Jalisa’s Fashion Files

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!

XO,

Jalisa

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Hey Loves, 

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! :

 http://www.modcloth.com/shop/sweaters

SHOP THE SET!

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DOLMAN TOP: Marshalls//LEGGINGS: Daily Look// CHARM NECKLACE: ALDO// FRINGE BRACELET & RING: Kendra Scott//BOOTS: Christian Siriano for Payless//PURSE: Errelleventidue (TjMaxx) 

Hello Loves, 

Last night, Eddie and I dined at a restaurant with a bit of a casual feel; I knew before hand because we dined there for the first time in the beginning of September. That time, I dressed a bit more dressier, but nothing too over the top. This time around, I kept things a bit simple, yet there was a bit of a dressy feel, due mainly to the texture and style of the dolman top. I love dolman tops because they're versatile; they can easily transition from day to night or from a casual setting to a more business causal one. This one in particular has such a soft and feminine texture; extremely cozy and perfect for a fall night out. Fortunately it wasn't too cold, so I was able to get away with not wearing a jacket on top, which I was happy about because I think a jacket would've spoiled the look a bit. 

Speaking of the complete look, I decided to create a pairing that mixed a couple of shades of grey with navy. Grey blends so nicely with blue, especially navy because grey has a cool undertone and so does blue. Colors that share either the same hue or undertones, are guaranteed to work well together. Something I touched on briefly in this week's video on another fall color I love, orange.

Navy and grey are a combination that looks stellar on those who have cool undertones, most commonly those with very fair or very dark skin. They bring out those cool undertones and as a result, provide a nice healthy glow to the skin. This is not to say that those who have warmer undertones cannot wear them or don't look good in them either. Some colors just tend to flatter certain or specific skin-tones more than others and that's okay! 

I also wanted to briefly discuss the top I'm wearing. It's dolman top, which has a very flowy style, which I personally find cozy. It's also a piece that can be worn during the day or night, since it shares both a dressy and casual tendency. It's also super flattering on most body shapes. For us pear and rectangular shapes, they provide a bit of volume to help fill out our smaller upper bodies. In the case of the apple shape, depending on the length of the top, it can help conceal and flatter a larger bust and midsection. The reason I mention the length is because if it ends before the widest part of the hips, it'll make the upper body appear larger. If it stops where the hips are, it'll have the opposite effect, creating a longer and leaner upper body. So these may want to consider these suggestions when shopping for this particular style of blouse.

I hope this outfit inspires you to recreate it on yourself or one with a similar look the next time you're out with your ladies or bae :)

GET THE LOOK HERE:

Thanks so much for stopping by and please do return tomorrow!

XO, 

Jalisa

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Hey Guys,

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending One Sight's World Sight Day Campaign, hosted by Red Light PR. It was my first time learning about the campaign and organization and I'm so thankful to have been introduced because it truly is a remarkable campaign for a wonderful cause, one that was of particular interest to me, being that I wear contacts and have lived most of my life, since the age of 6, wearing glasses. 563 million people cannot see without assisted eye care, that's over a 1/2 billion people!

One Sight is an organization that seeks to provide universal eye care around the world, as well as in the U.S. It was founded 25 years ago by world class optometrists, clinicians, industry experts, and volunteers. Since it's development in 1988, One Sight has provided eye care services and eyewear to more than 8 million people in 40 countries, including 14 new countries this year alone! Of those 8 million, they provide free eye exams and their free first pair of glasses to those living in underserved countries and partner with their local communities, to provide permanent access to affordable eye care and eyewear.

Dr. Jason Singh, optometrist and executive director of One Sight (seen in photo above), who spoke at the launch party, stressed the importance of One Sight's mission in providing permanent access to affordable eye services in communities around the world. As many of you who wear glasses or contacts know, eye care is apart of an going health care service needed to maintain proper eye health and conditions. Providing a permanent and sustainable location gives the locals a sense of stability and trust in knowing that their eye care needs will always be met, especially in developing countries, such as The Gambia, a small country in West Africa, where living conditions and life expectancies are low (in 2004 the average life expectancy was mid 40s), due primarily to poor healthcare service and access. Prior to One Sight's service in 2013, The Gambia had only one optometrist to 1.8 million people; a remarkable and senseless statistic! 

Not only does One Sight seek to provide universal eye care services, they also aim at educating locals in the communities they serve as technicians, to provide jobs and allow fellow natives to supply services to those in their own communities and countries. Dr. Singh shared that this past week, the clinic in The Gambia hit a major sales milestone, having sold over 1 million dalasi in eye care, an outstanding accomplishment! This demonstrates One Sight's goal to assist in rebuilding and strengthening not only the eye sight of millions around the world, but the community infrastructures as well! Not only does One Sight provide assistance in developing underserved countries, they also award 10 scholarships to students studying in the field of optometry with $5k towards their tuition annually! As well as provide $8M toward vision preservation organizations that aim at finding a cure for diabetic retinopathy such as, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Schepens Eye Research Institute, the Cleveland Clinic, and many more. Diabetic retinopathy is the number one cause of blindness in the U.S., affecting 7.7 million.

In a world where 80% of learning is visual, this global eye care crisis cannot and should not be overlooked. Did you know within our own backyards, 66% of American children need glasses, 2/3 children? With this statistic you'd be amazed in learning that eye care screenings are no longer given to children within the NYC public school systems, that's 1.1 million children who's eye care needs are being overlooked. How much of this can we equivocate to poor grades and low retention? Something must be done and you can do something to help! You can donate and/or create your own fundraising campaign in which you can invite your friends and family to donate, to be apart of One Sight's mission to end the global vision care crisis, you can visit One Sight's website to learn more about ways to donate, as well as their mission and read stories from those who have benefited from One Sight's clinic services globally. 

The way I see it, everyone deserves to see the world around them, how and what do you see?

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading!

XO, 

Jalisa

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Hey Girlies,

This week's video is on styling one of my favorite fall accessories, the poncho! It's one of those timeless and versatile pieces that I feel every girl needs. In this video, I give you all some ideas on how to style them in various ways, as well as some tips on what styles to look for, for your height and body shape...enjoy! 

To view outfit photos and details, click the comment/read more button! 

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