Mar 16, 2015 | Fashion
Welcome to another installment of
Chic for the Week, where I share a couple shopping picks that I can’t stop thinking about.
It’s mid-March, and Spring is definitely here! Portland is uncharacteristically warm and hail-free (at least so far, fingers crossed haha) and it’s time for bare legs and showing some skin.
Here’s what’s on my wishlist this week:
1. Nothing like adding a little strappiness to your life – and this Strappy Together Orchid Purple Dress delivers that and then some. Flaunt some skin and taunt your curves in this amazing, Spring-y color.
2. I do have a thing for kitschy, fun bags – and this ASOS Popsicle Cross Body Bag is no exception. How adorbs is this?? Seriously…and I may be too old for this stuff by now, but every time I look at it, I just break out in a smile. A popsicle that won’t melt, and you can carry with you always, like your best friend in your pocket. (and use promo code GRAND to save 20% off your ASOS.com order til 3 AM EST 3/18/15!!)
3. When wearing a sexy dress, you can sometimes push it too far by adding accessories that read too overt. I like to mix things up and err on the side of caution – and these In a Classic Heel of Its Own Heels in Mint make this outfit more ladylike with their low heel. Pastel-on-pastel, in this pairing they make the dress read feminine and sweet.
4. To ward away any remaining chills, wrap up with this lightweight New Look Pretty Cream Floral Scarf. Also looks fabulous in a casual outfit with jeans and your favorite T-shirt…plus a floppy fedora. (Again, use that promo code GRAND and snap this up by Wednesday 3 AM!)
Hope you guys are having an excellent – and Springy! – start to the week!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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Feb 23, 2015 | DIY, Fashion
Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week has wrapped up, folks…London Fashion Week is drawing to a close…next up, Paris and Milan. Already some great DIY ideas are surfacing for Fall 2015 and I’ll bet you want to get right on top of those and start thinking about how to incorporate these trends into your wardrobe for the upcoming season. Here are some emerging looks from the runways:
Though it’s hard to tell from the photo, hand-stitching some delicate silver ball-chain to the edges of your clothing a la Alexander Wang can look edgy and cool. Create a faux quilting effect on a dark pair of shorts using iron-on pearl nailheads and trim like at Alice + Olivia. Hand-sew a swatch of shearling to a jacket collar to make it ultra cozy.
Add white brushstrokes of fabric paint on the hem of a trench to make a bold statement like Band of Outsiders. You can mimic the Kaelen look by chopping off a shoulder from a long shirtdress (and finishing the hem by tucking under and securing with fabric glue or a line of stitching)…and add some ribbons looped into bows at either side of the skirt.
Go leatherette like L.A.M.B. by sewing some leather patches onto a sweater at the front and elbows, creating a patched leather skirt to match. Go full on cray-cray like Libertine and add a variety of appliques to a standard wool coat to make it vibrant and colorful.
Tartan and lace go together like peas and carrots. Do like Marc Jacobs and slit a pleated plaid skirt at the folds, adding lace strips in-between with some hand-sewing or hem tape. Create an embellished sweater like at Markus Lupfer and hand-stitch clusters of beads onto a thrifted turtleneck to downplay all the brown tragedy.
Get out the white fabric paint and go all Jackson Pollack on a black suit like at Norma Kamali. Upgrade a well-fitting vibrant coat with a line of contrasting piping, sewn on higgledy-piggledy with a pipin foot like Peter Pilotto did.
Do double-duty DIY inspired by Preen by Thornton Bregazzi by adding tiny hand-stitched clusters of dark beads to a cropped cream sweater, and bright lacing and iron-on appliques to a standard plaid skirt. Get sexy like Proenza Schouler by cutting slits in a slinky knit dress (just overlock the edges after cutting so they don’t unravel!) and wear a pair of fishnet tights underneath to add the appeal.
Get into dip-dying by dipping a cream turtleneck fisherman’s sweater into indigo dye like at Sea. Add a bit of sweetness to a mini LBD like at Vera Wang by stitching on white flowers (pulled off a silk flower!) and securing with a white pearl in each center.
Make a standard gray turtleneck more fun like at Vivienne Tam by taking an open flame to a piece of polyester or rayon to burn it into a fun and raggedy pattern (which may take a few tries!) Hand-sew your hand-made lacey fabric onto the chest and shoulders of a sweater. Add texture like at Zero + Maria Cornejo by sewing lines of black fringe up and down a charcoal wrap coat.
Any brands or collections that seem to lend themselves to DIY in your opinion? Let me know in the comments: I’m always on the lookout for any new lines of interest!
xo
Carly
All photos from Style.com; photo collages by me.
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Feb 20, 2015 | Fashion
Welcome to another installment of
Chic for the Week, where I share a couple shopping picks that I can’t stop thinking about.
Actually, Chic for the Weekend might be more appropo. And it’s technically the last weekend before March arrives, so I’m on the lookout for some pale, Springy items to usher in the season.
Here are some items that have been on my shopping wishlist lately:
1. Besides a 401K, EVERY lady needs a fluffy tulle skirt in her life, one to twirl and play with and feel utterly feminine and childlike again. Behold this Amore Tulle Skirt, currently en route to moi, which will look amazing under a moto jacket or with a tanktop camisole a la the opening credits of Sex and the City.
2. A skirt this sexy requires a lovely and ladylike piece of jewelry to set it off, and this Rose and Pearl Choker Necklace hits both the edgy contemporary note of the open fixed choker necklace popularized by Celine and Karl Lagerfeld, and a vintagey vibe. L-O-V-E!
3. It may be stating the obvious, but tongue-in-cheek accessories are totally my thing. This All Dressed Up Clutch is oh-so-cute (and super-affordable, at under $15!). Great for tucking under the arm and organizing all your essentials.
4. To keep with the soft pastel feel, this Come On Downy Cardigan is the perfect pair for the fluffy tulle skirt, since it’s equally fluffy (and your significant other won’t be able to keep his dirtymanhands off of you! 😉
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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Feb 17, 2015 | Fashion
Mismatched rhinestone stud earrings: I forget. Sequins sweatshirt: Romwe (old, similar
here or
here. Rings: mocha,
Shashi solitaire ring in rose gold,
Gorjana “G” stackable ring set. Hard-sided geometric clutch: ASOS (old, similar
here). Quilted Faux Leather Midi Skirt:
DIY (
tutorial here).
Follie Platform Pumps
: L.A.M.B. Manicure:
OPI Liquid Sand Nail Lacquer in Get Your Number
. Dog: Pudding the Shih Apso.
It will be Spring soon.
(more…)
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Jan 13, 2015 | Fashion
Connected rhinestone ear cuff (
lots of similar here), Chain and rhinestone necklace: Forever 21.
Classic Long-Sleeve Tee with Pocket: T by Alexander Wang.
Zipper Lapel Blazer: c/o
Lookbook Store.
Solitaire Ring in Rose Gold: Shashi. Other rings: Gorjana, mocha, various. Ruffled Bag: Steve Madden (similar
here). 13-button standard-issue U.S. Navy Pants: vintage.
I’ve been out of commission over the weekend because I gave myself a concussion trying to move a desk downstairs and falling down the stairs into a wall. My right temple and the wall became good friends, to the tune of a 4″ dent in the wall, a goose egg on my temple, and a 1″ cut on my forehead. That was fun. But made me a little too fuzzy to even think about posting anything. Now I’m back to my old self again, and back to work. Before I fell down the stairs I wore this outfit to work, of vintage-meets-tomboy, motorcycle-meets-soft. I kind of like it.
Of course, I’m using the camera on the self-timer, and most of my shots turned out blurry. C’est la vie.
I love these pants dearly, and always get a ton of questions when I wear them. If you’re looking for your own pair, you can find them in navy boiled wool (what I’m wearing; the U.S. Navy winter weight version), or black wool twill (summer weight version) on eBay. Once upon a time, you could buy them from the Army & Navy Surplus for $1. Boy, those were the days. (Sometimes you can still find them at surplus stores – if you’re lucky!)
Lookbook Store sent me this jacket to review along with the sweater they sent, and it’s just awesome. Cropped, cute, pieced – it really should cost a lot more, given it’s lined well, has zip pockets, and is put together expertly with all of that piecing and shaping. Gorgeous – and I’m thinking of pairing it with a tulle skirt of some sort, to play off the tomboyish, hard edge of the motorcycle style. Hmmm…
So ear climbers and ear cuffs are a trend, and I’m tired of the ones with a regular post and then a little clip that goes under your ear cartilage. They never stay on! This one does, because it uses the unique innovation of a super-long ear-post that goes through your piercing hole and sits snug up against the curve of your ear on the back-side. Look for these ones, people!
I have a stylish DIY coming up soon…so stay tuned!
Hope everyone’s having a great start to their weeks:-)
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent a jacket from Lookbook Store to review. I have not been compensated in any other way. The above opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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Jan 6, 2015 | Fashion
Gold Hoop Earrings: Claire’s.
Light Grey Turtleneck Sweater: c/o
Lookbook Store.
Python Crossbody Bag [not actually made of pythons]: Pour La Victoire.
Skinny Jeans in Rub a Dub Dub: Blank Denim NYC.
Gabby Perforated Booties: Carvela Kurt Geiger.
It was my birthday…oh, a couple weeks ago…and I wore this then. Right before Christmas, when the weather was trying to decide whether it was going to get super-cold…or just stay damp and foggy.
My bestie Lex Casciato (A.K.A. the artist and musician Little Warrior) and I went to a local tearoom [hooray for English scones with clotted cream!] for afternoon tea since that was the only time our schedules sync’ed up during the holiday season. Plus, I’m more of an afternoon-outing-type of person, rather than a party all night til the cows come home type. You know. 
So Lex has a FABULOUS new album out called Fight with Your Heart and you all have to download.right.now. Seriously! I have “Over” and “Little Airplanes” on repeat since I got my hands on a copy. LOVE.
Lex was most obliging and took a few shots of me as we left the tearoom – the sun came out very briefly and then gave way to fog again, fading into sunset – and then the streetlamp came on…so the photos looked a little strange.
Lookbook Store sent me this sweater to review…and okay, truth time now…I’ve been LIVING in it since. I want to cuddle it and hold it and kiss it and stroke it and put it on a leash and call it Bob. It’s so fluffy, so poufy, so warm, so fuzzy – it is THE perfect sweater to wear out and about – yes, WITHOUT a Winter coat, folks, so you look fashionable and chic lwithout being bulky ike all those girls on “Winter Fashion” Pinterest boards do. I call it my potato-sack sweater, but in a good way. 
And no they didn’t pay me to write that and I actually bought a second sweater exactly the same in beige from Lookbook Store out of my own pocket (currently on sale for $39 too!!) because when you have found your sweater BFF…you have to strike while the iron’s hot. Or while the swaeter’s unpilled. Or so to speak.
And so I turned 36.
35 was the worst it could ever have been, but maybe I can just crawl back into my sweater/snuggie-in-a-pinch and at least celebrate that 36 couldn’t possibly, possibly be any worse than the past year has been. I hope I don’t speak too soon and jinx it all.
Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent a sweater from Lookbook Store to review. I have not been compensated in any other way. The above opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you click and buy something through one of the links above. My full Disclosure Policy is here.
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