Jalisa’s Fashion Files

Hello my loves,

A few months ago, one of my followers requested that I do something on matching colors. She mentioned how she sometimes struggled when creating outfits because she wasn't sure as to what colors worked best together. I thought this would be a great idea, but wasn't quite sure as to how I would present it. I mean, there are so many colors out there and so I knew that I would need to create a series that would include at least the main colors we're all familiar with, remember ROYGBIV from science class in elementary school? Well, I still use this acronym to help remind myself of all the colors in the rainbow, thanks Mrs. Mitchell! So, I will be starting a series on the blog that will discuss the different colors that work best together and I'll provide visual pairing examples. I felt it would be easier to present this information in the form of a blog post, because I feel it's just easier. However, in the future, I may just provide this information in the form of a video, we'll have to wait and see! But for now, let's start the series off with the first in the rainbow and that's the color red.  

One thing that's very important to know before we begin discussing pairing possibilities, is that there are various shades, tints, and hues of red; you will see examples of those in some of the outfit sets I've created. 

1. NEUTRALS AKA EARTH TONES

Neutrals have a tendency to go with everything because they're rather bland on their own, but when combined with other colors, can truly act as enhancer to the color featured, in this case red. Creating a pairing that features the combination of red and a neutral, would be a great option if you want your red piece to truly stand out. 

2. WARM COLORS 

These colors tend to be synonymous with the summer and sun, typically orange and yellow. I created two looks for each color group, both of which have different tones. The first look in the set to the left, features a warmer hue of red, which is burgundy, as well as the terracotta, a deeper hue for the color orange. I featured the same method for the yellow pairing, in which I included a true yellow and a deeper hue of the color, mustard yellow. This will hopefully broaden your creative mindset when it comes to selecting these colors to create a look. You don't necessarily need to work with the true color, you can work with various shades of the color, which sometimes blend better with colors you wouldn't typically think would. 

3. COOL COLORS

These colors tend to exude the opposite of warmer colors; they tend to denote winter and the colors associated with the season, or those of aquatic sceneries. 

4. MONOCHROME

Monochrome is simply the use of the same or similar shades of the same color. As many of you know, pink is a hue of red. Pink is not a color of it's own. Therefore, it's safe to pair it with a true red or various shades of red and pink.

I hope you all found this post helpful and that it gave you some pairing ideas when working with the color red. The next color in the series will be orange, so stay tuned for that one, it ought to be fun!

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Hey, hey my loves!

Can you believe it's Wednesday already? Can you believe it's January 6th for that matter?! My gosh time is flying! Anyway, I came up with this very chic and edgy pairing, which would be perfect for work and an after dinner date night because the leather jacket helps to add a bit of a casual element. A great tip to remember, is on a day that you're expected to hang out with some friends, co-workers, or your man after work, wear a leather jacket instead of a blazer. It'll add some edginess (especially if it's a motto style jacket) to your overall look and is also nighttime appropriate. I personally love the way leather jackets look with dressier pieces because as mentioned, they help to add a touch of edginess; instantly adding some interest, texture and dimension to your overall pairing. 

I hope this gives you some ideas on creating your work look for tomorrow! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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BLAZER: H&M // CHAMBRAY SHIRT: David Bitton Buffalo Denim (Marshalls) // LEATHER SKIRT: Thrifted // PURSE: Tory Burch // SHOES: Steve Madden // BRACELET: Little Switzerland (Aruba)

Hello my loves,

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe weekend! From time to time, I like to demonstrate the versatility of a piece of clothing by showing you all how I've worn or styled it in different ways, in order to give you all some ideas on styling that particular piece you might have been on the fence about because you weren't sure how often you'd be able to wear it. If you look at the photos above, side by side, only a few things have been added to the look you see on the left. I added a blazer and spiked shoes, as well as matching purse. What really changes this look and makes it more business like, is the addition of the blazer. Although you'd of course be able to wear the look on the left to work, the second gives off more of a professional vibe, mainly because of the blazer. Now, if you'd want to enhance the business look that the second outfit exudes, you could of course switch the heels from the first pairing; I'd only suggest the spiked pumps, in outfit number two, if you were in an environment that's perhaps more creative, otherwise, opt for a simple and plain pair of black.

Every woman should have a blazer or two in her wardrobe, regardless of if she works in a business, casual  or homemaker environment. The reason is because they are super versatile, thus creating many options in putting together looks for various scenarios. When it comes to selecting colors, I'd of course suggest the basics such as, black, navy, or grey. However, I'd suggest exploring other colors and perhaps patterns to add more fun and excitement to your collection. Although the color I'm wearing in this post may not seem very exciting, it's very rich and bold. It's one that would look perfect with a pair of jeans (especially dark washes, since it will bring out the camel stitching most jeans have, intensifying the wash of the jean and enhancing it's effects on your shape), as well as a leather skirt, as I've styled for this post.

When it comes to wearing a blazer, there are some different ways I like to wear them. One of my favorites when worn with a button down shirt, is to roll up the sleeves and have the sleeves of the shirt folded over, which will add some contrast to the look. Another way is to roll them up without having the sleeves of your shirt folded over, as well as leaving them as is. I also want to mention that blazers shouldn't only be considered when purchasing suits, unless you are required to wear a suit everyday. If not, don't restrict yourself to wearing or purchasing a blazer with a matching bottom. Often times, you'll find a blazer that had a matching skirt or pant in a store that were sold separately, but the blazer is on sale. Don't opt out of purchasing this major score because you can't find the matching bottom(s), rest assured you'll be able to create quite a few looks with that single piece. 

Although we mainly discussed blazers, this post also demonstrations how you'd be able to wear chambray to the office in different ways; it's a diverse piece as well. It can be worn on the weekends with denim jeans for a classic denim on denim look, or as you see in both looks during the week for work. Chambray is versatile simply because it has a denim texture and vibe, making it has versatile as a pair of jeans. As a working woman, you should always consider the diversity of a piece of clothing, so that not one area of your wardrobe dominates the other, leaving you without many options. I've heard many working women say that they have so many work clothes, but far too little weekend or leisure clothing, which shouldn't be so. You should always shop with the idea of mixing and matching some pieces with work and casual wear to get the most out of every buck.

I hope you enjoyed the post and found it helpful. As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

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CARDIGAN: Marshalls// SHIRT: Max Studio (Marshalls)// JEANS: New York & Company (HERE)// SCARF: Steve Madden (Marshalls)// RAIN BOOTS: Coach// PURSE: Louis Vuitton Trevi GM 

Hey Girlies, 

This is a look I wore yesterday, which was a very gloomy and rainy day, however, the temperature wasn't too bad, which was nice! Since it was unusually mild, I was able to ditch the heavy coat and instead, wore this black waterfall cardigan I've had sitting in my closet for ages. Waterfall cardigans are a great way to add some dimension to both your upper and lower half, in a less dramatic way. It also helps to visually elongate the trunk of the body, making it appear longer and leaner, especially when worn in black! I decided to wear a striped t-shirt underneath with a pop of color in my scarf, to add some contrast between the shirt and cardigan, but let's further discuss the striped tee. The stripes in the shirt I'm wearing are horizontal, which will obviously cause the eye to move across the top of the body in most cases and as a result, certain body shapes, such as the apple, inverted triangle, and rectangular shapes can appear even wider than they naturally are, but this doesn't necessarily mean that those of you who have these shapes can't wear them. I generally prefer suggesting vertical stripes for the shapes listed above, but they can be a tad difficult to find in a casual tee (they tend to be more popular in dressier or collared blouses) and so, I would suggest selecting a tee that has black as the base and white for the stripes, exactly the opposite in color pattern than what you see in my shirt. The black will visually slim the area and since the white (remember, white highlights) stripes are rather thin, you won't have to worry about will appearing larger! Check out an alternative look I created based on this suggestion. I also changed the style of cardigan to a cocoon, which will help add some visual width to the hip area ;)

 

It's amazing to me how much the little things in our clothing can make such a huge difference and I believe that's why I'm so passionate about discussing and providing suggestions or styling mechanisms and clothing for the different body shapes.

Since I'm wearing dark denim jeans, this look would definitely be appropriate for a rainy dress down day at work. It reads casual, fun, yet put-together at the same time. I added my favorite Coach rain boots to tie in with the hot pink infinity scarf I wore and loved the way the look turned out. As mentioned in the is week's video, this Louis Vuitton damier printed purse goes great with the look, but I also did mention that the shape of the purse can either make the look casual or dressy and with this particular style, the Trevi GM, the looks appears a bit more dressed up, which is why I would consider perhaps the Neverfull purse as a possible everyday purse for this particular print, since it's large enough for anything you'd possibly need, if you were considering purchasing one this season :)

I hope you all loved the look and that it inspired you to recreate it! Thanks so much for stopping by and showing love!

 

XO- Jalisa

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BLAZER: c/o Alice's Pig// SHIRT: Cynthia Rowley (I live in these!) (Marshalls)// PANTS: New York & Company// NECKLACE: New York & Company// BRACELET: Little Switzerland (Aruba)// SHOES: Nine West// PURSE: Michael Kors (TjMaxx)

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