Shop savvy this weekend

 For the past week my Gmail inbox has been full of emails from various websites  and stores I shop at letting me know the amazing Black Friday sales they are  having. Although Black Friday came and went yesterday, the sales have not  stopped because most stores are still having deals throughout this weekend and  then of course most if not all of your favorite online shops will be having their  Cyber Monday deals. For all the fashionistas out there who love online shopping  and didn’t get what they wanted or everything they needed in stores yesterday and this weekend, Cyber Monday is a dream come true. The best part of Cyber Monday is that it can be done from the comfort of your own home with no crowds, no lines, and no waits. Whether you are utilizing the sales to get all of your holiday shopping finished or treating yourself to an early holiday gift, make sure you peruse your favorite sites and find the best deals that are being offered. Some online stores will have the discounts already calculated on the specific items, but others will give you a code to put in at checkout to get the sale price so make sure you pay close attention to the details so you can get the best deals. Some of the stores and online sites that are having fabulous deals you should check out are Nasty Gal, Guess, and Urban Outfitters. Nasty Gal is having $5, $15, $25, and $50 deals you can shop online and if you spend $75 or more you can get free shipping. Shop Guess either in stores or online and get 40% of the entire store plus free shipping on all orders when you shop online. Urban Outfitters is also featuring “cool stuff” starting at $5 and then $20, $30, and $50 deals online. Time to get shopping!

 

 

 

 

(Black Friday, Cyber Monday, sales, Guess, Nasty Gal, Urban Outfitters, winter fashion)

 

Look of the day: Holiday Fashion

Happy Thanksgiving fashionistas! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday and are full from fabulous holiday feasts. I am spending the holiday at my uncle’s where we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with a plethora of food and dessert and of course lots of wine. The stores were full of fabulous holiday looks to wear this year, but I decided to dress for the day with clothing that I already had in my closet. However, this morning I was still unsure of what my holiday look would be. Of course when it actually came time to pick an outfit and get dressed for the day I was rummaging through my clothes and throwing miscellaneous items on the floor. Finally I decided on a look consisting of my favorite liquid leather leggings, a reddish orange peplum blouse that is lace with a peter pan collar, and I finished off the look with a pair of ankle-strap, pointed toe nude heels.  For my holiday look I wanted to make sure I incorporated a fall color into my outfit which is why I chose to pair the peplum blouse with my leather leggings. For my shoe choice, I wanted to wear heels to add a dressier feel to the look and I decided on minimal accessories with a necklace, a couple of bracelets, and a watch. I am certainly not the only fashionista in my family which became completely evident at my uncle’s house with my mom, aunts, and cousin also dressed to impress in fabulous holiday looks. What did you wear this holiday?

(fall fashion, peplum, peter pan collar, liquid leather leggings, nude heels, ankle-strap heels)

What to Wear on a Date Night

 With the frigid winter months ahead of us it can sometimes be hard to wear a dress or show  some skin without fearing you’ll freeze the moment you step outside. But a chic maxi dress is  the perfect solution to this problem. A fall/winter maxi dress gives you a longer hemline for the  colder weather while still giving you the flirty feel of  a shorter dress. The beauty of a maxi  dress is that it also gives you a look of sophistication and elegance when you choose a style that  hugs your curves and effortlessly falls to your feet. The style I chose for my date night is a  sleeveless gray maxi dress with a higher neckline and two leg slits allowing you to show some  leg when you walk without having your legs completely bare. To dress up the simple chic maxi  I decided to layer my neckline with three different necklaces and threw on a pair of heeled  leather ankle booties for a tough and girly finish. For all of my fellow vertically challenged  fashionistas out there, I suggest wearing some type of heel with your maxi so the dress doesn’t  overwhelm your small frame and in my opinion heels are always a nice touch for a date night  look. The dress I chose is jersey knit so it’s as comfortable as it is fashionable and not overly  dressy so it’s perfect for a dinner date or grabbing a few drinks. I snagged my maxi at  Marshall’s for $20 bucks making the dress comfortable, fashionable, and affordable; the  trifecta for a fashion forward female. For any fashionista out there who is in search for a date  night look that’s chic and stylish and will grab their date’s attention choose a maxi dress and  add your own personal touches to it to complete the look. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(date night look, fall fashion, winter fashion, maxi dress, ankle booties, layered necklaces, Marshall’s)

Be inspired by menswear

 

Sarah is a Rutgers senior who dressed to impress yesterday despite the dreary, rainy day weather. This chic student happens to be one of my roommates and I spotted her and her stylish outfit in the hallway of our apartment before heading to class. Sarah rocked a menswear inspired look which is one of this season’s best and hottest trends. She found the perfect pairing of stylish menswear with a feminine feel when putting together her outfit and the look was spot on and full of style. Sarah’s outfit consisted of a structured plaid button up tucked into skinny corduroy’s and knee high black riding boots. She pulled the look together and added a dash of sparkle and glitz with a jeweled statement necklace which was the perfect girly feel to add to her blouse. Take a cue from Sarah this season and don’t be afraid to incorporate menswear inspired pieces into your look while still adding your own personal style and flair.

Pile on the arm candy

 Jewelry accessories are a great way to finish off your look or give your outfit an  extra dose of sparkle and edge. With stores and sites out there that are full of  trendy and affordable pieces of costume jewelry, it can be dangerously easy to  constantly update and grow your own jewelry collection. To all the fellow  fashionistas out there who feel they have a ton of accessories, but are only wearing  a few of the same pieces everyday, my suggestion for you is to stack your  accessories and pile on multiple pieces at a time. One of my all-time favorite  accessory trends to rock involves piling on the arm candy and stacking lots of  bracelets with a statement watch. Chain bracelets, bangles, arm cuffs- you name it,  you stack it. Not only do I personally rock this trend all the time, but I’ve seen celebrities and other fashionistas also sporting the look and I can’t scroll through Pinterest without finding an image of arm candy making a statement on someone’s wrist.

In my search online of the stacking jewelry trend I came across a 2013 Just Jewelry slideshow piece in Glamour’s Fashion section in which Nikki Ogunnaike interviewed jewelry designer, Jennifer Fisher, on the trick to stacking jewelry, packing accessories, and transitioning your look from day to night. Glamour mentions that Fisher is known for stacking her jewelry and asks the designer what she loves about this type of styling.  Fisher responds, “I love that it’s really organic. Everyone stacks and layers in their personal way; mine is heavy. If you’re new to stacking jewelry I suggest starting with three pieces, including one large piece to ground your stack.”

 Take a tip from Fisher and start stacking jewelry in your own personal way, starting with three  pieces if you are new to the stacking trend. Check out  some of the ways I stack my own bracelets with a  statement watch for some arm candy inspiration. Both of  my watches are Michael Kors and my bracelets include  Alex and Ani charm bracelets, a Pandora double wrapped  and braided bracelet, Kate Spade bangles, a gold chain link  bracelet (costume jewelry) that I received as a gift, and  handmade beaded bracelets I got at one of my favorite  boutiques, Katherine’s, in Manasquan, New Jersey.

 

 

 

 

(arm candy, stacking jewelry, bangles, bracelets, watches, Jennifer Fisher, Glamour, Nikki Ogunnaike, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Alex and Ani, Katherine’s)

Look of the day

When getting dressed this chilly morning I really did not know what to wear and to be completely honest I really did not want to get out of my over-sized comfy sweatshirt and yoga pants. Shivering I rummaged through my dresser and closet waiting for something to jump out at me, but found no such luck at first. I decided that layers would be my best friend today because if how cold it was in my apartment was any indication of the weather outside then I knew it had to be frigid out there. I was also getting ready to spend my day sipping lattes at Starbucks and doing homework until I couldn’t possibly look at my computer screen anymore, so I knew my outfit had to be as comfortable as it was fashionable. After a few minutes passed I finally decided on my favorite Beatles band tee from H&M, gray jeggings, a black cape sweater, and tan suede fringed Steve Madden boots. To top of my look I decided to go with the theme of the season and ‘put a beanie on it.’

 

 

(look of the day, fall fashion, winter fashion, band tee, H&M, Steve Madden, beanie, fringed boots)

 

Velvet slippers you can leave the house in

Do you ever have one of those days where you are dying to slip on a pair of shoes that are as comfortable as they are chic? Although  I love high heels and sometimes choose style over comfort in my shoe choices, there are many days where I am dying to rock the cutest and comfiest flats for both a fashionable and cozy shoe trend. One of the chicest and most comfortable shoe trends of the moment is the velvet slipper. When you first hear velvet slipper you may be thinking that isn’t something I can leave the house in, but I promise these flats are made for the outdoors. Any fashionista who rocks this shoe trend will still get the elegant look of wearing heels, but without the possible discomfort that comes from high heels at times.

Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats

Many celebrity fashionistas have been seen sporting the latest and trendiest velvet    slippers from Charlotte Olympia’s Kitty Flats collection. If the $595-$825 price tag on  these Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats doesn’t flatter your budget, you can still get the look  of velvet slippers without breaking the bank.  If you love the fun, feline feel of the kitty  flats then try Forever 21’s version for only $22.80. But for any fashionista who loves the  look of velvet slippers, but isn’t quite yet sold on the feline look, try a pair of velvet  slippers without the added design. These burgundy velvet ballet flats from Topshop are  the perfect way to rock the trend with a more traditional feel and with a $40 price tag you  are still able to get the look for less. No matter which style, color, or version you choose,  velvet slippers are definitely a trendy and chic shoe trend to add to your holiday wishlist.

VENT Metal Heel Ballet Shoes from Topshop

 

Faux Suede Cool Cat Flats from Forever 21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Charlotte Olympia, kitty flats, velvet slippers, shoe trend, fall fashion, winter fashion, Forever 21, Topshop)

Stylish Storefront: J. Crew

J. Crew at the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets has dressed their mannequins for a preppy winter with a holiday theme to the storefront. For any fashionista out there who considers their style heavy on the preppy or enjoys incorporating stylish and preppy pieces into their look, J. Crew is the chic answer for you. The outfit on the mannequin exudes a cool preppy look in a patterned sweater, skirt and navy pea coat. Although the look is completely on point from head to toe, the elegant pea coat is my favorite part of the outfit. Investing in a fabulous winter coat is one of the best things a fashionista can do because in the cold winter months having a coat that is conventional and keeps you warm while still being fashionable and adding to your outfit is crucial. Rock a preppy look this winter and invest in an elegant  and structured winter coat such as a pea coat.

 

(J. Crew, preppy, pea coat, winter fashion, Jersey Shore Premium Outlets)

Look of the day

 This morning when I went to my closet searching for today’s outfit , I already had an intended look in mind. I  had an appointment to take senior portraits at 9:45 and the dress code was business  professional. The weather was dreary and I didn’t feel like going the skirt or dress route so I  decided that I would wear a pair of black pants, black top. and a gray and black patterned  blazer. The pants I chose are fitted and slim  in the leg, but instead of being straight on the  ankle they have a slight fair. To highlight the look of the pants and walk confidently in the  rain I adorned my feet with my favorite pair of black heeled ankle booties that have treaded  soles. Not only are treaded sole boots conventional for rainy day weather, they are also one  of fall/winter’s best trends in footwear. When choosing a blazer to add to my outfit I  decided that my Silence + Noise blazer was the perfect way to incorporate a professional    yet still fashionable and trendy piece of clothing into my overall look. When dressing  business professional, business casual, or anything a bit more structured, the key is to make  your look professional and appropriate while still being chic and trendy. There is no  unwritten rule that says business professional means boring so next time you pick out a professional look make sure you aren’t sacrificing your personal style, but in turn just revamping it into a work look or for the occasion at hand.

 

(look of the day, business professional, blazer, treaded sole boots, fall fashion, winter fashion, silence + noise)

Take your socks to new lengths

One of the easiest and most affordable ways  to transform your look is through  accessories.  Over the knee socks are a a  playful accessory that can give your flowy  dress or fitted mini a  flirty and fun feel. The  beauty of this trendy accessory is that the  possibilities are endless.    Whether you want a  thick knitted pair in a plain color, a colorful  pair with a more intricate  design, or  something in between, over the knee socks  come in a plethora of styles and colors.  For    any fashionista who loves the look of over  the knee boots but wasn’t sure if she could    pull them off, over the knee socks are a great way to try an over the knee type trend without  committing to a pair of expensive boots. Don’t be afraid to play around with this trend and try  different looks. With the affordable prices of these socks, try the trend in more than one style  depending on your mood or outfit. Incorporate over the knee socks into your fall and winter  wardrobe for an extra layer of coolness and style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(over the knee socks, accessories, fall fashion, winter fashion)