Life's A Playground

This is such an easy look that it's one of my favorite outfits. I also love mixing the floral lace on the jacket with the floral print on the dress.

Jacket: Nordstrom; Dress: Urban Outfitters; Shoes: Bakers; Necklace: Penelope T; Ring: vintage

In honor of Mother's Day I want to give a shout out to my mother and fave blog photographer! Thanks for being the greatest person on the planet :)

Monochromatic

blouse:forever21; pants:h/m; shoes: zara; glasses: tommy hilfiger

*photos courtesy of Jasmine Lee

Schoolyard Bully

So glad spring is upon us, I just wanna pack up all of my coats and boots and be free! Haven't posted any outfit pics in awhile. Hope you all enjoy :)

Jacket: Urban Outfitters (very old); Necklace: Madewell; Everything else F21

Out & About: The Style Network Luncheon 2013

This past week I had the chance to attend a luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons hosted by the Aba Agency for the who's who of D.C. area fashion (otherwise known as The Style Network). It's not every day that I get to take a couple of hours off from work to enjoy a three-course meal, so needless to say I was super excited. Although the food was delicious, the highlight for me was the fashion show that showcased the top trends to look forward to this spring. Check out some of my favorite looks below:

Menswear 

Flowy Silhouettes

Print Mixing

Black and White

Will you be wearing any of these trends this spring?

Kate Spade: Every Day is Saturday

This spring, Kate Spade will debut her new lower priced collection "Saturday." The line features fun and flirty prints in easy-to-wear shapes. I, for one, am very excited about this collection because we all know I love a good print. Plus, something about it is very Madewell-esque (which is a very high compliment coming from me). Check out some of the looks below:

photos courtesy of WWD

For the full spring lookbook, view my article on the collection here.

Let me know what you think!

She's In Vogue

Recently I was gifted these special edition Vogue "Valentine's Day" sunnies. The shape gives me an old-Hollywood feel, with a geometric black heart gem on the side for a modern effect. I usually go for a classic wayfarer shape (like my trusty Ray Bans) but I love these shades. I can put them on for an instant touch of glam.

The OG

Even though I don't have an instagram (coming soon...maybe), I have definitely taken notice of all the amazing-ness that Beyonce has showcased on her new account. I loved the outfit above so much that it inspired me to try something similar and have an impromptu photo shoot (special shout out to the photographer Jasmine).

Sweatshirt:Obey; Leather Leggings: worldofleggings.com; Boots: Spring (old); Watch: Michael Kors; Shades: Dolce and Gabbana

Is anyone else as excited as I am for Bey's performance and the Destiny's Child reunion at the Super Bowl? 

Lookbook: Prabal Gurung for Target

It's been awhile since I have featured a lookbook on here, but this one got me extremely excited. Prabal Gurung's 80-piece collection is full of his signature prints and bold colors. As a huge fan of his designs, I can't wait to get my hands on this collection. The best part is that it is budget-friendly, with everything being priced under $200. Check out some of my favorite looks below:

Photos courtesy of Teen Vogue

The collection will be released on Feb. 10. Will you be buying?

Cool Weather Chic

Cardigan+Dress: Madewell; Tights: Hue; Boots:Asos; Watch: Michael Kors

Just stopped by to do a quick OOTD post. I am basically living in this printed cardigan from Madewell. It keeps me warm while not looking frumpy. I threw it over a knit dotted dress for some subtle print mixing. I also looove my new oxblood boots from Asos, so get ready because I'm sure you all will be seeing them a lot.

Hope you all are having a great start to the New Year! I have a feeling 2013 is going to be a good one ;)

Movie Inspired: Clueless

The phrase "everything old is new again" couldn't be more true when it comes to fashion. Rihanna sparked a resurgence of Clueless fanatics earlier this year when she wore the infamous Calvin Klein "Clueless" dress to an event. I, for one, needed no reminding the Cher Horwitz was a movie screen fashion icon. I watch Clueless almost every month for fashion inspiration and have the film on DVD and VHS. In honor of one of the hottest characters of the 90s, I will show you how to create everyday looks from some of the film’s most famous fits. Keep in mind that these outfits are not supposed to be costumes that directly mimic the movie looks, but rather modern day interpretations.

Make the 1995 look more modern by ditching the white knee highs and silver mary janes. A contrast collar button down, opaque tights, and black cap-toe shoes make this more everyday. Maintain the Cher flair through styling: button the shirt all the way up and untuck it for a chic look that doesn't look too stuffy.

Plaid on plaid is a hard thing to pull off. I would try to keep it clean by pairing plaid prints of similar muted colors and size. I don't like to be too matchy matchy which is why I opted for a dress of a different color. The knee highs work with this outfit. I would try pairing them with a fun loafer and beanie to give them an up-to-date feel. For those of you that are daring, try a plaid on plaid look like the one seen in the Gucci Pre-Fall 2013 collection below.

photo courtesy of fashionbombdaily

This last look from Clueless is pretty modern in itself. It's funny that this is what Cher would see as "lounge wear." The key to this look is a relaxed fit and not showing too much skin under the sheer top.

As far as styling, I would either wear the sheer gold dot blouse open and layered like a cardigan or buttoned to the top and tucked in with the necklace around the collar.

Clueless is now on Netflix so for those of you that haven't seen it there are no more excuses!

Hope you all get inspired by these looks and try something new :)

Sheer & Spotted

Another day another pattern...this time I threw on a pair of big dotted tights. For this post, I will show you how to take a patterned tight from day to night with a few key pieces.

Day:

It was unseasonably warm this day so I kept it casual for work in a pink silky dress, faux leather vest, knee high boots, and the patterned tights.

tights: urban outfitters, dress: forever 21; vest: h&m; necklace: madewell

Night:
Later on that night I attended an anniversary party for One Lounge in D.C. I kept the tights and added a sparkly tank top, black wool shorts, white blazer (yes, white can be worn all year round in my book), and booties. I also wore a bold red lip to give this black and white outfit a pop of color.

Blazer: Madewell; Tank: J. Crew; Shorts: H&M (old); vintage gold chain

The funny thing is we didn't even plan to match! I guess BFFs really do think alike ;) The key to both of these outfits is keeping the color palettes relatively neutral, and playing with textures (sequins, leather, etc.) to add interest instead of overly bold colors and conflicting prints.

Floral Leggings: One Item, Two Ways

I had been holding off on the floral leggings trend for awhile because I couldn't find a pair that I really liked and had colors that I could incorporate well into my closet. I recently came across this pair from Urban Outfitters and was immediately drawn to them because of the fall colors. A bold pattern can be daunting so I decided to show you how you can dress them up or down to make an outfit that works without doing too much.

Outfit #1:

Pair them with darker solids and nude flats to make the pants the focal point of the outfit. Because I added the flashy necklace and oxblood blazer, I kept my hair and makeup sleek and simple.

blazer: Dalaga NYC, Sweater: Urban Outfitters; Flats: Madewell; Necklace: J.Crew

Outfit #2:

Play off of the colors in the floral pattern. I decided to highlight the autumn colors in my leggings by wearing a yellow button down and adding a berry lip. A high bun and lace up booties completed this fun look. 

Shirt: Madewell; boots; forever 21; lips: MAC Pop Mode +Revlon  Plum Persuasion

I think patterned leggings are a fun way to liven things up in the cold weather. What do you all think??

C. Wonder V.I.P Launch Party

I recently became a fashion and beauty writer for Northern Virginia Magazine (check out some of my online articles here). Recently I covered the launch party for the new C. Wonder store in Tyson's Corner. The party was awesome! Great food, delicious cocktails, and banging beats. The store is full of colorful clothing and amazing home decor items. Check it out!

With one of my besties Mary

DJ Saucee provided the tunes for the night

sweater and skirt: urban outfitters; tights: madewell; boots: h&m

Movie Inspired: Modern Day Molly Ringwald

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, pretty much the entire Northeast area is snuggled up in the house right now with popcorn and a favorite movie. One of my most favorite movies of ALL time is Pretty in Pink. I loved Molly Ringwald's vintage inspired outfits almost as much as the love triangle between Andy, Ducky, and Blane.

In honor of Pretty in Pink, I decided to create a modern day outfit based on one of my favorite looks from the movie (above). Check it out:

Jeans: Current/Elliott; Denim Shirt: H&M, Sweater: Isabel Marant; Shoes: Miu Miu; Earrings: Marni

Oh, and if you have not seen the movie already please use this time to check it out. It's a classic!