One Piece, Two Ways :: J. Crew (Hump Day) Sweater

Happy hump day everyone! So excited to share today's post. My blogger bestie, Fallon of Sage + Sparkle, and I have teamed up to do a collaboration. It all started when we discovered we both love the phrase "Hump Day"! It continue when I came across this camel sweater at J.Crew, which was perfect for the fall and for HUMP DAY! Sage + Sparkle picked up the sweater the following week and here we are! One sweater, worn two different ways!

When Fallon sent me her outfit post I was blown away! I love the way she styled the sweater.  Her outfit was the perfect mix of fun and flirty. The black feather skirt that can be worn several different ways, she toned down with the sweater. The she added the ultra versatile python pumps that are great to wear with black or brown. She then added a pop of color with her Michael Kors clutch. The red brings out the color in the sweater. Then she finished it off with her stylish leopard print coat from Zara by draping it over her shoulders. By mixing color and texture she transformed a chic sweater to ultra trendy.

As for my outfit, I kept it very simple with my usual black bag and black heels. We both agreed my outfit was sleek and sophisticated. The faux leather skirt I picked up from Zara and immediately fell in love (I've also worn it with blue sweater here). The color is a beautiful cognac and the quality of the material is also really nice. At a $60 price tag, it's a stylish skirt for any closet. The camel sweater was a great addition to the pencil skirt, I'm still able to keep a structured and polished look with the two pieces. Then I finished it off with two of my favorite investment pieces, Valentino Rockstuds and the Fendi 2Jour.

Back to my bestie Fallon, be sure to check out her blog Sage + Sparkle. She has delicious recipes, crafty DIYs and the most stylish outfits. Looking forward to doing another collaboration in the near future!

Sweater :: J. Crew

Skirt :: Zara

Heels :: Valentino

Bag :: Fendi

5 Great Work Shirts under $30 from H&M

Hello, hello everyone! Last night I sat down and was thinking about what I'd like to share on this week's "Five Favorites".  One of the most often asked questions I get from woman is, "Where's a good place to buy work clothes?"  The best thing about the "corporate world" is that there are a lot more working woman now than there were twenty years ago.  You can find work clothes almost anywhere.

Retailers are slowly starting to realize that they need to incorporate work  apparel into their designs. Brands like Express, The Limited and Banana Republic pioneered the modern working woman. I remember when I was still in high school, I would purchase fitted pants from Express and I kept them for years.  The Limited has also always offered affordable and modern suits. At times the quality of the fabric wasn't as good, but I think they have vastly improved over the years.

Now we jump ahead to 2013 and most brands are catering to working woman! From inexpensive brands like Forever 21 to some of the largest retailers like Nordstroms.  When shopping for work clothes there a few things to keep in mind, buy durable clothing and stick with the basics. I love a beautiful printed top, but prints tend to go out of style quickly. 

  The blouses above are some of my favorite from H&M. Number five is my all time favorite shirt in my closet. In fact, when I have time this week I'm going by H&M and picking up every color they have in that shirt. I own one in navy blue (worn here and here) and I wear it once a week to work. The reason I love H&M tops is because they are all made from polyester, I know what you're thinking...POLYESTER?!? But to their defense, these shirts can be easily wash, dried and ironed and ready to wear for the next few weeks at work. That's amazing! You just saved yourself a lot of time. Just remember to hang it up when you get home from work.  

All of the shirts above are very basic and can be mixed and matched with a black pencil skirt, wide leg trousers, skinny trousers or under a sleeveless dress. The possibilities are endless. So if you're ever wondering where to buy a new top for work, log onto H&M and see what they have available. You might be surprised. 

one :: H&M button blouse, $30

two :: H&M chiffon blouse, $30

three :: H&M button blouse, $30

four :: H&M tailored shirt, $34

five :: H&M blouse, $30

Tibi Dress & H&M Over the Knee Boots

 Hope everyone had a good weekend! This weekend was filled with sleep, date night and and two blog conferences. Last Thursday and Friday I attended Lucky FABB and yesterday, Simply Stylist took place. Both events I learned a lot about branding and blogging. If you're a blogger and have any questions about either blog conference, please feel free to email me.

Today's outfit I wore to the first day of Lucky FABB. The Tibi dress I've been eying for months. I waited till Piperlime had a 30% sale, I had credits from the site and a gift certificate. Phew, now I can justify getting the dress. When I got the dress the first thing I noticed was the beautiful blue color and the material reminded me of something similar to a wetsuit. After wearing the dress with high boots, I'd love to see what it would look like with nude pumps and a tailor black blazer. I think this could easily be transitioned to a more "work appropriate" outfit with a few changes.

Dress :: Piperlime

Tights :: Target (similar here)

Boots :: H&M sold out
Coat :: Zara (similar here)

Bag :: Fendi 

Necklace :: J.Crew (also like this one from J.Crew)

Bracelet :: Lia Sophia 

Mustard Tights & Faux Fur Vest

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone! I've been out of pocket for the past few days attending the Lucky FABB event. There were so many great speakers at the conference. Looking forward to sharing some photos of Eva Mendas and Kate Bosworth. 

Today's outfit post is what I wore to the cocktail hour during Lucky FABB. These mustard color tights are my favorite. Color tights are so fun to wear during the fall and winter. I find it easiest to wear with simple black heels and skirt/dresses. This fall I'm going to try and push myself to be a little more creative with tights.

 Places to wear this outfit :: cocktail hour, dinner with friends, social networking event

Top :: Express this shirt is very versatile! Can be worn at work and going out

Shorts :: Limited (similar ones here from Asos)

Tights :: Target

Vest :: Zara

Heels :: Zara (similar here, but no studs on heels)

Bag :: Michael Kors 

Coat :: Zara

 

5 Statement Necklaces under $50

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite statement necklaces under $50! For years I never wore jewelry. I had a turquoise ring my mom got me when I was young and I wore it for year. In high school and college my mom and best friend would buy me jewelry and encourage me to wear it with my outfits. For some reason I could never get into rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings...you name it, I didn't know how to wear it with my outfits. 

Till one day, I still remember it like it was yesterday, I walked into my mom's room and asked her what she thought of my outfit and she said I needed a necklace because jewelry is what makes your clothes "pop". Since that day I've slowly learned how to wear jewelry with my everyday "look", mostly necklaces. This season I promised myself I'd try a few earrings. The statement earrings are so cute! 

Here's are five great necklaces for any woman's collection. I like these necklaces because they're not too loud, but they also have a little bling. This makes a plain black tee or oxford shirt look like fashionable and elegant. Try it! Next time you have a collar shirt on, put a statement necklace under the collar and you'll look like a million bucks!

one :: Sabine bib statement necklace 48.00

two :: Zara necklace 30.00 

three :: Sabine gypsy jewelry 48.00 

four :: Zara white pearl necklace 30.00

five :: ASOS jewelry 32.00 

Houndstooth :: J Crew Skirt and Michael Kors Selma

Happy Hump day everyone! Is anyone else having a long week? I woke up this morning thinking today was Thursday. I think it has to do with the nights getting longer and colder. During the fall and winter months, I always take more naps and manage to sleep in a few "extra" minutes. The cold air and dark mornings are to blame.

 

 

 My friend are always emailing or texting me "funnies" and I'd thought I'd pass along to my readers. 

I'm sure most of you have seen this video since it already had 150 million views on YouTube, "What Does the Fox Say" by Ylvis, but if you haven't watch it! It's awkwardly funny. If you wanted to be a fox for Halloween, you might have a problem getting a costume. Fox costumes are up by 40% and most items are sold out!

I've spend many morning looking at the pictures by the Nightmare Fear Factory, located in Niagara Falls, Canada has a hidden camera and take photos of people's reactions inside the haunted house. It's hilarious!

The last one which is the cutest! I will say that I have a soft spot (like most of us) for animals dressed up in a Halloween costumes! Tottie the pug won $25,000 for her costume as Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball. It's adorable.

Places to wear this outfit :: perfect office outfit!

Top :: J.Crew

Skirt :: J.Crew

Heels :: Kurt Geiger

Bag :: Michael Kors 

Necklace :: J. Crew (similar here)

New York :: Sightseeing in NYC

Morning everyone! Today I wanted to share a few photos I took over the weekend with my new lens. For the past four months I've been contemplating buying a lens for my camera. On Sunday I finally did it! I bought the CANON EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard Lens. Looking forward to taking outfit photos around the city. 

On Sunday while Matt was taking his cousin around New York, I picked up my new lens and wondered around some of my favorite spots in the City. Here are a few photos, hope you enjoy them!

Casual Weekend :: Boyfriend Jeans & Zara Heels

 

 

 

Good morning everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Over the weekend we had our engagement photos with Angelica Criscuolo. She was absolutely amazing! Her upbeat personality made us both feel at ease during the session, which is so important when you're with your significant other. My besties and bridesmaids, know how nervous I was the days leading up to the photos. The anxiety had my stomach in knots! I wanted everything to be perfect and I didn't know what to expect.

The session started at 7am and we went to Grand Central Station and Central Park. The first set of photos were very formal. Matt wore a suit and I wore a black dress with nude heels. We did a quick outfit change and Matt changed into jeans with a wool blazer and I wore a red-orange dress and a wool coat.

So excited to show you the photos!!! She said it will be 2-3 weeks till we get proofs, so hopefully I'll be able to post photos in early November.

After the photos, Matt had his cousin in town so they did a little sightseeing and I took a five hour nap :) Later on in the evening I met them for a few drinks and wore this casual outfit. I wanted to be comfortable and cute.

Places to wear this outfit :: casual night out, if you want to look cute while shopping or running errands

Top :: Banana Republic 

Jeans :: Current Elliott (similar here)

Heels :: Zara S13 (similar here)

Bag :: Michael Kors 

Necklace :: J. Crew (similar here)

Sunnies :: Target 

DIY :: Easy DIY Jewel Necklace

A few weeks ago I came across this awesome DIY project by Glitter 'N Glue. She made an emerald necklace, inspired by Elizabeth Taylor. I'm such a big fan of emeralds, so I thought I'd try to duplicate the necklace. While searching for jewels I didn't have any luck finding green jewels, but I did find these beautiful clear jewels. These beauties also reminded me of my favorite J.Crew necklace. All the material cost $20 (which didn't include pliers). I also made a similar necklace in silver and wore it with one of my favorite sweaters.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, I also hosted a DIY blogger party last Monday and made similar necklaces. This time I didn't take any pictures of the blog party. Next time I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Black & Brown :: Faux Leather Skirt & Blue Sweater

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning everyone! Friday has finally arrived. I could just squeal with excitement! This weekend we're getting our engagement pictures done by Angelica Criscuolo Photography. While researching photographers, I saw her New York engagement photos all over the internet! She was perfect for the shots we wanted for our photos. As luck would have it, she had one open spot in October. So we booked her for October 19th. 

We're going to have our pictures taken at two iconic places in New York; Grand Central Station (my favorite place in New York) and Central Park (Matt's favorite place in New York). Matt and I had our final dress rehearsal a few nights ago and we're going to keep it formal and simple. Looking forward to sharing with everyone!

Hope you enjoyed today's outfit. This sweater is one of my favorite from Banana. I've had it for three years and I never get tired of wearing it during the fall. The blue and black lace went well with the brown faux leather skirt from Zara. I'd loved to wear something like this to work, but I think this outfit is more appropriate for woman who work in more female dominated workplaces. Men really don't understand the new trend with leather. 

Have a great weekend.

Places to wear this outfit :: casual work environment, meet friends for dinner, engagement party, birthday party

Sweater :: Banana Republic old (love this J.Crew sweater)

Skirt :: Zara 

Heels :: Valentino

Bag :: Fendi

Necklace :: DIY necklace found on Glitter 'N Glue

Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudgens

Office LBD :: Textured Dress & Gold Accents

 

 

Morning everyone! It's a foggy day in New York. It reminds me of mornings in San Francisco. Hopefully the fog will burn off later this afternoon! 

Today's outfit is a classic look for the office. A few weeks ago Matt and I stopped by Chelsea Market and I wondered into a sample sale and I picked up this dress for $59. I love the texture material and the faux leather accents throughout the dress. It gives a great twist to your LBD. Now that the weather is cooling off, just add a blazer or cardigan to the look and you have a great outfit for the office and to transition to happy hour with friends.

Place you could wear this outfit :: the office, church, formal dinner

 

Dress :: Sample Sale (love this one) 

Heels :: Valentino

Bag :: Fendi 

Necklace :: Nordstroms 

   

Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudgens

Fall Layers :: Zara Faux Fur & H&M Cotton Dress

 

 

 Hello everyone! So excited to share today's photos. As most of you know, I'm all about accessories!  Vests, hats and statement necklaces are my favorite. For the longest time I was nervous about wearing hats and vests, thinking it was "too much". I'm not sure if it comes with age or living in New York, but I've really come to embrace this side of my style. 

I wore this outfit Saturday afternoon while shopping downtown. Since the weather is cooling off, I threw on this Zara vest and comfy boots and headed out the door. There is something so elegant about fur. Faux fur or real fur. The quality of faux fur is amazing nowadays, so don't be nervous about picking one up the next time you go shopping. You'll be surprised how much you love it! Yesterday I posted five of my favorite faux fur vests under $100. If you love real fur, I'd recommend going to a local thrift store. They always seem to have beautiful fur coats and vests from the 1950s and 1960s.

Place you could wear this outfit :: I really think you could wear this outfit always anywhere...except the office. This would be great to wear to weekend brunch, shopping with friends, girl's get together, any type of family event. You're able to take off the vest and put the belt around the cotton dress.  

Dress :: H&M (similar here)

Vest :: Zara

  Boots :: Coach (similar here) 

Necklace :: J. Crew (similar here)

Sunnies :: Target (similar here & here)

Bag :: Michael Kors

  Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudgens