5-22-13

Shoeless on Sunset Blvd

As I walked up to church in Hollywood on Sunday, I saw some fellow church attenders leaving the previous service without their shoes. I saw valiant acts of service where friends were carrying friends without shoes on their backs down Sunset Blvd. I knew they were a little creative at Mosaic church in their approach to serving God. However, I was wearing my favorite gold boating shoes and I quickly stopped in the middle of the cross walk and exclaimed “I will not give away my shoes” and considered going home before stepping foot in the building! God had different plans for me Sunday night- As we study the book Uprising in our service our pastor usually challenges us with 3 specific applications. Our topic this week was generosity and our application was to  leave your shoes to be given to a charity and go home barefoot. My suspicions were confirmed and in that moment I realized once more with particular clarity how materialism is such a stronghold in my life. Tearfully, I went to the front of the auditorium and laid down my shoes.

Inspiration

http://mosaic.org/

Outfit Description

Dress (revisited)- Forever 21, Purse- Kate Spade, Gold Boat Shoes- belong to another now

5-14-13

Going Green and Gold

Cute and comfortable are always the criteria I dress to meet when I travel. Today I used my new laptop bag as the focal point of my outfit. (I did not purchase any of the bags I was considering on my blog post; instead I went to the outlet mall and purchased a gold tote at a much cheaper price). Gold is quickly becoming my favorite color. I am so glad metallic colors are not limited to only the holiday season anymore!  I can wear my gold watch and computer bag year round, now that’s thrifty! My travels took me all over the country and I was able to catch up with many friends in family all in on day! I started with breakfast with my bestie in the middle of West Texas, flew to lunch with my brother in Houston, TX, stopped for coffee in El Paso, TX, and ended with mother’s day dinner with my boyfriend’s family in Los Angeles, CA. And I spent the day all in one outfit! Going green while wearing green

Inspiration: Green and Gold

{photo credit: http://atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com}

Outfit Description: 

Tee (revisited)- Ann Taylor, Crop Pants- Gap, Necklace- Trendz Boutique, Purse- Kate Spade,  Computer Tote- Kenneth Cole, Boat Shoes (revisited)- White Mountain

5-10-13

Animal Print pants…. Out of control or On trend? 

((Spoiler Alert: I got these printed pants on special employee voucher at Ann Taylor, so they were purchased this year, but I allowed myself to break commitment for those particular items as it is important to the management that we dress the brand!)) No other employee in my store picked out these particular pants to purchase, everyone claimed they were too wild! Previously, I am sure some of you have heard me say I would never be caught dead in animal print or camouflage. I am sticking to my guns on camo, but recently I have become a fan of animal print. I believe there are ways to wear it that are not sleesy or cheesy. I like to wear my printed cheetah pants with a white or black top and occasionally a blazer. The fun thing about prints this spring and summer, is you can mix and match colors and patterns. I have a fushia blazer I love wearing with these teal pants and I don’t get any crazy looks! So if there are colors or patterns you swore you’d never wear- maybe start with one print/pattern or color that you haven’t been brave enough to try and add it to your normal wardrobe. You might be pleasantly surprised!

 Inspiration

Outfit Description

Cheetah Pants- Ann Taylor, White Tee- Ann Taylor, Navy Blazer- Forever 21, Necklace- Forever 21, Bracelets- Trendz Boutique, Gold boat shoes (revisited)- White Mountain

5-6-13

Mint Madness

Mint seems to be a hit color for Spring so I am glad I picked up these pants at the end of last year. The only down side to mint clothing is the same as white clothing, it shows stains easily. During my car trouble days I was looking under the hood and suddenly my pants had black smudges all over. So I want to give my fellow fashionable mint wearers a few stain remover tips. I know there are some crazy remedies out there but I have used these and they worked for me:

Underneath-the-hood-of-your-car grease- Shout Wipe or Shout Stain Spray

French fries grease- Soak in dawn dish soap, launder normally

Blood- Peroxide

Make-up (not lipstick)- Soak in regular laundry detergent, Scrub!

Chewing gum- Rubbing alcohol

Lipstick- Soak in dawn dish soap, then blot clean with shout wipe

I wish you luck in your mint clothing this Spring

Inspiration

{photocredit: @wendyslookbook} {photo credit: whowhatwhere.com}

Outfit Description:

Mint Denim (revisited)- Ann Taylor, Blouse- Express, Pink Topper- Mixit, Booties (revisited)- Ann Taylor, Necklace- my creation

4-27-13

American Girl

I used to tie my hair up in ribbons and bows, and sign my letters with x’s and o’s- now I’m trying to make it in the working world.

I didn’t plan to make my schedule this way, but it turns out I work 7 days straight, most weeks. Thankfully I LOVE both my jobs and have part time shifts so I just end up doing lots of driving. I went downtown LA to Grand Park to make a grand statement. I wanted to take some pre-summer photos to show how excited I am for the beautiful weather and display my patriotism in the wake of the recent USA bombings. This American girl is happy to be a working girl.

Inspiration- X’s and O’s by Trisha Yearwood

My Outfit Description

Seguin top- Express, Maxi Skirt- Ann Taylor, Shoes- Dress Barn, Purse- Kate Spade

4-24-13

New Job, Old Jeans

Today I dressed for my first day on the job!! I work in the office of a LA garment factory; so pair of denim and a silk blouse is completely appropriate attire. My job description is not set in stone at this point; but it is amazing to see how directly my FIDM education has prepared me for this position. I work directly under the owner /technical designer and I already understand much of what she does. It is encouraging to know I am equipped to to keep up with the work at Unlimited Design Services. To understand more of what the company does- feel free to read the article posted this week in the Apparel News. The article describes how we are a part of bringing jobs back to the USA and creating ethical and humane working conditions in the LA garment industry.

Apparel News Article

http://www.apparelnews.net/news/manufacturing/New-Fashion-Incubator-Arriving-in-Downtown-Los-Angeles

I would appreciate if you leave feedback on the 3^rd page of the article, under Comments!!!

My Outfit Description

Silk Blouse- Ann Taylor, Flower Denim (revisited)- Elle at Kholes, Shoes- Ann Taylor Loft, Necklace- borrowed from sister

4-11-13

Red Carpet Affair

After a short hiatus from blogging to finish my studies at FIDM, find a job and a place to live; I am back at it! I love to start or finish important things with a party! Tonight I assisted Genlux Magazine, California’s only luxury fashion magazine launch their Spring/Bridal magazine at the Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills. This event was especially exciting for me as I was part of the team that styled the cover girl Jenna Elfman at the cover shoot last month. I spent most of that day running around town looking for the perfect bra to wear under a Valentino sheer blouse for one of the 6 outfit choices we had for Jenna. Thankfully my efforts paid off, and the bra made an appearance on the cover of the magazine. Tonight I brought a friend and we dressed in all black to assist the Art Director with running the event. At the end of the night we jumped on the red carpet for our photo!

Inspiration- Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina Dress

{photo credit: stealtheirstyle.co.uk}

My Outfit Description

Black Dress- White House Black Market, Belt- Borrowed from Jazmin, Headband- Forever 21, Necklace- Kholes, Ballet flats- Ann Taylor

3-2-13

Letter woman

Today to class was the perfect day to bring my Letterman back out. Finally I have adequate time and space between my high school years and today to again make it cool to wear my letter jacket. At fashion school you can get away with almost anything (yesterday a girl in class was wearing an 1920’s style flying cap); so in my mind it is the perfect place to test new outfit ideas. On the way to class in a parking lot, a friend and I found an orange parking cone and had a blast shooting the photos with our ‘prop’. For me- my letter jacket brings back a certain nostalgia of home school track meets and planning high school dances that is particularly comforting in this intense last month of my studies at FIDM.

Inspiration- Glamour Magazine  

Letter Jacket Style

{photo credit: Glamour Magazine, February 2013 issue}

My Outfit Description

Grey Ponte Pant- Ann Taylor, Cornflower flower button down- Ann Taylor, Pearl and Crystal Necklace- Ann Taylor, Letter Jacket- from high school

2-25-13

Shopping for a Bag

On a break from work I went on a stroll through the mall. (Never a great idea for a recovering shopaholic) I stocked up on See’s candy instead of clothes or shoes. However, I was hunting for something. I am in need of a professional looking computer bag. I have two internships and hopefully a design job lined up and I want to carry my laptop in a better looking sack than my rainbow Jansport backpack (albeit it’s wild and fun, professional doesn’t quite describe it). I spent much time looking and pondering bags.

Do you imagine yourself wearing an item to see if it fits your personality? I do! These shopping sessions tend to get me so invested in the item- I begin to think I can not live without it. So instead of buying a dozen bags and ending up with shopper’s remorse, I got a picture of three of the contenders and want your help! Let me know which one fits a design school graduate and my personal style!

Coach Baby Bag- Black Embossed

Kate Spade- Pink and Black Tote

Cole Haan -Purple Tote

Feel free to comment below! Thank you

2-22-13

Ann Taylor Girl

Today was a work and school day. I opened up shop at Ann Taylor this morning and ran to class afterward to review my project with my professor. I have a tendency to wear only Ann Taylor or LOFT clothing to work since my wardrobe is 50% AT product. This is so evident that some of my friends have begun to call me Ann Taylor. If there ever was an Ann Taylor, I’d like to think we’d be good friends. In class today I am designing a men’s collection but my professor seems unimpressed with my work. Designing and sketching are not my favorite parts of the program but I realize if I am to be offered the design job at Unlimited Designs I will quickly need to learn to love hand and computer sketching. I had a friend snap a photo of me inside the campus with a student project display and then on the 4^th floor patio at school in the beautiful sunshine overlooking South Hope Park.

Inspiration- Ann Taylor   

Just call me Ann Taylor!

{photo credit: http://anntaylor.com}

My Outfit Description

Capri Pant- Ann Taylor Loft, Top- Ann Taylor, Jacket- Ann Taylor, Scarf- Ann Taylor, Earrings- Ann Taylor, Boating Shoes- Steve Madden