"L" Is For The Way You Look At Me...



 

 

 

Hat: BCBGeneration; Shirtdress: Old Navy; Belt: Liz Claiborne; Handbag: Dooney & Bourke; Boots: Jennifer Lopez; LOVE and Heart Necklaces: Unknown (gifts)

 

I'm a girly girl at heart. As many times as I have tried to fight it off, I am, in fact, a girly girl. I love pink (purple is my favorite, though). I cry during movies. And I have more heart necklaces than I know what to do with.

 

I have always appreciated love, but had never fully understood it before meeting my boyfriend. He's my perfect match. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

So throw in my girly girl ways. My love of love. And what do you have? My excitement for Valentine's Day.

 

I wanted a cute look for Valentine's Day. A "I'm not trying too hard and want to be comfortable but look pretty" look all at the same time. Easy, right?

Actually, it was.

I was out shopping at the Mall and was perusing my usual shops and came across this adorable black shirtdress with a tiny heart print in white. I immediately grabbed it off the hanger and headed straight to the fitting room. I loved the look of what the dress could become. To throw it on as is, was a look that was completely shapeless. I knew I would have to cinch in the waist to show off my curves and I knew I could find a belt in my closet that would be perfect. So I bought the dress (on sale!) and continued to envision my look.

Once home, I tried on a few belts. Did I want a long, skinny belt to wrap around it? Nah, I wanted more structure and found the perfect amount with a double buckled Liz Claiborne belt. To keep with the "love" theme, I opened my jewelry armoire and grabbed a beautiful light pink heart charmed necklace my parents bought me for my 16th birthday and layered that with an adorable necklace spelling out four letters: L-O-V-E.

I needed color. What better color to scream "romance" like red? So I grabbed my go-to Dooney & Bourke red croc bowler bag (which I've had for years and it still looks fab!) and decided to add my flirtatious over the knee boots from Jennifer Lopez for that extra oomph.

The pièce de résistance is my BCBGeneration black floppy hat scripted with LOVE. I am enamored with this hat and this feeling is JUST the feeling I'm looking for to exude on this upcoming holiday.

Plenty of hearts - √
Pop of red - √
Flirtatious over the knee boots - √
Hat scripted with LOVE - √

It's going to be a GREAT Valentine's Day!

Liz

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

Move Over Tees, There's A New Blouse In Town...



 

 

 

 

 

 





Pumps: Guess; Jeggings: LC Lauren Conrad; Floral Top: Nicole by Nicole Miller; Suede Moto Jacket: Elie Tahari for Designation; Earrings: Unknown (gift); Handbag: BCBGeneration

I love tee shirts.

Have I mentioned this before?

A few months ago, as I was shopping my closet for another blog photo, I was completely astonished by the amount of tee shirts I have.

Graphic tees. Solid tees. Short sleeved. Long sleeved. Plain tees. Embellished tees. Neutral tones. Brightly colored. Designer tees. Off the rack.

You name it, I own it.

So it has been my mission to upgrade my tee shirt driven wardrobe. I have pushed past my fear of button down blouses (a fear many busty girls have - FYI : camisoles are your friend!) and I can proudly say that my closet is (slowly) being consumed by beautiful blouses.

I picked up this Nicole by Nicole Miller sleeveless button down at JC Penney (it's beautiful, form fitting AND was on sale...what's not to love?) and I knew immediately that I could wear it separate, with a blazer or with this fierce suede Elie Tahari for Designation black moto jacket.

Since another staple in my wardrobe is a skinny jean, this top was a perfect match. I love the low seam in the back of the top and how it falls from the back of the cropped jacket. The flow of the top balanced out the tightness of the jeans.

Next was my favorite part of dressing, my shoes, and picking out which worked best. I wanted a neutral heel, something simple, so I went with my Guess pumps. Every woman needs to have a pair of black patent leather pumps in her wardrobe (with whatever heel height makes her feel comfortable - most of my heels are 4 to 5 inch heels) that you can pair with a dress, slacks or jeans.

So I looked in the mirror, and felt this outfit was missing something. Another accessory, of course! I added my chartreuse BCBG box crossbody bag for fun and I was out the door.

Liz

Fall In Love

I love Fall. I mean, I LOVE Fall. It's my favorite season.

I love that first day when I feel the first chill in the air and grab a heavier scarf or pashmina to wrap around me. I love the smells of Fall: apples, cinnamon, spices and vanilla. I love the overall look of Fall, blanketed in red, orange, and gold. Fall is the time (the only time) that I will stop by Starbucks to get my favorite white hot chocolate to warm me up (F.Y.I. - I'm a Dunkin Donuts kind of girl) and it is also the time to get in the spirit of the holidays, starting with Halloween, a holiday I love.

Fall is a season that's great for fashion. I love wearing sweaters and stepping outside in the cool, crisp air while taking in the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. It's the time to pull out all my cute boots, including my favorite pair of all time: my beat up, worn in, fabulous black BCBGeneration riding boots that I bought my first Fall in New York City. It has taken me five years to get these boots looking and feeling JUST RIGHT and I practically live in those for months at a time. Fall is a great time to layer as well. How often do you bundle up to run to your car and then once you are inside a store, you are burning up due to the heat being on? It's simple to grab a tee, a long cardigan and a scarf to wrap around your neck to run errands, and once inside, you can take off the scarf or sweater or both!

Overall, I love the way Fall makes me feel. The hustle and bustle of Summer is over and it represents a time for me to relax and get comfortable. And what better way than by throwing on a cute outfit and taking in the sights and smells of my favorite season....Fall.

Liz

 



 

 



Hat and Gloves: Gap; Sweater: DKNY Jeans; Hammered Bracelet: Unknown (gift); Link Bracelet: Dana Buchman; Brooch: Unknown (gift); Leggings: Juicy Couture; Boots: BCBGeneration

Fit To A Tee

Hello again! Well, I am sad to say that Fall Fashion Week is now over, but how much fun is it to be able to see all the upcoming Fall trends through the eyes of hundreds of fashion designers around the world? I hope everyone enjoyed my reviews on my favorite designers and enjoyed the photos of my most favorite designs in each collection reviewed.

Moving on to this week's blog...

I am a jeans and tee shirt kind of gal. Now, I enjoy a flirty little skirt and the feel of a silky button down blouse. I can rock a blazer and feel powerful in a sleek black suit. I lounge around the house in my PINK sweatpants but can throw on a stunning dress (with heels in tow, of course!) and go on a date. All in all, I enjoy a vast array of fashion, but my go-to outfit? Jeans and a tee.

I love all jeans. I own boot cut, skinnies (LOVE my skinnies), boyfriend, flare, moto, crop and straight leg jeans. Once I pick those out, I go for my tee shirts. I have plenty, in fact, too many to count. Solid color ones are good to have, but I prefer printed tees. I have some from Gap, Bebe, Hard Rock Cafe and others from Kenneth Cole and Juicy Couture and even from New York's Fashion's Night Out. As soon as I choose the tee that suits my attitude for the day, I grab the appropriate shoe (ballet flats or heels), handbag or clutch and a ton of jewelry. I love accessories, so 9 out of 10 times I will grab a hat or scarf as well!

One of the greatest designers in history, in my opinion, Karl Lagerfeld, designed a collection for Impulse (sold at Macy's) a couple years ago. His collection featured designs of all kinds, yet one design in particular caught my eye. A few tees featured a likeness of him and I'm sure it goes without saying that I bought them faster than you can say "Chanel." One way I love to wear printed tees is with a blazer. It takes the look up a notch, yet it is still playful. Another great way to dress up a tee is with chunky necklaces, either worn alone or layered on top of each other.

Though tees go with jeans like Dolce goes with Gabbana, you can wear tees with other options. Do you have a leather pencil skirt? Throw on a tee shirt with it! A long Summery maxi skirt? Why not? I just bought an adorable Joe Fresh fringe sequin skirt in cream and I cannot wait to pair it with a white tee this Summer.

Bottom line: Just have fun! Forget any "rules" you have heard or read about. If it looks good, suits your personality and makes you happy, than go for it. Try something new. If you are too concerned with trying out a new look in public, invite a friend over! Or take a selfie and send it to your best friend and ask his or her opinion. Your true friends will never steer you wrong and maybe by doing this, you can inspire others to have fun with fashion as well.

 



Sunglasses: Daisy Fuentes; Earrings: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Tee: Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse; Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad

Sunglasses: Daisy Fuentes; Earrings and Clutch: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Tee: Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse; Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad; Watch: Guess; "Fearless" Bracelet: BCBGeneration; Clover Bracelet: Heidi Klum for Bebe; Rhinestone Bracelet: Swarovski; Boyfriend Jeans: Gap; Studded Pumps: Aldo 

 

Earrings: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Sunglasses: Daisy Fuentes

 

Rhinestone Bracelet: Swarovski; Watch: Guess; Clover Bracelet: Heidi Klum for Bebe; Clutch: Simply Vera Vera Wang

 

Sunglasses: Daisy Fuentes; Earrings: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Tee: Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse; Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad

 

Boyfriend Jeans: Gap; Studded Pumps: Aldo

 

Sunglasses: Daisy Fuentes; Rhinestone Bracelet: Swarovski; Watch: Guess; Clover Bracelet: Heidi Klum for Bebe; "Fearless" Bracelet: BCBGeneration; Tee: Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse; Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad

 

 Sunglasses: Daisy Fuentes; "Fearless" Bracelet: BCBGeneration



Winter Blues

What is your favorite color? Most people I ask this question to answer the same: BLUE. Honestly, almost every single person I talk to loves blue. Well, I love purple. That is my favorite color.

I'm obsessed with all shades of purple. Be it dark or light, in a print or solid, I love it. I have purple handbags, pumps, sandals, flats, jackets, tops, skirts, dresses, earrings, well, you get it. I believe that purple works well on every skin tone and works well combined with other colors.

A few months ago, something changed me. I was looking through one of my fashion magazines (like all fashionistas, I subscribe to them all) and I came across a beautiful blue, faux crocodile satchel designed by Liz Claiborne. I couldn't take my eyes off it - and not only because it was Liz Claiborne.

I have to admit I am a tad sentimental over Liz Claiborne handbags. I had interned for Liz Claiborne Inc. during my time in New York City. I worked in the LCNY Accessories division in the Product Development department. I was witness to the conception, design, sample and final stages of their handbags. It was truly a one of a kind experience.

Needless to say, after about a month, I purchased this bag. Now I can't let it go - the bag AND the color blue.

How could I have lived for so long and cared so little about the color blue!?! Was I living in some sort of alternate universe? Am I the last person to learn about the secret of blue? Was I even fully alive before this? Okay, maybe.

So, I decide to venture into my closet and after glancing at my shoe rack, I notice a pair of barely worn BCBGeneration navy suede platform pumps with an adorable jeweled detail near the toe. Seriously? Why have I barely worn these!?! They are beautiful. I must wear them now.

Speaking of accessories, I look up at my hat collection (I LOVE hats) and I have a Gap navy wool floppy hat. Maybe worn once or twice. Why? Why did I choose to not wear this color before now? I must also wear this now. Not only is it cute, but it's BLUE!

Enter Kohl's. I love Kohl's. Since I moved back to WV, this is where I shop the most. Can you guess what I gravitated towards? This gorgeous blue blouse from the LC Lauren Conrad collection. It's a must have. Done and done...and this shade of blue is stunning!

I feel like a child with a new toy. I'm excited! Purple? What's that? Blue has been my shade for a few months now. Will this love affair last? Too soon to tell. Winter has certainly brought the blues...I wonder what Spring will bring me?

Top: BCBGeneration; Pants: Gap; Watch: Guess; Charm Bracelets: Tiffany & Co.; Crystal Bracelet: Swarovski; Sterling Silver Bracelets: Style & Co; Handbag: Liz Claiborne

Pants: LC Lauren Conrad; Pumps: BCBGeneration

Pumps: BGBGeneration

Wool Hat: Gap; Heart Necklace: Swarovski; Watch: Guess; Charm Bracelets: Tiffany & Co.; Crystal Bracelet: Swarovski; Sterling Silver Bracelets: Style & Co; Top: BCBGeneration

Top: LC Lauren Conrad; Jeans: LC Lauren Conrad; Pumps: Aldo

 



Top Necklace: LC Lauren Conrad; Bottom Necklace: Blogger's own charms and chain