Color Inspiration: Coral

Coral is a great color to wear especially during warmer months. I think it’s a flattering color for everyone and it’s really fun with the added benefit of feeling very ladylike. I love to dress with individual style but always having an element of classic style. I think that’s one of the best aspects of putting together a coral outfit – a feminine color with a summery twist.

Here are a bunch of examples of coral done very right — I was really inspired by the black and white with coral (I think my feelings on black and white with anything have been made clear over time!)! These are all ladies from my office who were killing it in coral this week!

 

And here’s some more creative styling choices…

       

Adventures in Neon in the Workplace

OK, I might be obsessed with neon.

The closer we get to warm weather, the more you will see neon. I wasn’t sure if neon works for work. But not one to shy away from a challenge, I have been incorporating neon in my work wardrobe. Today, I rocked my latest piece — a neon magenta sweater from Forever 21 — and I got so much positive feedback on it that I decided it was time to spread the word: Neon WORKS! (My big boss told me if there was a power outage, he was following me. I took it as a compliment!)

If you are worried about how to make it “work” for you (see what I did there?), have no fear I have your back! I think the best and easiest way is to introduce signature pieces — like a blazer, pumps, or skirt. Simply pair it with the classics like black and white or stripes and it will work for you and I bet you will get lots of positive feedback. If you are feeling brave add neon accessories!

Try neon and tell me what you think! *Don’t forget to send pics! 🙂

Pink is powerful. (And fun!)

I was in court the other day, patiently waiting my turn (ok, surfing Pinterest in the jury box) and the judge started asking where I was. I was rocking a bright pink dress with matching hot pink accessories and lipstick (you’ll see it later in the post) and sitting in the middle of the room. When I raised my hand and said “Judge, I am here,” he did a double take. The power from my pink was undeniable. I felt like Elle Woods in the end of Legally Blonde.

(Of course, the judge was complimentary of my outfit, I wasn’t dressed ridiculously — she’s not even wearing a blazer! — and I am not blonde.) The point of this weird tangent-laden story is that there is a lot of confidence to be mined from wearing an awesome pink ensemble. Here’s some truly fabulous looks…

    

Color Inspiration – Turquoise!

Some colors just do ALL the work. That is not a complaint — it’s a shout of celebration. I really feel like turquoise is one of those colors. I think it works for everyone — it’s bright without being neon AND it can be really classic. It’s really the perfect color for work and play too. It’s really perfect.

My bestie gave me fierce Kate Spade earrings and matching nail polish!

So I put together an outfit that made the new earrings and nail polish work. I got lots of compliments on this easy breezy outfit — gotta love that turquoise.

PS: This outfit also featured a sweet sweater I got from my parents for Christmas! Nothing like adding those Christmas presents into your wardrobe!

Here’s some other great looks with turquoise to inspire you too!

Rose Gold. It’s in and in a subtle way.

Rose gold has been hot since the fall and it is NOT going away. I can’t say that I have embraced it all that much. But I was inspired by my friend Maria has really made it her own. I love all the different looks she’s been doing with the rose gold.

Here’s a survey of her and her new signature metal:

And here’s some other well-styled rose gold. Maybe its for you too!

The Navy Alternative?

I used to think that navy was only for school uniforms and business suits for IRS agents. As I have gotten older, I have fallen in love with navy as a classy, sharp alternative to my sometimes repetitive black (and there is nothing wrong with repetitive black, she writes a little defensively.)

Navy can be a great way to make your look sharp without being too urban or too dressy.
I put together 5 ideas on how to make navy feel at home in your closet!

1. Navy is PERFECT for fall color pairings. Mustard, forest green, and cranberry were MADE to be paired with navy.

  

2. Navy is key in a lot of great patterns – like stripes, polka dots, and plaids — so it’s a lot of fun to put them together and let the navy be the unifying element.

3. Navy can and should be paired with black! Don’t be afraid, it’s a chic combo. People will wish they were you!

4. Worried navy is too serious or preppy? Pair it with denim!

5. Navy works for evening too! You don’t have to be too brave to try navy for evening. It’s a great alternative to black and its a just a little bit unexpected.

Perhaps the most inspiring thing I discovered while writing this post was the celebrities who favor navy are my absolute favorite when it comes to style — Taylor Swift, Duchess Katherine, Lauren Conrad, and Olivia Palermo. Those are probably my top four celebrities when it comes to consistent, classic, and ladylike fashion. All four make it their own and seem to enjoy their fair share of navy. So you are in good company when you give it a go this week!

Cranberry Crush

There’s no doubt we are in winter and one of the fun things about fall and winter are the colors that saturate the stores and really seem very season specific. It’s completely arbitrary — I agree — but it is also fun. Like it’s a treat to wear flannels in forest green and to rock your cranberry velvet blazer. I love cranberry. It’s the red that everyone can wear and if you feel like red RED is too bold for you, cranberry is an excellent approach. I think you can also be pretty creative with cranberry. I particularly like the mustard pairing below as well as any time I see cranberry with velvet.

Here’s some cranberry inspiration for you!

  

    

Camel for Fall

It’s easy to fall into the dark colors only for Fall and Winter. But camel is actually a wonderful option for fall and a very classy choice when it comes to coats.

Here are some looks to inspire you to include camel in your wardrobe…

These first two are my favorite. The show you how relaxed and easy solid fashion can be. Both of their coats are beautiful and they use of accessories, clutch.