Outfit of the day: Preppy Casual for Men!

Hey guys,
Let's look at how guys can look stylish in the nice sunny weather.  Today, do decided to go with one of my favorite trends for this season, a polo shirt:

A red short sleeve jersey striped polo from Lacoste is one of the most stylish looks for a guy.  Polo shirts add a nice preppy kind of look and take your look a level up.  Still casual enough to be appropriate for school, but a very nice and polished casual look.  Do then paired this shirt with some fitted dark wash designer jeans:

To complete the basic look, he added some stylish red converses:

How can guys accessorize?  Well, Do decided to pair this look with some aviators:

Sunglasses are a fabulous way to accessorize, especially when it's sunny out.  There are so many different sunglass styles that no matter the circumstances, they are ALWAYS in style.  And you can wear them many ways: over your eyes, hanging on your shirt collar, pulled above your head, anything.  Finally, adding a stylish navy blue backpack Do reveals his final outfit:

Outfit of the Day: Preppy Casual

Hey readers,
It's been such wonderful weather, so I thought I'd go with a happy, preppy, nice casual outfit.  I started off with a trend I have only recently uncovered, which is the fitted "boy shirt" style shirt:

I love the color coral, as it adds a fun, spring-time pop to the outfit.  The rolled up and cuffed sleeves are also a trendy way to wear long sleeved shirts.  To make the look a little "sexier," unbotton the first few buttons.  A great thing to pair with this kind of shirt is a flirty miniskirt:

A denim miniskirt is always a great neutral to go with anything.  Just these two items alone are not enough.  N.B. The key to taking an outfit from good to great is to ACCESORIZE!  Since there isn't a bold pattern on top, let's add a fun necklace.  This kind of shirt looks great with a long necklace, and matching earrings are always great.  Another thing to note: gold and silver do go together!  So to add some sparkle, I'll add a gold and silver long necklace, with crystals to add a little extra interest.  Since we've rolled the sleeves up, a bold and fun bracelet is a definite yes.  Since we have some blue in the skirt, a blue chunky bracelet is a nice piece to add:

Finally, let's play off of the silver in the necklace and earrings and add some silver Stuart Weitzman strappy sandals:

Silver flats work for casual, and silver heels spice up the outfit a little to make it a bit more formal.  With this outfit, either works great!  Finally, adding a red, white and blue striped hobo bag and a little bit of lip gloss to match the pinkish tones in the shirt, the final outfit is this:

Outfit of the day: What NOT To Wear

It's really helpful to look at examples of good outfits to help your own style.  However, sometimes it's also a good idea to see an example of a really egregious outfit, just to make sure you aren't making the same mistakes. I caught someone committing a cardinal fashion sin the other day...yes, this is a real outfit I saw.
So let's look at a combination of clothing that really just does NOT work at all.  Let's start with this:

Ok, a plain blue sweatshirt.  Fine.  Nice color, for a pop, but just don't wear it every day.  That's not to say if you have a clothing item you can only wear it once, because that is absolutely not the case! However, do beware of being an outfit repeater!

So we've got the plain sweatshirt, now what happens if it's paired with this:

Wow.  If you're going to bed, then ok.  Otherwise: No.  Pajama bottoms are not stylish.  Even worse, if you pair old red pajama bottoms with a blue sweatshirt, you have just broken fashion rule #1: don't have too many pops in one outfit!  We have a pop of color on top and a pop of a different color AND pattern on bottom.  Just doesn't work.  Now for the shoes,

oh wait, how about a pair of slippers instead.  Walking around your room, ok.  Going to school?  Unless your classroom has a bed in it, you can do better.  To finish off, the worst accessory of all:

Ouch.  Need I say more?  Let's look at it all together:

So people, here's a tip: take a glance in the mirror before you go out in public.

Featured Outfit of the Day!

Hey fashionistas!
Sorry I haven't blogged in a while.  First, I want to remind you all to vote in the newest poll.  Second, the weather has been much nicer lately, so let's take a look at the featured outfit for today that combines warm clothing with a bit of summery flair to celebrate the warmer weather.
Elizabeth's outfit for today started with a very chic orange knitted sweater:

Solids are always great, especially if you add great detailing, and a vibrant orange is a nice color that, when pulled off well, adds a standout piece to any outfit.  Knitted wool sweaters are wonderful when it's a little chilly out.  By including a v-neck, this sweater elongates the neck and hugs the body nicely to show off an hourglass shape.

Elizabeth paired this sweater with a classic black miniskirt:

A black skirt is an absolute MUST HAVE in any girl's wardrobe because it is a neutral that goes with literally ANYTHING.  Pairing  a short skirt with a sweater gives us a reminder of the chills of wintertime but an exciting taste of the warmer spring ahead of us.

Finally, to complete this whole outfit, Elizabeth included one of everyone's favorite trends for the Winter 2011 season--knee-high boots:

Knee-high boots are very very in this season, and the nice bronzish brown color goes well with the orange sweater.  Putting this all together, along with a ponytail to add a sophisticated edge, we get the fabulous outfit:

Hopefully you've gained some more insight into how to dress for this season from this great look!

Coming up next on my beauty blog, keep your eyes peeled for a special WHAT NOT TO WEAR segment....

Love,

Audrey

RE: Matching shoes to an outfit

I received the following cry for help:
"Can you teach me how to match shoes to an outfit? I have no trouble "ankle-up" so to speak, but my shoes always clash horribly. My girlfriends have even commented "What are those atrocious things on your feet?" Very hurtful. Audrey, I need your help!"


Ok, so the first thing that is really important to grasp is things don't have to MATCH, they have to GO.  What that means is, just because you're wearing a blue shirt or have a blue purse doesn't mean you need to wear blue shoes.  Picking shoes to wear with an outfit requires the same thought process as picking out jewelry or scarves or other accessories.  The biggest thing I've stressed in previous posts is the importance of pairing "loud" items with "quiet" items.  So if you're wearing a pair of black pants for example, this is a really quiet item, and it's a neutral (neutrals are blacks, grays, whites, navy blues, beiges).  Therefore, you can add a pop of color or pattern in your shoes.  


But still be warned, if you have a lot going on in the rest of the outfit, such as a bold patterned shirt, you may want to stay away from really bold shoes.  Let me take you through an example:


The following Trina Turk dress and Marie Claire shoes DO NOT GO TOGETHER:

This probably seems really obvious, but it's important to take note of the thought process.  Why don't they go together?  Well clearly, both are very bold both in pattern and in color, so there's just way too much going on here.  Instead, try wearing this dress with other kinds of shoes, such as:

 A pair of simple black shoes will go with anything, so when in doubt, especially when wearing something bold, you can never go wrong with them.  That's not to say you can ONLY wear black or neutrals when the rest of the outfit is bold.  Here's another shoe possibility:

This is a great pair of indigo Stuart Weitzmans.  Note that it does not exactly MATCH the dress's color, yet it brings out the blue in the dress, so it goes quite well with the outfit. Plus, it's got nice detailing but is not a super crazy looking shoe that distracts from the dress.  Tip: when looking for a color to go with a bold pattern, look for subtle colors contained in the pattern that you can pull out and use elsewhere in the outfit.  However, a pop of color is always a great thing, so you don't even have to take a color from the dress above to have a great shoe:

These pink flats don't match a color in the dress, but are subtle enough and not too bright of a color such that they would still go well with the bright blue and turquoise in the dress.

As for the red shoes, they are very very loud shoes.  If you have a pair of shoes that bold, a simple black dress always goes:

The biggest tip I can give you beyond understanding these basic rules is to take a look at examples.  Look at magazines, or just go on Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom or any site that shows examples of outfits, even google images.  Try different things, ask people's opinions and you will learn.  Don't be afraid to put on an outfit and shoes and ask your friends what their opinions are.  Feel free to message me with a specific outfit/shoe combination or an outfit that you'd like help picking out shoes for.  I'm happy to help!  Good luck!

Winner of poll: SCARVES!

Thanks to all those who voted in the poll that asked, "What's your favorite accessory for the winter season?"
The overwhelming winner was scarves, with 62% of the votes.

I, in fact, voted for scarves.  as they add so much to an outfit.  They add a spice of color and pattern and can transform an outfit from boring to fabulous.  They can also be worn in many different ways, from different ways to tie them around your neck, to using them as a shawl, and even tying them around your purse.  Plus, they really do keep you warm in the winter.  (Don't be fooled, though: scarves are NOT only for the winter time!  A nice silk scarf can give a pop to your outfit in the spring.)

Following scarves with 16% of the votes was UGG boots.

Nick voted for UGG boots, given that they add a nice neutral shoe to the outfit.  Boots are always in style in the winter, and UGGs are both warm, comfortable, durable, and come in many colors.

Following UGGs were hats and long coats, and finally gloves.  These accessories are also great for warmth and style in the winter.  Although I personally hate cold weather and look forward to summer, the one good thing about winter is the chance to wear accessories that you can't always wear in other seasons!

Be sure to vote in the next poll: what's your favorite "in" style for winter 2011?

What's "In" This Winter 2011 Season

Here are some of the major fashion trends this season, for both women and men:

• Leather—leather clothing is really in this season, not just leather jackets but also leather pants, leather leggings, and even leather dresses

• Military—military-style clothing is one of the major fashion trends for both men and women; a military coat will be a great piece to have

• Animal prints—leopard, giraffe, and tiger prints are in for pretty much any part of an outfit (a print dress, coat, scarf, hat, etc.); prints in different colors are also trendy

• Fur and lace—seen in a lot of designer collections this season, including fur handbags and boots

• Boots—laced-up boots and thigh-high boots are in for women, and classic boots are in for men

• Polo shirts—really in for men this season, especially when paired with denim (which never really goes out of style)

• Velvet—men’s velvet is trending this season, from velvet jackets to velvet pants

• Colors:
• Turquoise was the “color of the year” for 2010 and is still in as 2011 begins
• The new “color of the year” for 2011 is Honeysuckle, a light pinkish red color
• Army green is also in, going along with the military trend.  Camo is especially trending in men’s fashion this season

CAUTION: Water stains silk!

I felt that this message needed to be its own post:


CAUTION: WATER STAINS SILK!!!  So if it is raining out, as it often is during the winter, don't wear silk that day, or if you do, use an umbrella.  If you get even a drop of water on raw silk, it will NOT COME OUT.  Therefore, you will need to dry clean any silk items you have.  Take a look at the tags on your clothing if you are unsure what material it's made of or what the care instructions are.
Other materials in addition to silk that should never get wet: cashmere, suede, and leather.  BE CAREFUL!

Outfit of the Day: 1/5

Dear readers,
First off, so sorry I missed blogging yesterday!  Second, let's take a look at another outfit of the day:
I chose to dress in Elie Tahari H to T (head to toe) today, as he is my favorite designer (for those who don't know, yes, Elie Tahari is a man).  One tip I have for everyone: pick a favorite designer that really fits you well and establish a collection of a lot of pieces from that designer.  It makes it easy for you to both establish a signature style for yourself and to have a go-to designer.
Since turquoise is really in this season, and it matches my eyes, I decided to wear a turquoise silk Tahari shirt:

Now following a rule we've talked about a lot: this top has a bold color but not a bold pattern, so on the bottom we don't want a bold color but we can have a more bold pattern.  Therefore, I chose my new favorite pair of pants, a leather snakeskin-embossed Tahari skinny pants:

Next, you can never go wrong with a great fitted leather jacket.  Grays are in this season, so a gray Elie Tahari leather jacket goes great with the rest of the outfit:

Now for accessories: let's bring in another color.  Green looks fabulous with turquoise, so an xbox green and ivory necklace and matching earrings adds another pop:

Another must-have style for winter are boots.  A simple pair of high-heeled black leather boots completes a powerful look and lengthens the leg:

The outfit stops there, but to spice it up a little, I added a very subtle pop of color: bright red nails:

And there you have it, today's outfit:

My outfit of the day 1/3

First day back at school, so a knockout outfit is a must!  I'll make this post a little shorter, since I've already detailed previously the long thought process that goes into putting together an outfit.  Let's take a look at today's outfit.
It was a fairly sunny day for wintertime and I was feeling nostalgic for the summer, so I was feeling a summer dress.  Therefore, I chose to wear a silk Maggy London ruffle front chiffron dress:

Despite the sun, it was still a cold day.  Not a problem!  Adding a pair of leggings underneath a dress is a very stylish look, especially in the winter time:

Now for the accessories.  There is a LOT going on in the dress, both in color and in pattern.  As I've said before, if part of your outfit is loud, the rest should be quieter.  That's not to say some great pieces of jewelry can't spice up the outfit and add some more personality.  Therefore, I chose to add some basic black and gold jewelry:

As you can see, the jewelry still adds some interest to the outfit, but isn't so bold that it overwhelms the rest of the outfit.  In terms of a purse, again, we don't need something too bold.  I chose to continue with the black and gold colors with a black leather Chloe purse:

Putting this all together gives my outfit for today:

Creating an outfit: for Guys

Now that you've gotten to see the process behind how I create an outfit, let's take a look at how we can create fabulous looks with men's clothing.  Nick's outfit today featured some really great style and will serve as a great example of how guys can look fabulous in the winter time.  He began with a nice plaid flannel shirt:

This shirt has a great pattern and brings out some nice shades of blue, which gives Nick both a pop of color and a pop of pattern.  Jeans are always in, and especially when it's cold in the winter, a pair of dark wash men's True Religions is a great addition to this outfit:

Since it's a cold, rainy day, a rain coat is a must have.  Since grays and silvers are really in this season, Nick's gray quilted coat embossed with an argyle pattern adds a nice flair to his look:

While the coat offers a hood, Nick decided to accessorize by adding an Emporio Armani beanie:

And finally, brown leather Gucci loafers add another color into the mix and complete Nick's fabulous outfit:

Putting all of these clothing items and accessories together, Nick has created the perfect style for winter:

As you can see, looking stylish in the winter time is not just limited to women.  By getting some great pieces of clothing and taking the time to put together an outfit, guys, too, can have style.
Audrey