Friday, April 15, 2011

Shopping in my closet

I'm always searching for a way to keep things fresh while avoiding going out and spending a bunch of money (spending sprees at the mall are sort of my weakness).
My fix for this - I like to buy staple pieces, unique pieces, and tons of accessories to make my wardrobe really go the extra mile. I am usually pretty tame with my bottoms: jeans, dress slacks, pencil skirts, and the occasional jegging/legging. The pop to my outfits come from my unique tops/dresses. The trick - I usually go for COLOR, textures, cuts, and prints that are different & interesting. Add into this pieces like blazers, tanks, camis, and cardigans in a mix of colors & styles and you end up with a variety of different outfits that will suit your personality and make you feel like a million bucks for any occassion. And one other key approach to being able to "shop your closet" - be sure to keep an open mind in how you style & accessorize things. I buy a good variety of belts, jewelery, scarves, handbags, and of course, SHOES to make things take on a whole new life/feel. I usually end up with something very creative and very ME.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Thrift Store Goodies

I have officially become a thrift store shopper. Yesterday was my first adventure into the craziness of thrift store shopping. The BF (bless his heart!) was willing to push me into going. I ended up almost walking out as soon as I walked in BUT I stuck it out. And was rewarded for it.

I came out with 10 items (one was a book on fashion & styling) for only $42.

Granted, some of the pieces will require a little bit of tailoring but with a mother who is a seamstress, this is not a big deal at all. What did I score, you might be asking? Well, what I ended up getting was 3 blazers - one blue double breasted blazer gorgeous for work, one green linen boyfriend blazer, and one purple cotton-blend boyfriend blazer.

I also scored a fabulous white collar button-down that is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. I've been searching for it for months now and to my shock I found it at the thrift store. It was an Express shirt so I know it will be good quality.

Also found a sheer flower/zebra print silk top, a silver silk button down top, a white and purple leaf printed button down, a black&white striped button down with multi-color hydrangea flower print, and lastly, a black "paint-splashed" button down.

I'm pleased. I'll definitely be going back to this store later and definitely be checking out other stores in my area to see what other goodies I can find.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

What Trend Are You Loving?

Spring is ushering in a whole new mix of trends and colors. Today's post will focus on some of the more popular trends. Specifically the trends that I've seen interpreted on the streets by every day women.

Today, let's start with my personal favorite - color. Color has always had surprising and notable impacts to my mood. This spring, the array of color palettes has really put a smile on my lips. Living in SoCal, I don't have to be troubled with inclement weather so I'm not complaining - but after nothing but gray skies for the past few months I'm looking forward to incorporating bright bold hues into my wardrobe.



Colors I know I'm on the hunt for - saturated jewel tones, bright blues and corals, and nice nude, khaki's, tans, and cognac shades to provide contrast to the brighter shades. A splash of gray (dove gray comes to mind) will look lovely with the colors I have in my Spring wardrobe.

On to trends! There's a big following on 70's vibe clothing. In particular, disco/maxi dresses. Being a short-waisted, 5'2" gal, I really have a tough time pulling this off. My body type just does not like this dress. 

Color blocking is something that I love in concept however, I have yet to get the right mix of pieces together to try this out. Stay tuned. I suspect I'll find a solution to this soon.
Military is still in, in particular, in the form of a military jacket. This trend is what's inspiring me to use more tans/green tones. I have always loved pairing something more femme with something that has a harder feel like a military (or even rock star) piece.

Sheer, layering pieces seem to also be a staple piece. Lace is definitely still around however, I'll be gravitating toward sheer, detailed tops. Warning - the lace/sheer trend is something that can be tricky to pull off properly. Please, avoid looking cheap!

Asian/Japanese inspired pieces are big but I'll be using this trend to spice up my accessories. Not really finding clothing items that I'm drawn to yet. But I'm definitely not limiting myself to just accessories should the right piece come along.