Levis, a sharp blazer and great accessories will take you just about anywhere you want to go. You know I love statement earrings. These pompoms by Elizabeth and James are a favorite. I absolutely adore how they play off the lace-up shirt trend. My favorite styling tip if you have short legs like me is to cut the inside seam of the Levis. I believe it adds about 3 inches of length to the legs.
I really wanted a long furry vest or coat that is on trend at the moment. This is how I improvised to get that effect. I got lucky and had a warm fur vest that layered perfectly with my Theory coat from the fall. This fur vest I bought five years ago on clearance at Saks. It is extremely warm and the style is very flattering especially for fur. Fur can make a curvy girl look larger than necessary if you know what I mean. I plan on keeping it forever. I am linking a real fur vest option and some fab faux fur as well. (see below) I also layered my bags if you will. My belt bag held my phone and the larger bag was perfect for my camera and other fashion week goodies. How do you feel about belt bags or fanny packs? Vintage Chanel is my favorite. Check out this post for a more casual way to wear the belt bag HERE. The best part about this belt bag is that it fits my i-phone 7plus perfectly. I linked two similar belts bags below from the same vintage Chanel dealer that I bought mine from on Etsy. She has great reviews for a reason. I have a fair amount of experience ordering vintage online. Let me know if you have any questions. I may do a post on tips that I have learned if you are interested.
One of my favorite personal style icons is Jackie Onassis. She gravitated towards black and white dresses and often wore white trousers with black tees. This look has all the details of 2017 with a nod to classic modern style. If you are looking to update your basics, most of these pieces are on sale. This black and white trench has been a go to piece for me. It’s windbreaker material and easily dressed up or down. The shape of these earrings reminds of the classic 1950’s hoop clip-on earrings sported by Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. A new favorite for sure by Elizabeth and James. The black pompoms make them very 2017. Taking nod from Burberry plaid, I love mixing black and brown together. These booties are such a fun design!
Texture. If you are going for a neutral look in a hurry think about the texture of the pieces in your outfit. Chances are if the textures are all opposites the look will be visually interesting. There are six different forms of texture here with a lace dress, suede boots, wool scarf, leather bag, knit cap and yarn earrings. Balance is also fun to think about. An easy way to achieve balance is having complimentary bag and shoes. In this case the dress and hat also add balance and the bag shoes and scarf blend it all together.
heard recently that fashion is what you buy and style is how you wear it. As a fashion addict I get sucked into the trends. I absolutely love the hanging sweater dress on other people. I just can’t pull it off. My personal style needs to be in alignment with my body type if I want to accentuate my assets.
Whats your body type? If you are not sure or need a refresher, here’s a great article from Real Simple. I am a 5’5″ hourglass. If I don’t show my waistline I look like a 4 foot ballon. It’s energizing to realize that once we understand our body type we can utilize the current trends and create a figure flattering look.
What are your wardrobe building blocks? I always gravitate to double breasted tailored women’s wear that doesn’t look boring. Taking a nod from the boys is always in. This dress is sold out but I’m attaching two similar styles and one is on sale for less than $50. There are many double breasted shift dresses out there but most are not tailored. I believe we are going to see a rise in classic tailoring.
My styling suggestion is to wear the double breasted dress with a coat that has no buttons. You don’t want your buttons competing with each other.
I woke up the morning of January 1, 2017 and thought wow, it’s 2017, cool! My second thought was my age, I was born in 1977 so I’m going to be 40 this year. Shut the front door.
My big picture realization is to never stop dreaming. Then plan and set goals; but, it all starts with a dream. The dream of starting a blog began many years ago. I didn’t get started until June of 2016. I believe I’ve grown so much in the last six months and the experience has been incredible.
Here are my top 10 realizations.
Accessories make or break a look and I discovered how fun it is to wear over the knee socks with velvet sandals. The two textures play off each other and dance and sing. For less than $35 you can get the look of OTK boots and the versatility of layering cozy socks with on trend velvet sandals. I’ve added links to the velvet sandals on sale and other dups below at great prices.
As the season starts to shift it is the perfect time to keep your eye out for pieces that are good buys and can last more than a couple years. The military look has been strong for as long as I can remember. I found this Ralf Lauren Green Admiral style jacket five years ago on sale. It absolutely makes the list of I am so glad I purchased this. I searched for similar styles after reading Glamour magazine that the Admiral coat is staying strong in 2017. I’ve attached some similar ones and other military looks to keep an eye on.
Don’t you just love how fashion repeats itself and improves on what’s been done before? I’m talking about the flattering placement of the arm holes in this cape. My Mom was quick to point out that she wore the most awkward cape in her day. But, this cape is so easy to wear. The dress by Alexis is also a favorite. I purchased it 6 weeks ago when I first laid eyes on it. The dress is now on sale in limited sizes. It’s simply a classic. The blouse sleeves and velvet buttons provide the perfect amount of romantic detail.
