Why a Button-Up is All You'll Ever need

I realized that I wear button-up shirts a lot, both mens and womens. I really like button-ups and I think they are a perfect way to add class to an outfit while at the same time can be casual. They look good with or without heels and usually can be worn in a variety of ways: underneath a sweater or shirt (here and here), with a vest (here), or just by itself. I think it's a good staple piece to have because it can be worn in all seasons and is a really good layer. It doesn't matter if it's denim, cotton, or silk. Button-ups can be dressed up or dressed down and even worn in different ways: tied at the front, with rolled up sleeves, button all the way, open, around the waist, etc. Below is a great visual of the versatility and necessity of the button-up. [photo from here]

If you're not already convinced just google women in button-ups and you will be pleased with the many ways and how often button-ups are worn and praised.

Details: Hair, Neck-wear, Earrings

Details are important to accenting an outfit. We talked about accents in this post, but unlike accents-details are smaller ways to style yourself and your outfits. Details can be anything from embroidery on collars, to button shapes, to eyeshadow color. In this case I'm talking about the details that can be created with hair, neck-wear, and earrings.

Hair: Runway shows are wonderful expressions of details in hair and make-up. What I love most about these details is that from the front they can look so much simpler then they actual are. Styling your hair differently: braiding it in a different way or doing a complex bun is a great way to add details to your outfit while not actually adding pieces of clothing or accessories. 

<<[Jason Wu Fashion Week 2013]

 

Neck-wear: Similar to statement necklaces, neck-wear makes a statement and draws attention to the collar-bone area. Neck-wear does not have to be a necklace; it can be a collar, a brooch, or a scarf. In this case I'm wearing my grandmother's leaf necklace. Unlike most necklaces it's not a chain with a pendent, the necklace is held together entirely by gold leaves, giving it and my neck some character.

Earrings: You cannot see my earrings well, but earrings are a great way to add details to your outfit. A nice pair of statement earrings will have detail on them and in the shape. The earrings I'm wearing here are my favorite pair, which I made from two circular tiles. Each tile is painted half white and another color with a gold line separating the each side of the earring. Earrings bring attention to your head/face and can add fun details that may not, and don't necessarily need to, be in your outfit. 

[Phillip Lim 2013]

Why You Don't Need Pumps to Look Good

I think one reason why fashion is full of women wearing 5-inch pumps everyday is because, in addition to making your legs look longer, it's one way to make a "casual" outfit less casual. I agree with this, however I do think there are ways to wear flats and have this same effect. For that reason, I am so glad that oxford flats (also called brogues) are in existence. Oxfords, next to boots, are the other type of shoes that I have and buy. They can have a similar affect to pumps in terms of making an outfit less casual. They do not have the added benefit of making your legs look longer, but a wrap skirt or dark skinny jeans can do that. The blogger Susie Bubble does a great job of making chic outfits with flats look just as good as a chic outfit with pumps. Refer to the photo below for some inspiration: Susie pairs a white wrap skirt with sequined flat oxfords, a printed blazer, and an east Asian styled top. It's non-heels wearing perfection. 

 

[photo here]

MonDIY

Happy Monday loves!

I was thinking about what to post today; whether to do a post about a blogger or celebrity style or a how to. I decided to share one of the most sacred styling tips that I,  and many fashionistas, live by. This is: DIY. I can't stress this enough. DIY and repurposing clothes is a great way to recycle and reuse our clothes to make fashion more creative and fun. As someone who does not have a sewing machine and doesn't know how to use one even if she had one, DIY to me also includes alterations. I've turned dresses into shirts, pants into shorts (of course), and even skirts into shirts.

If you don't know how or what to DIY go to youtube or google and there are more than enough videos and tutorials. Since summer is approaching, DIY-ing some clothes is a great idea. It's easier to DIY and take away then it is to DIY and add-too, because in the winter you don't want to make things shorter, you want them longer. Anyway, I am the queen of cutting things up.

When I was a child I used to make my sister and mother and other female relatives clothes by cutting up sheets and pillowcases (I'd also make them sandals out of cereal boxes and tape). My sister, Shola, even wore one of the pillowcase outfits I made for her one Halloween when she was a teenager. I was honored. So I've always been into cutting things up and repurposing materials.

The sweater I'm wearing today is an easy DIY, I just cut off the sleeves at an angle. Voila, 80's style sweater. It's a new week, it's Monday, it's Spring, so get creative and DIY some old tee shirts or old pants.

Style Tip of the Week Video

--> Accessories make a simple outfit more interesting. If you really don’t know what to wear or feel like you don’t have any clothes, which we all go through more often than not, pick out some crazy cool or statement accessories and develop a simple outfit around them. Choose statement earrings, a statement necklace, and/or have an arm-party, that always makes an outfit more interesting. I always like to add a hat and/or scarf to draw people’s attention from my pants and shirt to my neck and head. Accessorizing is the way to go, especially in the Spring and Summer when it becomes more and more difficult (and less practical) to layer up outfits. Refer to this post.

An Outfit That Is Made Equally

I am an adamant believer that we should dress for our body type, and every trend  or style does not look good on every body type. I am still trying to master this idea, some people have mastered it; especially blogger Karla Deras. I do think, however, there are a few outfits or styles that look good on everyone. I happen to believe that wide-leg printed pants are among these few styles. Below is an outfit that I believe looks good on everyone. 

Why do I believe in printed wide-leg pants? Because it doesn't matter whether you have thick legs or thin legs. If you have short legs it makes them look longer, if you have long legs it maintains the length. They are super comfortable and can be dressed up or dressed down as you see in the collage. 

Peplum blouses and slouched tees look good on practically all body types. Peplum's accentuate the waist creating a feminine silhouette, which we talked about in this post. Slouched tees work whether you have big breasts or small breasts and are airy-flowy. This outfit is perfect for Spring or Summer and will work for any body type. Do I think you should invest in some wide-leg trousers? Yes.

It's important to figure out what looks good on you and what doesn't flatter your body because some of the styles and trends we see on the Runway, in lookbooks, and on mannequins do not work for all of us. I am quite curvy so a lot of styles that look good on tall shapeless models do not look flatter my body type. On the other hand, because I am curvy, peplum styles and high-waist skirts flatter my body type because they accent my small waist (the only small thing on me, ha!).

So try out this outfit and find out what kind of outfits and pieces flatter your body! Happy Thursday. Almost the weekend.

Accents: Don't Forget Your Waist-Don't Forget Your Hips

 

[Balenciaga Spring 2013]

Sometimes when we're getting dressed quickly or not thinking about what we're wearing because it's a casual day we forget that there are little things we can do to accent, detail, our outfits.  It doesn't take any extra time really, it's just about the choices we make while putting on clothes. 

You don't always have to be wearing a designer brand, like Balenciaga pictured above, to look chic. In fact, most designer brands RTW (Ready To Wear) collections are simple. What makes them look so chic, or out of the ordinary, is how their styled and the accents. 

Two things to remember when getting dressed to add accents: don't forget your waist and don't forget your hips. Remember several years ago when girls were putting waist-belts on with all their shirts to create, what we now call, the peplum look? The reason why the peplum look is so popular is because it accents your waist and creates a curvy silhouette. No matter how plain or simple the dress or shirt, when you put a waist-belt on it suddenly felt cuter. It's true, it is usually cuter that way.

For example, the maxi dress above; it's very simply cut and one color, however bow around the waist accents the dress giving it and your shape more character. When searching for dresses for spring and summer look for ones that accent the waist, whether its with a belt or a bow, or have a drop waist-which brings me to my next point on accenting the hips. 

 The drop waist dress in back in style. The drop waist dress adds an accent to your hips, without actually bringing attention to your hips. Because the design pattern changes at your hips, as opposed to your waist-like most dresses, your become the focus and your waist (and curves) become less important. 

Another way to accent the hips in a simple outfit is messily tucking in the front of your top, whether it's a blouse, sweater, or tee shirt. Pictured above the two other models both have their top casually and partially tucked into their bottoms. This can be done with any combination of tops and bottoms: sweaters with shorts, tee shirts with pants, blouses with skirts, etc. If you're wearing a cool belt this is a good way for people to get a peak at the cool pattern or fun color of the belt. 

So don't forget about the small things, accents on your waist and hips. These are simple things to do to make-even-the simplest outfit more interesting. It's also good to be aware of hip and waist accents when shopping for the Spring, because this season is all about the subtle accents.

Beyonce Was Right!

Beyonce was right, not about marriage, but about accessorizing: If you like it then you should put a ring on it! If you like what you're wearing or you're feeling good then you should put a ring, bracelets, a necklace, and earrings on to compliment the outfit. I am all about accessorizing, as you can see with the photos of some of my accessories.

I have a special affinity for African jewelry, which my other god mother (the Ivorian one) makes, and in general jewelry from countries other than the United States. I wear bracelets everyday and usually they are a East or West African style/design. I also love rings, of all kinds. A few of my rings were my grandmother's rings. I love vintage and thrift, especially vintage jewelry from my grandmother and other family members.

Even if you have a plain outfit, add some accessories to make it more interesting. Arm parties are always fun, necklace layering, and statement earrings. I do not have a picture of my earring collection, however it is quite extensive and many of my earrings are African as well. Adding a pair of sunnies and a scarf always makes an outfit look more interesting. Just make sure not to over do it with accessories, but if you do-make sure it looks really good.

How To: Long Cardigan-From Day to Night

Most ladies have a long plain cardigan in our closet. It may be beige, gray, or navy blue. How do we wear it to make it a bit fun, more than the generic tee shirt and jeans. Here's how:

 

Now that it's becoming spring the weather is warming up, but it can still be too cool to wear a dress without a sweater. This is the time to wear that long cardigan you have hanging in your closet that you usually only wear around the house or with leggings and a tee shirt. Wear it over a casual dress with some sneakers, converse are always fun. To dress it up for night, or to make it less casual, throw on some tall black boots. The blue scarf adds a touch of bold color to complement the colorful sunnies. Below is how Lindsey Lohan does this look:  

If You Like It Then You Should Put a Sweater Over It

Spring has come to the East Coast. However, for those of you who don't know what that looks like--it means that it can be 55 degrees (12 degrees Celsius) or 43 degrees (7 degrees Celsius) and sunny. Since Winter lasts so long and it gets so cold on the East Coast, as soon as the sun comes out people start wearing shorts and skirts with bare-legs even though it's not actually warm, it is just sunny.

Sweaters are a great way to tackle the crisp air of spring while not being to hot when the sun is out. Whether you're wearing a flowy dress, like Tamu-pictured is, or wide-leg trousers (like I wore this morning to teach at the prison) put a sweater over it (it being what you're wearing) to transition into spring. If you want to put a collar underneath, that's fun as well.

Have a happy sunny day wherever you are!

Check back later for an outfit post from me. 

[Picture below from Refinery29]

Style Tip of the Week Video! Happy Friday!

Happy Friday Loves! Tip of the week-- Wear a  tee shirt; preferably a funky one or one with a graphic, you wouldn’t have worn out the house in middle school. Usually the clothes we think would set us apart and embarrass us in middle school we’d love to wear these days, but we've given all of those away. Maybe, just maybe- per chance, we have a cool-funky or graphic tee shirt from middle school, high school, or college that we wouldn’t normally wear. Wear that one! Vintage tee shirts are are always trendy, so instead of buying one-why not just wear one of your own "vintage" tee shirts. Pair it with some dark skinnies and boots, maybe a cool hat or scarf. Fashion is about taking risks with our style and usually when we do this-we like it.

Today I'm wearing a tee shirt I got for my brother when I was in China 11 years ago. He never wore it. Maybe because Mao is on it, I don't mind politically riske graphics. So I took it and now I'm wearing it. 

I'm wearing this tee shirt with a vegan leather skirt I got from BiB & Tuck (a fashion community I'm apart of), Nine West boots, and a collard shirt from old navy underneath. Since it's a lovely sunny day I'm also wearing green & orange Oakley sunnies.

On campus today there's a lot going on so I will be going from my day look to a night look later this evening when I'm performing, poetry, at the Caribbean Student's Cultural Show; after which some friends are having a joint birthday party. The skirt and tights will not change, but other parts of the outfit will so look out for another post later this evening with how to transform this look from day to night.

Don't forget about the Zara Giveaway! 

How To: Tie it around your waist!

Remember when we were kids running around the playground so much that it got hot and our parents told us to tie our sweaters or long-sleeve shirts around our waist instead of pulling it off and throwing it on the ground? Yeah, that's back-and it's chic. 

Usually it happens with a plaid shirt, but I think you can do it with any color and any type of long sleeve outerwear. Celebs notorious for this are Kanye and Rihanna. One of my favorite bloggers, Leandra, from manreppeller does this so flawlessly. It's caught on and I'm basically into any rebirth style, especially the ones from the 90's, because they are casual and fun. Try it out!

Tie a denim or plaid shirt around your waist over a dress or a pair of leather leggings. Keep your top simple so your outfit doesn't look too crowded. Any footwear will 

do, the shirt tied around the waist is what really makes the 

outfit. It is an effortless and cool look that many people love.

How to get dressed everyday! (But, actually)

I believe there are three things to think about before getting dressed everyday. These are three seemingly different things, but each should be considered separately and then together to decide on an outfit. And, if you don't feel like making much effort to choose an outfit then just chose one of the three things below and only worry about that one. Depending on your occupation and/or where you live (or spend most of your time )one or two of these may be more or less significant. The list is in no particular order besides what I thought of first, which eludes to my main concern:

1) The Weather: whether (not pun intended) you live in Paris, Connecticut, or Seattle it is important to know the weather. If you live in the Caribbean or certain parts of Latin America it's almost always warm so all you really have to worry about is whether it will rain or not. Regardless, the weather-especially for those of us who walk or bike everywhere-is extremely important. If you have to run a lot of errands, increasing your time outside, then weather is going to be a big factor. I advise looking up the hourly weather report the day before then choosing a preliminary outfit. When you wake up you can check the weather again to decide if you need to make adjustments or not to the outfit.

2) Your Schedule/The Occasion: this is the second most important for me because while I'm a student I do a lot of different things and usually don't have time to change during the day. This means that when I leave the house in the morning I have to think about all the things I have to do during the day. If I have class, a lunch meeting and a Skype conference call I'll probably want to be casual, but incorporate a blazer or blazer vest to look more professional on the top half. Since during a lunch meeting and a Skype call the top half of my body is showing/being presented, that matters most. If I just have to run errands and go to class then I won't worry so much about how casual I am. If I have a formal dinner later on, maybe I'll bring some nice trousers and heels to change into. Think of your whole day's activities while getting dressed.

3) What You Feel Like: I think this one is equally, if not-more, important than the first two. I truly believe that if we don't wear what we feel like wearing then we'll be uncomfortable the whole day and visibly look uncomfortable. If our main concern is warmth then we should be warm or else our mood will be off. If you feel like wearing blue, then you should wear blue. If you feel like wearing a skirt then wear a skirt. When you wear what you feel like wearing your mood is better and you are happier. Sometimes we feel like wearing something that conflicts with the first two (weather or occasion), that's when we have to get creative. My freshman and sophomore year of college I didn't want to wear pants. Only skirts and shorts. Instead of being uncomfortable in jeans I wore skirts/shorts with tights all year. In the fall I wore sheer tights and in the winter I wore opaque tights with leg-warmers and boots. If you can't figure out how to style something you feel like wearing (because of the weather or an occasion) just ask me and I'll be happy to give you tips. Also, you can always google it. 

  Above are the three things I think about and you should think about before getting dressed everyday. Maybe in the summer weather matters less and it's more about the occasion. Regardless use these three things as a framework to choose outfits daily. And of course, don't forget about comfort.

Three Ways: One Shirt

I'm all about recycling what's in our closet, especially when we can't find anything to wear. This allows us to be creative, as well as not have to worry about the stress around going shopping. Shopping stresses me out and I don't think I'm unique in that feeling. What happens when we have a busy week and can't spend a lot of time choosing outfits? Wear the same shirt three times in the week. I know, that sounds crazy! Plus we all have this subconscious, or conscious, fear of being seen in the same outfit more than once. How do we overcome this? Wear the same shirt in three different ways so that it is not an outfit repeat, even if we are wearing the same shirt three times. Here's how:

 

1) Wear it like you would normally wear it. It's a basic shirt: wear it with a pair of dark denim skinnies and slip-ons. These green & nude slip-ons contrast the navy & white striped shirt well. A moto jacket and nude bag to add a chic touch. Don't forget your neon sunnies.

2) Layer it. The best way to make use of clothes over and over again is to layer them. Wear this navy & white shirt over the plaid button-up with the vest on top as optional outwear. This topshop blue mini skirt gives this out fit a feminine touch despite its tomboy nature. Let your feet sparkle in these glittery oxfords from target.

3) Tie it around your waist. Don't wear this shirt as a shirt at all. Tie it around your waist with these cute flowery trousers on the bottom and this yellow sweatshirt on the top. Not only does this outfit mix prints, it also incorporates a bold color. Keep the accessories simple with a silver wishbone necklace.

Style Tip of the Week Video

Wear all one color. Like I’ve said, I’ll say it again, the suit and suit-look is back. Like women in the 80's, we're into bold colors and tops that match bottoms. A jacket that matches pants or a shirt that is the same color or similar shade to the pants. It is a great fun trend. Try matching your top, whether it’s a sweater, blouse, or jacket with your pants-creating a DIY suit look. Whether it’s the casual Canadian tuxedo or something else try it. Choose a color, and wear it on the top and on the bottom with accessories in a different color to compliment the suit look.  Refer to this post: http://idontwearheelseveryday.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-in-boots.html