Trying something new… Fishtail side braid

Everyone is rocking fishtail side braids! They are flirty and fun and best of all, look best when they are a bit messy!

I know what you are thinking… they are way too advanced for me! I promise that’s just simply not the case. Fishtail braiding is EASIER than french braiding. Would I lie?

As always, Lauren Conrad provides a great tutorial on how to do it…

After you are done with the braid, you should gently tug on the strands to get them even and increase the “un-done” look.

When we went to the On the Run Concert, my friend, Katie, rocked a fierce and flawless side fishtail braid. See what I mean? It took less than five minutes.

The next week I saw a whole spread in InStyle magazine talking about the trend. I took a picture of the page and sent it to Katie to show her how hip she was (and didn’t even know it!) 

Reading that it’s cool in a magazine must make it true. I am all about easy, quick, and stylish looks. And the side fishtail braid has it all!

 

 

 

Exploring Trends… Summer Edition

Exploring trends… Summer Edition takes on scuba material and botanical prints.

I know what my mom is thinking when she reads this post: What are you doing wearing scuba material? With plants on it?

 

Well, no exactly.

It’s a thicker fabric that holds pleats really well and has a bit of stiffness to it with the added benefit of breathing and feeling cool. It’s perfect for peplums and skater skirts. It’s also a great choice for body-con dresses because the thicker, stiff fabric hides flaws.

Here are some examples that show a basic design, flowed by pleats, and finished with body-con:

Some dresses have taken the scuba theme and run with it by including a sipper detail:

Summer means a lot more fun with patterns and colors. One of the prevalent and I think very do-able trends is botanicals. I am not saying flower patterns for a reason. A flowery pattern is something for little girl dresses or old couches, botanicals floral prints with a plus factor — like optical illusion or watercolor effects. They make the print seem dream like and just a bit futuristic. I think botanicals are very relatable for people of all ages and sizes, as in all things, I believe it is just about balance. This summer the trend has been to combine with the print and the scuba fabric to make a slightly futuristic and crisp look. I think the reason they work so well is the clean, flat surface of the fabric makes for a great canvas for the botanical print. Here are a bunch of examples of botanical + scuba done with style:

       

And as I always try to do, I put my money where my mouth is… this is my botanical dress that I got for $40 off of SimplyBe.com. I thought it’d be fun for summer, work, and even weddings. It feels very ladylike but with some attitude to it. And I know this dress works because it passed the ultimate test — I got compliments from my male co-workers. The secret to styling it is absolutely do not over accessorize. You will notice that I have paired this dress with nude pumps (coral flats around the office), pale turquoise bow earrings (a Kate Spade gift from my bestie Meg), and my new simple crescent necklace (with which I am obsessed so get used to seeing it in pictures!), No over the top hair, makeup, jewelry, or shoes. This dress and look are all about the print and the material. It’s also great if you are feeling a bit lazy because it’s low maintenance.

 

I don’t usually go for dresses with that much pattern and such a neutral base color but the color and richness come from the botanical print that looks so sharp against that scuba material. Try it! I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

What to Wear — Easter Edition!

Is there a more wonderful time than Spring? It culminates for me on Easter Sunday. My mom and I love to put together our Easter finest. We’ve even been sporting fascinators and small vintage hats in an attempt to bring back traditions of old.

Here’s last year:

Now here’s some inspiring dresses for you:

       Here’s what I am contemplating for myself this year… (I just need to find some sassy accessories to rock it with as well as a hat!)

Maximum Maxi Dress

Maxi dresses are everywhere right now. 

I feel like spring and summer always bring the maxi dress. It is really such a joy to see them back. They are a great way to dress chic AND comfortably. I am always looking for polished looks for my downtime. The best thing about a maxi dress at the end of the day it is just one piece you put on and are done. You don’t have to worry about matching the top or making sure the colors work together. Simply put the dress on, add your favorite sandals, and you are good to go. They come in every color and level of dressiness and they are perfect for EVERY occasion.  I would check out Target. Old Navy, or Marshall’s/TJ Maxx. I wouldn’t consider a maxi dress as a closet staple but a fun indulgence when the weather changes so you don’t need to blow your money on a fancy one — unless you are planning on wearing it to an event. My pregnant girls (there are tons these days) and my moms on the go, these maxis should be calling your name! They work with the accessories you have — denim jackets, cardis, big jewelry, Toms, gladiators, ballet flats, and flips flops. They are great jumping off points to try new accessories or to dust off the old.

Here is a sampling of some of the best and most interesting I’ve seen.As well as two examples of how you might style a maxi dress — for a dinner out (thanks to my fabulous model/mom) or errands on the weekend.

 

 

Ready to try a maxi at home? Here’s two looks: for a night out and errands around town…

 

 

 

Spring is in the air! And that’s means… Dresses!

With the sun coming out and the beautiful blue skies (sorry, Northerners!), it’s the perfect weather to start dusting off your Spring dresses…

I have to admit to being totally inspired by this picture (above). I was strolling through Pinterest and I saw it and it captured my imagination. For me that’s what the fantasy of life in the Spring/Summer looks like. A beautiful, classic sundress, cool vintage accessories and gladiator sandals. It really inspired me to start thinking about Spring dresses. And if I am inspired, it means that I want to turn around and share it with you. So here’s a mix of fun spring dresses followed by some Spring styling…

  

 

Inspired to try it myself, I tackled the trend… My first dress of Sping!

 

 

Tropical Jeans – Yes, please.

Unlike BF jeans, tropical jeans are for everyone. Also, they SCREAM spring/summer — not to mention they couldn’t be more FUN! For some reason, I really feel them for Maria and Chris. I think you both would rock them hard. My friend Hannah suggested I use the Polyvore App to put together some outfits and so I did. It’s a very dangerous place for someone like me who lives to put together outfits.

So here’s what I came up with:

A lovely weekend look that capitalizes on it being the season for pastels.

A fun weekend look with metallics and sandals.

 

 

A sharp outfit for a night on the town.

Then I did some styling of my own:

And finally here’s some general inspiration:

What fun trend to try out! Can’t wait to see what you all do with it!

Pale mint — introduce some Spring into your wardrobe.

I was shopping with my cousin and aunt last week and we played a little dress up – which is to this day one of my favorite activities. My cousin let me dress her in all sorts of fun outfits centered around the light mint that you are seeing everywhere this season.

Here are the results:

It looks great with white!

Great with navy — and small patterns.

 

Then of course denim and BIG patterns (also you can’t ever go wrong with polka dots!)

 

It’s lovely in linen too. I think it’s a really versatile color for Spring.

 

This is my favorite because she’s making an awesome face and you can totally see me in the reflection:

 

Need more ideas? Here you go! Don’t be afraid to pair it with neon yellow or bright kelly green. I am also a huge fan of the mint and red combo you will see down the page. Have fun with bright and creative color combos with the mint.

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!

Pajama Jam!

Let’s face it. Pajamas are the BEST. I love fashion. But nothing beats clean pajamas. 

I recently re-discovered how glorious pajamas can be when you had a little bit of glamour and style with the help of one of my oldest friends, Maria. We had a slumber party and discovered we both were rocking pretty classic pjs.

I was inspired to find more and I did (on amazing post-Christmas sale!)

Check out my new leopard print jammies with neon ribbon detail. I got these and another glorious pair that are polka dot with turquoise detail ribbon.

Pajamas come in every shape and size and there is something about wearing proper pajamas that feels very decadent to me. For most of my life, I have utilized the oversized t-shirt and baggy yoga pants method for sleep. On recently have I become re-acquainted to so to speak with the luxury that is matching pajamas… Below are some favorites.

  

In recent months, I have seen fashion blog posts that encourage a braver use of our pj pieces. They advocate taking them out of the bedroom and to the chic streets. Don’t believe me? Here’s a link to an article from InStyle

http://news.instyle.com/2013/07/19/pajama-dressing-tips/

It’s no joke. I do wonder if it’s one of those fashion ideas that is great for the streets of NYC or Paris during fashion week that doesn’t quite translate to every day life or in my case the halls of the courthouse.

I am not sure if I am ready to rock pj tops in every day life. Are you?

If I was going to do it, I guess I would style it like this… maybe I will be brave enough to show up at work in my fierce pj top. I guess we will just have to wait and see…

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!