Never Forget the Femme in Femininity
With the escalating number of fierce, career-driven women, the inspiring attitude has revolutionized womens-wear (if menswear is accepted as a word in itself, I think it's time womenswear becomes its own word too). This generation of fashionistas has made menswear all their own without losing their feminine roots.. The difference between power-fueled men and power women? We cut you in a blink of an eye.. in style of course.
Olivia Palermo's best accessory (okay, aside from her elegantly orchestrated outfit) a good laugh with an equally stylish other half. A blazer and paired with an above-the-knee skirt does not have to be strictly business. Her vanille-creme off-white ruffled blazer brings sophistication to the look... while her sheer lingere-esque lace skirt adds a soft and sexy touch -- keeping it classy. She adds some edge to the look with a pair of black lace-up heels and heavily accessorizes her wrists with chunky gold jewelry. Pairing a black pair of pumps with a neutral color scheme helps to break the uniformity of the look... if you haven't already, it's time to fall in love with pairing nudes with black..
Now onto her friend: I taste a bit of the UK in this look... and absolutely love it. Rather than wearing the femininity in her outerwear, she chose to reverse it. Her coat is a mix of our favorite boyfriend blazer and a British peacoat with an dramatic collar. She keeps her look effortlessly chic with her tiered skirt, embellished flats, and disheveled hair -- transitioning her serious-business-blazer into a playful and youthful addition.
Tidbit: If you're more on the top-heavy side, leave the ruffled blazer to the rest. With so much commotion going on in the blazer, be warned: the side view will make you look like you're in your 3rd trimester with Junior rolling in the womb. Searching for the perfect ruffled blazer is a mission requiring much calculation. When wearing such a statement jacket, do not wear a blouse inside that will crowd the spotlight. A simple silk tank or basic blouse would be best.
Strategy: Find the Perfect Ruffled Blazer
For a neck elongating effect, make sure the ruffles along the back of the neck and above your collarbone flower upward -- much like a flower. this brings down your shoulders without broadening it while lengthening the front view of your neck. Now here's the tricky, crucial part: the ruffles from your chest down should be able to drape downward on its own. The downward and subdued ruffles along the chest and waistline of the coat would de-fluff your look, avoiding the "Congratulations! When are you due?" comments / accidental insults.
Accessorizing Strategy: The Rule -- Never Leave the House Without One Piece of Jewelry Still Stands
When wearing an attention worthy statement piece, keep accessories away from the business of the outfit (the neck area in this case). Chunky bracelets or gold vintage rings play a key role here. These accessories give your look a luxurious touch. Personally, I would rather choose to opt out on the bracelets (I hate when they start crawling into my sleeve) and instead, add spike-stud earrings to the mix with my rings. There's something very ladylike about earrings and it helps leave the busywork to the ruffles.
My Favorite Go-To Pair of Earrings:
I am obsessed with Noir's jewelry... OBSESSED... it's beginning to take over my accessories tray...
Noir's Crystal Stud Earrings:
Case: Nude + Black = Car Crash Disaster
Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto literally looks like a work of art.. both camel-tone blouse and skirt by Christian Dior perfectly compliments her skin tone. I love her daring attempt to pair black and nude together, but this is just awful. Not only are they point toe heels but a geometric t-strap? Roger Vivier heels or not, disasterly!
Kate Bosworth: Always effortlessly beautiful.. Kate is very familiar with color tones that fit her best. Love the sheer texture of the disheveled and unpredictable ruffled tiers on her No. 21 dress. Beachy waves in the hair and Nicholas Kirkwood pumps on the toes.. simple and done right...
Hard Metal Accessories
All the Rage: Mawi's Sunray Tube & Boxchain Necklace
Heather Grays and Knitwear
Hilary Duff: Pair your heather gray knits with matte liquid leggings for a toughened up look. The knitted sweater adds a softened look along with the contrasting nude pumps. I love her choice of accessories!
Tidbit: To defluff your look when you're wearing a chunky knit sweater, putting your hair up in a clean chignon would clean up the look. Adding some volume to the roots of your hair would add a kick of edge..
Rihanna: Recipe for Instantly Chic: dressing head-to-toe in one color shade.
Victoria Beckham: Nobody does it as cool as you Mrs. Beckham... pairing her black and nude striped Isabel Marant knit sweater with denim cut-off shorts and black peep-toe leather booties... O.M.G...
Dare to Be Bold: Color Clash Dynamics
It's a lot easier to be "matchy-matchy". We've naturally trained our minds to know how to play things safe and what colors don't "blend" well with the rest of our outfit. You would think breaking this good-and-bad habit would be easy.. But only the bold and daring could break out of this shell and dare to be different. You thought matching took a lot of work? Mixing different colors in one look to make it all your own takes more heavy calculation than you think. Feast your eyes on these style vixen Picassos!
Jessica Alba: Be aware of all the colors you've involved into your look. Strike a balance of proportions with the frequency of each color in your outfit. For instance, if black appears twice in your look, then all the other colors should appear twice or more (never less than twice -- unless you want one color to pop from the rest. That one piece should be the brightest color and only appear once).
Olivia Palermo
Nicole Richie
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Boho-chic with a play on colors and texture of material from knitwear, leather, to her buttery-velvet floppy hat.. she's done her math well and prevented this from being a "Did you dress in the dark?" moment.. She's becoming one of my favorites for a bohemian-mixed with city street style...
Side Note: With the Fall Season here... Floppy fedoras are the new Bohemian beanies of 2010.. move over Jenny Humphrey sloppy beanies, we're bringing this back...
Hilary Duff channels her inner Bridgette Bardot.. absolutely love..
Vanessa Hudgens
Lauren Conrad
Nicole Richie
xo QBee
Jusjared, StarStyle, Stockholm
