General Fashion

Office appropriate

 in General Fashion  tagged asos / classic style / fall 2014 / office attire / outfits / summer 2014 / valentino by

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Pictured: Earrings: Kathy Kamei (old, similar here)/ Lipstick: c/o Dolce Gabbana “Petal” / Blouse: River Island / Skirt: Banana Republic / Handbag: Chanel / Bracelets: Love Heals (also love SAVE or SPLURGE), c/o Twisted Silver (use code INSIDERS for a 15% discount) / Nail Polish: Essie “Ruffles Feathers” / Shoes: Valentino

If only we could wear avant-garde attire to the office! Alas, this is only reality if you work in an extremely creative environment where dressing creatively enhances your career. In the rest of the corporate world, there is casual, business casual and business attire. Ho-hum.

When dressing for a corporate environment, I try to stay conservative and express myself through color, or by downplaying a runway trend. Black and white together is a huge trend in 2014. It also happens to be considered classic, therefore, it is a great trend to wear to the office, since it has conservative, timeless appeal. I decided to bring white into this outfit through this blouse by River Island. The back of the blouse offers a wide, tired design which drapes down the back and has a slightly relaxed fit. Although the blouse is wide, and can easily be worn with jeans, heels and a clutch for an evening out, it is also understated enough to fit into an office environment with a business dress code. Love that!

Although this blouse is a new favorite of mine for both work and play, the real gem in this ensemble is what I am wearing on my feet! Imagine my surprise when I arrived home last week and found a box on my doorstep from Neiman Marcus. What could it be? I was confused when I saw it sitting in front of my door, after all, the only thing I had purchased from Neiman Marcus in the past month had been a pair of fall 2014 Rockstuds by Valentino; and they were not being sent to me until October 2014!

Excited, I opened up the box, and much to my surprise, they were the Rockstuds! How could this be?! I was not expecting these beautiful shoes until October, and here they were, in my hands during the month of June! Of course, I cannot wait until the fall season to start wearing them, so naturally I paired my new fall shoes with my office-appropriate black and white outfit! How could I not?

Have you ever pre-ordered an item for an upcoming season and to your surprise, received the item early? If so, please share your story!

One-piece swimsuits for summer 2014

 in General Fashion / Swimwear / Trends  tagged beach / runway trends / summer 2014 / swimwear by

One-piece swimsuits are a must for the summer months. While a bikini may look amazing on the beach, one-piece swimsuits are more practical and allow for carefree water-play. Plus, with so many amazing trends in one-piece swimwear this summer 2014 season, you may find yourself reaching for your one-piece and leaving your two-piece in the dresser drawer!

One-piece bathing suits for summer 2014 are reflecting the trends we saw on the spring/summer 2014 runways in New York. For the summer, one-piece bathing suits are being shown in retro styles, sport inspired, with cut-outs, sheer panels and in graphic prints; all hot apparel trends from the runways. Love that!

If you have found gravitating towards sheer panels, cut outs, sport inspired, graphic prints or retro styles in your apparel during the spring months, you are in luck! You can convert those spring trends in your summer swimwear wardrobe and rock them on the beach, by the pool, at the water park, kayaking, canoeing and more! Imagine all the places you need to wear a swimsuit and will look like you just walked off the catwalk in New York.Work it!

In addition to reflecting the runway trends from New York, one-piece bathing suits for summer 2014 are also showing a few distinct silhouettes this season. Instead of the classic tank suit, one-piece bathing suits are being shown with one strap, retro halter tops, low hip cut-outs, and more coverage than we have seen in recent years. Thank goodness swimwear did not pick up on the ultra high hip from the 1980’s! (Especially since sport-inspiration is a trend from the late 1980’s and early 1990’s!!!) But beware, that style has been spotted in gala attire for summer 2014 season, fingers crossed it does not hop over into swimwear for 2015. That would be one trend to stay away from. It did not look good in the 80’s, so there is no way it will look good now!

I found a few fabulous one-piece swimsuits around the web which reflect the retro, sheer panels, sport, inspired, cut-outs and graphic print trends and assembled them into the shopping widget below. I hope you love them! Happy shopping, and stay fabulous 😉

What is your favorite swimwear trend this summer 2014 season?

Espadrilles for summer 2014

 in General Fashion / Shoes / Shopping / Trends  tagged beach / casual fashion / casual style / espadrilles / runway trends / street style trends / summer 2014 / wedges by

espadrilles summer 2014

 

Pictured: Black and white espadrilles / orange espadrilles / wedge espadrilles / striped espadrilles.

Espadrilles are a classic summer staple nearly every Fashionista needs in her closet. Aside from walking barefoot on the beach, espadrilles are the one street shoe which makes walking on sand easy. In addition to making walking on the beach a breeze, espadrilles look casual and laid-back; which is what summer is all about!

There are many espadrilles on the market for summer 2014 which reflect the trends we saw on the spring/summer 2014 runways in New York. In addition to the runway trends, leopard print espadrilles are a huge street trend this summer!

Wondering how to wear espadrilles outside of the beach or pool party circuit? Espadrilles look amazing with maxi skirts, maxi dresses, wide leg pants, shorts, cotton dresses and any casual summertime look. Espadrilles are an easy alternative to flip flops or sandals when putting together a ultra-casual look on the weekends, after work or while on vacation. Wedge espadrilles are a great way to be casual without having to give up a little lift.

I found a few fabulous espadrilles for the summer 2014 season around the web and assembled them into this article. When shopping for espadrilles for the summer 2014 season, look for animal prints, stripes, black/white, bright colors and graphic prints.

What are your favorite espadrille styles for the summer 2014 season? Do you prefer flats or wedges?