Two brights make a right!

Today I knew I wanted to wear a new pair of shoes that I got this weekend!


I decided to pair them with another bright item but at the top of me so that they would not fight each other. With a pair of statement shoes like this I wanted to make sure people still noticed them! That is why everything in between the top and bottom are neutral colors.

As I have talked about before I love to pair tweed with other textures and today I decided to pair my tweed jacket with a silkly pair of animal print harem pants (also purchased this weekend!) I really liked this pant because it is a subtle animal print, which is great if you are not one to always wear animal print. This is not the case for me however, I like the subtleness of the print because I wanted to show off the shoes!

I also decided on a statement earring instead of necklace again for the same reason of not wanting to take to much away from the shoes! I really love these earrings and have had them for sometime but have not worn then in a while because they broke, originally they had a stud back but one broke off and I finally just replaced it with an earring wire piece. While examining them during fixing, I realized they look very easy to make! So stay turned as I will be taking this DIY project on over the weekend, and hope they turn out fabulous!!

Mix it Up!

Today I wanted to Mix it Up, with my prints that is! I decided to pair a leopard print cardi with a stripe top and finish it with some cobalt blue haram pants.  I love mixing prints, it is a great way to update your look, the key is to make sure that sizing and scale of the prints do not fight each other. If you have a large print it is best to be paired with a smaller print. Stripes are great because they can pretty much go with any other print, regardless of size a scale. However, if you want to pair two stripes together you will have to again consider size and scale.

Now to really give my look the finishing touch, I went with my nude studded loafer (which have become a staple in my wardrobe) and  I add some fabulous jewelry I picked up yesterday at a trunk show for Carinos-by Eydee, she has some really great jewelry. I picked up the necklace, door knocker cuff and nail bangle from her. You have to check her out on facebook (Carinos-by Eydee) that is where you can contact her if you are interested in her pieces or if you are in the San Antonio area and want to talk to her about possibly booking a show!!

Take this weekend to look in your closet and see what prints you can mix for a fresh new look!

Glamified Boho Chic

Today I went BOHO CHIC but Glamified it a little!! This is not a look I usually do but still love it, and when I bought these pants I knew it was going to be a lot of fun to put together!
I just purchased these pants from Kohl's, they are part of the Jennifer Lopez collection. I don't know that I have ever really shopped at Kohl's but was pleasantly surprised with some of the items they had. Now I will warn you that some of the price shocked me a little for being at Kohl's but majority of the items are marked down. It felt more like they wanted you to think that you were getting a good price, so I guess it was more of marketing tactic.
I actually went in there looking for a Derek Lam swimsuit I saw on Racked.com, no luck there but I did find other goodies!! You will see that I glamified my look with a  sequin batwing sweater, this type of sleeve usually lends itself to the boho feel. I added some great jewels, I couldn't decide which large ring to wear so I wore both! I choose a berry lip color and finished off my look with my hairstyle. Today is very humid here in San Antonio, so rather then fight it, I went with it and teased my hair out a little more to give it some all over volume.

 

 

I love the bohemian look, how do you like to rock it? 

GLAM UP an Old Mirror

So this weekend I finally took on a DIY project that I have been wanting to do for some time now, well I guess it is more of a revamping!
I have had this mirror for around 6 years, I bought it from Ikea back when I lived in NYC. It has surprisingly lasted very well and made several moves with me from NY to Dallas, to Austin and now San Antonio! Very much worth the $100 I spent back in 2006 or 2007? (I can't even remember!)

After and Before

You can see that it was a wood color before, I was over the color and it no longer matched with my bedroom. It is the perfect size for the location it is in and I use it everyday while getting dressed, so I defiantly did not want to get rid of it. So I just Glammed it Up!!

I knew I wanted it to be silver, but once I got to Home Depot I did not realize how many different kinds of silver there are, I went with a lighter one so that it would coordinate with my accent pillows. (you will see below)

This is what I used to spray paint it, I found this brand on Pinterest. I liked it because I was looking for something that I did not have to do any sanding or priming, this has the primer built in. Plus it was only around $8!!

 

I started with taping around the edge of the wood so that I did not get it on the mirror, I would actually advise to tape the whole mirror because I did still get some on the mirror, luckily I was able to remove it right away with Windex and a brillo sponge .

 

 

I also used gloves and a tarp, I live in an apartment but I have a balcony, that is where I did the spray painting. I wanted to hang a tarp up so that I did not damage any of the outside walls. 

I was VERY HAPPY with my final outcome, it really helps to complete the feel I am going for in my bedroom and was so EASY as well as Inexpensive!!  Next, I want to glam up a dresser that I bought at the same time that matches the mirror, so stay tuned!!

 



Dressing up Chambray

Today I wanted to show you how I love to dress up a chambray top! **FYI this should be a wardrobe staple in your closets.** Now, this usually casual fabric looks great paired back to a tweed, and tweed is a great fabrication for spring. You can see below that I choose to wear a bright coral skirt (I love color), I really liked the contrast of my light washed chambray with the bright tweed skirt, also there is a great mix of texture when pairing these two fabrications together.
This outfit actually started with the necklace, which my mom found in an unusual place.....HEB here in San Antonio! (If you don't know, HEB is a grocery retail chain here in south/central TX) It is actually a shop located inside HEB Plus called Mia's Mirror, this is evidently a new concept that HEB is trying, so I believe that this is a tester location. (Evans & 281) It goes to show you never know where you are going to find fabulous items!  (The ring is also from there)

And finally to finish out the look and add that edginess that I love, I choose to rock a great pair of neon leopard print heels that have black base to match my nail color! I love these shoes for many reasons and also because they were a birthday gift from my best friend a few years ago. Gifting shoes is a hard thing to do, so I think it speaks volumes when you have a friend that can really know your style!

 

I hope this not only inspires you to try and dress up your chambray top but also to always be on the look out for great pieces that you can incorporate to your wardrobe, because you never know where you will find that one of a kind item!

On Neutral Ground

If you know me, you know how much I love to wear color, but recently I have been finding myself putting outfits together that are more neutral based. It is a great way to give your look a classic/timeless feel, because neutrals will always be in style! Today I went with an all cream outfit, now when it comes to wearing cream or white I think it is ok to mix shades and hues, however I do not feel that way about black. When it comes to wearing all black I feel that the hues need to match but the shades or value can be different.

Hue would be the overall color itself for example you can have a black that is red based or a black that is blue based. Shade or Value would be the lightness or darkness of the color. Often times shade/value can be different due to the material that the color is on, for example you can have on the same hues of black but a different shade/value because your pants are cotton and your top is silk. The two materials could have been dyed with the same exact color standard so the HUE will be the same but because of the fact that materials take dye differently the SHADE/VALUE will be different. At one point in time I was a Color Analyst, if your wondering how I know about this stuff!

Getting back to my look today, while I love the all neutral palette, I still need that pop of color somewhere so I choose to do it with my lips! Also, I am all about statement jewelry, typically you will see me do this with a necklace but today I did it with my earrings. This is a trend that I have see a lot of lately, and want to try and incorporate more of in my styling. I also felt with my hair pulled back today it was a great way to show off the earrings! I choose silver flats today because I had some running around to do, and I always match my metals!

*TIP: when putting together your neutral outfit try to ensure that you are mixing fabrications, as this will help provide interest and not have you looking boring.

Once in the office I noticed that I match the beautiful orchids I have on my desk, maybe subconsciously that is why I am into neutrals! They too have a pop of color, that almost matches my lip color, nature can really build a fabulous color palette!



Hope everyone has a great weekend and try putting an all neutral outfit together!! 

Crazy for Camo!

I am obsessed with Camouflage right now!  Currently my boyfriend is deployed and serving our country in Afghanistan, when he left I knew that I wanted to make MILITARY an influence in my wardrobe while he was way, as a very small way to show my support. It just so happens that the "military look " also hit the fashion world with a huge statement last fall, and continues today! And what is more military then CAMO, it is everywhere and I LOVE IT! 

I bet most of you didn't know that the different types of camouflage patterns all have names, I just learned this myself. Now, there are tons of different types of camo, within the US Military itself each branch uses different kinds of patterns for different reasons and at different times. Each countries military uses their own kind of patterns, and camo is not only used in the military but also in hunting, so you can image the possibilities of patterns out there.

With this post I am going to focus in on Military Camouflage, that is used by the US Army (this is the branch that my boyfriend is in) and is what you are mainly seeing in fashion right now. Keep in mind that this just skims the surface of camo.  So lets start with the breakdown:


Multicam/OCP

Multicam is my favorite one right now, and I am on the look out for more clothing in this pattern. It is also referred to as OCP (Operation Enduring Freedom Camo Pattern) and is what our US troops are wearing in Afghanistan right now.



US Woodlands/BDU

Woodlands is one that is very popular right now in fashion and what you will see a lot of out in the market currently but is no longer used in the Military. It is also referred to as BDU (Battle Dress Uniform).



Universal/ACUPAT/UCP

Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) is the pattern that is currently being used state side, and is digital print. It is also referred to as ACUPAT or ACU (Army Combat Uniform PATtern).



6 Color Desert

This 6 Color Desert pattern is no longer used by the Army but back in the 80's its nickname was Chocolate Chip Camo! It did not achieve the desired effect so was replaced with 3 Color Desert.



3 Color Desert/DCU

This pattern was also referred to as DCU (Desert Camouflage Uniform) and is no longer used. 




Here are some of the items that I currently own in Camo!! You really can find Camo everywhere right now just a few places I have seen it are at ZARA, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and even Target! And just Google "camo fashion trends" and see how many celebs are wearing it.

Finally here is my Camouflage Look of the Day!

 

You can see that I have on a Woodlands pattern, I bought this jacket from an Army Surplus store here in San Antonio, and what I did to give the otherwise boxy jacket a little more shape was move in the tab buttons on the back of the jacket. Also I paired it with some ultra feminine pieces to really give it that contrast. I love pairing items together that would not normally go. Below is the picture that I used as my inspiration for building my outfit. Wish I had the Chanel broach!!

 



 

Think about how you can incorporate some camouflage into your style!

 

 

 

 

 

TO END THIS POST I WANT TO THANK ALL MEMBERS OF OUR MILITARY FOR THEIR SERVICE!! 

 

Can't wait for you to be home!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Spring in My Step!

Spring is in the air!! Well actually today in San Antonio it is cool and gloomy, but it is still spring time so I decided to use that as my inspiration for my look today, and lets hope that April showers bring May flowers! (You will soon find out, if you don't already know, I love flowers)

Todays look started with my shoes, that I just purchased this weekend from DSW, I loved the color palette of pastels and black and felt they are the perfect accessory for this time of year. The colors give the shoes that soft meets hard vibe I usually try to encompass in my overall look.  I took that color palette and built my outfit from it, mint and yellow being my two pop colors paired back to my neutrals of black and white. Now I know that it is a little risky wearing white denim in general and especially on a day that it is a little wet outside, but I took the chance and went with it. Plus white denim really should be a staple for your spring time wardrobe it goes with everything!! I really wanted to brighten up this cloudy day with my outfit, and taking chances are what fashion and style are all about! 

How do you bring Spring into your look right now?

 

 

Mint Cardi Jacket- BCBG, White Skinny Denim-Forever21, Black Tank-Forever21, Shoes- Audery Brooke. 

Upgrade you!

One of my favorite things to do (when it comes to dressing) is to glam up an otherwise casual look with some great jewelry. I love that glamorously-casual look, and that is what I did today with my jewelry! I just had on nude studded loafers, grey skinny denim and a coral sheer button up, but then I added some really fabulous jewelry and gave my look an instant upgrade!!

 

 

 Something to think about next time you want to be comfortable yet still look glamorous, thoughts?!

The Start

This is my start to my blog! My goal is to just bring to the table some of the things that I love and hope that it can help to inspire you, or if nothing else give you something to look at!
ENJOY!!