Dressed Down

I found this simple black maxi dress and loved how it gave me a casual look but fit my body in a way that it was still feminine. Some knit dresses seem to look to casual to me sometime but this one had just enough cut to work. Having this great canvas there are 1000 ways to do it this time I decided to go "crazy sexy cool" with the cut off denim vest and lots of girly accessories. This dress will make a repeat soon next time I'm going vixen!

Dress: Bar III for Macy's Vest: Guess Glasses: Prada Bag: Michael Kors Boots: Aldo Earrings: J.Crew Necklace and Bracelet: New York and Company

Quote of the day...

One thing I love about shopping and putting pieces together is that you can put together a $100 top with a $10 skirt and done right you look like a million bucks. This quote says that for me.

“It’s a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together.”

Alexander McQueen

Random Thought....Num Lips

Disney has had a huge part in shaping the way we look at relationships and love over the past decade. The propaganda that is feed to us about being saved, evil step mothers, perfect shoes, long hair and that magic kiss serves as the undercover basis to our connection to happy ever after. One that we have turned into a dating adaptation is the story of the princesses kissing the frog and turning him into a prince. This has been changed into “Girl, sometimes you have to take the frog and turn him into your prince” or “ He just needs so new cloths and kiss to be the prince and not the frog “ or my favorite “ You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you get a prince”. I don’t remember the fairytale being that complex. She kissed one frog and got one prince! That’s it and that’s all. Now you’re telling me I have to go around kissing frogs hoping to get the right lily pad that day and get my prince. Well at 30 years old my lips have become num. In the endless journey to turn an amphibian into a man, a prince no doubt I have lost the feeling in my lips. I don’t think I’m alone with this thought either, I think many of my friends going for their Prince kissed a frog and decided they didn’t want to kiss anymore and would just put a suit on the frog and go with it! I mean look at Kermit, all the kissing that Miss Piggy did and he never turned into Prince William. So has our original fairytale belief gone too far from the root of the story? Have we turned into a society of settlers or is there still a belief that you will find that one frog that really did have a spell on him. And perhaps you won’t get the frog that turns into a prince maybe you can find the frog that turns into a great man though, would that be enough? I think we need to start looking at men for who they are and not trying to turn them into our twisted nine year old thoughts of happiness. Look at them and not expect for them to be a knight or prince instead a good man. In doing this we will see that we may not be a princess right now. Kermit and Miss Piggy make it work not because she settles for a frog but because she realized that she was a pig.

Coloring Outside of the Lines

In the past year fashion forward people have been a lot more daring with colors. Being from the Washington DC area growing up we had a few rules when it came to colors. The rules were black, grey, white and blue. No one in the area really played with colors and I can remember when Coogi dresses were big and people got excited. Before that it was like living in a bad black and white movie. When I went to school in Florida I came home once with pink boots and my friends laughed their butts off! Now the rules have been shattered and colors are in and the matchy-matchy world and over "coordination" is out. So I played in my crayon box this weekend, coloring outside of the lines.

Shirt: New York and Company, Pants: Nordstroms BP, Shoes: Bannana Republic , Bag: J.Crew , Ring: Street Vendor , Jacket: J. Crew , Watch: Micheal Kors , Butterfly ring and braclet: Swarovski

Quote of the day...

An important part os style and fashion is make-up and this area is very close to my heart. So to start the week a make-up quote and some make-up tips from the files of Aisha N.

"I love the confidence that makeup gives me."
- Tyra Banks

Make-up tips:

The right outfit for a busy day!

So I had a busy day of outings scheduled and wanted to dress the part. Ranging from shopping, looking for another apartment, meeting with family and an early dinner with a friend. I started off with a beat in face courtesy of Armani foundation, L'oreal bronzer and powder by YSL. Then I went for a ridding boat dressed up look to still highlight my womanly curves. The demin shirt from J.Crew was a bit pricey but I love this shirt and it has been so worth the money, it goes with everything! The weather ranged from 50 to 65 so I brought the coat out just incase.

Coat: BCBG Skirt: H&M Denim shirt: J. Crew Boots: Via Spiga Belt: BCBG Braclets: New York and Company

Starting next week!!!!

Starting Monday I will be bringing you looks directly from my closet. Can't wait to share all of the looks with you!

Quote of the Day

I love this quote and feel it says grown and sexy.

“A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman and loose enough to prove you're a lady.”


― Edith Head, The Dress Doctor

Hurry up and buy!

Hurry up and buy!

Pulling the title from the classic movie Menace to Society I am here today to remind you that even though the beautiful things of Spring have arrived don’t forget about the great deals left over by the not-so-cold winter. This year the weather failed to get truly cold and for that reason many stores still have great finds that had to be marked down. This is the time when we stock up on some of the basics and cute pieces that go along way. There are a few designers that I frequent and because I know their pattern I can usually get great deals on items that I love. Being the shopper that I am I thought I would let you in on my little out-of-season shopping secrets.

1. BCBG : I love, love, love BCBG and when I need something and don’t have much time I know I can go there and find it. When buying their items I watch close because they are famous for re-releasing items. A coat, skirt or pair of pants may be released one season and get marked down at the end of the season only to be re-released the very next year. This happens all the time with them! I have a coat that I love that I bought in January of last year after it was marked down during their semi-annual 60 plus 20% off sale. The same exact coat came back this year and is flying off the racks for full price. Original price $468, my price $125! The key is that you must love the item and see the timeless nature of it. If you are buying trendy pieces then you may or may not see them next year but some things never go out of style!

2. J. Crew: Another store that I personally know all of the sales associates and managers at. Now, they are not the best for sales but every now and then you will get an extra 30% off jackets and blazers ( usually the day after Thanksgiving) but that’s about it. It’s also not always a good idea to wait with J.Crew because items go to the land of the factory store and that’s it! If you are in a major market J.Crew will pre-release items to test them out before sending them to all of the stores. Once the seasons over these items will get marked down and next season they will be back up to full price. Items like the Maritime dress that I got on a shopping trip at King of Prussia (great mall) last season for $68 and now it’s on their site for $88. Overall I will spend the money in J.Crew because these pieces hold their value.

3. Ann Taylor: Wait!!!!!!! In this day and age of e-mail coupons, twitter coupons and text messages from stores the crew at Ann Taylor will give you the discount! If you ever go into Ann Taylor and don’t have a discount you should be upset with yourself because there are usually 2 or 3 going on at once! Here’s an example: I spotted The Petra Buckle Boots in Fawn the day after Christmas for $248 and even though I loved them I didn’t $248 love them. The next WEEK they got marked down to $149 but I didn’t get a chance to get to the store. The next week on Martin Luther King’s birthday I got an early e-mail from them saying all sales items were an additional 60% off but it was on-line only. Called a store and they said they would match the online pricing but the boots were still $248 in store. Went and got my boots for $60 that day! PS if you look on-line they are still $149 and in stores still $248.

So as you hit the malls this weekend and get your spring colors don’t forget to go and look at items that you love for next season! Happy Shopping!

Quote of the Day...

To lable this posting quote of the day may be a little aggressive. At some point it could easily turn into the quote of the week, month, etc. Until then I present quotes that I've ran across that inspire me to create and enjoy my personal style .

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."
Coco Chanel

My Favorite Things: Bags

I would like to say it’s my mother’s fault for making me into the shopping diva that I am. Remembering spending my Saturday’s as a little girl with my mother, God mother and God sisters as we did 9:30am to 9:30pm mall trips as the norm. My mother can shop! Her daughter can shop! I pride myself on a few things. One, I will travel and mix up my mall, boutique, specialty shop, trunk sale habits often. A two hour ride to get to one store is nothing out of the norm and sometimes where you find the best things. Secondly, I will find the deal! Especially in today’s world of shopping apps and stores having twitter discounts, text message alerts and Groupon it makes no sense to me to ever pay full price for anything. Who does that? Even if it’s not posted, just ask if there is a special, when the next one will be or look on line for the same item cheaper. Products are there to be sold and someone is going to pay full price so you don’t have to. I have been known to leave an item because the sale starts in a few days and the discount is substantial. Through my shopping I love finding special things that I instantly have a connection with. This items (until the next set of things comes in  ) are what I refer to as “My Favorite Things”. I thought it was only fitting that since the previous post was on Statement bags I should follow it up with My Favorite Things: Bags. So, here they are:

The Stylist find: This gold clutch was almost packed in a bag never to be seen again. A few years ago I was at a photo shoot doing the make-up and the stylist team (two amazing guys with a vintage eye) and all of this vintage stuff. I saw this bag, a belt, a pair of shoes and two dresses and told them I had to have them. One said no but the other said yes. I added this bag to my collection and love it. I will never see it on anyone and being over 50 years old it still looks amazing. The satin lining says “I’m grown!” and when you wear a bag like this you better be!

Got stamps? : This beige envelope clutch not only looks amazing with jeans but it rocks a nice suit. The gold at the closure gives just enough detail to break it up and allow you to play up your gold accessories. This BGBC Harlow clutch also comes in a few different patterns and each is amazing. Which is your style?

http://www.bcbg.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11414135&cp=4372699.2769064&parentPage=family

Cat Fight: I love a bag that is so hot that men comment. This J.Crew find does just that! In my leopard phase I found this bag and when I saw it also had the gold arm chain I fell in love. I have been having fun mixing it will reds, blues and blacks. Sometimes as a clutch and sometimes I pull out that strap and get very Bianca Jagger on them! Sorry ladies this one is sold out. 

Ring-Bag: At this point if you haven’t seen a four finger ringer bag you may be living under a rock. Celebs are rocking them and stores are charging for them! This beauty was sitting in the window at accessory store I passed on the way to the movies one day. It was as if we locked eyes to rings and fell in love. Originally I bought one for $168 but something about that didn’t seem right so I took it back and got this beauty for $33! I told ya’ll I was a shopper right!

The Basics Presents: The Statement Bag

My First year out of college I bought a Fendi Speedy Bag, it was a logo pattern and sat perfectly on my arm. I loved that bag and would joking tell my friends that my bag told people who I was whether I had on sweatpants or pumps! I later felt that it was more of an occasion bag because I wanted to look like estate money not new money. My statement bag would change every couple of years, usually along with my occupation, city and yes with my man. The CPA’s statement bag was a Lous Vuitton EPI Leather Jazmin, the rappers was a Fendi Spy bag, the business man was a Gucci indy ( oh how I miss him!) and the 9-5 government worker who was a good man with catty sisters was a basic Hobo Cole Haan. Either way it was a bag that I wore almost every day and made the statement I was trying to convey. Before looking for a statement maybe we should look at your statement, now remember you can, should, must switch it up for various outings. The statement bag is generally larger so it may not go with the LBD and it would seem out of place in the club. I cringe when I see lady’s in the club with a cute outfit and the purse they wore that day to work, Switch it up boo boo! Sorry I had to get that out, now back to your statement. Is it “College fly chick – Marc by Marc Jacobs Hobo, “ I work hard play hard – Louis Vuitton Damier Speedy”, “ Never the norm – Betsey Johnson ”, “Something’s never go out of style – Vintage Chanel”. You have to make that decision and you should do it before you shop, the last thing you want to do is spend statement bag money on a bag that will become an outfit bag or something that you don’t wear because it’s not really your style.

Allow me to Introduce Myself!

First, I love Fashion and the ability to change our image through clothing, accessories, shoes and make-up! Now that I've said that I also think Fashion is a followers sport and real trend setters have STYLE. What’s the difference? Fashion is what is hot now and how I can pull off that trend of the moment. Style on the other hand is the ability to stay true to oneself while playing with the trends of the moment. A Fashion follower may see a celebrity wear a particular dress and go get that dress, shoes, bracelets the whole shebang! While this is great for the design houses what does it say about you as a person, that you can follow directions or you are a clone? Now a stylish person looks at that same picture and pulls it apart. They look at the venue and compare it to venues they frequent, “Would I be able to wear that to work, school, happy hour?” Then they look at cuts, “Are the pants fitting on her like that because she has a long torso and how would I pull off that look with my short torso”. They sum up what from that look fits into their person style and find a way to use the trends of today in with their personal style. Of course to do this you have to know what your personal style is, I like to call my style Dorthy Dandrige meets Trina in The Hamptons. I know that’s a lot so let me explain. I love the classic beauties and the way they always looked ladylike, even when they were going to the store, always done. Now I believe in showing skin and with my ASSets sometimes there is no way to hide certain things. I also like that “Yeah she looks nice but with that type of body she must be a stripper”, lol. I take this duo to the Hamptons because I love structure and clean lines in clothing and if you let me I will wear my boat shoes all summer long. That’s my personal style and I may do all three at once or one at a time but you can always see my personal style in any trend I decide to participate in. That being said some trends I don’t participate in. I know my body and some things no matter what people say do not fit with every body type! There I’ve said it be mad if you want!
With looking at my favorite fashion blogs out there I decided to create this blog to bring style and situation together. Now we all love the trends of the stars however if you think you are wearing those bright suede platform pumps into the office think again! Yeah you should be able to be comfortable at work but honey you do not work at Vogue and those shoes say the wrong thing in the office. But it’s ok; you can pass on that and find another way to make these things work for your life without having to buy two different wardrobes. Before we get to the fun stuff however we have to take care of business and start with the basics! Those items that every women must have in her closet. Having these items no matter what your profession or age allows you to create a wardrobe that never makes you say “I have nothing to wear!”. The great thing about the basics is also that you can put your personal style in every single piece!