Tan and Black...With a Little Bit of Leopard

This year, I've accumulated quite a few black and tan combo pieces.  This shirt featured is one of them.  I got this back in February and paired it with black leggings and wedge sneakers.  A few weeks later, I saw Victoria Beckham in a similar top and took note on how she paired it with leopard print pumps and black (light wash) denim.  And I absolutely loved the coat she wore with it.  So I took note for the next time I decided to wear this top.  So today, I added black coated denim, leopard flats (which I felt gave it a nice touch with the added print), and my coat (which was inspired by many of the Victoria Beckham peacoats I see her wear). I have to say that normally, I hate buttoning up my tops all the way but I felt I had to get the full effect for this one :)

**Me- Blouse: Burlington Coat Factory; Denim: JC Penney; Flats: Charlotte Russe; Coat: New York & Company; Bag: Cato's

Photo Credits: Pinterest; thetrenddiaries.com

Mixing Prints and Owning It

     So I decided to go a bit out of my comfort zone with this one and try mixing prints (*fingers crossed*).  Of course, Solange is the QUEEN of this trend so I looked to her style first for a bit of inspiration.  Most features I came across for mixing prints with stripes were recommending that you add florals-NO.  Solange, Heidi Klum, and Reese Witherspoon have all done the pairing, but I just didn't really like it for myself.

Apparently, there are rules for following this trend (lol) so here's what I followed in putting together the outfit...

• Begin with choosing a bold printed piece, be it a printed top, skirt, or blazer (I chose a blazer)
• Stick to one color family (check)
• Stick to a max of 2 prints in your outfit (I added small pink zebra earrings *shrugs*)
• The key to mixing prints is all in the size and shape (small verticals, one big horizontal)
• If mixing bright prints are too overwhelming for you, choose black and white prints for a classy ensemble and bring a dash of color with a bold bag, shoes, or other accessories  (check)

And I found this last rule on another site and thought it was so cute and fitting for what I was trying to do...

• If you are usually fashionably conservative, mixing two directions of stripes may be too big a stretch for your style. Any sense of uncertainty you have with your outfit will show – so if you do decide to wear vertical and horizontal stripes together, walk with a purpose. Be prepared for a few stares, but rest assured that you are simply more fashion evolved.

LOL

In the end, Olivia Palermo's print pairing came closest to what I was willing to try.  The color isn't too bold and the look is simple yet interesting.  It makes you do a double take (at least with me it did)- not because it looks bad, but because it actually looks GOOD.

**Me-Blazer-JC Penney; Cami: Charlotte Russe; Pants: JCPenney; Shoes: Prabal Gurung for Target; Clutch: Express; Earrings: Charlotte Russe

Photo Credit: www.typef.com/article/can-wear-vertical-stripe-shirt-horizontal-stripe-cardigan/; http://hot2molly.com/2013/07/26/mixing-prints-be-bold-look-fierce/; http://www.fabsugar.com/Celebrities-Mixing-Prints-2013-30923517

Plus One More

    So it's official...I can call Jessica Alba one of my fashion icons!  I have already done five posts about her style...plus one more for today's post!!  Her style really resonates with me and is probably the closest to what I actually wear.  
    Anyways...I was running late (as usual) and needed something quick to wear.  I remembered I saw this pic and I thought this would be perfect to throw on.  There's not much to it-just a red cardi/blazer, striped top, high-waist jeans, gladiator sandals, and a great bag lol!  I've only worn the cardi/blazer once-mostly because it's an orangey-red (not really my favorite shade of red), it's a bit bright, and honestly, it's just not something I gravitate to when I'm trying to figure out what to wear.  But, as stated in my byline, the purpose of this blog is to find ways to wear things in my closet differently (gotta make sure I get my money's worth at least), so I'm glad I got to make use of this top.


 



**Me- 
Cardi/Blazer: Sears; Cami: Express; Jeans: Delia's; Bag: Aldo

















Photo credit: PeopleStyleWatch

Turquoise Toss Up

So I liked both of these looks featured today....it really was a toss up.

I have a dress in a similar color to the ones I'm showing today.  For some reason, I had the hardest time trying to figure out what color shoe to pair with it.

Originally, I saw Sofia Vergara's turquoise (I think that's what you would call this color) first so I decided to find a gold shoe.

Then, I saw Jordin Sparks in her turquoise dress and I loved the white pumps (which has been a big trend this summer), so I decided to find a white shoe.  

 


















In the end, I decided against the latter because I'm just not big on white shoes-sneakers, flip flops, flats, pumps-they're just too hard to maintain.  

I can say that I love the simplicity of both looks-unfussy hair, minimal jewelry-they let the dress (and the color) speak for itself.  

You're probably wondering why it was so hard for me to pick a shoe color when in the end, I just chose a simple gold shoe?  Well, in my head, I imagined a multi-colored shoe with turquoise in it, but I never found one and that probably would have been too much anyways... 

As far as the dress, I love the color, but it was a bit big even after getting it tailored..guess I lost weight in week (idk). (New York & Company items always fit huge on me smh.)

**Me-Dress: New York & Company; Heels: GoJane

Another Neon Obsession

I love pops of color-that's pretty much the only reason why I like this look-so there's not going to be too much more of an explanation.  Kate Beckinsale is wearing an Alberta Ferretti dress and Jimmy Choo heels.  Really, I could care less about the dress, it's the shoes I love. The color pops and....they're NEON ( if you read the previous post, you know that I have a slight obsession with those colors)!!  I lucked up and found my own neon heels (now I have neon heels AND flats lol) and paired them with a black dress like Kate did.  I liked the look, but my shoes didn't pop as much as I wanted them to, but whatever. *shrugs*

**Me-Dress, Heels: Express

Getting My Money's Worth (Neon Bag)

So I brought a bag from Target last year during the summer neon craze because I just LOVE neon colors.  I already had the jewelry, the clothes, even neon flats (smh)!  To complete my collection, I just had to have a neon bag.  After I bought it, I forgot about it (like I do with a lot of stuff I purchase on a whim).  I never even used it!  While I was doing some spring cleaning this year, I came across it and realized that I just didn't like it as much as the day that I brought it.  But I hate feeling like I wasted money so I decided that I would figure out a way to incorporate it into my wardrobe.  The only thing was that it was soooo bright and I didn't want to pair it with my other neons (ie those neon flats I mentioned earlier) so I played the waiting game.  And then my answer came in the form of Alessandra Ambrosio in July while browsing Instyle's website.  I like how she made the bag her standout piece and kept the colors basic. So, I popped off the tag and did what she did.....




(Photo credit: Instyle.com)

Printed Midi Dress

This look is a fusion of elements from two outfits I spotted.

 I came across this pic of Bridget Kelly and gravitated to it instantly.  I immediately loved everything about her look-her hair, the KTZ printed dress, the bright colored pumps by Gucci-everything was just perfect!

The second look was courtesy of Evelyn Lozada back in January.  Her dress was a Felicity & Coco long-sleeved midi dress, which was super cute.  I especially loved that she added wedge sneakers to it for a more sporty vibe.

Keeping both of these looks in mind, I knew that I:
 a) wanted a dress that was black and white and had some sort of print or lettering on it
 b) wanted it to be a midi dress because it was a trend I wanted to try
 c) wanted to add a bright shoe to the look.

Welllllll, I found a cute number-printed dress at ASOS, which interestingly enough, showed the dress paired with wedge sneakers. (I tried it on with my wedge sneakers just to see how it looked...I looked freaking ridiculous!!!)  I paired it with a bright clutch and peep toe heels.
Overall, I loved how the look came together but this will probably be my only midi length item I buy.  The length seems to cut your legs off at a weird spot which can look bad especially if you're not tall. Plus, I just love short dresses way too much!!

**Me- Dress: ASOS; Heels, Clutch: Express

(Photo Credits: GetWhitit.com; Trueheartedsole.com)