In the Bag

Happy hump day everyone.

As I've mentioned before, I am constantly window shopping online.  That also means that there are usually many items sitting in my shopping cart just waiting for my finger to click purchase.  I will keep things in my cart for a few weeks and when I go back, if I'm still in love and can think of at least three outfits that can be made with what's already in my closet, I'll usually purchase it.  It also helps to wait a little bit - just in case something goes on sale.

I thought I'd start a little series called "In the Bag" to show some of the awesome things that I've found across the interweb.  It may be a store that I am having a huge crush on, or just certain items I've found here and there.

So without further ado - let me show you some of the new items I'm drooling over on ModCloth right now.

Dress / Scarf / Shoes / Book / Hat / Shirt


Let me know what you think.  I just love sharing awesome items, and sometimes even a great deal!  I can't wait to share more in the future.

Tata for now.
xoxo.

Staple Wardrobe 101

Hello Lovelies,

How was your weekend?  Were you as excited as I was about the return of the Walking Dead?  Or did you watch the Grammy's?

This morning I was thinking about my staple wardrobe, and thought that it might be good to share some tips and tricks for finding clothes that will work for YOU.  You've already seen the pieces that should be incorporated into your staple wardrobe (tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear and footwear), so I've listed some of my tips and tricks of creating and buying a working closet below.

The best place to start is in your closet, dressers and drawers.  Make a list of all the items you currently own that would be considered a wardrobe staple.  For anything that you don't have, make a list and bring it with you whenever you go out shopping, or refer to it while you're perusing online.  I keep mine on my phone and just check it off once I've purchased it.

The staples may not be as exciting as that new pair of red pants you just spotted or that cute peplum top you've been drooling over, but without them you may find yourself standing in front of your bulging closet saying "I have nothing to wear".

Some things to keep in mind when you're looking for your closet staples:

1.  Fit is key.

Reese Witherspoon's outfit is quite simple above, in that it incorporates only pieces in a "staple wardrobe", but it looks so classic because of how great it fits.  It just shows how you can create a timeless look using a few simple pieces that fit you to a tee.  Similarly, Jennifer Anniston below is wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a blazer.  This again is a very simple outfit, but because it fits her so well, she's looking awesome, as usual.

2.  KISS - keep.it.simple.silly. 

When you're searching for your staple wardrobe, another thing to keep in mind is the simplicity of it.  Don't go for a shirt with lots of bells and whistles.  Something with clean lines in a classic shape will be sure to last from season to season.  Also, make sure you look at washing instructions.  If you know you won't take something to the dry cleaner - don't buy it. 

Both of the outfits below, on the lovely Mila Kunis and the fashionable Olivia Palermo, show exactly what I mean by keeping it simple.  Mila's black leather skirt is in a timeless pencil skirt shape and her blouse is a nice shape, fits well and is not overstated.  For Olivia Palermo's look, nothing can be simpler than jeans, a white tank and a military jacket.

3.  Add accessories to make it your own.

Blake Lively is always so gorgeous and fashionable.  Here, her look is so classic - a white button-up and black cigarette pants - but she's jazzed it up by adding a big chunky belt and some statement shoes. 

Rachel Bilson, along with Blake Lively, is another one of my favourite celebrity dressers.  She just has a way of dressing that looks so comfortable chic.  Here's she's got on a great cotton dress (a good layering piece) but has made it her own by adding some patterned stockings and a great printed scarf.

4.  Incorporate trends.

Once you've got fit, simplicity and accessories, you can start adding items to play with some of your favourite trends.  Both of these pictures below show how you can incorporate trends into your staple wardrobe with ease.  Lauren Conrad paired a neutral boyfriend jacket with a black blousy shirt and some leather/pleather tights.  Kate Middleton decided that she wanted to wear some coral pants, and who wouldn't when they can look so chic.  She paired them with some simple items (a white tee, blazer, black flats and a scarf).

I hope this helps you along your way to creating and maintaining your staple wardrobe.

Tata for now.
xoxo.

Best Dresses of 2012... Better Late Than Never ; )

Well, it’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. Ranking the best dresses of the past year, that is.

I know that I am a little late on this. 2013 is well underway and by now you have probably gotten into your new routines and forgotten all about 2012, but these dresses were so beautiful and well-chosen that I couldn’t let them slip into history without one last little bit of recognition, even if it is just from little old me. : )  

Here are your best dresses of 2012:

10. Shalom Harlow, Stella McCartney

If for no other reason, this dress earned itself a spot for its sheer popularity. Available in navy and white or black, cocktail or full-length, and with or without the gold belt, this dress was easily one of the most popular over the year and worn by everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Brooklyn Decker.  I know what you might be thinking, just because everyone jumped off a bridge, would you too? My answer for you would be no, but that when so many people make a similar decision you should probably take a look at why it is so popular. When I looked, I liked what I saw, and I liked it best on Shalom Harlow.

9. Jessica Chastain, Calvin Klein

I think when you are born with such pretty colouring as Jessica Chastain is, you owe it to yourself to, even if just once in a while, wear a colour that really shows it off (think of Nicole Kidman in that chartreuse dress many years ago).  The classic style of this dress ensures that the cerulean colour and how it highlights Jessica Chastain’s natural beauty are what stands out most.

8. Shailene Woodley, Calvin Klein

Some things never change, one of which being my love of slip dresses and the feeling that no one designs them better than Calvin Klein.  Replacing the classic black or white with bone and adding the silver neckline provide a current take on the dress that is the ultimate in simplicity.

7. Stacy Keibler, Valentino

I know this isn’t the most exciting or original dress, it is just a great dress that looks even greater on Stacy Keibler, and sometimes I think that is actually the braver choice. I give a lot of credit to someone who looks at a dress and says “nice colour, looks great on me”, “nice lines, looks great on me” and that’s all they need.  The only statement Stacy Keibler made was the best one you can, just simply how beautiful she looked.

6. Jessica Pare, Jason Wu

I think Jessica Pare looks like a dark-haired Grace Kelly in this dress.  It could be the 1950s, the 2010s or anywhere in between and this dress would always be in style (and a good choice!).  The single piece of material on the shoulder is a distinctive and delicate touch and my favourite part. : )

5. Angelina Jolie, Ralph & Russo

This may be the most controversial of my choices, as I can see some people thinking this dress is too old and possibly even matronly, though I disagree. If Angelina Jolie was an unknown person who made their first appearance in this dress, I may not have chosen it, just because I think this dress is a risk and it would be hard to tell if Angelina Jolie liked it for the same reason that I did. But because I have seen many of her dresses, and I always like how she dresses (more recently), I think we are on the same page. : ) She is a pretty classy dresser, I would say, often sticking to neutral colours and/or classic styles, minimal jewelry or accessories, and basic hair and makeup. Therefore, could Angelina Jolie have been thinking what I was thinking, that this dress is pretty in white and silver and slightly daring though still elegant with the single sleeve and flower? Quite possibly… : )

4. Faith Hill, Roland Mouret

If you had told me that in 2012 there would be a beautiful dress that was stylish and had puffed sleeves, I wouldn’t have believed you. I thought puffy sleeves on dresses were one of those things that you liked as a little girl that had accidently carried itself with you into adulthood but you knew you could never actually wear again. But little did I know that Roland Mouret had designed a dress that not only had sweet white puffed cap sleeves, but was also black and worn by Faith Hill, someone who I think is one of the most beautiful people. The dress and the way it looked on Faith Hill was everything I had dreamed it would be and proves that dresses with girly details can still be sophisticated.

3. Zoe Saldana, Prabal Gurung

This dress is an example of how the illusion of being revealing can actually be more appealing than actually being revealing (that was a little bit of a tongue-twister). If there were no material and just cut-outs showing bare skin where the sheer pieces are, this dress would actually be a little tacky, and although risqué, nobody would take it seriously. But being full-length with long-sleeves and the sheer, this dress is modern and a little bit mysterious. Her slicked-back hair and almost no jewelry only add the allure of this dress.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Ford

Truthfully, I don’t know how if you were compiling a list, this dress could not be on it. Minimalist in nature, this dress is the epitome of refinement and Gwyneth Paltrow with her tall and lithe frame looks absolutely regal in it. She is even wearing a cape for goodness’ sake. : )

1.       Joan Smalls, Michael Kors

It was a struggle to decide between Gwyneth Paltrow’s Tom Ford dress and this dress for number one. The Tom Ford dress has received much (well-deserved!) acclaim, while this one flew a little more under the radar, so I decided this pretty little number deserved its time in the sun. I, of course, like the simplicity of this dress. If you have taken nothing else away from my lists over the last two years, I hope it is that simple lines and cuts always win. If you are wearing a bold colour, classic lines are your best chance (along with picking a bold colour that goes well with your colouring) of hitting a home run. If you’re wearing neutral colours, you can take a little more risk with lines, but keeping them simple doesn’t necessarily mean your dress will be boring. There have been a few examples on this list alone

that show great bones and a neutral colour can result in the most simple and elegant dress that make you, not just the dress, do the shining. : ) But back to this dress. I also like the little surprise bottom. When looking at the top, you think it is just going to be a great tank dress, but then when you look down, you see the tiered ruffles.  But best of all, and the reason this dress ranked so high, would be to quote Project Runway, the “execution”, hehe. Michael Kors did a wonderful job of blending those ruffles in so simply that the dress is still classic not over-done. The way they are cut allows both the ruffles and the dress overall to flow and lie beautifully.

I hope you enjoyed my little list that was actually quite long, hehe. Thank you for reading and letting me play Fashion Editor once again, I always have so much fun doing it. : )

I hope your new year has gotten off to a very fashionable start. ; )

 xoxo

Wall O' Frames

I'm packing heat pictures.  Sorry, feeling a little gangsta this morning.  What I mean to say is, I got frames, yo. :p

I have been oohing and aahing over gallery walls for as long as I can remember, as documented here and on my "Make a House a Home" pinboard on Pinterest.  I had one in my front hall when I lived alone in my basement apartment, but haven't really delved into them any further.  Last weekend though, I got inspired and decided it was time to do something with the barren wall in our living room.

We have ten foot ceilings in that room so it's a lot of wall to cover.  I didn't want to go with a conventional gallery wall with frames everywhere, so instead opted for picture ledges.  We picked up four of the ribba picture ledges from IKEA and whole whack of frames and got to work.  We butted two up together to create one long ledge because that wall is not only tall, it's wide too.

We started off by finding the studs in our wall with a stud finder.  The ribba ledges are supposed to hold about 17 lbs (using their pre-drilled holes), but we wanted to make sure nothing would come crashing down on our heads while we were sitting on the couch.  That's why we went down the drilling into studs road.  We pre-drilled our holes into the ledges just to make sure they wouldn't split while we were putting them up.  *Hint: when you're measuring your studs and marking on to your ledges, make sure you don't use the same measurements for all four.  Not that we did that or anything*  Cue angry boyfriend stomping to the balcony for the third time to re-drill our stud holes.  Whoops....


This picture makes the ledge look a little tilty, but I promise it's straight and sturdy

To mount them, we used a laser level, courtesy of the B's dad's tool collection to make sure the ledges were straight.  How do I love that thing...let me count the ways.  It was awesome!!  It was this one from Home Hardware and it worked like a charm.  It has a wall mount so you don't have to stand there and hold the laser level.  So we got one "shelf" up and started on the other.


Two shelves down....time to decorate that shiz

In total there are 31 frames on those ledges.  I already owned about ten of these, but the rest were purchased from IKEA for around $150 total, which isn't too bad considering how many frames we bought.  We packed em on, but I really like the layered effect and think everything goes really well together.  Most of the pictures in the frames are from the boy's European vacation, pictures of friends and some random "art" type stuff that I found on the internet.  We used some velcro peel and stick on the back of the large frames, just to make sure it was extra secure.  We decided to add those after the right top side fell over shortly after putting them up.  But now everything is safe and secure and I feel confident sitting under them.


The finished product *swoon*

There are still some tweaks that I would like to make and I'm sure this gallery wall will continuously evolve and change with us but I am absolutely enamoured with it.  It's way better than looking at a huge blank wall and sometimes I just sit on the other side of the room and gaze lovingly.  But I'm weird like that.

So what do you think?  Do you like gallery walls using the frame ledges?  Or would you prefer a big whackload of frames?  Do tell.

Tata for now.
xoxo.

Staple Wardrobe: Footwear

Happy Friday friends!!  

Doing anything fun for the weekend?  The boy and I are going to his grandma's 90th birthday party on Saturday and then going to a friend's for the Superbowl on Sunday!! Woop woop!  Although my team is no longer in the running (we'll get em next year Seahawks), the Superbowl is just fun to watch and is a great excuse to have some good food with some great friends.

But anyways, onward and upward.  I've got the last instalment of your staple wardrobe.  Today, footwear.  Now, shoes are one of those "accessories" that can take a staple wardrobe from blah to bam (haha), but I do think that are a few that should be included in every woman's wardrobe.

First up, are the calf high boots.  I have a brown and black pair, although my black pair are an over-the-knee boot, they act as my neutral go-to boots.  I have suggested a black and brown pair because they are both versatile and both deserve a spot in your closet.  Try and find boots that are simple with not too many embellishments so you can ensure they will stick around for years to come.

Next up, a black pair of booties.  I suggest heels, because both of my longer boots are flats.  They are great to dress up (or down) and are perfect for a work wardrobe.  You can pair these with jeans, skirts, dresses, etc and they will always look chic.

I also suggest a timeless pair of black pumps, as well as a neutral pump.  Every girl needs a great pair of black pumps, but I believe that a neutral shoe that matches your skintone is just as important.  They make your legs look like they go on for days and can be paired with virtually everything (maybe not PJ's, but really...who would do that?).

A great pair of rain boots is next.  Especially if you live in a climate where you get a lot of rain.  I think that rain boots can be a bit more funky because they're not worn as often, so I've pictured a great pair of teal Hunter boots.  How cute would those look with some jeans, a white tank and a cute cardi - yes please :)

For the summer, I think that a pair of neutral, understated sandals will get you from year to year without feeling bored.  They're perfect to match with a sundress, shorts, skirts or dresses.  Go get em!

And that's all she wrote.  If you pick the right ones, these shoes are timeless can last from year to year.  I think that these pieces of footwear should be more of investment pieces.  Spend a bit more money on quality pieces to ensure they will last you a long time.

Tata for now.
xoxo.

PSssst....See the rest of this series here, here, here and here