Rihanna's Mint Green

Last post before the New Year!!  This was my outfit I wore for Christmas, inspired by Rihanna in 2010 while promoting her "Loud" album on 106 & Park.  I love Rihanna's style but normally I don't emulate her because she dresses a bit out of my comfort zone (it works for her though, she kills it every time!!)  Here, Rihanna is wearing mint leggings and a sweater with differing sleeve lengths from Alexander Wang 2011.  This was another outfit I had to do some searching for.  I finally found a similar sweater at Target and leggings at American Apparel.  It should be easy to see what I love  it--> this mint green is gorgeous!!!!!!

 **me-Sweater: Target; Leggings: American Apparel; Shoes: Cathy Jean

Printed Jeans: Python

The printed jean has become a big trend as of late.  Everything from reptile, stripes, leopard, polka dot, python, abstract, etc. can be found on a jean or pant.  I saw these in JCP and immediately knew I had to have them.  This was interesting and surprising to me because I really don't do prints that often-they make me feel overwhelmed! However, I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and try different patterns, prints, and stuff. (lol) This time I accessorized  with black and wanted to make it look a bit more street (haha) rather than how the pictures show the jeans more dressy. I think next time I'll try red with them. I really liked how in the second picture, the ladies added pops of color to the print. I'll probably wait to do that when it gets a bit warmer though.

*me-Bomber: Forever 21
        Tee: JCPenney
        Jeans: JCPenney
        Boots: Old Navy

Pop of Color

I'm always rushing around in the a.m. to get dressed, eat, brush my teeth, fix my hair, etc. So it's important that I get my hands on outfits that can be put together in a hurry, but without looking sloppy.  Earlier in the week, I was online and saw Khloe and Kim in these cute black and colored jean outfits.  (I was excited just for the fact that Kim was in color again!!)  I love the simplicity and the pop of color.  It really looks like it took them no time to get dressed...perfect for me to be inspired by.  This outfit was effortless and I managed to be out the door quickly and at work on time.

 *me-Blazer: Sears; top: Delia's; Pants: Forever 21; Shoes: Burlington Coat Factory

Emerald + Cobalt Blue

So for the Sunday before Christmas, I knew I wanted to wear a color that was representative of Christmas, but also a look that did not make you think only Christmas.  So any combination of red and green was definitely out!  Last year and into this year's spring and summer, there was a big trend of pairing blues and greens together, which looks really nice.  I figured this would give me the Christmas colored outfit I wanted, with a twist.  I paired my emerald blouse and pencil skirt with cobalt wedges and feathered earrings and off to church I went. :)
SN:Doesn't Alicia Keys look super adorable in this pic??!!

*me: Blouse-JCPenney; Skirt-Express; Shoes-Payless

Black Suit

I don't remember when I came across this photo of Ms. Alba, but it had to have been earlier this year because the outfit that inspired it was purchased around March.  Jessica is wearing a D&G ensemble-black silk suit jacket and sequined pants, with Christian Louboutin spiked pumps.  I love all black outfits, especially with a pop of color somewhere.  I was drawn to the fact that she looked so comfortable but beautiful.  Because of the different textures in here outfit (her top is silky, her pants are sequined, and her shoes are spiked), it goes from being just a boring black suit.  Following her lead, I put together a silk blazer and pants (I soooo wished I could have found sequined pants tho!), my own spiked pumps, and added my red clutch.  This outfit was so easy to put together and was super comfy.

 *me: Blazer/Pants-Belk; Shoes-Ebay or Alloy.com $54.90

Denim Shirt + Stripes

I was looking in a JCPenney catalog when I came across this outfit.  It's basically printed skinny jeans, flats, striped sweater, and the added denim shirt. But, I love the fact that it consist of red and blue items of different prints.  It has stripes, it has denim, and it has polka dot.  There is a lot of prints going on here but it works.  It just looks so fashionable, trendy, and comfy all at once.  I have red denim, but decided to opt for a cousin of red instead-oxblood (wine, burgurdy, etc) which is the "it" color right now.  I added my denim shirt to the striped sweater and traded the flats for some oxblood wedges instead.  I added the glasses to give it what I like to call my "smart school girl vibe."  Here's my look...

 

*me-Denim Shirt:Charlotte Russe

                                                               Sweater:Forever 21

                                                               Pants: Dorothy Perkins

                                                               Wedges:Target

                                                               Glasses:Forever 21

Tartan Fever

One of my favorite blogs, "WhoWhatWear.com", did a feature awhile back on tartan (aka plaid).  I've just recently really got into the plaid craze (because again, I don't really do prints) and I love it.  It stands out on its own, so no extras (like accessories) are needed.  This blog showed different tartan pieces and the many ways to rock them. I especially love the outfit on the lower right featuring a yellow tartan skirt.  That's closest to what I would wear.  I chose to wear a black blazer over my Target dress...that was on clearance for $13!!  Here's the inspiration and the inspired product...

*me-Dress:Target; Blazer:Belk; Tights:Kohl's; Wedges:Payless

Blue Blazer+ Grey Skinny Jeans

Once again, Jessica Alba serves as my inspiration.  I love this blue-cobalt, royal-whatever you want to call it.  Jessica is all about her "pop of color", which makes sense given that her stylist is Brad Goreski (who I adore), the king of the P.O.C. craze.  I love the star design on the pants as well.  It's a simple outfit, but has color and design which takes it up a notch.  The sandals and shades are cool too.  I obviously don't have jeans with design on them since prints aren't really my thing, so I added a striped tee to the blazer and jeans.  (Btw I heart stripes!) On another note, I didn't like how the shoes looked in the pic, so I cropped them out :)

*me-Blazer:Charlotte Russe; Tee:Forever 21; Jeans: Levi's

Jewel Tone for the Fall

Instyle Mag did an article about trends for the fall, one of which included jewel tone.  I found it interesting that they paired leopard with coral (they call it scarlet??, but that's coral lol)  Coral does have a bit of a reddish tint to it and often times leopard is paired with red, so this worked.  The outfit I wore consists of a mesh sweater, brown long-sleeved shirt, skinny jeans, and leopard flats.  I was actually considering packing the jeans and mesh sweater with the rest of my spring/summer items since I find these colors more appropriate for that time.  However, as of late, all the old fashion rules have been thrown out the window.  Guess I won't pack them away just yet.

*me-sweater: Forever21; tee:Rainbow; jeans:MNG by Mango; flats: Charlotte Russe

Kim in Red

I first saw Kim K in this outfit on an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (which I am obsessed about) earlier this year.  I really cannot tell you why I love this except for the fact that it's simple and beautiful.  The red pops.  The bag is a gorgeous color.  Her makeup is flawless.  The jeans look great and elongate her petite frame.  There's not an overload of jewelry.  She looks comfortable in it.  Plus, I like Kim in colors, not all the black leather and whites she's doing lately (though she has had some outfits that were hits).  Feeling inspired, I grabbed a red dolman top (which I've only worn once because red just isn't a color I have a lot of), dark high waist flares, and my fave motorcycle boots, and here is the result.  Comfort and simplicity is my motto of fashion and this outfit achieves both.

*me-top:Conway; jeans: Charlotte Russe; boots:Charlotte Russe; bag:Steve Madden

Minnetonka Moccasins

This is an outfit that I actually went out and bought similar items to recreate.  The photo of Amerie is from her photo shoot with Elle Magazine back in '09.  Everything about this look is gorgeous, the plaid shirt, the shorts, and the boots.  Her boots were the item that first caught my eye-so I went out and bought the exact same pair!  You won't believe how hard it was trying to track down a plaid top with just red and blue as the colors. (It seriously took me 2 1/2 years to find the right one!)  Anyways, I like the outfit as a whole because of the pairing of red, blue, and black.  I don't normally pair blues (dark blues to be specific) together with blacks.  I usually do reds and blues together or reds and blacks.  But when you think about it and see it, the colors together make sense and don't clash. 

*me-shoes:Minnetonka Moccasins (Tramper Ankle Hi Boot $55.95); jeans:Express; top:Forever 21
**You can't see the shoes as great in these pics so  here is a close up of how they look, and I must say they're the most comfortable shoe EVER!!)

Transitional Piece: Turquoise Skirt

Lately we've been having the perfect weather to wear outfits like this one-nice, sunny, and 70 degrees.  This is inspired by Kendall Jenner, whose style I am really liking lately (though I'm a few years older than her).  Honestly, I'm liking both of the Jenner sisters fashion choices.  I immediately thought of my turquoise skirt I bought from Express a few years ago.  Normally at this time of year, this skirt would have been waiting in a bin until summer rolled back around.  However, with all the ways fashion experts show that clothes can be transitioned into different seasons and the fact that it's still not that cold here yet, I figured I could leave a bunch of "summer" items on the hanger for a while longer.  I threw on a purple scarf because I've always loved turquoise and purple together.  I felt so cute in this and I had my long hair in (lol).

*me: jacket-Express;top-Forever 21;boots-K-Mart
scarf-Charlotte Russe; skirt-Express

Pippa's Leopard Print

People Style Watch (my other fave magazine) had a mini book called "Your Go-To Jeans Guide" that showed ways to make denim casual, sexy, polished, etc.  Basically, it had everything one needed to know about denim.  Anyways, the image of Pippa Middleton stood out to me because she paired her leopard with brown.  Normally in the past, I've seen leopard with either red or black.  Lately however, I've seen people pairing it with pinks, browns, camels, and purples (which doesn't sound like it would work but it does).  So, I took a cue from Pippa and added brown and gold elements to my top which I purchased 2 years ago but have only worn twice (I'm not really one for prints, but I'm trying to branch out a bit).  But I have to say, it was hard to resist the urge to throw some red in there because I just love leopard paired with red :) 
SN: I felt like Mary J. Blige in my sunglasses and icy nude lip (lol)

me:

top-Bebe

jeans-Levi's

flats-Wal-Mart

sunglasses-RayBan

Side-Striped Trousers

So I was definitely in a rush to get to work yesterday morning and nothing in my closet was jumping out at me.  I wanted to be warm enough to stand the 33 degree temperature in the a.m., but not so warm that I couldn't deal with the sun and eventual expected high of 64 degrees.  I remembered a photo I saw of Olivia Palermo walking her dog and wearing a simple yet chic outfit consisting of a black sweater and side-striped trousers.  I love the fact that it looked like it took her less than 5 minutes to get dressed and she still managed to stay on trend with the trousers and look exceptionally cute while walking her dog.  So I grabbed a black sweater, my side-striped trouser (which I purchased before this trend became big), stepped in my flats, threw on a scarf (all of which took me about 5 minutes to do), and headed out the door.  Lifesaver :)  I provided side views because you can't really tell they have a stripe if you're looking just in front and all the other poses were not working :)

 

me: sweater-Charlotte Russe; trousers-Express; flats-Charlotte Russe; scarf-Charlotte Russe

Channeling Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo is the inspiration for today's outfit.  I think she's one of the best dressed celebs out there.  She has a knack for putting unexpected pieces, colors, and prints together.  She makes it work and it always looks effortlessly chic.  Here is Ms. Palermo putting together yellow, green,  and gray-colors I love but would never think to wear at once.

This outfit drew me in because I'm a sucker for colors, even in the fall/winter months.  I decided to put together a similar look in colors a bit more "fall appropriate".  I have to say, I was quite pleased with the results :)

Me: blazer-Forever 21; gray tee-Charlotte Russe; cami- Charlotte Russe; jeans-Forever 21; heels-BCBGeneration; bag-Rave

Trying Out Red & Olive

Trying Out Red & Olive

The two outfits featured in today's post are both inspired by outfits featured in Instyle Magazine (one of my favorite magazines!).  I first noticed the "Neutral-Know-How" color book in an  issue back in April and liked how the color book showed different color schemes one may not think to pair together.  I then saw it again when I came across Instyle's feature, "Inspired by Instyle" back in August.  The girl they featured had camo pants with a red lace top and I loved it.  The other outfit I came across with this color scheme came from Instyle's October 2012's "28 Days of Amazing Outfits" article. The colors looked good together in that look as well, so I decided I would give olive and red a try.  Though I've seen red and green together (mostly around Christmas), I've never thought to put it together.  I normally wear these camo leggings with beiges and olives, and the safari jacket was sitting in a bin in my house waiting to be dropped off at the Goodwill!!  I wasn't feeling bold enough to wear a red top, so I opted for red accessories-a bag and earrings (which you may not be able to see in my pic).  Overall, I would say I like these colors together.

me- leggings:Target; sweater: Wetseal; button-up:Charlotte Russe; jacket:Bebe; boots: Cathy Jean; bag:Jessica Simpson; earrings:Charlotte Russe

me-top-Rainbow; jacket:Charlotte Russe; jeans:Urban Outfitters; boots: Target; bag:Rainbow

Denim on Denim

 Denim on Denim
 

Today's post is inspired by a blog I came across while searching for leggings on GoJane.com's website.  The blog, Jane Says... did a post called "Inspiration Gallery: Denim."  Now normally when I've worn my denim shirts in the past, they've always been worn as a coverup over other items.  However, in this picture, I love that the girl decided to wear a blazer as her coverup piece and dress it up a bit more.  (I absolutely looovvee that bag she's carrying.)  It made her look very casual but dressy at the same time. 
 

Me: denim shirt-Forever 21; blazer-Sears; Jeans-TJ Maxx; Scarf-Harmony Lane; Bag-Steve Madden; Heels-Dorothy Perkins

Orange Peplum Top

Orange Peplum Top

I'm really liking the peplum trend right now.  Earlier this year, I saw this image of Beyonce in an orange colored peplum dress from Antonio Berardi Fall 2012.  It instantly caught my eye because the color was so gorgeous and peplum is just so flattering.  As odd as it may seem, I was more obsessed with finding a top in a similar color and style than finding a similar dress. (I just didn't think the whole look would work for me).  I found this top (which is mustard colored) from Foreign Exchange.  I paired it with ankle cut trousers by French Connection for Sears, and Carlos Santana wedged peep toes.

Halloween Look

For Halloween, I wanted to wear something with a Halloween touch, but still look like you can wear it any day of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's outfit helped me achieve the exact amount of "touch" I was looking for.

Me: Jacket-Express; Tee-Forever 21; Blazer-Sears; Jeans-Levi's; Boots-Target; Sunglasses-RayBan

Floral Pants

Black Orchid Denim $167

Jessica Alba is my inspiration hands down for denim looks!!  I can assure you that a lot of these posts will feature her.  I brought these floral pants a while back but didn't quite know what I could pair them with in my closet.  I like how Jessica Alba paired hers with a white shirt, and the oxblood colored boots are gorgeous and really make her outfit pop. 

Vintage Floral Skinny Jean $39.50

I decided to dress mine up a bit so I added a rose colored blazer and gray boots to bring out some of the colors in the pants.