Coast to Coast

Dress, Zara.  Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell.  Necklace, F21.  Sunnies, AO.

Tomorrow night I'm packing up my Mustang and driving across the country, from New Jersey to California!   My big move has got me thinking about the different styles and trends coast to coast, and I'm defnitely an East Coast girl (at least fashion-wise).  

My closet is a sea of little black dresses, which are totally appropriate in New York- but I'll definitely look a little out of place covered head-to-toe in dark colors in the LA sunshine.  Instead of pairing these LBDs with simple black pumps, I tried to jazz up my look with funky booties, strands of pearls, and matching sunnies. 

Sitting on the hood of a yellow car also helped brighten up my style!

When I visited LA a few weeks ago, I found one of my best bargains to date in these AMAZING Jeffrey Campbell booties.  I had been eyeing the shoes online, waiting for them to be marked down from $200, when I stumbled across them in Wasteland (my new favorite consignment shop).  These beauties were mine for only $42!!

Booties, Jeffrey Campbell.  

Speaking of bargain hunting, I decided to do a little shopping in my brother's closet- "borrowed from the boys" has been a huge trend for the past few seasons- and came out with the perfect aviator frames.  Joey had ordered these a few years ago from American Optical, the company that supplies military pilots with their sunglasses, and never wore them.  I tried them on and instantly knew I had to borrow (or steal) them.  They looked just right with my new boots!

I threw on jumbled pearls and toted around my Lulu Guinness lips clutch to top off the outfit. 

This particular little black dress has quickly become my favorite, because all of the simple little details balance each other out beautifully.  The high neckline plays against the short hemline, the pleated skirt keeps it from being too stuffy, and the cutout back gives the dress some sex appeal!

I'm confident that this outfit will travel seamlessly between the east and west coasts- wish me luck on my drive!!

Head To Toe

Top, Michael Kors.  Skirt, Carolina Herrera.  Shoes, F21.

Lately I've developed a slight obsession with the color pink.  I don't know how or why it happened, but suddenly after years of having no interest in the color, I can't seem to go shopping without picking up something in this girlish hue.

This Michael Kors top is easy to mix-and-match with different bottoms, and since it's made of stretch silk it feels a bit dressier than your basic tee.  I paired it with this amazing vintage Carolina Herrera polka-dotted skirt from Second Time Around- a match made in heaven!

Bag, Ferragamo.

This outfit felt very 50's/60's, which inspired my good friend and hairstylist Anna Kathryn to give me some sweet victory rolls!  I absolutely loved this hairdo--  so much so that I didn't even mind that my ears were showing (usually a no-no for me)!  The victory rolls added 'oomph' to the look, and I'm going to try to make my hair an extension of my outfits more often.

I found these fantastic strappy sandals at Forever 21 last week.  They look a lot more expensive than they were, which is always a good thing!  I've been wearing them non-stop, because the blush tone matches absolutely everything- a great alternative to a nude pump!

XOXO!

Jump Right In

Jumper, DVF.  Shoes, Max Studio.  Jewelry, vintage.

It's no secret that I adore Diane von Furstenberg and everything that she designs- before I worked at the DVF boutique, I scoured vintage and second-hand racks for wrap dresses to build up my collection.  The past seven months of working for DVF have been amazing for me and my closet, but I recently decided to leave the company and pursue a styling career in Los Angeles!  This week, my employee discount and I had our last hurrah- and I'm walking away with some of my favorite pieces, like this jumpsuit.

This navy and gold one-piece outfit is probably one of the coolest things I own.  It's such a departure from my normal routine of dresses/skirts!  It's also looser and much more billowy than I usually like, but I feel so badass in this that I don't even mind that it's not creating my favorite va-va-voom silhouette.

The jumper may be flowy in the front, but it definitely accentuates the booty!

I paired it with nude pumps, my matching Ferragamo tote,

and this sick pocket watch necklace I picked up in LA!

Speaking of which, I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks because I was out of town interviewing for my new job and exploring my new city!  Here are some pics of my more fashionable moments in the City of Angels:

New Goorin Bros hat, vintage butterfly dress, and Coca-Cola in a glass bottle :)

Zac Posen for Target dress, matching flower in my hair, and the best accessory a girl can have:  a handsome man!

Coral DVF romper and a new shade of lipstick:  Pepto pink to match the wall behind me!

I simply can't wait to move to LA and let a new city influence my style!!

Excessorize

Top, Tracy Reese.  Skirt & belt, 3.1 Phillip Lim.  Shoes, Cynthia Vincent for Target.

I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a minimalist, but I've never been one to overload a look with extra pieces.  I tend to let the clean lines or fun patterns of my clothes speak for themselves rather than layering on belts and jewelry- I hate feeling and looking cluttered!  But going through backlogs of my blog (say that 5 times fast!), I can see that there is room to liven up my look with a few well-placed accessories!

The mission of today's outfit was to wear what I once considered to be 'too many' extras, and see how it looked on camera.  To my surprise, I think this outfit looks both fun and unfussy- even though I'm wearing a necklace, earrings, a ring, sunnies, and a double-looped belt!  Because the pieces I chose blend together so nicely, the overall effect is exquisite rather than excessive.

Bag & sunnies, vintage.  Necklace, So Good.  

Earrings/ring, H&M.

This top by Tracy Reese has a lot going on- the colors are vibrant and the print showcases people, buildings, and even donkeys!  I decided to center the rest of the outfit around the tan base of the shirt to tone it down a bit.  This 3.1 Phillip Lim skirt was the perfect neutral bottom.  I recently found it at Second Time Around during their Memorial Day sale- what a steal!!  It fits perfectly, and the double belt it came with is so different from any other belt I own!   Then I added my Cynthia Vincent for Target wedges, because they matched the colors in the top perfectly.   

Though the top and shoes are both full of color, I picked just one color to accent.  My orange earrings, ring, and bag pulled the outfit together and gave it a little kick!

And the shirt shows off my tattoo, which is always a plus :)

All in all, I learned a valuable lesson from this outfit: while simplicity always has a place in the fashion world, it's fun to ditch the classics and spice up your life with excessive accessories every once in a while!

American Beauty

Sweater, Ralph Lauren.  Shorts, Vintage.  Belt, Pierre Cardin  Shoes, Mossimo.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

I wanted to celebrate the great USofA by wearing red, white, and blue (which just happen to be my favorite colors anyway...) for a lovely Saturday of exploring Boston with an old friend.  The Ralph Lauren sweater and vintage shorts combine to create a casual chic look; I was comfortable enough to walk around town all day, but I still felt pulled-together!

This first picture could totally be a snapshot from the 1950s...I love the timelessness of classic pieces!

Lately I've fallen into a rut of sorts, choosing to exclusivly wear dresses.  Dresses are an obvious choice for me because they provide a full outfit in just one piece- but I've decided to challenge myself for the next couple days and focus on mixing and matching seperates to create new and exciting looks!  It definitely makes getting dressed in the morning more fun.

I've also been neglecting to indulge in the outfit-changing power of accessories.  So today I piled on the pearls, cinched my waist with a belt, and carried around my navy patent Ferragamo tote bag to add some intrigue to the simple sweater/shorts combo.

Then I added some vintage sunnies!

Went for a little stroll along the Charles River...Boston really is a beautiful city and I'll be sad when I leave it soon!  Although I've lived here for 4 years, I feel like there is so much I still haven't seen...

A big thanks to Patrick for snapping these pics!!

And an even bigger thanks to all the troops who keep us safe every day :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Nauti-Cool

Dress, Betsey Johnson.  Shoes, Max Studio.

Hardly any style can claim to be on-trend all the time, but the nautical look beats the odds and remains fashionable every single season.  For spring, nothing tops the eternal elegance of sailor suits or Breton stripes; these are pieces that can spend years on rotation in your wardrobe and still look crisp and fresh with every wear.  

This Betsey Johnson dress puts a funky spin on a classic look, making it feel both timeless and of-the-moment.  I know I'll get seasons and seasons of wear out of it!

And the best part?  The dress comes complete with a detachable sailor collar!!  

There are just so many ways to rock this look- I've worn this three times in as many weeks!  For these pictures I chose to let the dress stand alone and paired it with nude wedges from Max Studio.  But the look is easily sexed up with red patent peep-toe pumps, or toned down with a denim jacket and white Keds.  

I've found my go-to outfit of the season!

Patent Pending

Dress, vintage.  Shoes, Mossimo.  Belt, Betsey Johnson.  Bag, Mulberry for Target. 

I took advantage of having three consecutive days off of work this week and spent a few wonderful days with my family in New Jersey!   One of my favorite parts of hanging with the fam is having my outfits critiqued by my very opinionated and stylish younger sisters- I always make sure that I bring home my newest, most interesting pieces to get their uncensored feedback.  Sometimes they can be harsh, but this printed 50s sundress got the OK from both of my girlies!

Sunnies, H&M.

I scored this flirty 50s frock from Cafe Society in Brookline, MA for only $25!  The top is a bit more blousy than what I usually like to wear, so I tried to cinch in that extra fabric with a wide patent leather belt from Betsey Johnson.  I added matching patent shoes and handbag (borrowed from my younger sis, Valerie) and finished off the look with my new favorite sunglasses!  I think the exaggerated cat-eye shape suits my new haircut.

I was also drawn to this dress for another reason:  it's cut super low in the back, which makes it the perfect outfit to show off my NEW TATTOO!

I got some fresh ink last Monday, and couldn't wait to show it off to my family!  These letters stand for all of our first initials:  Hector, Cindy, Jessica, Joe, Rachel, and Valerie.  As some readers may know, I'm quite the Scrabble champion, so I thought the initials in the Scrabble tiles would be the best way to show off my family love.  The tattoo came out beautifully; it's a permanent fashion statement!

Thanks to Momma for the pics!