My best friend's wedding

With my friend's upcoming wedding, I wanted to post on what accessories I was going to go with. Since I'm a bridesmaid, I wasn't able to choose my own dress. Luckily, Liz has excellent taste and chose this dress by Bill Levkoff (mine will be a deeper gem purple color) -

Very cute and flattering for everyone. As I have mentioned before, I absolutely love gem tones for autumn, and Liz was spot on choosing a purple one for her wedding! 

Most important are shoes. I found that I do not need any alterations to my dress, as long as I wear high enough heels. No problem! I've had these Christian Louboutins for two years now, and tend to be my go to's for formal events. 

As for a clutch, I chose this one from a semi - obscure British designer, Wilbur & Gussie. It's so unique, and will look glitzy and fab with my ensemble! Love it!

As for jewelry, I have chosen to not wear a necklace (seems like it would be too much with the single shoulder strap). That being said, I've decided to wear my Links of London Bubble Effervescence earrings (the purple stone will complement my dress perfectly!) and my Tiffany & Co. aquamarine bracelet. As you can see below, I have made a distinct choice to wear silver jewelry to contrast the gold accessories. A bit unconventional for a fancy outing, but who said I played by normal rules?

I'm still quite indecisive of how I want to wear my hair. I was thinking of a happy medium of half up half down. I was also thinking of doing a gray toned smokey eye for makeup with a light pink blush. 

Well, I have a packing list to put together and outfits to plan! Very excited for my upcoming trip!

Congrats Liz and Chris!!!!!!

Saturday's Jewelry Picks

So all I've blogged about so far is clothes, so I thought it was time for a short post on accessories, namely jewelry. Earrings are probably my favorite piece. Here are a few of my favorite finds.

Coral sponge earrings by Serretta (as seen on the Duchess of Cambridge) - perfect for a casual look; dressed up or down - with a dress, or jeans and a tee.

Silver single leaf from Etsy.com - another versatile earring (even somewhat autumn-themed!).

Bubble effervescence by Links of London - so different from anything else I have in my collection. Very excited to wear these with my purple dress at my friend's wedding this upcoming month (I'm maid of honor!)!

Eternal drop oval amethyst earrings by Kiki McDonough - lovely and demure.

This is my favorite bracelet of all time. It's a Tiffany and Co. "Aquamarine by the Yard" single stone bracelet. Simple and elegant. 

It may be a bit childish to post this, but I just could not resist! I saw this at Macy's the other day (by Swarovski Elements). So cute, and matches the little ankle tattoo I have!

I've always been obsessed with initial and nameplate jewelry - even before Carrie Bradshaw donned her infamous necklace on Sex and the City. I bought this "L" from Tiffany and Co. last year, and it has been my go to necklace ever since. 

'Til next time!

Have a great weekend!!

Autumn is in full swing!

I cannot believe autumn is here! It's crazy how fast time flies - seems like just yesterday it was the first day of summer. I must say - fall is my favorite season to dress for. It's a shame that autumn weather doesn't arrive in Houston until late November or December. I have found a few items already, which I have bought, in preparation for fall.

In this post, I wanted to focus on some pieces I think are perfect for autumn. Whether it's dressing for work or cider mill, there are so many versatile pieces out there! Here are some of my faves.

This blazer by Smythe (Toronto - based designer, as seen on my favorite duchess) is great for going from work to night. It's a fabulous update on the classic navy blazer. It's a very fitted blazer - extremely slim cut - perfect for a girlie girl like me!

Another good blazer I have found is this red cardi-blazer hybrid from Zara. It's a nice alternative to black, navy, or tan. Having bought this, I can attest this is extremely flattering, and in a very cheery color!

I love this Reiss dress! Not only is this dress a flattering cut (nipped waist hides that stubborn tummy!), it is in one of my favorite colors for fall - sapphire! Sapphire is my birthstone, so I guess I'm kind of partial. Perfect for evenings out!

Another popular color for autumn is burgundy. These dresses from ASOS.com caught my eye - the first is a fun bird print dress (by Oasis), and the other is a pleated maxi (by Love Lace) - both very fresh looks! 

Again, I am featuring the lovely Aquatalia "Rouge" booties I posted about in my entry about end of summer sales. I did end up buying the gray version of these in the Nordstrom sale. I cannot express how much I love them! Cannot wait for the hot weather to go away so I can dress for my favorite season. It's such a good alternative to black - complements so many other colors!

Probably one of the biggest shoe trends for Autumn 2012 are riding boots. These boots from Tory Burch (style is Selma), are just the ticket! I would LOVE to get my hands on a pair of these but it seems they are sold out at many stores.

Here's a fantastic going out look from Zara. I love the combination of casual and dressy. I've always been a fan of feathers in clothes and accessories. The skirt is just too cute - ombre style with navy fading into white.

These are just a few ideas for the upcoming fall weather. Happy shopping!

Fashion For a Cause

So, here I am again, being lazy. I have commitment issues about everything it seems! Haha

I really wanted to do a post on fashion for a cause for this blog, because fashion is a great median to highlight some major issues going on in the world. I don't know if it's completely ignorant to think I'm contributing in some way, but I do feel quite accomplished after purchasing an item which has its proceeds go towards a charity or cause.

Now, that being said, I will start with my newest find - Beulah London. This label is intended to help former sex slaves get back up on their feet as independent women, as well as aiding in the prevention of sex trafficking. They have everything from dresses to accessories, with prints to die for. Here are a few items that caught my eye...

I love the versatility of this kaftan - it can be worn as a dress, shawl, or tunic. The blossom print is just so feminine and makes me happy!

This is the item they are perhaps the most famous for - as seen on quite a few celebs - the Shibani scarf. I posted this one (of many color combos) because I personally purchased it as my contribution to their cause. It is oh so soft (partially made of cashmere!), and transcends quite a few seasons!

I have also included a dress from their more formal line, which consists of gorgeous evening gowns, and even wedding gowns! I adore gem tones for the fall, emerald being one of my favorites! (yes, I bleed GREEN always having graduated from Michigan State University!)

For my next label choice, I selected TOMS. I must admit, I was not the biggest fan when I first saw these shoes. I thought that style shoe was only for people who live in remote villages, or something straight out of Aladdin! After a while, they grew on me, and I saw how good the cause is (One for One - buy a pair, a pair is given to a needy child), and how many different colors and styles there really are. 

This shows all of the different colored original style shoes. As you can see, there are many neutral colors you can pair with anything! And yes, they are quite comfy!

Keeping with the wedge trend, TOMS offers a small selection of wedges! 

These are also quite comfy, but I will warn you (on behalf of my sister), these will put your feet through a "breaking in" phase of a couple times. Just don't plan on walking any marathons the first few times you wear them!

On my "to buy eventually" list is of course a glittery pair of TOMS! 

These totally remind me of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz"! Love them!

Of course there's the route of designers putting a special edition item in their collections which aid in a cause. While not dedicating their entire line to charity, this lets consumers have a peek into what designers see as important issues. A few nice items I have come across are below.

This tote by Tory Burch donates to Light One Little Candle Foundation, which helps families facing cancer bond with their children.

Ralph Lauren has its "pink pony" line, which benefits breast cancer research. This is one of my earliest memories of fashion for a cause. 

(PRODUCT) RED is a group of companies that have gotten together to release various products and such to aid in the education of and getting rid of AIDS in Africa. Some of the companies involved include Apple, Nike, Gap, and Converse.

Well, that wraps up this entry. As always, I hope you all take inspiration from this, and go out and make a difference with fashion! Every bit counts! 

I must be the laziest person alive....

Here I go again, not posting for quite some time.

Let's begin with me saying that I have been thinking a lot lately about change. Something just feels off with me right now. (Nothing bad, so no worries, please! Haha) The thing that gets on my nerves, is that I can't pinpoint what it is. I just know change is in order. I need a change of scenery - probably a new place to live (sorry Mom and Dad, but it's time for me to move :) ), a new job, and a new social life. I can only wonder what the future holds for me. It's time to be proactive, and find out! :)

Moving on, I'm in the mood for fashion! Appropriately, the Nordstrom Anniversary sale starts today! There are so many good deals to be had on new fall items! I was a bit crazy and stayed up til' 2am last night waiting for the site to reopen. I had it in my mind that I wanted to look for a pair of booties (Haha, not butts!), a.k.a. short boots for fall and winter. I have my eye on a pair of Aquatalia by Marvin K's, which happen to be in the sale. I've read so many glowing reviews, so I'm intrigued. They are supposed to be SUPER comfy (ladies say they've spent full days walking in them and they never have sore feet), stylish, and all-weatherproof!

It's hard to believe it's already time to prepare for fall - well, at least fashion-wise! Living in Texas, it's hard to remember autumn and winter exist. It's a shame, because autumn is my absolute favorite season to dress for! 

To wrap things up for this entry, I recommend browsing all the fashion websites over the next week or so. They are cleansing themselves of all their spring/summer clothes, and you can find some things up to 70% off! We forget it is still only the middle of summer, so why not get in season styles right now, for super cheap?!

As always, happy shopping, and have a great day!

Quick Post!

So here I am again, not posting for days, and feeling absolutely awful about it! I've been working so much lately, I just have not had much time to work on my blog. I figured today would be a good day to write a quickie post due to the huge sale starting at Zara, as well as quite a few other stores today.

Zara happens to be one of my absolute favorite stores. Everything is fashion forward, yet classic. Popping down to the Galleria today, Nicky and I kinda went on a shopping extravaganza. We both went nuts in Zara, picking up dresses, tops, and so on. We then ventured to one of my newer favorites, L.K. Bennett, where I purchased a gorgeous silk shirt dress and a cute robin egg blue sleeveless top.

Most retailers are starting to discount a lot of their spring/summer clothes in favor of moving in fall apparel. Moral of this blog is: take advantage! It's still only the beginning of summer! :)

Happy shopping all!!!!

My Love Affair with French Sole...

Well, it's Wednesday and I have decided today's topic is about another new favorite find of mine...French Sole ballet flats!

Founded by ballet pump lover Jane Winkworth in London in 1989, French Sole has proven to be a very popular brand with celebrities along with the common public. I found it so interesting how this company broke into the fashion market. Ms. Winkworth's flats first hit the big time when another British designer, Catherine Walker, introduced them to Princess Diana in the early 90's - she bought 12 pairs right away! The rest is history. Celebrities such as Olivia Palermo, Scarlett Johannson, Sienna Miller, and Kate Moss are also huge fans.

French Sole ballet pumps are such a great alternative from heels - preserving comfort without sacrificing style. Perfect for pairing with a clutch and a cute little sundress, or even a slouchy bag and skinny jeans.

Here are a few of my favorites (including the pair I own, shown first):

The Henrietta style in light pink croc -

These were created in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (the styles are Annie and Henrietta) -

Lastly, here is the style India in a cream nubuck -

This is just a taste of all the styles/textures/colors offered. FYI, if you are interested in purchasing from French Sole, use the websites www.londonsole.com or www.ASOS.com. These are the US vendors for the brand.

As with other posts, I offer a more budget friendly option of Target. Always up on trends of the moment, they offer lots of styles for less than $20.

Thanks for reading! :)

Happy Tuesday!

As promised, the fashion part of my post is clutch - focused.

For most of the time I have carried a purse, I've been a large bag girl. As much as I love the convenience of having everything I carry in my purse at my fingertips, it proves a challenge for dressing up or going to an event. 

I used to take whatever my regular day bag was out with me for the night, but decided I wanted to start streamlining my night time look. The best way to achieve this - changing out your day bag for a cute little clutch. I love how many different kinds of clutches there are - box, envelope...the list goes on. 

Here is a glimpse into my clutch collection - 

I really like the variety of shapes and sizes I have in my closet. Quite a few of them are able to be dressed up or down. Now, I don't like to play favorites with my accessories, but I just love the uniqueness of the fur clutch by BCBG (see top right). Sure, many people think I'm crazy for carrying such a clutch, but I feel so vampy with it! As for the other clutches, I like to list where I picked them up from so if someone is interested they can try to find one. The list goes as follows: stripe one with strap - Missoni for Target, nude satin clutch - good sale on the Carnival Triumph, purple leopard - Forever 21, black glitter - DSW, pink - ALDO Accessories, and gray - DSW.

As you can tell, most of my clutches are very much fall colors. That being said, I recently purchased one I've had my eye on now for about a year - from British retailer L.K. Bennett. It's a gorgeous woven leather with satin trim and silver metal snap clasp. 

To me, this clutch is such a breath of fresh air - light and breezy, perfect for summer. The neutral nude color opens the door to many outfit options. I would pair this with pretty much any color pump, or even a pair of dressier ballet flats. 

I'm also loving feminine pastels. Here are a few I have come across that have caught my eye:

From Prada - 

From Christian Louboutin - 

And for a more budget friendly option from Target - 

Well, this basically wraps up my post on clutches. I hope everyone can take inspiration from the options I've posted and add a little girlie glamour to your outfits! 

On another note - started back at work after being away for two weeks from nose surgery. It was good to get back into the swing of things. I was very happy to see everyone and hang with friends. I always say Texas is great with wonderful people, but Michigan will always be home, no matter where I end up. It's hard to believe I've lived down in Houston for nearly a year and a half. Such a change from hanging with my core group of girlfriends I have in Michigan. It's amazing how the girls and I could spend months apart, and we pick right back up like no time has passed. 

That being said, having a close family is awesome, and has helped me transition quite easily in such a different place. Another big helper is, of course, this gal:

Minnie! I really cannot stress enough what a rock a pet can be. And that doesn't just include cats - dogs, fish, hamsters, etc. are also good! :) Minnie is just like a child to me. Cannot imagine life without my furry companion!

Well, that wraps up my post for today! Hope everyone is having a good week and happy shopping!

First Fashion Post!

As I sit here sipping a Corona, pondering what I should write about, I got to thinking about summer fashion for super hot places, ala Texas. So here goes nothing on my first post dealing with fashion.

Now, living in Houston, I must admit it's a bit of a challenge to dress for Houston weather without just giving up and throwing on a wife beater, shorts, and flip flops. I admit it - I used to do just that all throughout college, even up until last summer (my first summer in this heat box). Growing more accustomed to the heat in my second summer, I've been trying to dress more classic with a touch of trendy. That being said, there are plenty of options for looking cute, but not over dressy. This is where the ever popular sundresses and wedges come in. It seems ever since February, I have LIVED in wedges. Coming in both short and tall, I have all ranges and types. To highlight a few of my favorites, I'm posting pictures as well as where I purchased them from.

First up are my newest acquisition, the Minx sandal from Stuart Weitzman.

 

I am absolutely smitten with both the cork material and lovely neutral camel color! These wedges are so versatile, really going with any outfit. They just scream warm weather and fun. Yes, they may be almost 5 inches tall, but are honestly so cushy and comfy. 

Next is the Imperia wedge from Pied a Terre, a British shoe brand.

These are my go to wedges for something a little more dressy, being a closed toe shoe. In matter of fact, I own these in black, navy, and cream. They are another very versatile wedge that shines in the comfort department. Favorite item to wear with these - any dress!

Another pretty recent purchase was from another British retailer, L.K. Bennett - called Rosie.

These are by far the best alternative to wearing a high heel out for a night on the town. They are patent leather, so they still give off a chic vibe - especially with any little black dress. I wanna say they came in either black, navy, or pink patent. These are from a season ago, so I don't know their current availability.

And finally, for a full on business casual wedge, I offer this chic faux patent leather shoe from Anne Klein.

Found these wedges at TJ Maxx for only $30! Offered in black, nude, and navy, these are perfect for the work place and add style to any boring office outfit, as well as comfort. I have these in black, and just love how they can be dressed down as well.

On another slightly different note, sundresses are an important staple in my summer wardrobe with their easy breezy style. I just love how they are able to be dressed up or down. I'm not gonna go into 4 different examples of sundresses I have found because I feel it's just not as exciting of a topic as shoes are. Maybe I'm just biased. Anywho, I recently discovered an Irish designer named Orla Kiely a few months ago. I fell immediately in love with her designs. They are so colorful and charming! The patterns look a bit crazy, but it really adds energy to her line. I have bought a few things from her line, both clothes and accessories, but I just fell in love with this dress! 

I actually wore it for the first time today with these cream Pied a Terre wedges.

They worked so harmoniously with the dress! I just loved this look today for Father's Day.

I guess I will wrap this post up for tonight. I've decided for tomorrow's post, I shall blog about clutches (another staple for my wardrobe!) and progress from my nose surgery.

Night y'all! :)

Nearly a year later...

So...it's been a while. Holy cow. It's 5:30 in the morning. Starting to become an insomniac again...oh boy. Well, here's an intro to my life. The love of my life is my 3 year old tabby mix, meet Minnie.

Minnie has many a nickname. I won't get into all of them, but some of the highlights include "floof floof tail", "Meemers", "Mimmy", and "Minerva". You get the point. Funny story about when I took Minnie in. It was summer of 2009, and I had just graduated from Michigan State University. I always wanted a pet to call my own, and had recently taken a liking to cats. My roommate Liz and I went (at the suggestion of our friend Katie) to see two little kittens on her friend's farm in St. John. Naturally, Liz and I could not resist them and knew they had to be ours. Knowing how strict my parents are about pets and surprise adoptions, I insisted I took Minnie in from the terrors of living as a helpless kitten on the dangerous roads of Cedar Village (yep, the place that appears on CNN during the riots whilst MSU is in the NCAA tourney). Believing this to be true, they RELUCTANTLY let me keep her. Today, I don't know what I would do without her. She made the 3 day trip during the middle of the winter with me to move to Houston. She was my rock, even when times got tough and I was so incredibly scared driving though Arkansas with creepy truckers and black ice.

Now that y'all have been introduced to my pride and joy, here's the rest of my family.

Meet Bob and Sue. They are, of course, my parents. Honestly could not have asked for better parents. They know how to lay down the law, but still have great fun. So many great family memories already, and I'm only 25.

Aren't they cute? I just adore them. I have to admit, it really was rough living away from them for the year they moved down to Texas before I did. But, we're all reunited now, and are enjoying eachothers' company.

Meet my sister, Nicky and her mini dachshund, Kailani.

My sister is without a doubt my best friend. With there being only 3.5 years difference between us, we had our share of scuffles when we were younger, but get along quite well now. Well, for the most part. We still brawl from time to time, but don't all siblings?

Next up are our family tabbies, Max and Jamba.

These two are brother and sister. Our family calls them the "skinny tails" because, well, they have skinny tails. Haha They are definitely quite a bit more stand off-ish than Minnie, but still very sweet. Quite loyal to my Dad.

Finally, meet Hershey.

She's our spunky old gal Cock-a-poo. "Hersh" was adopted after our old family dog had passed back in 2001. Her story was quite sad. Her original family went on vacation, took her to a kennel, and never came back for her. So disgusting. But, then again, we wouldn't have this little angel if it wasn't for that family. Things always have ways of working out mysteriously.

So, this wraps up the meet and greet of my family/pets. Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Laura.

That's me on the left. Back when I was blonde, and pre - nose job, a year and a half ago. That's my good friend Margaret with me. Known her since forever and a day. But, that's for another post. My friends will definitely sneak in here and there in my posts from time to time.

Now I'm getting tired. I think that's enough for now. Will blog again tomorrow at a more proper hour, to cover what I did with my closet and progress on healing from nose surgery. Be prepared to be impressed!!!

Night all.