Simply Fabulous

I love everything pink, sparkly, and glamorous and usually follow all of the latest trends, but I realize that not everyone follows fashion trends or likes to dress to the nines. You can still be stylish and fabulous without really getting dressed up. All you need is a simple t-shirt and jeans.

Stock up your wardrobe with solid t-shirts with varying necklines and a few good pairs of boyfriend, bootcut, or skinny jeans. That part should be pretty easy to accomplish and you don't even have to worry about following trends. Just make sure that you're buying the right fit for you. If you opt for looser shirts, try a more fitted jean and vice versa. If your whole ensemble is too loose-fitting it will look sloppy and if it is too tight it might look too provocative.

To make this easy canvas more fabulous, add some fun accessories like large jewelry, a colorful bag, cute, printed shoes, and a fun jacket! This turns a casual comfortable outfit into a versatile, stylish outfit that you can wear almost anywhere!

Where to shop all of these items:
South Moon Under
ASOS
H&M
Topshop
American Apparel
Nordstrom
J.Crew
Net-a-Porter
Johnny Loves Rosie
Sole Society
Madewell
ZARA
Les Nouvelles

(Dys)functional Friday

You that struggling moment when you're wearing a romper and have to go to the bathroom? ...And you're stuck between a rock and a hard place - holding it in or removing all the layers you're wearing to respond to nature's call? Well, my romper was not quite so dysfunctional. I was smart enough to buy a strapless romper that zips in the back. It also happens to fit my long torso (I hate when they're cut really short and pull in all the wrong places). It's tight where it's supposed to be and almost has a palazzo pants style bottom, which is nice and liberating. ...And the best part is that it has hidden pockets! I decided to pair it with a bold, bright red blazer and my furry leopard smoking flats. The red and black combo also always looks great with gold accessories, so I went for lots of gold bangles, big gold ball earrings, and and yellow and red chili pepper necklace with specks of gold. Red and black is a very classic color combo that always makes a statement. The trendy twist on that combo is adding some leopard!

Jacket: Zara  Romper: French Connection - similar  Shoes: Matt Bernson

Throwback Thursday

Yes, I'm referring to the overused #tbt, but I'm talking about vintage, not your old family pictures. Many of the styles that are in this fall are inspired by vintage trends (houndstooth and other prints, leather pants and dresses, leopard print, oversized comfy sweaters). I'm not the biggest vintage shopper when it comes to clothes, but I'm all about the vintage accessories. I find it a little gross wearing used clothes, but I may start to get into it. I think the best way to jump into some of the trends this fall is by going vintage shopping. If they were in back then, and they're in again now, likelihood is that they'll be back in again in a few years. My personal collection of "vintage" is from raiding my grandmother's closet. She was definitely into current trends and within her four closets (or entire rooms full of clothes) there were still things with tags on them. There were also some amazing vintage pieces like a full-length Gucci coat and large colorful sweaters from the 80s.

What I would love to see make a larger comeback is 40s fashion. Below or at-the-knee flowy skirts are actually in style right now and so are prints like gingham and polka dots. I love the high necklines - they're so classic and always flattering - and I think it looks so much more tasteful than some of the things women wear today.

Look at those prints and the statement outerwear! Looks like a more modest version of today's fashion. 

     Left to right: Prada, Celine, Jason Wu

So, if you're fallen victim to this fall's fashion trends, maybe you'll want to hit your local vintage store or check out some great online resources. 

Nasty Gal

Modcloth

ASOS (many different Vintage stores)

Etsy

Farfetch

Feelin' Blue

You know you're a fashion addict when you pick out your outfit around the cute new shoes you just bought. That's exactly what I did this morning. I scoured the shoe racks at TJ Maxx last weekend and managed to make quite a few great purchases including these shoes. I know many people think navy and black don't match, but in fashion, black matches everything. I never used to like this color combo because I thought it looked like a giant bruise, but I've realized that it works if you add some other colors in there, hence my mostly white shirt and gold and neon green necklace.

Shoes: Impo - similar  Shirt: Walter Baker  Skirt: Theory  Cape: Ralph Lauren - similar  Necklace: J.Crew - similar  Handbag: Charles Jourdan - similar

Oxblood October

Oxblood really is the new black. Over the past year it has become more and more popular and it has become almost a neutral. No, oxblood is not the same as burgundy - it is a true dark red without a purple tint like burgundy. Whether it's pants, shoes, nail polish, sweaters, or accessories, add a little oxblood to your fall wardrobe. I know the color sounds disgusting, but it's just a color, not a weird foreign delicacy. It looks good on all skin tones and pretty much goes with any color (except for maybe neon green, but why would you be wearing neon green anyway?). Here, I'm wearing oxblood leggings, a silk cream shirt, multi-colored pearls that pick up the oxblood, camel leather lace-up boots, and a burberry raincoat.

Pants: Olive & Oak - similar ASOS but I really love Rich & Skinny   Shoes: Vince Camuto  Blouse: Zara (Spain) - similar ASOS  Necklace: Grandma's   Jacket; Vintage Burberry

#OOTD (Outfit of the Day)

I'm definitely inspired by the leather trend this fall and I also love the look of mixing textures. This dress has a leather top and a knit bottom (and I actually bought it in the spring when leather/faux leather was starting to make a comeback). I also LOVE my black suede slip-ons. They are so comfy and cute! All the jewelry I'm wearing is from my grandmother's collection (you can see her in the necklace in my first post). She always loved Chinese dragons and lions and had a great taste for faux jewelry that looked real. I love wearing her jewelry and even her old clothes because she had a great eye for fashion and I honestly get more compliments on her old pieces than anything else.

Dress: Jaye.e. Shoes:Dolce Vita (mine are BP. but I got them last spring) Jewelry: Grandma's! but this is similar Etsy

Bangles

Some of you may have them already, but for those of you that don't, Alex and Ani bangles are the new trendy accessory. You can mix and match metals, sayings, designs, and you can wear just one or a wristful. I think they're like potato chips - you can't have just one. They're dainty, but you can make them a little bulkier by making an entire collection out of them. Most of them range from $25-$40, but some of them are upwards of $100. You can buy them individually or in a collection.

Check out Alex and Ani online.