paint the town...black!

my mom loves black. it's pretty much her fave color, and she wears it all the time. i used to tell her to stop wearing so much black and would go on about how i hate head to toe black. obviously i didn't have any style then because head to toe black is hot (when it's done right of course). this is one of my fave collages i've ever made. check out liya kebede looking so hot/fierce in the cutouts from the lanvin fall 08 campaign. isn't she amazing? raquel zimmerman looks good too but liya looks better no doubt. hope you enjoy this entry and leave more sweet comments. thanks for all of the comments, i love to read them!
♥ me

betsey johnson is such a fun designer. she knows how to bring out a lot of unexpected elements in all of her designs. especially her beautiful dresses. i love this betsey johnson queen of hearts party dress. i love the name of it (reminds me of alice in wonderland...that movie isn't that great, but i like the idea of it), and the look of the dress is really sweet--from the sweetheart bodice, to the giant sash, to the layered skirt. sexy and sweet.

the edginess of the boessert-schorn ribbon patchwork shirt and the french connection sassy sleeveless is just perfect. it can add edge to a casual outfit (think those tops paired with jeans or shorts...heels/flats/sandals/boots/whatev) and could still be elegant. you can tuck either into a black pencil skirt and look hot to trot.

prom's coming up you know! it's not right around the corner...but you should start thinking about it. i think the silver sequined black evening gown by marc bouwer for $895 is such a perfect gown. all eyes would be on you if you were in it. and A LOT of celebrities wear marc bouwer, no wonder, his dresses are classic and princessy (but not in an obnoxious way).

i love the simultaneous delicate and tough feel of the wouters & hendrix mini onyx studs. they're over $100...and way over my budget. but that doesn't mean i can't love 'em! check 'em out at the amazing site lagarconne.com.

did you know? black nails are all the rage! in fact...i think black nails are the new black. har har har. :) get the look by splurging on a bottle of lancome le vernis divine lasting color and shine for $18 from nordstrom.com.

what do you think? is black the new black?

paint the town...red!

last time i talked about how everyone is wearing more nude toned clothes, but i'm seeing more red out there too! instead of trying to wear a bunch of bright colors i see more people adding pops of red into their black,white and grey outfits. the red can be seen on a shirt, as a red shoe, or in the form of red lipstick or lipgloss. it's everywhere. if you haven't tried wearing red, now is the time to do it! something you might not know about me: i used to absolutely HATE red, but recently i've been liking it more. i don't know why i was so averse to it before but now i'm warming up to it.

♥ me

i love pretty much everything in this collage. one major piece i'm lusting after here though is the lanvin paisel chain handle pouchette for $1,850 from barneys. when i look at it, i'm reminded of chanel, since the brand is known for their chain handle bags. however this bag has an even edier vibe because of it's rectangular shape, top closure, and studs at the top of the strap and at the side of the bag.

red is the color of power and of sexiness. it's a bold color, and you can definitely look bold in the apt.9 lace chemise for only $16.80 from kohls. i would recommend it only for wear in your boudoir...but you could be bold and layer it under a blazer or a jacket if you feel like it.

i don't know how many people wear red eyeshadow, but if you do you can purchase bright, blood red eyeshadow from fredflare.com from medusa makeup.

if i was to wear a red dress anytime soon i'd love to have the option of either that rachel roy or marc jacobs strapless wonder(s) [located in the top left corner]. the cut of both the dresses are so flirty and the red hues really add to the bold feel of the dress.

will you be wearing red anytime soon?

p.s. sorry for the barely readable text on the collage!

obama inaugural style on jan 20, 2009

yesterday was AMAZING. a day that will go down in history as the biggest inauguration ever with nearly 2 million people attending (the unofficial estimate was 1.9 million at the end of the night), and the inauguration of the first black president of the United States! this means so much to so many people and shows how much the United States has changed in a short span of time. less than 50 years ago there was still segregation in this country. can you believe that? and there wasn't just racial hate against blacks--it was against any non-white person! today a big part of the United States is non-white, and these black, hispanic, native american, middle eastern, indian, chinese, japanese, vietnamese, laotian, indonesian, south american, w/e people-- are the building blocks of this nation. many minorities started out as groups of slaves or indentured servants or incredibly poorly paid workers who came here either forced or of their own volition. either way they were treated atrociously. now there's a precedent--someone who isn't solely a caucasian individual can be president of the United States, they can be a success and they can be looked up to and admired by their peers and the world.

besides that...yesterday was amazing because michelle obama and her daughters malia and sasha looked absolutely stunning. they were classy and modern and trendy all at the same time. they looked beautiful and stylish from head to toe. michelle was beautiful in a golden coat, dress, cardigan and crystal/diamond brooch and olive green gloves and green shoes in the day and radiant in a nude gown at night. i expected her to wear a jewel tone, but she didn't dissapoint--her choice was a very pleasant surprise.

♥ me

thanks for reading and leave comments about how you spent the inauguration and what you think of what michelle and her daughters wore (and yes, mr. president...barack obama...looked very dapper in his suit and coat in the day and tuxedo and white bow tie at night). :)

p.s. i just had an entry about wearing nude toned clothes and michelle obama opted for nude colored clothes for inauguration! woot :D not that my entry influenced her choices in any way, she had that stuff prepared before.

paint the town...nude!

hello my dear readers!
i bet you are looking at the title of this entry and are thinking..."??!". well...let me attempt to explain this eloquently. we are in a recession that could soon spiral down into a depression. as money and jobs become more scant and life gets harder every aspect of our life gets impacted. our family life, our social life, our school/work life...and even our "fashion" life. for those who love to read fashion blogs, fashion magazines, follow fashion seasons and the ebb and flow of various trends, this can be shocking and traumatizing. a love of fashion runs deep for many individuals, and being able to feed that love through shopping for clothes or fashion related pariphenilia, or just dressing fantastically is basically a must.

as it becomes more difficult to feed our fashion fueled appetite we revert back to the basics. we start wearing more black, because everyone has black and it matches everything and black is just always chic. as much as we try to pretend, there will never be a new black. we also start wearing more nude toned clothes such as whites (to go with the black), taupes, beiges, warm yellowy browns, browns, chocolates, etc. why is that? well look at our skin and the range of colors it comes in! it goes from extremely pale white, to yellowy tones, to yellowy orange tones, to olives, to light browns, medium browns, dark browns, deep chocolates and inky blacks as we move through the globe. we're basically dressing in colors similar to the natural garb we already have: our skin.

and there's one other color we throw into the mix: red. we need some excitement when we're dressing in black and ranges of nude tones. red gives instant zing and a certain kind of polish.

in the first part of this paint the town series i hope you enjoy the nude colored items i picked and the images that accompany it.

♥ me

p.s. sorry this intro note was so long! :D

i love everything in this little visual montage. i am especially lusting after the beautiful windy sheer woven top from f21. it's a perfect spring/summer piece and would look nice against many complexions (not all though). to make sure a nude doesn't wash you out you have to make sure it has an undertone that contrasts with yours. if your complexion is warm and creamy/milky your nude has to have a bright, clear, cold undertone. if your skin has cool undertones, your nude should have warm undertones.

the report signature masonic sandal is so fierce. i love the studs and that shade of brown! yum! and look at that chloe heloise metallic shoulder bag! this bag is one of my fave bags of all time because of it's classic, yet innovate and new design. it's over $2,000 but it's a great investment pieces. chloe bags can handle a LOT of wear and tear since they are made out of heavy/thick leather. and if you ever want to sell it over...trust me, it won't be hard to. everyone loves chloe.

nude tones seem to add a touch of romance to everything. that's what i think the nude strips of fabric did for the philosophy di alberta ferretti silk chiffon tiered dress. if it was all black it would have had a tougher vibe, but with the nude panels it feels more feminine and romantic.

at the golden globes we saw many famous beauties swathed in nude tones. such as eva mendes and demi moore. they wore the dresses gracefully and the nudes accented the hue of their birthday suits perfectly!

next entry: paint the town...red!

how to wear a t-shirt and jeans: day, afternoon, night

hi all!
i hope the new year has started off well for you. i've been busy with various things, but i haven't forgotten about you gys! here's a new entry, our first entry of the new year. a lot of our go-to uniforms are a t-shirt and jeans. i know i wear jeans a lot, and i'd love to be able to wear them from day to night. jeans are very versatile and can be styled different ways, and jeans don't just look any one way anymore. they come in different cuts, different colors, and some even come coated (a coated jean is featured in today's entry). whether you like them skinny, wide, colored, or in a classic blue there's a jean for you! and there's a fab t-shirt to pair it with. the pairing is simple but it works every time.

♥ me

DAY

i really love this outfit. i could picture pretty much any girl wear it. it's classy, yet edgy. i think the skinny zip ankle corduroy pants in bright navy for only $13.50 from forever 21 are the focal point of this outfit because they give a subtle, yet lovely pop of color to the ensemble. leather jackets are still big for 2009, and i love the cut and look of the petra faux leather jacket from forever 21. to tough up the look and give it a tough, cool girl look i would pair it with flat punky boots like these grey yoko lace-up boots and this amazing silver dimpled metal ring for only $3.80 from forever 21. the white v-neck is a nice light color to break up the black and navy, and the grey hue of the boots is also a nice touch (better than black in my opinion, but black could work well too).

i can just see a cool girl in this outfit with long, tousled hair (or short tousled hair, but it has to be tousled) strutting downtown looking so good that people are forced to take her picture. be that girl! try this look. it's relatively easy. and if you don't have a leather jacket try a nylon jacket in this shape or a black blazer.

AFTERNOON

afternoon style is still laid-back but it's a bit more polished than day style. in the day some people are still half asleep, but in the afternoon everyone's awake and paying attention to details. i made sure there were a lot of details in this outfit with some amazing gold jewelry such as this lovely square bangle set from citrine by the stones for $99 from shopbop. i am absolutely in love with the gorjana olive leaf earrings, they match the bangles nicely and add some fanciness to this outfit. this outfit is on the border of hippie boho chic and grunge. i've never seen a shirt like this monrow crocodile v tee, this piece adds the hippie boho chic feel i mentioned earlier. when you look down at the jeans you can see the grunge aspect. current/elliot has quickly become a celeb fave jean brand, and i love their boyfriend jeans. it's a nice slouchy shape that seems to work well on most. they're ripped in all the right places and i like the worn blue color.

polish off the look with immaculate black flats from dkny and this gorgeous black bag with golden zippers (to complement the bangles and earrings) from temperley london. i can see a girl wearing her hair back in a polished ponytail (possibly with a shiny black headband) in this outfit. the shirt and the pants are already so laid back, so you have to keep the accessories and hair sharp so that you don't look too much like a hobo.

NIGHT

i love this outfit. i could totally picture jen brill wearing it. what i love most is black milk seven protect me jean for $69.99 from urban outfitters. they look like glossy leggings, but will hold you in better than glossy leggings because they are made of cotton, spandex and they have a coating. so it'll be like you're wearing binding, glossy, black ink on your legs! the multifaceted sparkle of the beaded speakeasy vest from silence and noise complements the sheen of the pants very well. and the basic white shirt is a fab canvas. with only the jeans, vest and shirt you have a palette of black and white. add some color with red heels, such as the jeffrey campbell frill heel and the blue teardrop in the filigree tear drop with stones earrings. the jeff campbell shoe has a thick 3 inch heel that will give height and comfort, for looking nice and being able to dance and walk around too!

the key to wearing a t-shirt and jeans at night is SHINE. you must have some kind of shine, sparkle or glitz to your ensemble...or else it's not snazzy enough to wear at night!

so there you have it! a way to wear jeans and a t-shirt in the day, afternoon and night! ♥

tell me what you thought, and which outfit is your fave. :)