BLAZER: H&M// SKIRT: Daily Look// NECKLACE: Local boutique// PURSE: Zac Posen (TjMaxx)// SHOES: Michael Antonio (Annie Sez)
Hey Girlies,
Today's look is inspired by 50s fashion, which makes it vintage, one of my favorite styles! I blended both feminine and masculine inspired pieces from the era, which as you know is one of my favorite things to do! Back then, women did not wear blazers often, as they were viewed and accepted as menswear, for the most part. So in this look, the plaid blazer has more of the masculine feel and the a-line midi skirt exudes that 50s chic and classy female homemaker, as well as the lady like purse.
You know, I really admire how the women back then did so much, yet managed to keep themselves so put together. I mean, the hair was always done, clothes were nicely pressed and matched well, and makeup was worn, although subtly. I understand that today, we live in a faster and more stressful society, but I think sometimes we should get lost in time and take some notes! I have many clients on Keaton Row that are homemakers and this is one of the hardest jobs out there, I mean you're molding and empowering a human life emotionally and developmentally! So, those of you who find yourselves playing this difficult role, I want you to dress up every so often, even if you don't have anywhere in particular to go, do it for you! I mean, you're doing so much for others, which makes it that much more important for you to step back and do and wear some things that will make you feel good!
The pairing I created would be perfect for all my fellow pear, rectangular, and hourglass shapes. However, if you're a petite pear, rectangular, or hourglass, below is an alternative look, which is very similar, but the skirt length is notably different. You'll also notice that I included two different metallic purses, one for all you cool toned ladies and the other for the warm toned. I also created a similar look for all my apple and inverted triangle shapes as well!
If you are a petite apple shape, the only suggestion I'd have is to wear a shorted plaid skirt, similar to the one I included in the petite look above!
BLAZER: H&M// TUNIC: Marshalls// JEGGINGS: Express// BOOTS: Michael Kors (Marshalls)// PURSE: Louis Vuitoon Tivoli GM
(In the scroll bar, the pants are showing up white, but they have the teal color, too!)
Hello Ladies,
Today's look is a very seasonal color pairing, in that I selected colors that are found perfectly blended in nature during this time of year. I say nature is the best place to derive our inspiration, since everything that encompasses it compliments each other as though they were intricately placed and seasoned at the same exact time. So if they look perfect in the sky and around us, why wouldn't they look perfect on us?!
What I love about this color combination is that it can be used both in the summer and fall. They're perfect in the summer because teal is a color reflective of the gorgeous sea waters and the brown and gold accents are seen in trees, sand, and rocks around the shore. In fall, the browns are seen in the trees and leaves that are changing and the teal can be used to represent the leaves that don't change at all.
TIPS FOR WEARING THIS LOOK FOR YOUR FRAME
There are quite a few things that you can play around with, with an outfit like this. First, if you so choose, you can remove the blazer. This will create a lengthening effect to the upper half of the body, extending from the calf area (since we have boots) up to the face. In this case, we'd be using the monochrome technique to visual extend the length of the torso, perfect for those of you who may have a naturally shorter torso and longer legs! The reason why the torso would be the area that is mainly enhanced is because we're working with boots that are practically at the knee and are in a noticeably different color, which creates contrast:
The second option would be if you have a long torso, you may want to do what I did and that's wear a blazer over your top, to further enhance the sections of your body visually. You may also want to opt for boots that are not as high as the one's I'm wearing, since this cuts off some visual inches from the legs; in this case, ankle boots may be best:
Third, if you are fairly proportional in that one area of your body is not longer than the other, you can remove the blazer and just have the boots as the piece that breaks up the monochrome a bit. However, if you are petite and wish to appear visually taller overall, I'd suggest that you maintain the monochrome on top and bottom, don't add a different color blazer, and opt for ankle boots instead, since they cut off less of the leg visually:
TIPS FOR WEARING THIS LOOK FOR YOUR BODY SHAPE
Now, this look is perfect as is for all my pear, rectangular, and hourglass shaped ladies, despite the printed bottoms. The reason is because we're wearing a cowl neck, which balances out any attention that is being placed on the bottom half of our bodies, as a result of the print. A cowl neck adds visual dimension to the bust, making it appear larger, an instant fix for those of us with smaller busts and larger hips! This look is suitable for my rectangular shapes because our upper and lower portions are being distinguished and broken up into sections, due to the addition of the brown blazer and boots. This is ideal for the rectangular shape because she would otherwise appear straight up and down, lacking any curve or shape. The only thing I would alter for my apple shapes is the neckline of the top. Cowl necks are not the best choice for this shape, since those who fall into this category naturally have larger busts, wider chests, backs, and midsections, regardless of size; the use of a cowl neck would only exaggerate this making one appear even larger. Instead, opt for a v-neck, since they visually narrow the trunk of the body, because the neckline moves downward instead of across. Other than the that, this too would be a great look for all my apple shapes:
TIPS FOR WEARING THIS LOOK FOR SKIN TONE
When it comes to skin tone, caramel, cognac, or camel colors, which I'm wearing on top and bottom, tend to compliment those with warm or neutral skin tones best. If you fall into those skin tone categories and wish to recreate this look and don't have the colors mentioned, a terracotta or burnt orange would work just as well! For all my cool skin tones, I'd suggest a chocolate brown, since your natural undertones are deep (blue), so deep and rich colors look amazing on you!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you found the post helpful!
Working with color and/or print can either seem exciting or intimidating, depending on how you view it. Often times, women are intimidated because they don't feel they can pull it off. The reason many feel this way is because they've most likely worn colors or patterns in the wrong places, which further highlighted areas that they were insecure about. That's where I come in! The fact is that color and pattern works for everyone, the key of course is selecting shades that are the most flattering for your skin and hair tone, as well as placing those pieces in areas that will help visually balance you out and divert the eye from focusing on areas you may not want.
I created shoppable looks for all four body shapes. This should make shopping and styling that much more easier, as well as boosting your confidence in knowing that color and pattern can and does work for you!
This pairing would look wonderful on a pear shape because all of the eye-catching attention is placed on top, where we want it, in this case! Since I selected black flared pants (which balance out the width of the hips), I didn't want the entire look to be boring, so I decided to add a zebra printed blazer to help further enhance the color of the orange cami. It looks classy in this case because of the the silhouette. I don't generally suggest zebra print for the office, since it can appear a bit funky and party like, but in this case, it works!
In the case of the apple, it's best to place color and print on the lower portion, to divert the eye from focusing primarily on your voluptuous top! The wrap style blouse is figure flattering and is an apple shape girl's best friend, either in tops or dresses; they help visually slim the upper body overall! I selected a wide pant leg because it visually balances out a wider upper body, thus making the top portion appear slimmer and proportional.
For all you rectangular shapes, texture can really help enhance your shape and create the enhancement of curves. I selected this fuzzy sweater, which will add some volume and dimension to the upper body, making it appear fuller. I selected printed pants to help maintain your proportions, essentially maintaining interest on both sections of your body. Since you have equal proportions on both your top and bottom, you hold the ultimate choice in whether you would like to enhance a specific area of your body or do so overall.
For all you hourglass shapes, I'd suggest the same tips as mentioned above for the rectangulars. Since you both have equally proportioned frames, you hold the choice of selecting where you'd like the main focus to be or if you'd like to maintain an equal balance, which I often suggest, especially in your case. In this look, we have patterns on both the top and bottom, but they don't clash and don't appear overbearing. The reason is because the print in the pant is subtle and smaller, while the top features more vibrant and larger patterns and colors. To further tone down the look, if you choose (depending on your work setting), I'd suggest wearing a basic solid colored blazer, it'll help tie the entire look together and appear more professional.
I hope you enjoyed this post and style! Be sure to let me know if you do and I will certainly create more shoppable looks, according to each body shape!
I was contacted by a stylist from ModCloth and was asked to participate in an autumn layering contest, featuring some layerable pieces from their collections. I thought this would be fun, since I've never entered a contest before; I'm pretty excited to participate! Their social team will feature their favorite sets on an a weekly basis, so hopefully they'll love the look :)
I decided to create this seasonably perfect pairing, which exudes fall in color and as a collective outfit pairing. Layering is synonymous with fall, mainly because the temperatures change throughout the day, especially here in the North East, throughout the season. What's important to me is that when I remove an item, I don't want it to negatively effect the entire rhythm of the outfit. In other words, I don't want it to appear as if something's missing.
Let's say that we start our day experiencing a rather cool morning, we then choose to add the jacket for some additional warmth. It adds a nice touch of sultry color to the outfit and compliments one of my favorite colors this season, which I recorded a video on how to style (watch here), in a burnt orange tone, rather nicely. As the day progresses, it begins to warm up and there is no longer a need to wear a jacket, no worries, the outfit looks fabulously chic without it! The hints of pattern and additional color peeking through the collar area and underneath the bottom portion of the sweater, add interest and character to the look. Now let's say that it begins to warm up a bit more, around the mid 70's, we can simply remove the sweater and leave the collared shirt paired with the jeans and the look would still look great! This is something you may want to keep in mind while creating your autumn look. Put together an outfit that has pieces that can easily be added and/or removed without effecting the entire look.
I hope you all enjoyed and felt inspired by the post if you loved the sweater featured, visit ModCloth's website to see more of their fabulous collection! :
BLOUSE: Marshalls// EARRINGS: Annie Sez// RING: c/o Kendra Scott// NECKLACE: Athra Luxe// WATCH: Michael Kors// JEANS: New York & Company (HERE)// PURSE: Kate Spade (Marshalls)// SHOES: Steve Madden (Marshalls)
Hey Girlies!
Today, I felt like doing something different with my hair, so I tried out this three tail braid that I saw MiMi from Luxy Hair do in a tutorial (she's the BEST at hair tutorials!). It's actually very easy to do, despite how complex it may appear. I left some pieces out to curl, giving it somewhat of a messy look, which I really liked. It helped soften the look a bit, making it both classy and fun.
As for my outfit, I woke up knowing that I wanted to wear this houndstooth printed blouse, but I just didn't know with what. I was thinking of black or dark washed jeans, but I felt either of those options would've made the look too dressy and that wasn't the overall vibe I wanted to create. Instead, I selected these medium washed jeans that have a bit of distressed detailing on them, which helped pull out that relaxed undertone, captured with my messy braid hair-do. To further enhance the tone, I cuffed the bottom portion of the jean and paired them with open toed shoes. This would be a perfect look for walking around the town, window shopping, or for meeting up with the girls for a coffee break, as well as for work, if a blazer were thrown over, the jeans were un-cuffed, and paired with pointed-toe shoes.
One thing I absolutely love about creating a pairing is mixing and matching different tones and styles together to create an eclectic look, which I think defines my overall style, for the most part. While I do have a tendency to favor glam, I am not one to turn my back on any style. Being unpredictable with your creations is mysterious and keeps your wardrobe interesting, wouldn't you say?! That's part of the reason you often see me wearing many of the same pieces, but styled in different ways, exuding different styles. That and I'm unfortunately not a Rockefeller to afford only wearing things once, lol!
Anyway, thank you so much for stopping by and check back tomorrow. I'll be creating a pairing using a different technique :)
