Looks of the Week – Menswear Edition
Most of the fashion that I feature on this site is geared towards women, but I have to confess that I do in fact love mens fashion and follow a number of male fashion bloggers. So today I thought we could celebrate some of the oh-so-stylish gentlemen out there. We all have men in our lives – whether it’s a significant other, brother, father, son – who we can use this as inspiration to shop for!
I’m not going to lie, I have a bit of a fashion crush on this blogger {he was featured in this Looks of the Week post & Let’s Hear It For The Boys}. Not only does he have a great sense of style, he’s pretty darn funny in the comments section of his Tumblr account – which is, by the way, named after his hair – Edward’s Hair.
What caught my eye here were all of the great neutral colored layers – Not only is that a killer shearling coat, he’s also wearing a button-down shirt and a sweater vest paired with a great printed scarf. If you’re interested in learning how to stylishly apply layers, My Mirror is a site that you should definitely check out.
This Italian blogger is a PhD-level accessorizer – This is such a fabulous combination of pieces, it almost looks like an advertisement for a luxury brand! Retro sunglasses, an orange cashmere tie, Belfiore shoes, Louis Vuitton briefcase, and a killer vintage coat – Utter perfection.
What I love about this is the combination of colors, textures, and prints. The blue & white Gingham button-down shirt paired with the army green suit jacket is great, but I love how he took it a step further and paired those pieces with the brown slacks.
Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean that your personal style needs to go out the window while you pile on layer after layer. Here’s a chic example of how to casually layer and add cold weather pieces to a look without sacrificing fashion.
Suits don’t have to be boring or traditional to get the job done. Try a flattering color or an interesting cut or fun patterns & prints. Or try all three!
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention my favorite male fashion blogger in this post, even though he doesn’t regularly post photographs of his own personal style, UK-based Stu Bradley of Not So Lonely Londoners {you may know him from his sensational How To Pose Like A Fashion Blogger post that swept the internet last Spring}.
Which of these menswear looks above is your favorite? And what is it about that particular look that caught your attention?
Looks of the Week
Compaired to the Looks of the Week: Pants Edition post last week the collection of looks below is a somewhat more versatile – With a killer jumpsuit, chic mini and maxi skirts, stylish pants in various fits and silhouettes, and fabulous outerwear from fashion bloggers and models around the world.
This is without a doubt the best look that I came across this past week. It’s striking, flattering, fashion-forward, and just plain fabulous – From the killer red jumpsuit to the silver spiked braid to the oversized clear clutch. Wow!
I love the combination of the white pleated maxi skirt & basic white tee paired with the bright, patterned jacket by Milly. It’s fun, unique look that makes me miss Summer!
What I love most about this look is the texture of the patent oxblood skirt combined with the matte, loose-fitted blouse. Oh, and those shoes. J’adore ankle straps!
This is such a feisty, rock n’ roll look – I LOVE her studded jacket and those buckle-adorned boots are totally killer!
This look is such a fun combination of colors, fabrics, and textures – It’s really eye-catching and fashiony, but still looks relaxed and comfortable.
There’s pretty much nothing more classic than a trench coat but leave it to Saucy Glossie to choose a leather sleeved version and pair it with a fun, eye-catching leopard print scarf. Great combination!
Black & brown can be a hard color combination to put together but when it’s done right it can be pretty striking. This silhouette paired with the 70’s inspired felt hat is a great look – Très français!
Which of these looks is your favorite? Are there any new trends or fun new styles you’re especially excited to try out this Fall?
Fall On A Budget
At the beginning of October I shared my Fall 2012 Must Haves, which included eye-catching patterns & prints, faux leather, fun pants, tweed pieces, asymmetrical details, and the color de jour for Fall – Oxblood.
It’s easy to see pictures from the Fall 2012 collections and put together a mental list of all the things you want, and then give up in frustration because you can’t afford straight-from-the-runway pieces. But I’m here to tell you that we can very easily update your wardrobe for Fall without having to dip into your 401k. I promise!
I like to get one or two great new investment pieces each season – something like an updated but classic Little Black Dress, a chic new handbag, or a timeless trench – but I’ll also collect a handful of fun, on-trend pieces from less expensive stores that quickly update my looks for the season. There are great stores like Zara, ASOS, H&M, and TopShop were you can find trendy, well-made pieces each season for a steal. Read on for some of my personal suggestions & recommendations as well as a collection of great articles that’ll steer you in the right direction for all of your Fall 2012 needs.
- Where Do Editors Really Shop from Refinery 29 is just the sort of article that I love to read – Knowing where the most fashionable and stylish women in the fashion world shop is like being handed the keys to the kingdom! And wouldn’t you know it, along with the high-end designers that you’d expect them to mention, they also list great inexpensive shopping destinations like E-bay, Target, Zara, Amazon, Madewell, J.Crew, TopShop, JewelMint, ShoeMint, and even The Salvation Army. Great news, isn’t it?
- The Glitter Guide’s Caitlin’s Budget Buys: Fall Essentials Under $80 includes fabulous beauty & fashion finds from Target, TopShop, Old Navy, Dorothy Perkins, Christian Siriano for Payless, ASOS, L’Oreal, and Sole Society.
Another lucky break for us fashion obsessed is that more and more high-end designers have been coming out with reasonably priced collections for retailer giants like Payless, Target, and Macys.
{Long-sleeve Shirt Dress in Red Geometric Print – $40 @ Kirna Zabete for Target, Long-Sleeve Satin Blazer – $60 (on sale) @ Nicole Richie for Impulse & Racquel Side Zip Bootine – $50 @ Christian Siriano for Payless}
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Lucky Magazine’s 100 Cheap Fall Finds is a trove of fun Fall pieces from printed pants and embellished collars to chic dresses and leather trimmed jackets. In addition to featuring clothing from Luckymag.com, they included other retail websites like Romwe.com, Pixiemarket.com, Urban1972.com, Levis.com, and Ulta.com.
- Two of the trends that I’m most excited for this Fall are printed pants and leather-trimmed pieces and luckily for all of us the fun website The Cheap Chica’s Guide to Style featured fabulous recommendations for both trends – Geometry Class & Just The Sleeves Please. So no matter what type of fashion you’re in the mood for this site has what you’re looking for!
The less expensive secondary lines created by designers and sold at department stores like Bloomingdale’s, Macys, Nordstrom, and Kolh’s are great pieces to keep an eye out for.
{Left to Right: Marc by Marc Jacobs ‘Jac’ Denim Leggings – $140 @ Nordstrom, MICHAEL Michael Kors Sleeveless Cowl Neck Banded Bottom Dress – $45 (on sale) @ Bloomingdale’s, and LC Lauren Conrad Embellished Ruffle Tee – $40 @ Kohl’s}
- Not quite sure how to approach stores like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, or Ross? Refinery 29 took it upon themselves to teach us how in their piece Discount Shopping – How To Shop At Marshalls where they had three different editors put together 6 cute looks under $50. Wow!
- Waiting for stores to have announce a big sale is a great way to find the pieces you’re craving without paying full-price. Not sure just how to make this tactic work for you? Check out Sales Rack Skinny: The Subtle Statement’s Sale Shop Tactics for tips that’ll help you find just what you’re looking for in stores or even online.
Are you still in the mood for more tips, recommendations, and suggestions for updating your wardrobe, Fall dressing, and online shopping? Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Style For Hire and a series of informative posts all about online shopping.
Southern France
After leaving the beautiful and serene Chateau La Durantie my cousin, grandmother, parents, aunt, new uncle, boyfriend and I climbed into our rental car (van – classy!) and headed south.
During our ALL DAY drive from Lanouaille to our ultimate destination of Bordeaux we did a couple of things. First and foremost, we drove in circles. No seriously. We actually passed through one town three separate times. That has to be some sort of record. Needless to say, alternately ignoring and blindly following your GPS while traversing small country roads in Southern France is not necessarily the way to go… But on the plus side, no one died and we did ultimately arrive in the correct place. The key word being “ultimately.”
The second thing we did was stop and enjoy the views and architecture of a handful of small towns and villages, including Sarlat, Domme & Gageac de Roc (pictured above). My favorite was Sarlat, which was adorable and picturesque, but they were all pretty gorgeous.
Fashion: Given that we were road-tripping for a good portion of the day we weren’t terribly fashion-conscious. My favorite fashion moment of the day was actually discovering chocolate shoes in the window of a candy shop!
Food: I munched nuts and Larabars in the car for most of the day so that I didn’t turn into the hulk (seriously, I’m kind of scary when I’m hungry) and we stopped for a midday meal in Sarlat. The group was nice enough to let me pick where we ate, since I’m the hardest to feed, and I found a cute little restaurant near the town square that actually had a section on the menu for vegetables! I think everyone’s favorite food memory from this day were the macaroons though, we stopped and got three or four different varieties to try, and that was the quietest we were all day. 🙂
Fitness: There was so much walking during this day that my lower back actually started to fail and I had to sit out the last stop of the afternoon. I think it was a combination of no core exercises or stretching, hours seated in an uncomfortable position (as the shortest person in the car I was squeezed in the middle of third row of seats) and lots of walking on cobbled streets.
Lodgings: After hours and hours (and hours) in the car, we arrived in scenic Saint-Émilion, a gorgeous little city on a hill surrounded by patchworked green countryside. Truly one of the most stunning views that we saw during our trip. Unfortunately for us, despite the clock reading 6pm, this wasn’t our final destination. Saying goodbye to my family, Sean and I jumped into a taxi and took a 30 minute ride to Bordeaux where we “checked in” to our hotel. I use sarcastic ” ” marks because it was a really unique system since there was no front desk, just a podium with a print out of who is staying in which room. We climbed the stairs and found our room which was spacious, clean and new, grabbed the keys and left for some sightseeing.
Sights: We spend close to two hours wandering aimlessly around the city center, gazing at the architecture, checking out the fancy hotels nearby and getting thoroughly lost. I feel like I should make a confession at this point. I have the worst sense of direction. I was completely and utterly lost for 90% of this trip. Even looking at the metro & bus maps in Paris, Bordeaux and later Madrid, I still couldn’t figure out where I was. Clearly traveling alone would be a BAD idea.
Travel: After just one night in Bordeaux (we decided we could have easily stayed another 2 nights at least) we woke up, checked out and found the closest grocery store to stock up on food for the next leg of our journey. While I got more tabouli (the French really seem to like it!), veggie patties, fruit & nuts, what did my boyfriend get? A roasted chicken. Which he proceeded to eat, with his hands, over the course of our 4 hour train ride. And no, he did not have napkins. The entire train smelled like chicken!
Highlights: Sean’s favorite part of this leg of our journey were the views in Domme, which was a tiny cliff side city inside a retaining wall overlooking the Dordogne. Very medieval! My highlight was the phenomenal hotel that my aunt and uncle stayed at in Saint-Émilion, we joined them for a glass of champagne and enjoyed the views before we caught our taxi to Bordeaux.
Stay tuned for my favorite part of the trip, sunny San Sebastian!
Moi Contre La Vie 