Hat COAL// Jacket&Pants&Top J. Crew// Sneakers Nike// Scarf GAP
"They envy us for the je ne sais quoi that is so characteristic of French style, the effortless, unstudied chic of it: the tangled hair or Vanessa Paradis, the faded jeans of Charlotte Gainsbourg, the masculine shirts and ballet flats of Inèsde la Fressange, the look of Clémence Poésy... French women are more sober in their clothes choices than the flamboyant Italians or the eccentric English." (Paris Street Style: a Guide to Effortless Chic by Isabelle Thomas & Frédérique Veysset) Don't we all just wish that we could dress like and carry ourselves like a French woman? They carry themselves with such confidence and effortless elegance. Who says we can't do the same? To me street style is the answer. Street style, personally, is urban and youthful, marked by wearing what makes you feel confident and the mixing of trends. Too often we are trapped in thinking that you can only wear certain styles with other certain styles, but I say WHO CARES- mix trends, patterns, and styles. Just go for it. This week I mixed my preppy, timeless J. Crew Stadium Coat and plaid GAP scarf with ripped jeans, dirty sneakers, and my new COAL beanie. When I was wearing this outfit earlier in the week it gave me a sort of confidence that made me walk the streets of Milwaukee with my head held high. These were clothes I was comfortable in and liked. That comfort makes the difference. Be comfortable in what you wear and you will wear it well. Another important key in rocking street style is not caring what others think. Street style is all about personal style, no one can tell you what to or what not to wear. That is the great thing about street style. You can mix trends and patterns and no one can tell you not to. Street style is great for style on a budget because you don't have to have the perfect edgy top to go with your distressed black jeans and heavy black boots or the fresh starched&pressed white blouse to go with your pencil skirt. You can mix&match and still look SMOKIN'. Lesson of the Week: Be like a French woman. Be effortless and careless. Do not worry about what others think and wear your clothes with confidence.
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boots Urban Outfitters // jacket BP.
We all make mistakes. We can hide from them, pretend they never happened, or we can own up to them. They can be big, consequential, or insubstantial. No matter the severity or how we handle them, the truth is: we all make mistakes. This week's focus is on the "Do's & Don'ts" of the sale section. Let's get the ugly out of the way first and discuss what no to do when it comes to shopping the sale section. So, I hope you can figure out which item in this post is the mistake... THE BOOTS, the terribly hideous, hairy boots. You may not be able to tell, but these lovely platform heel boots are in fact hairy. They seem to be made from some faux horsehair or faux "I-don't-even-know-what-animal" skin. When I first purchased these boots I could not have been more excited. I thought to myself how great of a deal they were at ONLY $50. Oh how wrong I was. In the moment I was making a purchase based solely on price. I was not thinking about whether I actually liked them or not, but rather I was focusing on the savings. So, here are my rules for shopping the sale section (which as I mentioned in Steals & Deals is where I do most of my shopping): 1. Don't buy it if it doesn't fit--> Just because something is on sale does not mean it is okay to buy an ill-fitting garment. If it doesn't fit, don't spend money on it because you probably won't wear it. 2. Make sure you are actually attracted to the good and not just the price of the good--> It is easy to get caught up in how much you are saving and not enough on whether or not you actually like the item. Try to think about if you would still buy it if it were regularly priced. 3. Is the garment in good shape? Or does it have stains, missing buttons, or tears?--> If you know how to repair any tears or missing buttons, or if the stains are easily removed it is okay to buy the item. However, if you don't know how to fix these issues, do not spend your money. 4. Why is the item on sale?--> Is this a good that nobody wants so the retailer is forced to lower the price? Is it an odd size that just doesn't seem to fit anyone? Was it a hot item and the retailer just can't sell the last one? Try to think about why the item may be on sale. If the reason has a negative connotation, don't buy it. 5.If you seriously like an item, ask an employee at the retailer if they can hold it for you. Put the item on hold and think about the purchase. If you still want it the next day go ahead and buy it, but if you are unsure whether it is something you like, save your money. Like I said, we all make mistakes, but if you follow these guidelines to shopping the sale section you can hopefully avoid some fashion faux pas and wasted money. You can also find some great things in the sale section, like this week's BP. Slouchy Jacket. I recently happened upon this jacket in Milwaukee's new (and first) Nordstrom. It was on sale for nearly 50% of its original price. This clearly attracted my eye, but I didn't buy the jacket right away. After trying the jacket on and determining it was a good fit I had the sales person hold the jacket for an hour. I consulted several friends and when I decided it was worth it I went back and made the purchase. The jacket has been a useful addition to my closet and goes well with nearly everything. Lesson of the Week: We all make mistakes. Don't let poor decision making in the sale section be the mistake you make most often. Follow my guidelines and don't fall victim to poor purchases. P.S. If you so happen to like the boots featured in this week's post and are interested in purchasing them please email me at [email protected]. They've only been worn once:) |