Mixed Neutrals (Outfit Inspiration Calendar: Wk 1, Look 1)

If you're reading this then you are a fashion lover, and if you are a fashion lover you already know that Camel is the hottest color this season. The runways, magazines, and blogs have been flooded with images of luxe camel wool coats, and cozy camel sweaters.  Luckily I already had a few camel pieces in my closet so I didn't have to rush out and buy anything... not that that stopped me! Lol. I did buy a pair of light camel tailored shorts from H&M a couple weeks ago.  So you know I was thrilled when I saw the fabulous spread Tulin Sahin spread from Elle Japan on The Simply Luxurious Life!  I immediately knew that I had all the necessary pieces in my wardrobe to recreate this stunning look!

The Inspiration

photo credit

The Inspired

Coat: Old Sample | Turtleneck: Peter Nygard | Shorts: H&M ($24.95, kinda pricey) | Belt: hmm, super hold? | Tights: Target | Booties: Sam Edelman "Venice" ($99, Nordstrom Rack) | Earrings: Dots | Bag: Buffalo Exchange

I have to ay that I was quite proud of my remix. It wasn't bad at all! I have had this turtleneck sweater for years now. I bought it at a Nygard factory store in Gardena, CA.  It's right next door to my mom's church (City of Refuge) and we used to stop by after service for a little shopping fun. the details on this sweater are amazing. It has fabulous velvet cutouts on the sides and elbows.... so cute!  I also love the ragland sleeve! I love pieces that have subtle design details. They really make all the difference.

As you can see I went ahead and belted my sweater just like our inspirational look, but I have to tell you that after looking at the pictures I decided I liked it better not belted so I took off the belt.

The shorts are such a light camel that they look khaki in the pictures, but they are truly a very light camel in a faux wool (is there such a thing?) fabric. They are slightly high-waisted too, which I love! I have a feeling they are going to get a lot of wear. By the way,  Fabrice doesn't get the whole shorts and tights in the winter thing....

Him: why are you wearing shorts and tights? It's cold out side. Why don't you just wear pants?
Me: because it's cute.
Him: *shrug* (followed by a look of confusion)...okay, if you say so.

To make the inspirational look all my own, I decided to play with the idea of mixed neutrals.  I bought these gray tights at Target a while ago.  Now that I am seeing them in pictures they are a little more blue than I'd like, but they still work.  I think I am going to have to buy another pair of gray tights, though.  Anyway, mixing neutrals is a great way to add depth to an otherwise bland outfit.  Here, the splash of gray acts as a pop of color even though gray is also a neutral shade.  Mixing neutrals is also about mixing various tonal shades of the same color.  Playing with texture and fabrication will also serve to add a little depth.  Who What Wear's Trend Report shows us all the fabulous ways your fave celebrities are mixing neutrals this fall.

So, I am sure that you all noticed that I am rocking bright red lips in this post! I am pretty sure that every 6 months, I decide I want to start wearing lipstick again. Lol! I've been seeing red lips everywhere lately, and I felt like a new tube of red lipstick was calling my name... then I got my November issues in the mail and enclosed I found not one, but TWO Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick coupons.  Well, if that ain't a sign, I don't know what is (Lol, as if those coupons are not in there every month...please disregard my silly justifications!)  Anyway, I went with "Red Revival" and I do love it! It's perfectly matte and long lasting when paired with a soft nude liner. Fab and I went out for sushi and after an entire sushi boat and two shots of sake later, my lipstick was still going pretty strong... impressive!  It also looked great with a thin layer of Cranberry tinted lip gloss from The Body Shop.  The best part? It came off with ease at the end of the night. Gotta love it! You can pick up a tube for yourself at your local drugstore or Target for anywhere from $5 - $8. 

So how did my inspired look compare to my inspiration?

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Over The Knee Socks, Part II (and my new winter hat!)

It rained the last couple days here in ATL and I thought there was no better time to break out my new hat! It's technically a fedora, but I push it down so far on my head that you can't even see the crease in the top of the hat anymore. Lol! what can I say, I guess I have a big head (no jokes, Fabrice! Lol).Whatever it is, I love it. You all know that I am pretty much obsessed with leopard print so I couldn't resist this hat when I saw the little leopard print trim and it was only $19.99 at TJ Maxx! Sold!  I used to have a lot more hats and I don't know where most of them have gone. I think its time to shore up my collection again!

Okay, the my confession is I just put that hat on specifically to take the pictures in the slide show. I was just so excited about it, but I did actually wear the hat yesterday.

Hat: TJ Maxx ($19.99) | Dress: Loehmann's | Sweater: Old | Tights: Merona, Target ($7) | Socks: Target ($5) | Boots: Bakers (ANCIENT) | Necklace: Dots | Gloves: Gift from Grandma

So, who reads Where Did You Get That?  Am I not not totally channeling my inner Karen in this next picture? She's always got on something that blows in the wind like a cape, and you know she loves her black brimmed hat!

I've had this sweater a while and Fabrice will tell you that I wore it EVERY DAY last winter. It was literally my uniform for the holidays when we traveled to the Bay Area to visit my family.  I layered it over EVERY outfit I wore. I am a naturally hot person (hot as in body temperate, as opposed to hot as in hottie!).  I am usually on the brink of a heat stroke in the colder months because everyone else is freezing and of course they feel the need to crank the heat, meanwhile my eyelashes feel like they are going to burst into flames, pools of sweat are starting to form under my arms (gross, I know!). For this reason, I rarely wear a heavy winter coat unless I am going to be outside for long periods of time. If it's just a matter of making it from the car to some one's HOT house, a heavy sweater will do the trick just fine.

Anyway, I've had these boots since 2007 I believe  I think they are pretty beat up looking these days and I've contemplated buying a new pair of black riding boots, but I am telling you I get so many compliments on these old things.  So if ain't broke, don't fix it, right?  I guess they are still doing their job -- keeping me warm and fashionable! so I guess they'll be sticking around for another winter.  One thing that I do love about them is the roomy shaft.  It's really easy to slide them over the thickest socks, legwarmers, and even non-skinny jeans.  Lord knows we've all bought those boots that were great in theory, but you couldn't stuff a pair of jeggings into them if your life depended on it.

As you can see I decided to give over-the-knee socks another go. I loved them much more this time, or I guess I should say I felt much more comfortable in them this time.  You may recall that last time I wore them I listed a couple things I'd change next time I broke them out.  Well, I took my own advice (lol) and paired them with tights instead of leggings this time -- sheer polka dot tights to be exact and I am so glad I did! The peek of sheer thigh added a little bit of understated sexiness, don't you think?  In contrast with the the flat boots and cable-knit socks , the tights made this look a little more ladylike.

Now, I know I've said this a million times before, but I'll say it again.  We all know that black is an easy go-to for classic and polished dressing, and obviously for easy sexy dressing (hello LBD!).  But playing with textures and proportions like I've done here also makes dressing in black FUN!  In fact, because black is what it is, you can afford to be a little more risky and play with trends like over the knee socks and patterned tights even if these trends are a little bit outside of your normal comfort zone.

So, did you run out and buy a pair of OTK socks yet?

Do you like patterned tights?

Thanks for stopping by!!!

An Old Fur Lined Leather Bomber...

Last Saturday I woke up early to head down to the Georgia DDS (department of driver services) and get my Georgia license.  It was early and and I was trying to beat the crowds, so my Outfit Inspiration Calendar came in handy.  I didn't even have to look at it. The process of selecting my inspiration photos at the beginning of the month proved helpful in a time crunch, because I kinda had an idea of some of the pieces in my closet that I wanted to wear.

So here are the two inspirational looks for today's look.  The first is a look from LOFT's Looks We Love.  Fur is one of my favorite trends this season and the weather was finally cold enough to break out the fur during the day.  I do love the simplicity of the denim + fur + khaki combo, but I was also inspired by the pretty printed blouse in the second inspirational look from the Simply Vera Fall Lookbook (via Fabsugar). It's so easy to get stuck in a black and brown rut in the fall, so I love to see a vibrant fall color palette.

Well, here is my inspired look...

Jacket: Wilson's Leather Store | Sweater: Old | Blouse: Tucker for Target | Jeans: Virtue | Belt: Steve Madden ($9.99, TJ Maxx | Necklace: Forever 21 | Bag: Nine West ($34.99, TJ Maxx)

I have actually had this jacket for at least 5 years now. It was a gift from my dad (the kind of gift that I called and asked for the money to buy...Lol!) . I got it at Wilson's Leather Store and it was $69 on sale. Yes, I remember all of this from 5 years ago.  Animal rights activists are going to kill me, but the fur is real.  (Sorry!)  This is the kinda jacket that you can keep for a lifetime if it's well taken care of, and while it may need to get stored away for a couple years here and there it will always come back in style!  I love that it combines THREE of this fall's hottest trends... camel, fur, and the leather bomber! Isn't it wonderful?

So, the second inspirational look comes into play with my blouse and sweater.  I actually don't own a watercolor print blouse like the Simply Vera blouse, but the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the picture was my fave Tucker for Target blouse. The floral print is definitely fall friendly and topped with my avocado-green chunky turtleneck sweater, it created the vibrant fall floral palette I was looking for!

Is anyone else excited to see wide-leg and flared jeans back in style? Not that they were ever complete out, but skinnies seemed to rule the jeans market for so long.  I love a good flared leg.  I've had these Virtue brand wide leg jeans for years, too.  They are extra long and I think they have a fabulous retro look to them.

I thought the green belt was a nice finishing touch for the outfit. It's Steve Madden and I picked it up TJ Maxx for $9.99 (along with my new Mulberry "Alexa" Bag Look-a-like bag by Nine West!).  I love the extra long and knotted belt trend.  You can buy belts that are intentionally made with a an extra long end for this, but I've found that braided belts are an easy and less expensive way to achieve this look because they are completely adjustable.  I don't know if I've mentioned that green is my absolute favorite color. Of course, when I saw this green braided belt I had to have it!

So, I did get my Georgia license and I sadly turned in my CA license.  Why can't they just let you keep it as a souvenir?  Oh well, I guess I am officially a Georgia Peach now!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Velvet boots + Mulberry "Alexa" Bag Look-a-like

One of the trends that I am loving this fall, but was admittedly a little surprised to see was velvet. Back in April, after seeing velvet hit the runways of the the likes of Georgio Armani, Rachel Roy, Alexander Wang, an article on Style.com referred to it as possibly the "most polarizing textile of them all."  In the same article, Rachel Roy makes a great point "I don't use fur, so I was looking for fabrics that felt as rich and soft to the touch."  Well, when you think of it that way, it makes perfect sense.  Opulence and luxury in the form of fabulous furs (even if they're faux furs) is a HUGE trend this season. Indeed, velvet done right has the same glamorous feel to it.

Runway Images Borrowed from Style.com

I actually have several velvet pieces in my wardrobe that I've acquired over the years so thankfully I will not have to lust after any velvet additions to my wardrobe.  I've got a couple pair of velvet pants, a couple velvet jackets, and.... these velvet over-the-knee boots!

Jacket & Dress: unknow & old | Boots: MIA, Nordstrom Rack, Fall 08 | Bag: Nine West, TJ Maxx ($34.99) | Necklace: Claire's

I fell in love with these boots immediately when I saw them! You can wear them OTK , or you can wear them scrunched just below the knee, or scrunch them down to the calves.  They are so versatile! I've gotten a ton of wear out of them.  I don't remember the exact price, but I do remember that they were less than $50.  I had to snatch them up, and when I got home my roommate loved them so much that she went out and bought them the next day! (Hi Sunset!)  Unfortunately, I don't think they're going to make it through another winter.  If you look closely, you can see that the velvet is splitting on the top of the shoe and exposing the white fabric underneath. I am going to take them to a shoe repair shop and see if they can be salvaged.  Either way, they've done me well over the last couple years!

Okay, so remember my new Nine West messenger bag from TJ Maxx last week? Well, I love it!  Isn't it a little reminscent of the Mulberry "Alexa" Bag?

The Mulberry "Alexa" Messenger Bag

My Nine West bag is a fab look alike.  The shiny black leather and gold details on the buckles and straps are fabulous!  The best part... It cost only $34.99 at TJ Maxx. Gotta love that!  My new bag is the perfect basic black bag for fall!

Now, you may not have noticed a subtle design detail about the print of my dress...a design detail that is right on trend.  The print is actually shades of purple, black, and navy.  Black and navy is a color combo that many people lump into the same category as black and brown -- fashion taboo.  Well, as you all know I don't believe in fashion taboos and I happen to think that black and navy are a fab combo.  The black and navy floral print on this dress make it easy to give this trend a try!  It pairs back to both colors wonderfully.  Now  that I've brought this to your attention, you've probably noticed that the print has more blue than black, but it doesn't clash with my black boots and jacket at all.

Don't you all just love wrap dresses? They are so ladylike and figure flattering on nearly all body types. The surplice bodice automatically cinches the waist, and given the right fabrication and construction the dresses draped beautifully on the body.  I wish I had taken some shots without the jacket.

Oh now for the exciting news! I wore this ensemble to the courthouse to watch Fabrice get sworn in!! It was so exciting! He is an official attorney now and I am so proud of him...

Fabrice and Judge Hankinson

I want to thank you all for your congratulations on my last post about Fabrice passing the bar! I also got a few questions on that post that I wanted to answer.

MissKRoberts of Compulsive Flyness asks "How do the Go Jane shoes fit? Are they true to size?"

In my experience, the Go Jane shoes are not actually Go Jane brand. They are the standard cheaper brands like Quipid, Bamboo, Michael Antonio, and Anne Michelle. They have these brands at any of your cheaper no-name shoe and clothing stores.  They fit pretty true to size.  I wear a 7 1/2 and I've only had to return one pair of shoes that were too tight. I will say that Go Jane requires you to pay for shipping both ways so if they don't fit, you're out $7 - $10 return shipping, although if you are exchanging them you don't have to pay for the shipping of the new item.

CurlyKye requested a makeup tutorial. I think that is a great idea and I will work on putting together a post soon!

Tasha of Imperfect Concepts Boutique asked "Who is your dress by? I am looking for more dresses like that."

My dress is made my Soprano and I got it at Loehmann's although you can also find a selection of Soprano dresses at Macy's in the Juniors Department.  The brand is really reasonably priced in the $30 - $60 and they make for great basics.  They also make plus sizes, which is great!

So now, I've got some questions for you!

How do you feel about velvet?

Would you wear black and navy?

Thanks for stopping by!!!

How To: Over-the-knee Socks

The irony of this title is that I was really confused on how to wear over the knee socks.  All I knew was I really wanted to wear them ESPECIALLY after seeing how my good friend Olivia rocking them on her blog.  Sure all the young hipsters are wearing them, but the way they rock them is not totally my style and to be honest, what looks sweet & edgy on the 22 year old hipster's slim legs, looks trampy-prep-school-girl-gone wild on my not-so-slim legs.  Anyway, in retrospect I would probably make a few changes to my look, which I will explain below, but all in all I liked it.


Shirt & Sweater: Unkown | Skirt: Guess ( $10, sample sale) | Leggings & Socks: Target ($5 & $3.50) | Shoes: Go Jane ($37.50)

Funny story about this outfit... there was a crazy lightening storm in ATL and it knocked out our power Monday morning.  The word on the streets is I'll need to get used to these things now...ummmm okay! Oh, and I heard my very first tornado warning siren. ummm okay! So anyway, we got the power back on but the dang internet refused to come back up.  I work from home, and taking a day off wasn't an option so guess where I spent my day? In fact, guess where I am right now (day 2)... the good ol' public library. So, with my surprise trip to the public library on my mind as I got dressed, I channeled my inner rebellious private school girl and put together this look, which very much reminded me of my own private school days.  We used to roll our skirts to make them shorter and wear high socks like this.  I even had a pair of lace up guess boots that I barely got away with wearing with my uniform (they tried to make us wear saddle oxfords).  We had our sweaters and cardigans, and all the older girls used to let their shirt tails hang out.  Ahhh the good ol' days of making a fashion statement...even in a uniform.



So, I was originally planning on buying a few pairs of OTK socks on Asos because they have a lot of great options for about $7 but I stopped into target for some immediate gratification and was pleasantly surprised at the considerable number of options they had. They always have a ton of standard knee socks, but I don't think I recall seeing so many OTK socks before.  Anyway, they had a couple pairs on clearance for $3.50 and several other $5 options.  I picked up this gray pair, along with a black pair, and a striped gray, beige, and white pair.

I also learned that there are OTK socks and thigh-high socks... very different things! The thigh-high versions come up to about mid-thigh or higher, while the OTK versions come up from just above the knee to about quarter-thigh.  Of course, this also varies with height, but why is this important? Well, I found that for my thighs, which are not-so-slim up top, the thigh-high versions were very unflattering (to say the least). In fact, the ones I'm wearing here are thigh-high but I scrunched them down a little bit so they didn't cut off at the larger part of my thigh.

So, now let's talk about what I would change about this look in retrospect...

1. I would wear opaque tights instead of leggings. To be honest, the skirt was really an after thought when I realized the shirt wasn't long enough to give me the coverage I needed on my buns.  I can usually wear this shirt with leggings only, but the addition of the sweater vest caused the shirt to gather up a little and cut off some of the length. Anyway, I was too lazy to swap out the leggings for tights...oh well!
2. I would wear a more delicate shoe.  This shoe is a little too chunky with the shearling around the ankle and makes my legs look bigger. That plus the fact that the shoes are completely enclosed also makes my legs look shorter. It doesn't look bad, but it certainly isn't flattering.  A peep-toe bootie or sandal would have worked well here, or perhaps even my brown Sam Edelman laceups since they are open-toed and reveal a bit of the foot under the laces
3. If I had a full or pleated leather skirt, I'd be much happier, but I don't so whatevs.  I am NOT going to buy another leather skirt. I have a few! Lol. Either way, I do like the edge that just a little leather added to the ensemble.

What do you think of OTK socks?

How would you wear them?

Thanks for stopping by!!!