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

Posts tagged “Mix & match

Looks of the Week: Pants Edition

This Looks of the Week post is going to be all about PANTS. As you’re stocking up your wardrobe for Fall you’re going to be seeing lots of pants in stores – Every variety you can imagine, from faux leather and brilliantly colored brocades to plaids, stripes, and collegiate tweeds. So before you find yourself standing in front of racks and racks of pants feeling overwhelmed, why not spend some quality time getting inspired by how other fashionable ladies are wearing theirs this season?

Embellished or studded pants are a fun style for weekends. You can go full-on rock n’ roll or you can keep things polished with a trench and classic white button down like in this shot. The look is chic and timeless, but still has an edge.

Holiday sweaters don’t have to be tacky – They can just as easily be the kind of cute pieces that you look forward to wearing all year! This oversized reindeer sweater paired with black leggings and cute flat booties is the perfect look for the holiday season. Festive but oh-so-cute.

If you’re brave enough for a bold animal print than this is the look for you. Take a tip from Lysana, she keeps the look from being over-the-top with minimal chunky gold accessories, a basic black sweater, and cute flat boots.

If you’re thinking about what styles of pants are work-appropriate this shot is a great example of how to make a slim pair of pants fit that bill. Her killer styling keeps the look fun, but still formal enough for a business casual office. The over-the-shoulder bag and similarly colored knee-high boots are the perfect accessories while the chic tweed blazer from H&M tops the look off perfectly.

Plaid shirts aren’t just for trips to the cabin anymore, with seriously cute versions available now you can pair one with virtually any bottoms for a chic, stylish weekend look. This look is spiced up all the more with lacy Dolce & Gabbana ankle boots and a killer Proenza Schouler handbag.

They may say “No White After Labor Day” but this amazing white-pants look will change your mind in a heartbeat. The mixture of prints, colors, and textures makes this look fun and interesting – Chambray polka dot blouse, leopard print heels, a red knit sweater, and white denim all come together to make the perfect look.

{Click on the images above to be taken to the original source}

Are you inspired to try a new pair of pants now that you’ve gotten a chance to check out these fun looks? What is the first style, fabric, or silhouette pant that you’d like to try for Fall 2012?


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.


2012 Teen Choice Awards Red Carpet

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the photos from the 2012 Teen Choice Awards Show red carpet. Normally an event like this might be too young, but the fashion was fun and Summery, great examples of how to dress up in warm weather. Cute prints, bright colors, and fun, relaxed silhouettes all made an appearance as the fashionable young ladies on Hollywood strutted their stuff.

So without further ado, here are some of my favorites.

I’ve been having a love affaire with bright shorts this summer and here’s yet another pair that I’m now coveting. Such a fun, sassy look for the red carpet!

This is a very well put together look for a younger gentleman. While others his age put forth zero effort and arrive on the red carpet in jeans & t-shirts, he put together a stylish and eye-catching look. Well done!

This was one of my favorite dresses, the color looks fabulous against with her skin tone and the cut is perfect for her age and for her figure. Couldn’t have picked a better dress for her!

Cute. Flattering. Colorful. Summery. What more could you ask for in a suit?

It’s always nice to see what the non-Tweens put together for these types of events, and Miss Portia de Rossi looks chic and fabulous here in all black.

As always, a home run. The print and color look great on her and those shoes are such a fun choice. And while very few of us mere mortals can make a midriff baring top work, I think Zoe’s choice make this frock Teen Choice-friendly.

This Mary Katrantzou dress is fun and eye-catching, what more does a girl need at the Teen Choice Awards?

As I’m sure you’ve discovered, I have quite a soft spot for Alice + Olivia. And as usual, I absolutely adore this dress. It’s a dramatic  pattern and the fabric and silhouette are a little retro, but it’s still youthful and perfect for this type of event.

There were some truly great printed dresses on this red purple carpet. Dresses that could easily go from day to night during the Summertime with a change of accessories. This is another example of a too cute dress that I would happily wear!

Sweet & stylish, per usual. I’d love to see her deviate from her usual types of looks, but you can’t deny that she looks beautiful and put together here.

Polished and chic. Definitely the route I would have picked for her, she was stunning in Cannes at the AmfAR Gala and this is a continuation of that classic style she can pull off so well.

Glittery platforms were the accessory de jour at this event, apparently Studio 54 is having another moment. The color, fit, and textures of these pieces work well together and look really polished.

And last but definitely not least… True rock stars!

Love the shades. Love the leather. Love the blazers. Love the vests. Love it all. They look fabulous together, really in sync fashion wise.

Sources: Tom & Lorenzo, Cristina’s Blog & FabSugar