An ongoing love affaire with all things fashionable, tasty and fun

Posts tagged “Leather trim

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn’t just about spending time with you family & friends – or food – It’s also a time to be grateful and to give thanks for all of the amazing things in your life.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t say a great big THANK YOU to all of my readers for your continued support – I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without each and every one of you.

And as a token of my appreciation here’s a collection of sales and shopping destinations to check out if you’re interested in celebrating Black Friday or Cyber Monday:

What sales am I most looking forward to? I’ve already placed my ASOS order {as I tweeted Wednesday – 20% off w/ the code ASOSxBLAIR} and I’m hoping for some quality time on the Bloomingdale’s & Piperlime sites – Below are some of my picks!
What sites and/or stores are you planning to check out this year for Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Any pieces you’ve been dying to get and are waiting to see if they’ll go on sale?

Links You’ll Love

Fashion:

If you adored the leather-sleeved trench coat that Saucy Glossie sported in New York City last week {see Looks of the Weekthan I have juuust the article for you – Shop The Look: Trenches Flirting With Leather!

What’s better way to enjoy your Fall clothes & accessories than with clean, well-organized, swoon-worthy closets? Seasonal Shift: Inspiring & Attainable Organized Coat Closets

Red-Valentino-Spring-Summer-2013-6 

While the House of Valentino is known for their showstopping awards season gowns and lipstick red dresses, it’s also known for sending sweet, girly frocks down the runway that leave many a girl sighing with desire – Fairy Tales & Fantasies.

Checking out pictures of street style and every day fashion from a city is a great way to familiarize yourself with the local styles as well as decide what you’re interested in adding to your closet for the upcoming season. Check out the latest installment of 4 Cities, 4 Looks, 4 Climates: Fall Edition from StyleList and learn everything you need to know about New York City fashion.

No matter what kind of shoes you’re in the market for this Fall there are some fun, flashy choices out there, so why not give metal toe caps a chance? Onto My Wardrobe’s Metal Cap Toe.

Health & Fitness:

One of the great things about Fall is that the stores fill up with delicious new produce, but don’t be intimidated by trying to cook something new, there are ways to learn! If you want to tackle a new type of squash check out Eat, Live, Run’s Perfect Roasted Acorn Squash.

Another amazing squash that you should get your hands on this Fall is the spaghetti squash. Now sure where to start? Peas And Thank You has the answer with her Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai!

Sometimes what you NEED is comfort food. And nothing else will do. So why not try a healthier version of your favorite calorie-laden dish and see that you can satisfy those needs with something a little more nutrition? 5 Comfort Food Makeovers from Ellie Krieger

Did Friday’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show post get you in the mood to sweat it out at the gym? Me too. So why not take some training advice from one of the gentlemen who helps the stunning Alessandra Ambrosio prepare for this fabulous runway show each year? Victoria’s Secret Workout: Runway Legs With Trainer Justin Gelband

Getting enough and the right kind of energy is important to fuel a great workout. Not only what you eat, but when you eat it are things to consider in advance – How to fuel for your workout properly and pre-workout superfood energy bites!


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.

I have to confess that some of my favorite places to shop are the Spanish retailers that I was first introduced to when I lived in Italy at the age of 21 – H&M, Mango, and Zara. The clothing is stylish and well-made, but doesn’t cost a fortune and the collections are updated frequently so there’s always something new in stores and online.
{Lace Trousers – $90 @ Zara, Blouse – $60 @ H&M & Contrast Panelled Dress – $30 @ Mango}
  • 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?

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}

  • 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.


MCLV Style: Pardon My French

I fell madly in love with this sweater when I saw it online and knew that it had to be mine – Totally fun and perfect for Fall! First I tried pairing it with flirty, pleated black skirt but I ended up deciding on my favorite cropped black pants.

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Pardon My French Sweater – Forever 21, Cropped Black PantsJuicy Couture @ Bloomingdale‘s, Patent Leather Chainlink BagExpress, Vintage Inspired Gold Bracelets – JewelMint, Spiked BraceletAsos.com}

{You can also view this outfit on both Lookbook.nu and Pose}

{Check out more outtakes from this shoot here – just log into Facebook to view}

I wore this for my company’s End Of Summer party two weeks ago. It was a great night filled with games – skee ball, bouncy houses, golf, mechanical bull, even a zip line – an open bar, lives music, tons of food, and a great view.

I have to admit that it’s been a while since I wore a top that had writing across the front and I’d forgotten how nerve-wracking it is when you feel like everyone’s staring at you trying to read your shirt!

How do you feel about wearing a shirt or a sweater that has writing on it?


MCLV Style: Ditzy Fox

“Are those foxes?”

“Yes. Yes they are.”

Who was it that said that boys don’t pay attention to women’s clothing? Well maybe you just need to wear something as eye-catching as a ditzy fox sweater… 🙂

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Faux-Leather Velvet A-Line Skirt – Nicole Richie for Macys Impulse, Ditsy Fox Sweater – Forever 21, Tan Heeled SandalsMadden Girl, Chainlink HandbagExpress, SunglassesThreadSence, Studded Bracelet – H&M, Spiked BraceletAsos.com, Bow Ring – French Connection & Bee Ring – JewelMint}

{If you like this look you can HYPE it on Lookbook.nu or Pose}

Check out more outtakes from this shoot here – just log into Facebook to view

This was the perfect look for this past weekend – The sweater and velvet kept me warm while the skirt and open-toed heels gave an appropriate nod to it being an end-of-Summer weekend. Trading in my Summer brights for neutrals, browns, and blacks is a time-honored tradition for me when I’m making my Summer-to-Fall transition.

How do you adjust your daily looks when it comes to seasonal changes? Do you reorganize your closet so that you can more easily find your cold-weather pieces?