Nothing in My Closet

Louboutins Anyone?

2009-02-28T14:16:00.005-05:00

I am about to make another purchase of a lifetime and I need help deciding! Every girl, or almost every girl dreams of owning a pair of Christian Louboutins and I think I am going to make that dream come true for myself. This is going to be my first pair of loubs and first pair of designer shoes in general. What I am having issue deciding is that should I get a pair of classic pumps or something with a little oomph to it? Classic black pumps are great for just everyday work-interview wear or if you got clothes/jewelry that pop out so you tone down with the shoes. However, something more loud and crazy is great for just, well, umm do you even need an occasion for that? Anyway here are some that I am looking, place your votes and let me know what you think?

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Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Why to wear what you want

2009-02-10T22:37:00.003-05:00

Sometimes fashion tends to focus more on showing off your body than style and design. In my opinion this is the kind of fashion you want to stay away from because clothes should show off you and your sense of style not your body (well not always at least, or maybe a better way of putting it would be that style should come first, everything else is secondary). Anyway, I've noticed that a lot of stylists are always talking about how you shouldn't wear large prints or horizontal stripes for instance because it makes you look wider, or white because it makes you look bigger, or capris because it makes you look shorter...the list goes on and on. I think you can wear anything you want, no matter how big or small you are...you just have to know how to pair things together. Like don't wear a tight fitted horizontal stripes top with capris and flats if you are short because it will not bring out your best. Also, I really am not a fan of people wearing clothes that hide their "problem areas." The point is to accentuate whatever assets you have and/or like that you are proud of, why should you hide them? I don't think stylists focus enough on this. It has become all about wearing something socially acceptable, when fashion should be about wearing YOU and not you wearing it. I'm digressing again, the point is that if you have a big chest or a big butt or both for that matter, it doesn't mean you should wear things that fit you loosely around those areas to cover it up, it just means you gotta play around with the material you choose to put on your body and the way it hits your body.

Springin Forward

2009-01-29T20:39:00.004-05:00

I am ALL ready for spring. I am excited to start wearing pinks, corals, greens and purples. I am really excited to start wearing sandals where my feet aren't freezing. It always annoys me that in Jan/Feb all spring clothes are out and you get all excited about wearing spring clothes and spring coming along, but then BOOM, it hits you, you are only half way through winter. How can you cope with Spring fever in winter? You can start wearing your brighter colored sweaters and shirts. It's always so refreshing to see someone wearing a sky blue or a baby pink or yellow even. Some colors just so warm and welcoming that maybe somehow we'll start to feel warm on the inside even if the weather is all nasty and cold outside.

These are some things I really want to have/wear right now:

I love the dress with the thigh-high tights combination. It's a great February/March outfit because it is starting to get a little warmer and by little i mean almost not at all. The light cardigan on top is great too.

you have to love these shorts!!!

this look is PERFECT...i love love the sandals and of course, you can never go wrong with a gingham shirt, wife beater and cut shorts. The shoes are by Dolce Vita, I definitely plan on investing in these for the upcoming season.

Rompers are going ot be really big this season....especially cute little short ones like this.

Wooden heels and tobacco brown leather ... keep an eye out for that as well.

Ballin'

2009-01-21T20:29:00.007-05:00

With all the inauguration festivities going on in D.C. there couldn't have been a better time for me to be here. The entire weekend was filled with Inauguration balls being held by one organization or another...and inauguration balls means dress shopping, which is only fun if you find the perfect dress in your first few attempts. But if you are anything like I am, you have to start planning months in advance for any kind of event that requires a formal evening or cocktail dress. But what about when you decide to attend one of the ten official inauguration balls only with a few days left to go? Now, something that is supposed to be fun is all of a sudden a huge load of stress on your shoulders. Anyway, it should be fun, but whether its an inauguration ball or a wedding or any other formal celebration, finding something that speaks to your style as well as your desired comfort is kind of difficult. Something that looked good on that girl you saw at the party, may not necessarily be flattering on your body. The past few days in D.C. were filled with so many girls wearing dresses and gowns, that it was nearly impossible for me not to constantly scope these ladies out. I think there a few things that one should keep in mind when trying to find a dress with limited time. You need to have some goals.

1. What is your price range?

It's really easy to go way beyond what you are capable of spending, so just sit down and think about how much you want to spend.

2. Choose a color group you want.

Don't pick a single color because you will seriously limit yourself and end up unhappy. But keep a few colors in mind while you are looking so that you maximize your chances of finding the right dress. You have to try on some bad ones just so you can realize how a good one actually looks on you when it finally comes along. It's kind of like dealing with men. You ain't gonna know a good one until you really been with a buncha bad ones.

3. Decide whether you want cocktail or evening dress or gown.

This should be relatively easy to decide because it will all depend on the occasion you are going to be attending. I've gone to plenty of formal events, where women just think its okay to wear what they wore to their wedding or reception to someone else's wedding. Like seriously, its not cool, and you do not look cool doing it. Also, you REALLY do not want to be wearing something so tight that people are looking at you wondering how you are going to get yourself out of that dress. Also, if you plan on taking a guy home with you (wink), you really don't want to make it THAT difficult for him to get the dress off, that's not playing hard to get...he'll just give up.

You really DO NOT want to be that girl who is wearing your prom dress a wedding. Your dress should never be wider in volume than the dress of the bride...stop trying to steal her spotlight, it isn't your wedding.

I contemplated taking pictures of all the horrible dresses at the Inauguration Ball I attended, but then I felt kind of bad doing that and posting them online. Anyway, I didn't feel TOO bad because I did take one picture, it was just too heinous not to be posted. This is a real person, wearing a real dress at a real inauguration ball ... this isn't a fairy tale story missy! I mean come on now? And she was some announcer of some sort...

Here are some other really ugly dresses that shouldn't be worn, let alone to a formal event like a ball or wedding.

Dress to Impress

2009-01-14T22:10:00.008-05:00

As a working professional, I am often looking for new ways to be stylish yet still professional. I think whether you are at a conservative or a liberal workplace it does not mean you cannot be stylish and/or shouldn't be professional at work. So many people do not realize how important it is to give off a good impression to those you work with if you want to be taken seriously. Part of that impression develops from the way we dress. You don't want to be that person who is always looking like a slob nor do you want to be that girl/guy who is always a little too dolled up to work. It's really annoying when those in supervisory positions or people that routinely speak to large or small groups do not dress professionally. As a professional you should really be concerned with how you portray yourself. If you are the type of person that tends to follow trends easily, this is not your time to wear distressed cut up jeans or even old faded pants with a shirt that once was black and now looks grey.

It really sucks when you hear or see someone that you work under wearing something that just makes you cringe inside. Dressing professionally is really not that difficult, you have to try harder to screw up a professional work uniform, but dressing stylishly professional is a little challenging because there are certain boundaries that just cannot be crossed. There are some trends that just should not be worn to work.

Like a dress with ankle boots might be cute while you are out painting the town red, but not so much for work. I'm guilty of doing it, but the entire time I felt kinda uncomfortable about it and vowed not to do it again.

For guys, some of those going out button down shirts that you see are just a little too loud for you to try to get away at work. Here is a great example of the kind of shirts I'm talking about...you may as well be wearing it out in Hoboken, NJ with the rest of the douchebags...Seriously? For Work? Oh and Ed Hardy stuff, seriously if you missed the cool train two years ago when it came, don't bother trying to get on now...its not even that cute!

Another thing that I just can't deal about some women is showing off cleavage at work. I don't care if its nice cleavage and especially not if its bad cleavage. I can go on and on about professional dress etiquette ... but I mean these are the basics, we'll build on them later.

NO UGGING!

2009-01-09T19:47:00.017-05:00

Ladies PLEASE stop wearing UGGS!! They are no longer in style. It really pains me to see women wearing these with skirts or jeans, God forbid dresses or anything for that matter. It hurts me to the core. There are so MANY better alternatives too. And really? Like seriously, maybe there are three places in the entire world that are as cold as these shoes are built to accommodate. I just wanted to spread the news as loud and clear as I can, so that fewer and fewer women wear them. They are no longer cute. "Oooh, but they are soo comfortable," you all scream. I don't really care, they are gross, get over it. They are probably one of worst looking trendy things to come into style this decade. Almost as bad as some of the things in the 80s (some of which are trying to come back now and which I'm simultaneously trying very hard to leave behind in the 80s...let by-gones be by-gones people!).

Anyway, here are some great alternatives for those that need to have something similar to the UGG style and comfort.

On the left are black suede boots by Dior. You can EASILY find a similar replacement at a fraction of the what these would cost by Steve Madden, Chinese Laundry and many many others. I would try finding them in Grey as well, which has been a poppin color for the Fall/Winter since 2007.

On the right, are similar shoes but with a little extra spunk to them. I personally am not a huge fan, but they are a great replacement when looking at comfort and warmth in wintery boots.

Now, drum roll please....

Ladies and Gents, I present to you the cutest boots ever! They are apparently by SportMax Women's Fall/Winter 2008/2008 collection presented in Milan, Italy last year. Aren't they just gorgeous. I particularly enjoy the olive green color and the darker shade of green on the inside lining.

ALSO as a little pointer: when you see a trend frequenting among grade schoolers, then you know your clothes are behind times. Or when you see a cropped sweater (another thing that some chicks just can't seem to say good bye to) and gauchos (and the list just doesn't seem to stop) on some little girl, its time for you to say byebye to it. The reason is that if you see it at Children's Place, Delias or any children's clothing store, it has circulated through every form of market it could get (Couture fashion for the elite to women in boutique shops and/or department stores to junior sizes all over the place). Now the last customer they can still make some extra income from are the kids. Plus, children want what they see older people wearing and so naturally they are inclined to make their parents buy it for them and parents want to see their little darlings dressed up...anyway im rambling. I think you get the point? That's my theory and few words of wisdom. So NO UGGS (or cropped sweaters or gauchos) and if you see a little kid wearing something trendy that you too are still rocking out, you are CLEARLY falling behind on the trend machine!

Staying warm and still looking Fabulous!

2009-01-07T12:33:00.015-05:00

One of my friends suggested I talk about how to stay warm but still look fabulous during this cold season. I think Fall/Winter are the easier seasons to look trendy and fabulous in. Mostly because you can layer clothes and it add things to your outfit in subtle ways to bring more of YOU out. This season especially, is all about accessorizing with a scarf, gloves or hat or even a chunky cardigan...Almost ANYTHING goes in the cold.

Guys tend to have warmer body temperatures than girls and so they don't like wearing too many layers or bundling up. For those guys, if you like the idea of layering you totally can, just have to be smarter about the the material you choose to wear. For example, wear a basic henley shirt (tends to typically be made out of cotton), throw on a chunky half-zip sweater, with jeans or chinos and a light spring jacket. Add on a wool newsboy cap and you are all set to bear the cold weather.

Here are some great half-zip sweaters. I am a huge fan of them on guys because you can just keep it unzipped and allow some cold air to go in and still keep you warm. ALSO, chunky sweaters help give off the impression of having big shoulders and a fit upper body...so invest in one or two of these!

These type of sweaters are all over the place too, so you don't have to go to any particular store to find it. Also the argyle and stripes add a little more color to your look. I would advise against wearing a scarf with a sweater like this because the collars go up to your neck and function as additional warmth for your neck, so adding a scarf would just not look pretty.

Ladies, we can do SO MUCH to look fabulous and stay warm. For starters, there are tights and stockings, which come in such a HUGE variety of colors, styles and designs. Also you couldn't wish for a better time when dresses can be part of your everyday look. Few years ago, we could only wear dresses for special occasions, but now you can find dresses with a more casual appeal. And now that we can combine tights with dresses or even tunic length tops you have a great winter look. Combine stripes with bold colors in tights or solid colored dresses with crochet/knit tights. If you are not to eager about wearing that much color, than just slip on a pair of black tights with anything, it's neutral enough and trendy enough to just go with everything. I used to be hesitant with wearing black tights with brown boots, but once I was feeling quite daring and tried it out and it actually looked good. So the whole faux paux with wearing black and brown or black and blue are LONG GONE. It's all about the shade of black or brown or blue that you are wearing and trying to mix together. Anyway here are some looks with black opaque tights I found.

What do you think?

Anyway, that's all for now.

Revamp your Stamp

2009-01-03T13:21:00.015-05:00

Here are three things you already have to give your style a fresh new look over and over again!

Jeans + T-shirt + Cardigan = A New Fresh You

Sounds simple. But there is an art to it (or not, I just like to pretend there is).

Put on your favorite pair of jeans, distressed, skinny, baggy, bootcut, slimcut, boyfriend cut...I don't care, just go pull out your favorite pair.

Here are a few I'm a big fan of right now:

GoldSign Misfit Slim Leg Jean

(at www.Shopbop.com)

Current/Elliot The Boyfriend Jean

(at www.net-a-porter.com)

Now find a t-shirt, that's fitted or loose in your closet that you are a fan of. I'm a huge fan of men's crew neck or v-neck tshirts like this (at Urbanoutfitters)

Try any t-shirt, in any color, stripe, print and thennnn...

Slip on a cardigan. Everyone owns a cardigan. Ideally, it should be a slouchy cardigan that is not tight, something that just rests on your body and hits at or below your hip area.

These are some great examples:

BDG Solid Boyfriend Cardigan or True North Cardigan

(Left at Urbanoutfitters) (Right at Anthropologie)

Voila! How easy was that? Now the key to any outfit, as every lady knows are the shoes. So depending on where and what you are doing the right shoes can dress up or down this outfit. Slip on a pair of stilettos or wedges for a night out at a bar or lounge or ballet flats or chucks for a day at the mall. The same applies for men. Slip on a pair of leather loafers or mules for a night out or for a more casual appeal, try chucks or Sperry topsiders

Look at these, completely different looks but the same three essential pieces!

Whatever your look, it is your stamp that everyone's gonna see, so try these three things you ALREADY have to revamp your stamp! TADDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

ALWAYS look your best!

2008-12-29T21:33:00.015-05:00

Even when you are in the grumpiest of moods, on the rainiest of days, or even the worst of hair days you should always look your best because it will make you feel a little better knowing that you are looking your best. The clothes we wear, are a reflection of how we see ourselves and how we want people to see us. Being that is the case, I advise that you should ALWAYS look your best because if you project positive vibes into the universe, the universe will bring that right back to you (I got that from The Alchemist, love that book!).

Anyway, looking your best doesn't mean wear your best Sunday clothes. Just wear what makes you feel the best that day. Say you wake up feeling cranky, and as you are getting dressed, completely FORGET about wearing that sweater that you keep for a "rainy day," with the lint balls and the secret small hole on the side that only you know about. This is the PERFECT time to wear that shirt that you have been saving to wear for "another day", or your favorite color, or those jeans that makes your butt look nicer. More important than wearing clothes that you actually like on a grumpy day, is wearing clothes that actually fit you. This is NOT the time for you to be wearing a shirt you are saving for when you finally lose ten pounds. If you have sentimental value to such clothes and can't get rid of them (like me) then fold them up and put them in a box labeled as "Ten Pounds Lighter" and do not touch that box until you are ten pounds lighter! This will constantly remind you of how you have this goal to loose weight but also force you not to wear them when you are still ten pounds heavier.

So many people, have such a great sense of style, but just don't wear clothes for their bodies. You know exactly who I'm talkin about muffin top, quadraboob, cameltoes, butt cracks showing from lowrise jeans...

So lets recap:

1. Wear clothes that make you feel good

2. Wear clothes that fit your body type and STYLE!

and you will be good to go!

Look again. And again. And again!

2008-12-22T23:51:00.006-05:00

Despite all the times, that we've said I have no clothes or nothing to wear, while rummaging through the closet, in agony and distress, the truth remains, that there really is something in there. All we need is a new pair of eyes to find it. Plus, when you've been a student for a while, you have no other choice, but to find something cute to wear, for whatever the occasion, from something you already have or by only buying a few extra pieces to make it look all new again.

Not everyone has as beautiful a closet as this one, but with a little organization, any space, small or large can look just as welcoming. More importantly, the better organized your clothes are the easier it will be to find the perfect piece exactly when you need it.

I hope by blogging I can help you improve your style and save a little cassshh just by finding something you probably already have and wearing it the right way!