NAUTICAL: PINSTRIPES AND POLKA DOTS

Hey guys!

Hope you all are enjoying your Spring 2018! Spring is a little tricky because it seems to be either to cool or too hot but I’ll take it over the cold any day. With the weather changing I know a lot of people are thinking about what to wear in the months to come so today I wanted to talk about personal style. What is personal style? Why is it important and how do we define it?

Personal style is a “signature style”. It is personalized based on your character and captures the essence of who you are. It allows people to know who you are from the moment they look at you. It’s your “First Impression”. Some people will argue that clothes don’t define you, but the truth is, it expresses who you are. As time passes, your style will change but it also tells a store about who you are in that moment. I feel it is important to have a personal style because it’s an outward expression of your inward self. Some people can careless about getting dress, but we all have to do it so why not do it your way?

Defining a personal style isn’t easy for everyone. I have been through a lot of trial and error but once I determined what mine, was it made my life a lot easier. It’s easier for me to shop, get dressed and maintain an overall image allowing me to express who I am. Luck for you guys, I have some tips on how to design your personal style.

1.     Think about your most comfortable outfit. What outfits do you wear that makes you feel the prettiest, sexiest and most a live. If you wanted to impress someone, what would you wear? What is your go to outfit for parties, dinner dates etc. Once you have recognized that, you are getting closer to defining your personal style. Knowing what makes you feel your best is more than likely the style you want to own. The idea is not to dress for other people but for your self so that you can be your happiest self.

2.     Think about your lifestyle. What do you do every day? Where do you work? Where do you hang out? Knowing this will give you some ground rules or how you should dress. You can take one look and cater it to every aspect of your life and create a style that’s realistic to who you are.

3.     Decide if the look that you want to go for is feasible for you financially. What companies will accommodate your look as well as you budget? Would shopping fast fashion companies make more sense for you or is it better to spend more money on timeless pieces? Does your budget allow you to follow trends or are you better off going to a thrift shop?

I just wanted to share with you some key points to consider when trying to create a personal style that will help you be your authentic self. I will touch on these topics more in depth in future post but just wanted to give you something to start with. I hope you guys got something out of this post and that it will help you.

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Dress-Topshop (worn as duster)

Hat-Forever 21

T-shirt-Forever 21

Jeans-Old-Navy

Shoes-Bebe

Sunglasses-Ray Ban

Photo by Laurel Creative

IT’S A WRAP

Hey guys! 

It’s April!!!! My Birthday month and I am so excited! Well my birthday was actually a week ago on the 11th and I celebrated in Los Angeles with my sister and one of our friends (whose birthday is a few days before mine). This year was a milestone birthday for me, I turn 40 and can’t be more excited. 

The original plan was to go to Vegas with a group of my girlfriends but that fell through so I decided....you know what do something you really want to do and because I love Los Angeles I decided to just go there instead. 

With all that being said.....let’s get into this look, shall we. The one thing I love about getting dressed is creating a “look”. I absolutely love taking one piece and putting it together in a non traditional way. 

I got this leather piece from Topshop and I usually won’t wear short dresses or skirts (well not until I can get these legs tight) so I’m always thinking of ways to layer dresses to make them more interesting. What was attractive about the dress was the off the shoulders and the wrap, which in my opinion looks great on almost anyone. 

Even though I love to layer, I also choice pieces that can stand alone by themselves. This allows me to be able to maximize my wardrobe without having to keep buying things in order to look nice everyday. So the dress was the focal point but I wanted an edgy look to it so I enlisted this lace top, ripped jeans (will spazz up any outfit) and the shoes for POP. The head piece was the glue! And WALLAH 💨 this look was born. 

Tips For Creating A Dope Layered Look:

• Always start with a “Center“ piece that you are going to build your layers around. 
• If the center piece is solid, find coordinating pieces that are textured, printed or have unique qualities that can enhance your center piece. 
• Always find an item that will act as the “Glue”. This item is usually an accessory such as shoes, handbag, hat etc. The glue’s purpose this to bring the whole look together. It’s the key to being able to get away with putting different textures, prints and colors together. 

Well, let me not bore you guys with too many details. I just wanted to give you a little advise on how to effectively layer. So have fun with your clothes and don’t be afraid to layer, layer, layer!!!

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Dress-Topshop

Scarf-Old Navy 

Lace Top-Zara

Jeans-Old-Navy
Socks-Urban Outfitter
Shoes-Zara
Earrings-Zara
Rings-Thrifted

Photo by Laurel Creative

INVESTED

  

Hey guys! 

Today is officially the first day of Spring!!! Yay!!! Although the weather isn’t acting like Spring, I’m still excited for the possibilities lol. I guess it’s one of those things that you know are coming so you may as well get prepared. Weather is just like most things in life....just because it is here, doesn’t mean it’s reach it’s full potential. 

It is in times like this, the in between, that you have to be very careful to stay focused and motivated. While waiting for the breakthrough, it’s very easy to get distracted and loss focus on your goals. These are really crucial times and you have to know what to do to stay on track. For me this includes reading books and magazines, listening to podcast and music and reading blogs. I also like to go to fashion events in order to motivate me as well. 

So at this time, I want to encourage you guys to stay motivated, disciplined in your dreams and don’t let the wait stop the process. 

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Sweater Dress-Topshop

Scarf-Marshall’s 

Vest-Zara

Boots-Thrifted

Photo by Laurel Creative

ALL RIPPED UP

“Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground in which we stand.”

                                                                          -Henry Nouwen

Hey Guys,

This is my first post of 2018!!! 

How has 2018 been treating you guys so far? 

It’s been amazing for me even through my trials I find some level of calmness. 

Being able to finally control my mood and how I’m able 

to deal with situations is so refreshing. 

I started this post with this amazing quote that I read from 

Henry Nouwen because I feel that this is the main problem we have with being happy, 

always looking for happiness somewhere else. We take a lot of things for granted and then wonder why we can’t accomplish what we want. So for 2018 I have committed to embracing the things I have and enhance them: relationships, career, finances etc.

Realizing that we can control our own happiness is key to 

moving forward and letting life happen in a positive way. So with that being said.....

let’s level up in 2018!!!

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Button Down Top-Topshop

Corset top-Topshop

Jeans-Zara
Shoes-Steve Madden

Photo by Laurel Creative

FUR REAL

Hey Loves,

Hope all is well with you guys. I would like to start this post by thanking you guys for 

following my blog. I am truly thankful that you guys choose to follow me and I am committed 

to bring you guys more content. I hope that you guys have enjoyed my post and I also 

hope that you will enjoy my journey.

Now let's talk trends. I know a lot of people try to stay away from the 

because the life cylce is so short lived but I love trends. I agree with the idea of having 

classic pieces that won't go out of style but I also love having fun with trends and mixing them 

with my classic pieces. They just add a extra spark to traditional looks

One of my favorite trends this season is the fur trend. Not that fur is a trend because it is a 

very classic material that has always been in style but the trend of using fur from everyday casual pieces. I feel as if this brings an elegance to a piece that people would normal deem casual. 

When we think of fur and sequin, we tend to think of black tie affairs and night on the town out. But this new trend of using these materials as everyday pieces allows us to wear them any time we want. 

You can wear it casually with sneakers or dress it up with a heel, I love it!!!

What I have been noticing is that fashion is definitely going more in the direction of 

maximizing your wardrobe. We are playing more with taking traditional materials and using them in different ways. Designers and retailers are pushing the evelope of what is normal in fashion and embracing the fact that there are no rules in fashion. This allows more creativity, more individuality and the ability to do your own thing.

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Fur Sweater-Zara

Pants-Zara

Booties-Zara

Photo by Laurel Creative

GIRL GANG

Hey Luvs,

It's me again! It's that time of year again. When the weather is acting bipolar 

and you're not sure how to dress. In order to not confuse myself too much, one of my rules of

 thumb is LAYER, LAYER, LAYER. The reason I love layering is because it allows me to 

take things off and add things when needed. In the morning it's usually colder 

which requires a jacket or sweater. But later on in the day the temperature 

rises and you can just wrap the jacket around your waist

e or throw it over your shoulders. 

For the most part, my underneath piece is usually a long sleeve shirt. 

But that also depends on the weight of the jacket I'm wearing (i.e. long sleeve with light 

weight jacket and shorter sleeve with heavier jacket). This not only helps with me not looking out 

of wack but also with maintaining a certain consistancy of comfort. I have a high 

tolerance for heat and am always cold so more than likely you would always 

see me with some for of jacket close by.

Another thing I love to play with during this time is footwear. 

I lovvveee shoes!!! It doesn't matter; boots, sandals, pumps.....I love them all. But 

naturally people tend to only wear sandals in the summer and boots in the winter but 

what's fun about the transitional season (Spring/Fall) is that you can get away with wearing 

anything. Who would think you can wear an open toe bootie or sandal with a jacket? 

I can! I love dressing outside of the box and breaking fashion "rules". A pair of 

booties with shorts? Why not! For me fashion is all about having fun, 

making and breaking rules and introducing who you are 

through your clothes. 

What are some of your rules of thumb for transiting outfits?

Do you tend to follow fashion "rules" or dress outside of the box?

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Shirt-Zara

Corset-Zara

Stirrups-Urban Outfitters

Booties-Steve Madden
Jacket-Deucxe

Photo by Laurel Creative

CRUSHED VELVET

Hey Loves,

It's finally that time of year......the end of summer beginning of fall. 

I am so excited for some of the new fall trends and to play with transitional outfits. 

As I've been looking at different stores and the merchandise they have for this season,

 I am really loving stretch boots, the 70's inspiration (which I must say is one of 

my favorite fashion eras) velvet and puff coats. 

One style that I can't wait to try as a transitional piece is SHORTS. 

This is so surprising to me because I rarely, more like never, 

wear shorts but I'm very excited to incorporate them into my outfits.  

For me this season is all about trying new things and

 turning it up a Notch!!!

What are some of your favorite trends for the season? 

What are some of your go to transitional pieces? 

What are some trends or pieces you want to incorporate into 

your wardrobe that you would have never worn in the past? 

Until next time.....

Keep It Stylish,

XOXO

Details

Sweater-Adidas

Jeans-H&M

Sunglasses-Old (can't remember)

Boots-Steve Madden

Photo by H.B. Media