How do I wear that trend…embellished outerwear

Now this is a trend I’ve never been able to truly get behind. Embellished clothing has always been a bit much for me to go with, however, I do see the merits in wearing a great top with embellishments.

If you’re like me and a bit wary of embellished outwear of any kind but interested in diving into this trend, there are some ways to do it without looking like you’re wearing a costume.

1.  Don’t over do it. Embellishment can be great if done sparingly. If you wear an embellished shirt, don’t wear an embellished belt or jacket.

2.  Keep your jewelry simple. One great thing about embellished clothing is that it can act as a part of our outfit as well as a piece of jewelry. If you want to wear, big, bold jewelry, don’t wear that embellished piece of clothing. It will most likely clash and make you stand out in a not so positive way.

3. Be confident. Embellished clothing will definitely make you stand out. Make sure you’re wearing the piece and not letting it wear you. Give it what I call the “eff it” boost. Before you leave the house, take one last look at yourself in the mirror and say, “Eff it.” Then walk out the door. I’ve done that in the past and it definitely makes me less self conscious when I’m wearing something that makes me stand out.

Feel free to put your own spin on the “Eff it” boost and add in your own words. I try to keep this blog PG rated (wink, wink).  Below is a picture of a great, embellished shirt by Bebe.  Notice how you don’t have to wear any jewelry with it.

http://pinkdiamondpr.blogspot.com/2008/11/monday-style-obsession-bebe-outerwear.html

How do I wear that trend…animal print shoes

As I observe people and how they incorporate different trends, I’ve noticed one major issue with the animal print trend.

People tend to over do it.

I wrote a post about the proper way to wear animal print called Animal Print…Rawr! Check it out because it gives great tips (if I should say so myself) on how to effectively incorporate animal print into your wardrobe.  Well, I want to address animal print shoes.  They’ve become trendy as of late and they are a great trend. If you wear a great pair of animal print shoes, it can make your entire outfit pop.  However, there are some ways to do it and not look like you’re wearing a costume.

1.  Don’t mix animal prints.  I cover this tip in the previous post I wrote, but I thought it needed repeating.

2.  Build your outfit around the shoes. The best way to not clash with your animal print shoes is to make them the base of your outfit.

3.  Stick with neutral colors when you wear your animal prints. If you use the animal print as a pop of color, it will definitely cut down on clashing outfits.  Wear animal prints with neutral colors like black, brown, tan, etc. This way the animal print will be the stand out in your outfit and shoes are good stand out pieces.

These are just some suggestions to get you started wearing animal print shoes. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with them, you can be more daring. But I suggest easing into it and working your way up to daring. You may overwhelm yourself if you start out daring.  Below are some pictures of great animal print shoes. You don’t have to get these exact ones, but maybe they will inspire you to get some that are similar.

http://getglamorous.blogspot.com/2007/10/fall-2007-animal-print-shoes.html

These are some great giraffe print guess pumps. You can wear these with a brown or tan outfit. If you’re feeling more comfortable, you could do them with black or red, too.

http://www.thisnext.com/item/2E9CEAFF/Animal-Print-Gladiator-Shoes

These are some super cute, leopard print gladiator pumps. These would be great with black or reds. They are definitely very eye-catching, but would be great with a simple outfit.

http://liveheartfelt.com/?p=85

Now I am a fan of zebra print because it’s basic black and white. It’s clean and crisp and can go well with black, white or even red. Now you could wear it with other colors, but this is for entry level animal print wear. These are some hot Giuseppe Zanotti pumps that definitely fall in the higher range in terms of cost, but you can use these as a model and get some shoes with a similar feel at a lower cost.

I’m a big fan of shoes and I love wearing a basic outfit with some show stopping heels.  One of my favorite places to shop for cute shoes without breaking my budget is Cutesy Girl.com.  Check out their site because I know they have some animal print shoes on the site.  That’s not an affiliate link, either. I just really like their shoes.

Happy shoe shopping!

How do I wear that trend…suede colored shoes

Growing up, I always stayed away from wearing suede shoes of any kind, mainly because whenever it was most appropriate to wear them, it would rain.  And as you may know, suede shoes and rain do not mix.  However, as I got older, I began to open up more to suede shoes and have owned several pair over the years.

This trend of wearing suede colored shoes is a cool one because designers have begun to create a wide variety of suede shoes.  There used to be a time when suede shoes were mainly boots or shoes that covered your whole foot. There were occasionally colored suede shoes but they were mostly black, brown or gray. Now, you can find suede sandals that come in black, brown, pink, yellow, blue and even rainbow colors.  As a self-professed shoe fanatic, I find it wonderful.

Plus, suede colored shoes are great transition pieces.  I do realize it’s winter time and many of you are only wearing close-toed shoes or boots but if you want to be a little fancy, you can put on some open-toed suede shoes in a bright color with stockings (ones without the reinforced toe).  Below are some pictures of different types of suede shoes in great colors.

http://www.geekshoes.com/chloe/be-fashionably-cool-with-blue-shoe-boots

These are a great pair of Chloe blue suede shoes that are closed-toe, but still stylish and cute.  You can wear these types of shoes in the winter as well as in the spring.

http://www.hiddengarments.cn/?p=9637

Now these are some wonderful, pink, suede sandals by my favorite shoe designer, Christian Louboutin.  While these are definitely not budget friendly, but they are wonderful to behold. Besides these are just examples of shoes you could wear that are suede sandals.  These are an example of the type of suede sandals that can be worn with stockings in the winter.  These shoes can transition from summer to fall to spring and into winter, if you are comfortable wearing them with stockings or if you live in a city where the winters are mild.

Ultimately, I want to encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone when it comes to fashion.  Be open to expanding your wardrobe.  As I always say, shoes are a great way to go a little wild and crazy with colors and fabric.

How do I wear that trend…embellishments on shoes

Ok, ok, I admit it. I’m a shoe fanatic.  I have to blame it on my mother because as a kid, I wasn’t a girly girl by any means. I wore mainly tennis shoes. I would have one black pair and one white pair and that would be sufficient.  If I had dress shoes of any kind it was because my mom made me get them for some sort of event like Easter or just to dress up in general.

My mom is much more of a girly girl than me and she had a big weakness for shoes.  I used to look in her closet and see boxes and boxes of shoes that she may have only worn once or twice. She would have different colors and styles and I wondered why she needed so many shoes.  Until one day, things clicked for me. I took stock of my closet and realized that I had a lot of shoes, mostly black and brown ones, but different styles and types.

So with that in mind, I pay close attention to shoe trends. I am a firm believer that the right shoe can make or break an outfit so I was pleased to see that embellished shoes was a trend that has slowly began to take hold in fashion.

If you are shy about wearing shoe embellishments, you can start slowly. There are shoes with a defined buckle or a well placed bow like the ones below.

http://ladies-shoes-pumps.blogspot.com/2009/12/women-merona-mariela-buckle-pump-brown.html

Then you have shoes that are covered in embellishments like sparkly crystals, similar to the shoes Pink wore in her Grammy performance by Rene Caovilla or like the wonderfully sparkly ones below by Christian Louboutin.

http://www.thefind.com/qq-Christian-Louboutin-Glittered-Platform-Pump+

Now I don’t suggest you go out and spend thousands of dollars on some embellished shoes. There is a great website, www.cutesygirl.com that I suggest you go check out. They have a great variety of shoes, boots, sandals, accessories and clothes. I am a big fan of their reasonably priced, but fabulous shoes so stop by and check them out for this trend and others!

How do I wear that trend-art deco jewelry

This trend is kind of a subcategory to the statement jewelry trend, however, it’s a good one to highlight because art deco jewelry is very pretty and unique looking. Plus it could help some of you move into statement pieces when you have something more specific to look for since “statement jewelry” can be a bit vague at times.

With that said, art deco jewelry is any jewelry with a clear art deco theme to it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with art deco, here’s a definition.

According to dictionary.com, art deco is: A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass.
Art deco was really big in the 80′s so it’s kind of a retro trend for those of you who like to participate in trends of yesteryear.  However, here are some pictures of art deco jewelry pieces for you to get a visual.

I hope these pictures give you a good start on a great trend. I would suggest taking a look in your own jewelry box before you go out and buy a new piece. You may be surprised to find that you already own art deco jewelry. If you don’t, you can always visit a budget friendly store like Target (my favorite), Walmart or K-mart. Your art deco jewelry doesn’t have to be made of semi-precious metals or stones. Don’t be afraid to rock costume jewelry!

This is an art deco ring from http://blog.decobelle.com/2008/02/marcasite-jewelry-care.html, which is a great way to slowly move into this trend. Rings are easy to wear and no matter how big, aren’t very overwhelming.

Style Q&A-How to wear a tiger print skirt?

Happy New Year!!

I hope all of you had a lovely start to 2010 and are looking optimistically towards making this a wonderful year.

I often offer to assist you with any fashion challenges you may encounter.  While I’m not a stylist, I do have an ability to take an objective look at things and offer insight into how you can improve your wardrobe.  I got a wonderful question from a reader and I decided to dedicate a post to it.

Hi,

Taking you up on your kind offer to address readers’ questions, I would like to know if you would have any suggestions on what to wear with a faux-fur tiger print mini-skirt. Yellow is the primary colour, with brown stripes. I was originally thinking of brown tights and shoes with a brown sweater and maybe a brown leather jacket, but that seems like way too much brown. Also, a Google image search reveals that most people seem to pair animal print with black, not brown. Now I’m wondering if I could do some sort of mix-and-match with brown and black. Like maybe a black top and black tights but brown shoes? Or would that look too weird with the skirt?

I absolutely need to find some way to wear this skirt or it will never get worn.

Thanks for your help!

Penny

I’d like to thank Penny for sharing her question.  I think many women have a similar problem wearing animal print.  You don’t want your outfit to clash but you don’t want to look to matchy matchy.  In order to help with visuals, I found a picture of a skirt with a similar print.

http://beautyandthestreet.blogspot.com/2008_05_25_archive.html

Well, this is quite a cute skirt so good choice, Penny, on picking it.  If the dominant dark color is brown, then you could go with a brown pallet for the rest of the outfit.  I would suggest if you do the brown shirt and shoes, you don’t do brown tights, go with bare legs.  However, you could also do something similar to what the model in the picture is doing.  You could do a white or off white shirt and some brown boots or sandals (depending on the time of year you want to wear the skirt).  I wouldn’t do the black shoes and brown tights because it may be hard to pull off confidently.  That doesn’t mean that brown and black won’t go together, because they will, just not in this case.

I hope this insight is helpful for you, Penny, and for any of you other Clueless Fashionistas out there struggling with an animal print piece of clothing.  Don’t put it in the back of your closet never to see the light of day. Pull it out and experiment with it.  Try it with several different pieces and see what works best.  Pull our your full length mirror and give yourself a mini fashion show!

If you have any other questions about fashion and style, please ask away. Let’s make 2010 the year we step outside of our fashion comfort zones and broaden our style horizons!

How do I wear that trend…statement necklaces

I’ve been noticing this term, statement jewelry, being said a lot lately when it comes to fashion trends and great ways to add some spice to your wardrobe.

I realize that many of you may not really know what a piece of statement jewelry is.  Well, I’m here to shed some light on the subject.

Statement necklaces are really large, eye catching necklaces.  Here is a picture of a necklace that would be considered a statement necklace:

Large Earrings, Necklace and Bracelet from http://www.bradbarwick.com/projects.asp

There is also other statement jewelry in the picture, but let’s focus on the necklace.  In essence, the statement necklace is any really large.  I know those can be intimidating to those of you who wear no jewelry or very little jewelry, but don’t be afraid.  Here are some ways you can ease into statement jewelry a bit.

1.  Start light.  Get a long necklace that can be looped more than once around your neck.  You will be doing the statement trend but in a way that may be easier to digest.  Once you realize how fabulous this looks, you should be able to get a larger necklace.

2.  Wear two necklaces at once.  This is another way to ease into the trend without feeling overwhelmed.  You can get two inexpensive necklaces of varying sizes and just wear them together.

3.  Wear a shirt with an attached necklace.  I’ve noticed a trend in stores where they are selling shirts that come with necklaces attached.  Oftentimes the attached necklace is a nice size and with it being attached to the shirt, you may not feel like you’re wearing statement jewelry.

Good luck jumping into the statement necklace trend.  Please send me questions if you need help diving in.

How do I wear that trend…Hardware on bags/purses

I was at the mall yesterday and since I am a big fan of all things shoes and purses, I was browsing around a few stores that sell both. The big trend of more hardware on bags/purses is still going strong.

For those of you who may not know what I mean by hardware, in a nutshell, it’s any metal embellishment that is added to a purse.

If you look at the pictures, you will see that you can easily involve yourself in this trend in more than one way.  There are bags out there that are very decorative with many embellishments and ones that are more understated with only a few.  For you adventurous ladies who enjoy wearing accessories that stand out and draw attention, go pick up a great bag with lots of hardware.  For you ladies who prefer a more understated look, you have options as well.  If you want to treat yourself to this trend without spending hundreds of dollars on the bag, visit some of my favorite stores:

Target

Aldo

Baker’s

All three of these stores carry bags under $50 that are very cute, stylish and give you the opportunity to increase your accessory wardrobe without breaking the bank.  Click on the names and check out their websites and to find a store in your area.

The Chanel purse is from www.dreamhandbags.blogspot.com and has quite a few embellishments on it, however, I want you to pay close attention to the silver embellishments. Those are considered hardware.

The small black bag is a Jimmy Choo hand bag from www.handbagcom.com. It is a lot simpler than the Chanel one above it, but the gold metal embellishments on the bag are considered hardware.

Wearing animal prints…rawr!

Since I talked about what not to do when you’re wearing animal prints, I thought it was only fair for me to discuss some ways you can go about incorporating animal prints into your wardrobe.  I don’t want any of you going out looking like a fashion don’t.  If you didn’t get a chance to check out that article, take a moment and give it a read.  Animal Prints…Rawr.

I’ll still be here.  Go ahead and read on. The don’ts are just as important as the dos. Ready? Ok, here we go.

If you’re unsure about how to wear animal print and still look cute and maybe even a little edgy, here are some ways that animal prints can pop.

1. Wear it with a monotone outfit. First of all, wearing all of one color is very slimming and lengthening. Well, wait, let me clarify. By monotone, I mean muted colors like gray, tan, black, burnt orange etc. You can wear an all red outfit but you do run the risk of standing out in a very not so subtle way which could possibly be unflattering. Wear bright colors with caution. Make full use of your full length mirror in all cases, but especially this one. But if you wear a muted color, animal print jewelry, scarves and shoes will definitely give you an added touch of fabulous to make your outfit pop!

2. With the warning in the first tip in mind, animal print can look great when combined with bright colors. I don’t actively support wearing one bright color head to toe, however if you’re wearing a bright colored shirt or a bright colored pair of pants (you know those colored jeans are still in for the fall!), if you pick up an animal print purse or throw on an animal print scarf, it will look fabulous. Now if you have a great, bright colored dress, I definitely support throwing on some animal print shoes.

3. Now there is one very important thing you should keep in mind when rocking animal prints of any kind, confidence. You should wear all of your clothes with confidence but animal prints require a tad more. Mainly because animal prints tend to draw more attention for some reason. It can be either good attention or bad attention. I’m here to help you draw good attention!

So now that you are armed with both the dos and don’ts of wearing animal prints, venture out and get on board. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a print you’re unsure about, check out stores like Forever 21, Dots, Target and Walmart for some accessories. I am a big fan of all four of those places for great, chic accessories that are very budget friendly. Just because we’re in a recession doesn’t mean we can’t look great.

Animal Prints…Rawr!!

While this is on my fall fashion accessory trend list, I wanted to do a separate post on animal prints in general.  I will be addressing animal print shoes in an upcoming How do I wear that trend post so stay tuned for that, but this information is important as well.

I have noticed that animal prints are big this fall.  I think animal prints are a great thing to incorporate into your wardrobe but it should be done with caution.  With that in mind, I wanted to discuss some important things to keep in mind when you decide to delve into animal prints.

1.  Don’t wear animal print from head to toe.  If you are an animal print newbie, doing this can definitely be intimidating.  However, if you’re an animal print veteran, you may like it.  I caution against it because more often than not you could end up looking like a piece of furniture or a bed spread and that’s never flattering.  Now for you ladies that do things in an over the top fashion on a regular basis, go for it! But for you ladies that don’t and just want to spice things up, I would suggest staying away from the head to toe animal print.

2.  Don’t over accessorize animal print.  If you decide to use your accessories as a way to wear animal print, great! You’re definitely going to add some great depth to your outfits.  However, I would suggest only wearing one or two pieces in the print.  Do not go all out with animal print earrings, stockings, a bracelet, a headband and a purse all at the same time.  While I understand that the jewelry you wear should compliment each other, you will look way too matchy, matchy.  I know you may like the idea of matching but it can sometimes work against you, especially when wearing a print.  If you want to do accessories, wear no more than two with the same print at the same time.

3.  Don’t wear two different animal prints at the same time. As with any print, mixing is not advised.  If you want to wear leopard print, zebra print and tiger print, that’s wonderful.  However, don’t wear all three at the same time!  Mixing and matching is great when you’re dealing with solid colors but doing it with prints can be dicey.

4.  Don’t wear animal print with a lack of confidence.  Animal print tends to stand out, no matter how you wear it.  You should wear your clothes, they should not wear you.  When you decide to put on animal print (and I strongly encourage you to), you should do it confidently.  Don’t be afraid to put a little extra strut in your stuff.  Enjoy the attention you will receive by wearing animal print the right way.

Stay tuned for more insight on this subject.  I’ve seen so many people wearing animal print wrong that I felt it important to address it head on.  Please, ask questions and seek clarification if you’re unsure about anything. Don’t step out looking less than your best but don’t be afraid to try something new, either.