some people are born fashionistas, the rest of us just need a little help
Happy first day of Spring!
It’s lovely here in Atlanta and I’m enjoying the mild temperatures. In recent months, pearls have made a resurgence along with all other types of fabulous accessories. While pearls are indeed a classic and never truly go out of style, they are sometimes related to the necks and ears of very conservative ladies. Now that accessories are becoming bigger and better with things like cocktail rings and statement jewelry, pearls are getting their just desserts as well.
However, if you want to take part in the pearl trend, you don’t necessarily have to do it with big pearl earrings or necklaces. You can still put on a pair of classic, small pearls and look very lovely. Besides, have you ever noticed how the addition of pearls to an outfit can make it go from plain to classic?
Don’t underestimate the power of the pearl!
Yes, budgets are tighter. Yes, the economy is going through some changes. However that doesn’t mean we have to stop shopping. There are some resources available to us out there that will help keep the shopping budget manageable. A great resource is through a company called Shop It To Me. When you go to the website and sign up, you can select your favorite designers and receive a daily or weekly email called Salemail featuring the items that are on sale that day or week. Plus, they just introduced a new feature called Sale Spot where you can view all of your sale items in addition to the ones in your Salemail. In essence, Shop It To Me is your own personal bargain shopper. I don’t know about you but I enjoy the thought of having my own personal band of shopping elves out there scouring the net for deals on the brands and shops that I enjoy visiting. Here is an invite so you can become a member of Shop It To Me. It’s free to join and they won’t email you beyond what you request when you sign up.
www.shopittome.com
I enjoy every SaleMail that I receive from Shop It To Me even when I’m not doing any shopping. Sometimes the deals are so great, I end up buying something anyway (naughty shopping is good shopping when it’s sale shopping!).
Happy Shopping!
Ok ladies, it’s officially March. The clocks have sprung up (way too early in my opinion) and those of you that observe lent are doing so. I know there are some of you still dealing with snow storms and very cold weather, but it is definitely time to start preparing for the spring/summer wardrobe changes. Shoes will soon be going from boots to sandals and we will start shedding those layers and wearing less.
I do realize that many of you have stopped doing the regular mani/pedi trips that become par for the course during the warmer months. Actually, I slow up on my mani/pedi trips some as well. With wearing boots and gloves, those things don’t seem as important as staying warm and cozy in the winter. However, this can be a bit of an issue when you finally do re-enter the nail salon after several months of no mani/pedis. The good thing about our hands is that even when we’re not doing a regular manicure, we still maintain them because they’re always visible. Actually some of you may still get a regular manicure even in the fall/winter months. I know some people (I’m guilty of it as well) do the whole mani/pedi thing as a package deal so when you stop doing one, you stop doing the other.
Well although I haven’t seen the inside of a nail salon in a few months, I still want my feet to be well maintained. I know what can happen when the pedicures stop and I didn’t want to deal with that this winter. I know many of you have seen the infomercials about the Ped Egg and how it makes horribly dry feet look lovely and smooth. I was a skeptic myself but after trying many different products, I decided to plunk down the $10 and give the Ped Egg a try.
Initially, it gave decent results but nothing mind blowing. But as I used it more, I started to get more comfortable with it and realized that it was a really cool product. Now it won’t instantly transform your cracked, dry feet into smooth, pedicured toes, but it will cut down on the dry skin buildup if you use it regularly. When I first got it, I used it every so often but not very regularly. Then one day I saw the commercial and decided to be more diligent with it. Now I use it at least once a week to keep my winter feet more sandal friendly.
Now my feet are looking pretty good. They don’t look like I’ve been to a salon but they also don’t look salon starved. I highly recommend that you visit your local Walgreen’s or other retailer and pick up a Ped Egg. You can order them online as well. It definitely isn’t a pedicure replacement but it can extend the life of one. Plus, when you do finally return to the nail salon, the technicians won’t look at you with a raised eyebrow or ask “It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Let’s start getting those feet summer ready! For more information about Ped Egg (please forgive the informercial feel to their website), visit their website www.pedegg.com
Yaaaaa!!! Clueless Fashionista has been up and running for a year today. I look forward to continuing to grow and share more fashion tips and fashion advice made simple with you. Thank you for your comments and insight. I look forward to reading more of them and making Clueless Fashionista a place where you feel like you can ask questions and get information to help you become more comfortable with fashion and beauty.
Keep coming back for more Cluess Fashionista and remember fashion should be fun so happy shopping!
Please forgive my designing skills.
It is well known that New York is the fashion capitol of the US. Some would say it’s the fashion capitol of the world but I won’t make that proclamation, especially with cities like Milan and Tokyo holding it down overseas. However, while I was up there for 2009 Mercedes Benz Fall Fashion Week, I decided to do a little observing and see what the ladies in the fashion capitol of the US were wearing.
It’s so easy to people watch in New York because the major modes of transportation is by foot, taxi or public transportation. People are walking all over the place so one day while I ate lunch before going to work the Tony Cohen fashion show, I did a little people watching. I noticed that the main thing for ladies in New York at this time of year was layers. Since it does get quite cold there in the winter, layering is important, especially when you’re doing a lot of walking outside. In spite of their penchant for layering, I quickly noticed that the layering was often done in a chic and cute way. So that was the key. Cute layering was the name of the game for fashion in New York. So if you want to step up your trend appeal, here is a picture of the “New York look” for you to duplicate or adapt to your own wardrobe. I highly suggest adapting it because some of us in the warmer states would be hard pressed to sport this look as often as we may like.
pea coat, jeans and boots from http://wishfulcloset.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html
This is just one example of the look I saw on the streets of New York. You can adapt it in any way you prefer. Here is a list of the items of clothings that I saw most prevalently when I fashion watched in New York City.
1. Pea coats: these were a great way to stay warm but look great while doing it
2. Knee high boots with low heels or flats: since they do so much walking, this was a practical thing. If you are in a city that is more car focused, you can play with the heel height.
3. Tights: I saw mostly dark colors like black, purple, grey and brown
4. Skinny jeans or leggings tucked into boots
If you have a style trend that is very prevalent in your city, send them my way. Shoot me an email at info at cluelessfashionista dot com. I have to keep the spam low by writing out the email address. I would love to feature clothes on the street from your city.
The temps are changing! Slowly but surely, the weather is warming up. I’m sure it’s much slower for some of you in the northern portion of the US and much faster for those of you in the western portion of the US. But for me, down here in Atlanta, it’s starting to improve now that we’ve had our random snow storm for the year. Well the trend for today is one that can be worn during the winter months and the spring months. You may not be able to pull it off comfortably in the hot summer months when its in the 90s and above but its definitely doable on those milder summer days. So in essence, leggings can be worn all year round. They made a big comeback last year and are still holding strong.
I will say, though, that leggings can’t be worn by everyone. Because they’re very fitted pants, some people won’t be flattered by them. Before delving into the legging trend, I would suggest you go to a store where you can try some on. Since they’re pants rather than stockings, you could easily go to any store that carries them and see how they look on you. I would recommend visiting a Target or Walmart store. I know they sell them there and if you decide to make the purchase, you won’t be killing your budget.
Now if you decide to go try some on, take an honest person with you. These are the types of pants that can look great when worn properly and can look completely horrible if worn improperly. Make sure you take full advantage of the three way mirror on this one too.
Ok, now that you’ve done the test run and determined that leggings look good on you, it’s time to work them into your wardrobe. There are a few ways to wear leggings. A great way for those of us that aren’t so adventurous is to layer them under a short dress or a long shirt. One way to dress up this look is by adding some knee high boots (which look great with leggings) and/or a belt around your waist or hips. If you’re more adventurous, you can wear the leggings with a short, fitted shirt and layer over a vest. I’ve seen this look be really cute and I’ve seen it be not so cute so be cautious. Make sure you use your full length mirror (that we should all have at home per my post about having a full length mirror) and check the front and back of that outfit before you exit your house.
Leggings are a cute trend that can be a bit tricky if not done properly. If you decide to partake in the legging trend, just make sure you are completely honest with yourself. Don’t do the trend if it doesn’t flatter you. There’s nothing worse than looking bad in a trendy outfit.
A trend that has always kind of been around is the trend of layering. It came back into the spotlight for this fall and is a great trend that is fairly easy to incorporate. It’s also a good way to include your summer clothes in your fall/winter wardrobe, which is a lovely way to extend your outfit potential.
Layering clothes is exactly what it says. It’s when you put one piece over another. However, layering must be done with caution. You don’t want to end up looking bulky or as if you’re on your way to visit the North or South pole. Many people think of layering only in the cold weather months when warmth may over shadow looking fashionable. Now you can do both. One cool way to layer is to combine those cute summer t-shirts by wearing a lighter colored one under a darker colored one. This is best done when the shirts aren’t exactly the same size so you can see them both.
Here are some pictures of celebrities wearing layered looks. These looks are very simple ways to layer and they’re very easy to do. Plus, many of you may have these types of pieces already so this is another way to use them and add a new look to your wardrobe. If you have any cool layered looks that you’ve tried successfully, please send me a comment and I will send you an email address where you can send the picture. Also if you have a picture of a layered look that wasn’t so successful, share those too if you’re comfortable doing so. It can help to see what works and what doesn’t work. Plus, I love to show pictures of regular people rather than celebrities.
Layered looks from http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2006/10/24/yes-you-can-wea/
Happy layering!
Hi! I’ve been away for the past week but I’m back now. I had the opportunity to work backstage as a dresser during this past Mercedes Benz Fall Fashion Week in New York. It was my first season working as a dresser for the company, Ground Crew. I worked the Tony Cohen Fashion Show and the Michael Kors Fashion Show. Both of the fall lines were really cute. The Tony Cohen line was in mostly dark, muted colors but they were well cut and elegantly simple. Here is a video from the show. Check it out and enjoy learning about this great designer.
I dressed the lovely Martha in these two looks:
I also worked the Michael Kors show. The line was great! It was very clean and elegant with great splashes of color. I especially loved these tan and orange pumps that were worn by one of the models. They came in tan and green and tan and pink but I loved the tan and orange ones. Check out the video of Michael Kors Show from this past Fashion Week.
I dressed the lovely Heidi and Hanne.
Here’s Heidi:
Here’s Hanne:
While I was there I did some scouting to see what the ladies of the fashion capitol of the US were wearing. Stay tuned for that post. I noticed some trends that can be easily incorporated into the wardrobe of anyone in any state. Enjoy the shows! Oh and here are the shoes:
They were hot this past summer and they’re still hot for 2009. Bold colors are still a great trend that is holding strong. While basic black will always be classic and a fashion favorite, bold colors are a great way to make your outfits pop. Now as someone that isn’t a big fan of patterns, I enjoy the bold color trend because it gives me the ability to some extra flair to my outfits without having to deal with patterns.
I know, I know. I need to show patterns some love and I am working on it but in the meantime, I will rock those bold colors. I do realize, however, that there are some of you who have an almost totally black wardrobe. Or there are others of you who live life in different shades of tan and brown. It’s ok, you can do the bold color trend as well.
Some easy and non intimidating ways to incorporate bold colors into your wardrobe is through jewelry, shoes, hair accessories and purses. If you are a lady that enjoys wearing lots of black, you can spice up that black outfit with a bold colored bracelet or a bold colored pair of shoes. If you are a lady that enjoys wearing tans, you can spice up that tan outfit with a burnt orange or red accessory of any kind.
The bold color trend is not unlike the jewel tone trend. For more tips, check out this post I did on how to incorporate jewel tones depending on the most prevalent color palette in your wardrobe.
You can also refer to a post that I wrote about how to wear the bright color trend that was really popular over the summer. Honestly, bold colors and bright colors aren’t that different. The tone is usually what may separate the two. Bold colors can be bright or they can just be striking. For example, burnt orange is a bold color whereas candy apple red is a bright color. See the difference? Check out this post for more tips.
Any questions? Send me a comment or a message. Remember, fashion should be fun.
I just finished going through all of the comments I’ve gotten recently. I love that there are people checking out the blog and sharing their thoughts. I highly encourage it! Keep up the comments, thoughts, suggestions and insights.
Ok, now on to another trend alert. When I was looking into trends for 2009, I was pleased to discover that blazers were making a comeback on the trend scene. Now don’t get me wrong, blazers have been around for years. They started out as something men would wear and eventually seeped into the closets of ladies as well. So they haven’t ever actually left but it’s great to see them on the list of trends for 2009.
I love the way a good blazer can make an outfit look instantly more polished and pulled together. I used to stay away from them personally because I’m a bit top heavy and I have a hard time with clothes that button down the front. I get that annoying buckle effect and I think that makes the piece of clothing look too small even if it isn’t. However, I am going to take the leap and join the rest of the ladies wearing blazers. The great thing about blazers is that they come in so many different fabrics so you can own more than one and achieve a separate type of look with each one.
Ok this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to go out there and find a few blazers and put together a few different blazer looks and post those pictures for you to see. Now, I’m not a stylist by any means and I don’t consider myself a trendy person (I am a Clueless Fashionista) but I will use this exercise to broaden my ability to put together pieces.
I challenge you to do the same thing. Get a blazer or two and put together a few different looks. I’d love to feature your looks as well as mine. Once you get the pictures together, send me a message and I will send you an email about where to send the pictures. I have to keep my email addresses away from the spammers so I won’t post it here.
So good luck with the blazer project and I look forward to seeing your pictures!
I’m a writer and blogger that works in television and film production. I am a Clueless Fashionista dedicated to making fashion fun and easy to understand. If you’d like to learn more about me, visit my website www.ashiasims.com.
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