Hump Day Special!- My Personal Fashion Icon

I have loved this chick since the moment I saw her. I thought to myself, yes! That's exactly what I've been wanting to dress like my entire life! It was love at first sight. Taylor Tomasi Hill is the artistic director to luxury e-tailer Moda Operandi and I think she's the sexiest fashion cyborg to ever rule in this industry. In a word, she is fierce!
But I digress. To bring it back down to earth, this particular image of Taylor is a study in layering, specifically the tops. A slim fit buttonup worn under a larger (men's? possibly) button, in the same color palette with the juxtoposition of a pattern and solid= brilliant idea. You get instant style and an additional layer for warmth. One thing I'd add however, some baubles. Knowing me, it'd be a statement necklace with a stud earring, both with some sparkle. 

Hopefully this post helps carry you forward into April with a little extra skip in your step.

Jak&Jil

Image(s) courtesy of Jak&Jil Blog

Hump Day Special!- Snake Skin & Stripes

Anh of 9-to-5chic blog does a perfect blend of business casual and edgey while also being feminine. In this recent installment, she jazzed things up by wearing more than one pattern at once. She mixed a striped dress with a snakeskin shoe. But she didn't stop there. She's also wearing a collared shirt *underneath* her dress (layering folks. It's all about building), a bright white/cream moto jacket and for kicks, flats! Her whole persona is just smart, feminie and edgey- a sure thing, as far as outfits go. It also happens to transition from day to night nicely. Simply remove the blouse underneath, add a big necklace and heel, convert the bag to be more night-appropriate by tucking away the cross-body strap and, boom goes the dynamite! You're good to go!

9to5chic

Image(s) courtesy of 9to5chic.com

Hump Day Special!- Pink on Pink

This is a great tone-on-tone look. It's a little more daring because of the color choice but it works beautifully. I also love the stark contrast in color with the use of black accessories. Classic look.

Late Afternoon

 

Image(s) courtesy of Late Afternoon

Charlotte Olympia- Once Upon a Shoe

OMG CAN WE TALK ABOUT THESE SHOES?!

Is anyone else feeling like there's a "face on my shoes" kind of thing going on right now? Or is it just me? Whatever the case may be, these shoes are cray, and I love them!

Charlotte Olympia "Sleeping Beauty Court" & "The Bear Necessities", Moda Operandi, $995 and $785 respectively.

Image(s) courtesy of Moda Operandi

Hump Day Special!- Let's Do This!

In an effort to help move us all through the week a little bit quicker, I came up with the idea of a Hump Day Special. Look for it every Hump Day (that's Wednesday to you non-with it folks) as a nice distraction from whatever it is that keeps you from feeling inspired. Working with clients for a living, even I need a little pick me up and the more I can share the awesome outfits I find, the better off we'll all be. Enjoy!

Atlantic-Pacific

Always, when you can, play with the peak-a-boo effect. The perfect and easiest way to do this is by having a long sleeve undershirt with an interesting print or pattern or texture on it peak out from underneath a shorter sleeve sweater. It's a great way to add visual interest to an outfit.

Image(s) courtesy of Atlantic-Pacific

I just wanted to say....

And I really love bacon.

Because I really do appreciate all of you who read this blog. THANK YOU!

Image(s) courtesy of Etsy.com

 

How to: Tie a Scarf, Take 2

This lovely little video comes to you courtesy of YouTube via Wendy's Lookbook Channel. If you don't Wendy then you should. She's got a huge online following and presence and has tons of videos with neat tips and tricks for all your fashion and makeup needs.

While this video certainly has some overlap with the one posted previously, I like that hers allows you to click on individual thumbnails of particular looks at the end of the video. Plus, she offers more ways than a handful of styles.

Hopefully you take some time and learn a few of these new styles to freshen up your own look.

Image(s) courtesy of YouTube.com

How to: Tie a Scarf, Take 1

This video comes to you via YouTube and via ModCloth's channel. It's a slower pace video with a nice collection of different ways to tie your scarf. The movements are clear and precise and shouldn't leave you guessing. Stay tuned for ANOTHER video in a day or two with even more ways to tie your scarf. Hopefully this helps set you up for the chilly days that are most certainly still in our future.

Image(s) courtesy of YouTube.com

Valentine's Day: An Etsy Gift Guide for Him and Her

Today is the day the chocolate companies, lingerie companies, and Hallmark all get a little bit richer off our desire to tell the one we love just how much we do, in fact, love them. The old saying "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" has been replaced with "How much do you love me? Let me count the gifts". It's a sad but true state of affairs yet, there is light at the end of this love tunnel. It's called personalized gifts. All you have to do is peruse Etsy for a bit and you'll find some great little gems. After all, the BEST gifts are those that stand for a moment in time, an anniversary, an inside joke. A standard heart-shaped box of chocolates and flowers just ain't going to cut it anymore because everyone has done that and everyone expects that, even the fellas! I encourage you all to think outside the box and take some of the gifts below into consideration when shopping for your lover. They'll be so thankful, your Valentine's Day dessert will be more than just a chocolate soufflé, if you know what I mean...;) ;)

For the guys: Every guy wants to feel loved and wanted and with these gifts, you'll hit both sqare on the head.

If your bloke loves music more than most, this sweet keychain should tickle his inner rock star and sensitivity.

The rustic leather and sweet detail of latitudes and longitudes would melt any manly man. Personalize the lat. and long. with where you met, where you got married, where he was born, etc. It'll mean so much.

Yes, those are space invaders from the back-in-the-day video game. Yes, your man will love it, even if he's "too big" to play video games anymore.

Piggy backing off the previous image, these awesome Ninento cufflinks are perfect for the man boy in your life, or even for the reformed gamer turned professional. Everybody needs to be reminded of their childhood now and then.

Because why not? What guy doesn't dream of being so badass, that he punches out a bear?!

I think this one is more gender neutral (I want one!) but I also think it just looks cool and a guy would like the sentiment and design.

For the ladies: Almost every woman I know wants something NOT typical or expected for Valentine's Day (hell, any celebratory-type day!) but that shouldn't deter you from spending a little time thinking about it. Sometimes, the simplest things are the most treasured.

This one is an easy win for V-day gift giving: your intial + their initial + heart= extreme lovey-dovey mushy cuteness (but also will match everything in her closet, bonus point! ;)

There is so much you can do with this: silly picture of you, the two of you, your baby, pet, etc. The options are limitless and this particular seller gives you the option of applying a filter for a desired effect. The result is antique looking, black and white, you name it.

I sense a keychain theme here...I love this because if you have a special someone who tends to forget your anniversary, now there's no excuse!

A non-jewelry item. Ideal for the gal who loves herself some beauty/bath products. Always be mindful of the scent if the items (for both your sakes). A safe bet is sticking to a scent she already wears and that you like.

A non love-themed gift. Bonus- will look good on anybody and will go with everything. Word of caution: this is a high-contrast piece so rethink this as an option if your lady is more like a shy violet.

For the woman in your life who's a bit of a blinged-out beauty. You can never have too many flashy accessories.

 

Last but not least, the perfect card. Good for either a laddy or a lass.

Too. Much. Cuteness! Who wouldn't want to open this?!

Happy V-Day Lovebirds!

Image(s) courtesy of various Etsy.com vendors. Click the pictures to visit that particular item, as well as the rest of the seller's shop.

Watch This!

Because sometimes we all need a break and on that break we want pretty things to look at (and if you're anything like me, which is a truly addicted shopper) then you're going to love these!

I believe every self-respecting gal should wear a watch and Macy's has rolled out some big guns. They're an instant piece of bling but they're functional so you don't ever feel like you're trying to be someone you're not. Anne Klein does really great watches (I'm actually wearing one now that I love. It's two-tone of gold and silver with a white pearl face and small crystals at the hour marks. Gorg!) and these are no less fabulous than a more familiar luxury brand like Rolex.

The rose gold, leather, and evening styles are STUNNING and perfect for pretty much any occasion and any outfit. Click on any of the images to be redirected to Macy's Anne Klein watch selection.

I love me a nice, leather watch. These are feminine, not bulky, and perfect to adorn any wrist. A great example of a classic watch.

Rose Gold was just beginning to gain traction a couple years ago and now stores are all about it. It's a great alternative to traditional gold and silver watches

If you're one of those people who feels naked without a watch on, but you've got a cocktail type event coming up, do yourself a favor and get an evening watch. These are elegant enough that they'll look more like bracelets rather than watches when you wear them and they won't compete with your look.

Image(s) courtesy of me and my iPhone :)

Color Wheel Theory

I do a LOT of talking about colors and their relationship to each other all the time. When I'm with clients, I try to help them see the way one color can "highlight" another tone in another color that's next to it. (huh?)
It's the same theory behind when someone says, "It really brings out your eyes" or "Wow, red is really your color".

Essentially, colors play off each other. True, your skin color, hair color, and lighting all play a part in the way a color reads on you BUT, you also have a consistent "undertone" to your skin that's never changing. Sometimes it's referred to as a season and, unless you're tanning like a guidette, your skin's general predisposition of color is always there. This is an element I use when working with clients- find colors to flatter their undertones. So if you're a Spring, you have more golden undertones accented with pink in your cheeks. If you're a Fall, you have more earth-colored undertones with red to accent your cheeks. You can read more about it by going to this website. It's a men's site but the information still translates for women.

This came from a baby nursery site.

BUT, to better understand any color theory, you have to first have some knowledge in the color wheel. Complimentary colors, tertiary colors, and secondary colors. You know this stuff already, you just don't know it. Sometimes seeing it laid out with pictures and bullet points makes it more accessible. This website did a great job explaining the basics. Below is the explanation of what a color wheel is.

A color wheel (also referred to as a color circle) is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic relationship. Begin a color wheel by positioning primary hues equidistant from one another, then create a bridge between primaries using secondary and tertiary colors.

Try to take it from there and use this information in your own wardrobe. To give you a place to start, I have a question for you. If you answer it, you're already a better stylist than you think you are:

If tertiary colors come from secondary and primary colors mixed together, it stands to reason that, since they're all from the same "family" of colors that that "family" of colors will look good together in an outfit
(...did I just get all color philosophical on you? If you get stuck, scroll up and revisit the segmented wheel :)

Image(s) courtesy of www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com
 www.worqx.com

Top 5 Tips to Make YOU a Better Shopper!

One of the main concerns I hear from clients is that they feel like they're not good shoppers. Plus, they're busy so when they do find the time to shop it's on a weekend...and the day ends up not being productive but instead overwhelming as more and more people fill up the store, just as eager to shop, and then you end up leaving feeling deflated and bruised from being pushed around. Let me tell you something, don't fool yourself- weekend shopping is like Black Friday only with just-under-the-skin hysteria instead of full out espionage. I've been working as a personal shopper in this city long enough to know that what you really need is a game plan if you even think about shopping on a Saturday. And when you're in the Mecca of shopping destinations, aka downtown San Francisco (yes, we are definitely big enough to call ourselves a sartorial Mecca), you need to be smart. And the smarter you are in the attack, the quicker you'll be through and onto a glorious lunch with drinks.

 TOP 5 TIPS TO BEING A BETTER SHOPPER:

- Get there when they open. Seriously. It's usually 10am. Just do it.

- Know your exits and bathroom locations. Again, seriously. If you've got family in tow or kids with temperamental bladders, you need to be able to move quickly.

Be like this woman! Grab multiple pairs

- Shop shoes first. I know it sounds backwards but trust me, if you're going on a weekend, that department gets slammed pretty quickly. Plus, when the store's just opening it's quieter so chances are good you'll have an associate all to yourself. **EXTRA TIP ** Keep yourself on-budget by buying only what you NEED, not what you love...sorry. I know the shoes are pretty but you DON'T need them all!

- In clothing, look for areas that are merchandised with a color palette you tend to wear/look good in OR those that are item specific, like a rack with only dresses or coats. If you're working from a list (which you should be) you can check off the specific items after perusing these racks.

- In accessories by a harsh critic. You can easily pick up 5 pieces (or is it just me?) and have inadvertently added $-$$$$$$ dollars to your end total. Be mindful! Buy only what you need. But if you don't have anything, buy gradually. Start with what you need, like a scarf and hat over earrings and a bracelet, and work your way up from there.

See, don't you feel good now?! I bet you're ready to tackle the weekend warriors, those ever vigilant shoppers who've turned a pastime into a sport. Good luck!

Image(s) courtesy of google image search

Stackable Rings 2.0

I shared this on my Facebook but figured posting here would be a good idea too!


Here's something you should know: The proper way to level-up your stackable rings, especially if you want to get away from always using simple, stackable bands. 

Look for rings that have geometric shapes, thin bands, and have similar tone in the metals. Or, do like the right picture and mix silver and gold. (Yes, it can be done! Fashion rules are more like guidelines anyway) The overall effect is you create the illusion of one, single, bad ass ring. :)

Click the picture to be taken to the Etsy shop where I found these little beauties

 

Image(s) courtesy of me! using Fotor

New Beginnings at Beyond Black

As you all undoubtedly know, Beyond Black is now under new ownership- mine. I bought the company last month and am so excited to start the year off with each and every one of you! Not a single ounce of my success would have been possible without and for that I thank you. To all of Jennifer's clients, I can't wait to meet you all!

you Google "new beginnings" and you get quite a bit of this...I think it works though!

Moving forward, I promise to do my best at maintaining this blog so that you have a creative outlet as well as place to find tips and tricks. Though truthfully, you'll have more instant gratification catching me on Facebook (you now have another reason to randomly check Facebook for the 100th time that hour when you're at work ;). I update throughout the day with things that I find trolling my own FB pages (I'm a huge science geek btw so you may read a few of those kind of things) or sales, or cute clothes, or whatever! Just take a gander when you can. There's good tips there too!

Anyway, hope you have a happy Tuesday and stay tuned for more blogs! :)

Image(s) courtesy of Google