either enhance or subdue it. In this case, I enhanced it by working with colors that wore found in the color palette of the print. I feel that the coat also brings out that punk or celtic vibe I was going for, since the buttons are a bit obnoxious, plus it's a military style coat. Depending on your body shape, you may want to consider where you're placing the tartan because it's print, which means it will draw the eye straight to wherever it's placed. Many of you know that I'm a pear shape and I still wore a complete tartan piece in dress form. What balanced out the look was mainly the coat, since it has a wide collar, which broadens my chest area. I also have a plaid skirt that you've seen me wear also and I wear it with pieces on top that help add volume and dimension to balance out the attention that's place on my wider hips. Below are general suggestions I would make on recreating this look for your body shape. Of course there are always exceptions when styling, which is why I encourage you to continue to follow along both my blog and YouTube channel, so you could see alternatives whenever shown ;)

I hope you all found this post inspirational and recreate it on yourselves! As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Cranberry Crave

Posted by Jalisa's Fashion Files on 01. 28. 15. under Date Night, Looks Of The Day

COAT: Vince Camuto (Marshalls) // SCARF: Marshalls // SWEATER: Marshalls // PANTS: H&M // BOOTS: Nine West // PURSE: Louis Vuitton // RING: a gift from my mom

Hey luvies,

So we didn't get as much snow as anticipated, which is a-ok with me! I'd say we got about a foot, not the 3-4 feet that was predicted. However, it still was a lot and has made finding parking such a pain, ugh!

Anyway, I wanted to of course wear something warm, since it was somewhere around 28 degrees today, yup VERY cold! I opted for these super comfy and warm leather pants I purchased at H&M about a month ago in store. They're lined with a suede like material, which makes me super happy on days like today, because when I'm in the mood for wearing some leather pants or leggings, I don't have to worry about freezing my butt off! I paired them with a grey cable knit sweater, one of my faves in my closet. It's also comfy, but not really all that warm, so I had to wear a long sleeve underneath, which did the trick. I added a plaid chunky scarf that has pops of pink. To finish off the entire look, I selected one of my favorite coats, this cranberry oversized wrap coat by Vince Camuto. You've definitely seen this coat on the blog, but with the fur collar, which I removed; I felt it would be too overwhelming to have that and the chunky scarf. To enhance the cranberry, I wore my Louis Vuitton Alma GM purse.

I hope you enjoyed the post and feel inspired to recreate it on yourself! It's one that I feel would look great on every body shape because the proportions are perfect and flattering all around and has a nice mix of texture, which is essential during the winter and in balancing out or creating curves during this time of year. The fact that the pants and boots are the same color and texture, creates a lengthening effect to the leg, which is great if you're petite and are thinking of wearing an oversized coat. Oversized coats can appear a tad overwhelming to a petite frame, unless there are some techniques used in styling to create a longer leg, something you may want to consider if you are petite.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

The Color Pairing Series: ORANGE

Posted by Jalisa's Fashion Files on 01. 26. 15. under Date Night, Looks Of The Day, W3

Hello my loves,

As it's snowing outside, I'm thinking of color and lots of it! If you haven't yet heard, we're expecting about four feet of snow, if not more, here in the Northeast. I'm not looking forward to it because people start acting really crazy (since we're not used to this much snow here), I mean I nearly got into a car accident on my way home from the gym this morning. Thankfully both myself and the other driver are okay, but the roads were slippery and she was on the phone, not a good combination at all.

Anyway, as I said, I'm looking at color to take my mind away from the frigid temps and piles of snow that's sure to develop within the next few days. Today's color of choice is the second color in the rainbow, orange. If you're not familiar, I did a YouTube video on some outfit ideas using orange, but this post is much more detailed with outfit ideas. In the video, I mainly concentrated on the best shades of orange for your skin tone. If you're interested, you can check that out here.

Since I did an introduction of the different categories or groups of colors featured in the sets in last week's post, using the color red, I don't feel it necessary to mention them again. You can however take a look at the post to check out the sets of looks I created, along with the information I just mentioned. I do want to mention, though, that you'll notice that there are different hues or tones of orange that I used, which was dependent upon the color I was matching it up against. For example, when creating a look using orange and green, I selected a cooler shade of orange, which has a bit of a bluish tint. I also selected a different shade of green, leaning more towards teal because these two compliment each other better than a true orange and green would. You see, when working with colors, you don't need to think of the true color in it's original hue to combine colors. You can always opt for a lighter, softer hue or darker, depending on which shades would work best with the color you wish to pair with. So without further adieu, here are the looks I created:

I hope you found these pairing ideas helpful and give them a try when creating your own looks! Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Are You Taking Care of Your Jewelry?

Posted by Jalisa's Fashion Files on 01. 23. 15. under Tips & Tricks

Hey my loves!

In this week's video I give some simple tips I've learned that help in taking care of jewelry, either costume or authentic. I do not claim to be an expert in the jewel industry, these are tips that I've learned through personal experience and in having spoke to people I know who have extensive jewelry collections. I hope it helps you!

Here's what I mentioned:

1. Avoid wearing your jewelry when cleaning or applying lotion or creams

2. Don't apply perfume or hairspray while wearing jewelry. The alcohol can cause costume jewelry to tarnish faster and develop holes where bacteria can develop, which can lead to serious infections!

3. You can clean authentic jewelry with either rubbing alcohol, jewelry cleaner, or toothpaste. DO NOT USE ALCOHOL ON COSTUME, PEARL, OR OPAL JEWELRY!

4. Don't brush fine jewelry with bristles, as it can cause scratches; only brush stones.

5. A tip I forgot to mention was not to place costume jewelry too close together, since they oxidize and can cause each piece to tarnish faster.

Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What Jewelry Line Private Launch Party!

Posted by Jalisa's Fashion Files on 01. 22. 15. under Events

Hey Girls,

So in yesterday's post, I mentioned that I was heading to an event, which was for New York fashion blogger, Danielle Bernstein, of We Wore What private launch party for her jewelry collaboration with TopShop! The name of the line is Freedom Found and is inspired by her visit to Istanbul. For the collection, she spent hours scouring through the city's famous Grand Bazaar for one of a kind pieces that would be sold as her hand picked suggestions, and what would be referred to as apart of her individual collection. What I personally love about the pieces is that they can be worn in a variety of ways and can help add a special element, culture, and uniqueness to any outfit. Danielle's look at the event was more of a rocker chic vibe, however, they can easily be worn in a more boho chic way, which she herself said was how she envisioned many would wear her pieces, while attending spring and summer festivals, such as the legendary Coachella, in a recent interview with Top Shop. Depending on your personal style and taste, each piece can be worn on its own or stacked, as well as with a fun outfit or with a more simple look, allowing for the piece(s) to be the center focus.