Trends with Benefits: The Fit & Flare Dress

10 Apr

Fit and flare dresses have been around forever and are making a comeback in the high fashion world. The fit and flare dress is a trend that is your friend!  If you do not own one, RUN to the mall now and try one on. Fit and flare dresses, sometimes called skater dresses(as in ice skaters) have a classic 50’s style silhouette and are extremely flattering on all body types. The snug body and short flouncy hemline create the illusion of a little waist and long legs. Adding a belt only helps:) Being the belt lover that I am, I don’t where my fit and flare dresses without one. shop these adorable looks right now! Any shoe from a peep toe heel to a strappy flat sandal to a wedge work with these dresses, they can easily be dressed up or down making for a nice transition from day to evening.  As for beltsI find a lot of cute belts at H&M.

Navy ponte dress($13.80) and teal one shoulder dress($12.50) both available at Forever21.  Floral dress with crochet detail($68) and yellow dress($68) both available at Nastygal.  BCBG white lace shirtdress($268) and Rachel Zoe black lace dress($425) both available at Nordstrom.  White cutout dress($57.30), striped dress*Plus size($80.57),Blue long sleeve dress($25.28) and red ruffle detail dress($62.67) all available at Asos.

Trend Alert: Blue & Green Jewelry

9 Apr

Blue & green jewelry have long reminded me of warm weather and are a top trend for this Spring and Summer. You can wear these beautiful hues with whites & neutrals or other bright shades to make a bold statement. From cobalt to sage to aqua and teal, you will make a splash with these ocean & earth inspired pieces.

Stackable ring set in green($68) and Kate Spade stud earring in aqua($38) both available at Nordstrom.  Aqua cluster bib style necklace($35), Lauren by Ralph Lauren multi bead 3 strand necklace($68) and Lauren by Ralph Lauren charm bracelet($48) all available at Bloomingdale’s.  Green gem necklace($6.80), wooden bracelet in blue ($6.80) and painted leaf earring($3.80) all available at Forever21. Kate Spade chandelier earring in aqua($98) and Ippolita 18k gold ring with diamond accent($3,295) both available at Saks. Serenity necklace with Large jade and glass pieces($198) and small stone drop earring in aqua($34) both available at stella & Dot.  Gold multi stone cuff($24.99) and gold cuff with wired agate ($24.99) both available at Target.

Pretty Pastel Easter Dresses

8 Apr

Happy Fashioneaster!!!!!!! Having a beautiful dress to wear on Easter is a MUST!  This ensemble of pastels takes its cue from a bowl of Jordan Almonds……..Enjoy:)      Lily Pulitzer strapless floral dress($188) available at Saks . Lilac lace dress($48), Peach cape sleeve dress($46), Calvin Klein Teal belted tank dress($138) and Jessica Simpson Chiffon dress with self tie belt($128) all available at Nordstrom.  Mint dress with draping detail($62.67) and yellow dress with pockets($53.72) both available at Asos. Lime one shoulder dress($35) available at Lulu’s. Pink pleated dress with belt($24.80), Coral belted eyelet dress with peplum detail($29.80) and floral high low dress($29.80) all available at Forever21.

Cute Summer Sandal (under $18)

8 Apr

How cute are these?  Brown flat sandals are a summer essential. They pair perfectly with skirts ,shorts,pants & dresses:) I think they look especially cute with  maxi dresses and matching belt like the look below.
Available at Old Navy ($17.50)

Look for Less

7 Apr

These Giuseppe Zanotti  sky high wedges are a great black heel alternative. They are available at Giuseppe Zanotti($650).

Jessica Simpson’s Marcie wedge is a similar affordable option,available at Piperlime ($79.99)

Glossy Box!

6 Apr

I did a post a while back on Birchbox,which is a great company that delivers five hand picked deluxe beauty samples to your door every month for only $10. It’s really cool. They currently deliver  to the United States which is great for all of us here, but I have quite a bit of international subscribers and now I’ve found a similar site that delivers to 18 countries worldwide and even more coming soon including the U.S. GlossyBox  like Birchbox is a company that also delivers five deluxe sized beauty samples to your door each month for only £10.00 , the cool part is you can create a profile of your own personal beauty needs and preferences and they choose accordingly. Cheers to all of my international readers!

Glossybox ships to the following 18 countries:

  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • South africa
  • South korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • UK

Fabulous Friday Finds! (under$20)

6 Apr

Hi everyone, I have some more FFF’s for you to shop. I’m in love with the plug bracelet! Have a great weekend:)

4 piece scented polish set($14) available at Urban Outfitters.  Plug cuff bracelet($14.32) available at Asos. Green lace top ($17.99) available at Target.  Perforated leather belt in butterscotch(sale $19.99 reg$42.50) and colored cords(sale$19.99) reg$79.50) both available at J.Crew.  Shimmer trim ring in peach or jade tone ($5.80) and Peach tiered dress ($13.50) both available at Forever21. Yellow floral tank($13.90) available at Nordstrom.

Step Outside of Your Fashion Box

5 Apr

I love color, I love bold, I love height on a heel.

I usually don’t like thick or stacked heels, Don’t really wear platforms either. I prefer stiletto’s or wedges if I’m going for height.

I saw these Steve Madden Audrinaa color block platform heels and kinda fell in love and can’t tell you why.  So I bought them and they’ve arrived.

I have no idea when wear or how I will wear these. I have a solid blue shift dress in mind????? who knows, but the point is we all have to step out of our fashion box once in a while, it’s the only way our personal style evolves. When I muster up the courage to wear these in public I’ll post a picture.

Now, next time YOU go shopping and are on the fence about something that’s not your “typical” style GO FOR IT!

Audrinaa heels($90.99) Reg$129.95 available at Zappos

Zig Zag

5 Apr

Every wardrobe should include at least one zig zag piece.  I see zig zag patterns as a kind of stripe gone wild! They are so fun to wear.  I’ve been a Missoni fan since I was a kiddo and no zig zag post would be complete without thanking them for opening the zig zag painted door  for  fellow designers to take inspiration from. I prefer to wear zig zags with solids , sometimes I wear all black with my Missoni flats or a zig zag dress with beige strappy flat sandals and when I’m feeling extra zesty, I’ll pick a color from the zig zag piece that I’m wearing and pair it with a matching flat or clutch to bring it all together for a bold & bright look. Here are some fun zig zag looks to shop.

Zig zag scarf ($6.99), Long sleeve top ($17.80) and black & grey cardigan* Plus size($22.80) all available at Forever21.

Pastel Sleeveless bright zig zag top($39.39) and zig zag loose fit top($35.81) both available at Asos.

Dress with grey detail and self tie belt($42.99) available at Piperlime.

Bangle($22) available at Piperlime.

Missoni Ballet flats($432) available at Bloomingdale’s

Missoni lightweight sweaterdress($1,250) available at Saks.

Green & peach slanted zig zag pattern dress($51) available at Tobi.

With this Bling…

4 Apr

I think most women love a beautiful piece of Jewelry myself included. My fascination with all things bling started with seeing pictures of my Grandma from the 50’s all decked out, WOW she looked like Rita Hayworth, Hollywood glamour.  I remember I would ask her “where were you going in this picture Grandma?” and she would say” just to dinner with friends”, I guess a lot of people really dressed up back then. She would always let me try on her fancy jewelry and I would love it! I’m going to go ahead and publicly blame her for my lifelong jewelry obsession, right here and now. I think many jewelry pieces are sooooooo pretty but this post is focused on my obsession with antique, vintage style rings. I am loving Micropave, halo settings, eternity bands and COLOR as in gemstones. Princess Diana had it right with that sapphire wedding ring, I am also starting to see a lot of color on the left hand and I’m excited about it. Here are some pictures of some beautiful rings in the style I LOVE!  P.S. These photos are all from a fun ring forum site called pricescope where people (mostly ladies and a few smart dudes) from all over the world share pictures and discuss all things RING, I will admit I’m addicted.

And now the rings……. Starting with Diamonds  (on a budget? don’t hesitate to stack eternity bands for a sparkly chic look and save the big rock for later or not at all if it’s not your style)

Diamonds with a touch of color

Diamond & Gemstone rings

As you can see I am a fan of color *especially pink, micropave, halo settings and thin dainty eternity bands (1-2 mm) So you’ll understand why I flipped when I saw this Neil Lane stunner below. A 1.75 carat Pink diamond halo set in rose gold, matching 1.5 mm eternity band and only $130,000 for the set! 0r $385,000 if I upgrade to the 3 carat size I prefer.  uuuuuuhhhhh I don’t know about you but I don’t have an extra $385,000 lying around the house. So I had to think of my options. I knew I wanted PINK although not too pink and over the top , definitely wanted rose gold, dainty band, diamonds everywhere yadda yadda. So I started looking and asking around and found Lauren K. She had amazing jewelry and was known for gemstone work and modern day heirloom pieces.  After  only 1 phone call we were designing my ring. Long story short, we were able to make the ring of my dreams, inspired by the neil lane beauty. During the process I learned about Morganite , a natural stone discovered by Tiffany’s chief gemologist in the early 1900’s and named after gem collector J.P. Morgan, and it’s beautiful sparkly peachy pink hue. OMG what???  I could have the pink ring I had always dreamed of ??? and for a fraction of the price and I mean a small fraction. While morganite isn’t necessarily inexpensive, it is definitely not as expensive as a pink diamond of the same size. The biggest cost of a wedding ring is the Diamond center stone, if you swap it out with a colored gemstone the cost drops drastically, which also allowed me to get a 3 carat Morganite which is my favorite size of stone ,it’s a large enough size to make a sparkly statement without looking ridiculous. I am sooooo happy with the final product and am absolutely in love with my ring.

My inspiration ring

My wedding ring

Details: 3 carat Cushion cut Morganite halo set in rose gold surrounded in micropave white diamonds with matching eternity band (tdw 1.25 carats). It is also a”float” setting meaning there are no prongs or metal under the center stone, allowing more light to come from underneath for added “fire” aka sparkle:) Band width 1.5 mm.

I included a few pics in different lighting to show all the hues. It seems to change from pink to peach to a champagne color depending on the light and how tan I am.

ring

Halo settings and pave are my jam!!!

ring3

Side View of the float setting!

float

*Lauren K no longer does custom work, however her ready to wear jewelry is available at Bergdorf Goodman. Laurie Sarah is my next favorite designer that specializes in gemstone work and is very affordable. Check out her site HERE. She and her husband design a lot of rings that look very similar to mine.