How to be Warm but also Wonderful!!

With the winter weather temperatures getting lower, many people’s choices of what to wear seem to get lower and fewer in numbers too. But this doesn’t have to be the case and shouldn’t be the case!

I have one word for you if you seem to find that this is the condition of your closet. Layer.

Layering can stretch your wardrobe like no other, it really is surprising. I would suggest that you invest in some long sleeved t shirts that you can throw under other shirts to add some warmth and cover up those arms that have the goosebumps. Getting long sleeved tees really is an investment to add warmth to your winter wardrobe without breaking the bank. These shirts can be plain cotton or knit, or burnouts. A burnout is the type of shirt that is see through in certain parts, such as the below picture from Anthropologie. But no need to stick to plain colored tees. Adding stripes adds a vibrant twist and makes your outfit more interesting and unique. For example a cream and black striped shirt layered with orange, yellow, red etc would make an adorable outfit! Stripes are huge this year so these kind of shirts can be found at inexpensive stores. Also if you are brave enough you can go for turtlenecks for extra warmth! Below is a turtleneck on clearance from J. Crew for only $15. Or there is always the idea of wearing thermals which are meant to keep you warm. Below is a thermal from J. Crew that also has great style with the awesome orange color and the stripes. This shirt is also on clearance for only $30.

        

Layering isn’t just something that can be down with shirts and the top half of your body. Another way to keep warm that is really big this winter is to wear tall knee high boot socks. I got a darling chocolate brown pair from Nordstrom for only $14. I love wearing leggings or skinny jeans and then pulling up my high socks and then wearing boots. It is a look that is all over! Not only is it fashionable but it really does help you keep warm throughout the day! You also can find funky socks that show off your personality and add pops of color! Here are some socks that I am in love with. These socks are great I am sure, they are SmartWool brand so you know that they are made to keep you nice and warm. Also unlike other socks these ones will not make you itch which is a huge plus!

This is the dark green pair but they also come in a fun pink, mustard and gray/black.

My friend just got these boots that I love from Sorel that are sure to keep you warm. Below is  the Joan of Artic boot. Having stylish winter boots is another way to keep warm that also serves a purpose. I would totally wear these boots with leggings and a cute sweater, kind of like how they are styled in the picture. They are adorable and so warm! Who knew that snow boots could be so fashionable and desirable?!

Also in winter you get to break out those winter accessories such as gloves, mittens, scarfs and hats! If you are selective you can also get pieces that will transition into the other seasons which is great because it gives you a lot more choices of what to wear and you don’t have to wait a whole year to pull out some fun pieces that you have in your closet. The cream mittens below from Gap may be cable knit but the light color would transition right into spring. Another fun accessory that I am loving this year is infinity scarfs. Below is a cream one also from Gap, that would look amazing with those mittens. Cable knit scarfs keep you very warm but you can also go for lighter weight scarfs such as the one below from Gap. The below scarf is perfect for Winter because of the colors and the material that will actually keep you warm compared to the light weight scarfs that are just for looks. This scarf has weight to it!

        

 

One of my biggest pieces of advice is to invest in winter coats. I have only ever bought coats for fashion such as pea coats but they never keep me warm! This year for Christmas I am getting this black North Face coat that I love! I am going to pair it with leggings and boots and just always throw it on to keep me warm but also stylish! I am also liking this Columbia coat in maroon! There are really a lot of winter coats that can actually keep you warm and layer over your sweaters and then you can take the coat off once indoors if you are melting.

 

I personally don’t love winter but this year I am trying to be positive and make my wardrobe as exciting as ever! I also plan on stay toasty because being cold is something that I don’t handle well. I am a baby and so I am going to be sure to layer, layer, layer this winter!

Black Friday Countdown: 4 Days!

As a lover of clothes and just things in general I love and ADORE Black Friday!!! I always go and I think that the crowds are so fun and they get me in the mood for the holidays season! Two years ago I went Black Friday shopping and I fainted! I was at Toys R US in the middle of the night and there were so many people I couldn’t move and I felt so hot and then I remember waking up with people all around me only to keep fainting after that! Then I remember I woke up and was on a stretcher going into an ambulance! People I knew from school were there taking pictures of me! I also was so concerned that the paramedic was going to cut my favorite shirt that I was wearing haha. Anyway I think that this story shows my personal commitment and excitement for Black Friday!

This year is no different! I am frequently going to Gap to make sure I still know where everything is that I am going to buy since as I mentioned earlier the whole store is 50 percent off!! Also my favorite non clothing store is most defiantly Target! This year they have the funniest videos advertising the famous 2 Day Sale! Here are a few of them from YouTube.

 

Ah I love the Holidays! Seriously this time of year I almost don’t mind watching the commercials because then I get to see more what stores have to offer! Those Target commercials sure have worked on me! I am going to be at Target, but let’s be honest I would have gone anyway! I sure hope no stampedes occur anywhere across the US! Happy Black Friday! Be prepared or you won’t get what you want and then you will buy stuff you don’t even want in the rush of it all!

 

Making Winter A Little More Fashionable

I LOVE fall but by the time it gets to Winter I feel like I have no clothes! I think this is becasue it is so cold and you can only wear your jeans so many times! However one of my very favorite looks that is so comfy is wearing skirts with tights or leggings and then boots and tall socks! I recently bought Hue leggings from Nordstrom in both Brown and Gray and they have saved my wardrobe! I hate thin leggings and they make you look so young and childish, but these ones are really thick, warm and they have a wide waistband that is very flattering. Also wearing skirts and dresses is so flattering and feminine. I love being a girl and I like to show that. Not saying you need to show everything but it is okay and in fact good to look like a girl sometimes!

Anyway so I love to pair these leggings with long shirts, dresses, skirts and then wear socks and boots and it is such a comfy, easy, warm outfit. This look can also be down with shorts on top of the leggings if you are a little more brave. The shorts look is best looking if they shorts are tweed or a thicker material. However I am of course not the only one dressing this way.

Photo from style.popcrunch.com

Here Hayden Panettiere and Blake Lively are sporting the same darling boots but look closer at Blake’s outfit. She looks darling and comfy with her black leggings, skirt and boots! And as the picture shows these boots also look darling with jeans and a coat, another easy way to stay nice and warm! I love Blake’s style and she is always up to date on the hottest trends. She is definitely one to pay attention to.

Anyway so this Winter do not be afraid to wear some of your favorite pieces even though on their own they are not weather appropriate. As long as they don’t scream summer by the print or the colors, go for it! And you can always throw on a scarf as well to make it look more appropriate for the season. Be brave and try new things!

 

Fashion Magazines or Facebook?

Social Media influences so many things in the world around us. Recently I was thinking about how social media is effecting the fashion industry. Are fashion magazines ever going to be a thing of the past? Magazines average around 5 dollars.. where facebook is free! Also facebook doesn’t weigh anything.. just carrying around your phone preventing people from having to haul around stacks of heavy magazines.

To be successful it seems to be that you need a facebook page telling the world about your brand or company. Fashion has greatly been effected by this, now brands and businesses have their own facebook pages. These facebook pages make it easier to get right to the details when you are already on facebook instead of doing a google search. Or if you want to go straight to their website they will have a quick link on facebook taking you there.  Also when you are on facebook in your news fed these companies can post and then you can see what is new and happening at your favorite stores. Also if you are lucky companies will even post coupons that you can only receive from “liking” them on facebook.

Also if you have Tweeter, the actual designers will tweet sometimes and it makes the whole experience more personal.  I think that it is fun and interesting to see how your favorite designers actual live and what they have to say about things happening in the fashion world and also the world in general. Below is an example of what a page on facebook might look like, this is for Urban Outfitters.

I like how on the side it shows friends you have that also like the particular company, I find it interesting to see which friends I have that are into the same things as me. I also enjoy how Urban asks their readers/customers questions as well as customers can ask the company about concerns they have. This particular page is talking about the concerns that people have with Urban taking freelance designers ideas and then manufacturing them. Urban is realizing that this is a big problem now because everyone is posting about it on their facebook page and that has spread fast to their customers, who are now doubting the creditably of Urban and the companies creative abilities.

Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media has really added a new component to the world of Fashion. When you are on facebook all your favorite stores are only a click away, making it easy for you to stay up to date and aware of what is happening with your favorite stores and brands. If you aren’t on facebook, who knows you might just be over looked and passed by.

 

 

 

Who Says Denim Has To Be Blue???

Normally I am not a fan of trends. I do not like to have things that everyone else has! Where is the fun in looking just like everyone else? For example, I skipped out on the whole feather extension trend and buying TOMS shoes. I love the ideas behind the shoes but everyone has them! Anyway, a big trend of 2011 has been colored denim! At first I wasn’t so sure about the idea. I don’t think that I was scared but I just thought that a lot of the colored jeans were very unflattering.

However last week I was at GAP and I tried on a pair for myself and I feel in love with the jeans! They are on my Christmas list! Or I might have to buy them for myself on Black Friday when the whole store is 50 percent off!!  Yes half off!!! Making this trreasure only $35! Practically paying me to buy them and take them off their hands! I also think that this color for me is perfect to start off with since it is still a shade of blue. Here is a picture of the jeans:

 Bad quality when image made bigger so here is the link as well: http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=54987&vid=1&pid=847767

 

Perhaps the reason that I am so into colored jeans is they are shown on one of my new favorite TV shows, Whitney on NBC. This has shown me that I really do pay attention to what I am watching and how I am being convinced to buy things and I am not even aware of it! On a few episodes Whitney wears this slim fitting green pants that I love!

Here is a similar version from Rag & Bone.

When wearing colored jeans it is important to choose the right top to pair with the colorful edition to your wardrobe! I am a big fan of wearing black or another neutral with the colored pants. However if the shirt isn’t too colorful and doesn’t make you look like a peacock or another vibrant animal than go for it! I think that either of the above jeans would look perfect with an all black detailed shirt and then a fun necklace. Both necklaces below are examples that would add another fun pop of color to the outfit! Both necklaces are from my personal favorite store, Anthropologie.

  

There are countless celebrities seen in tabloids recently that are sporting the trend of colored jeans! Here is an example of Rachel Bilson, Whitney Port, Ashlee Simpson and Anna Kendrick rocking the skinny colored jeans. Anna is even wearing close to the same Rag & Bone jeans from above, hers are Rag & Bone as well just a slightly different tone.

I hope that colored jeans are here to stay for at least awhile since I am soon going to get my first pair. Below are another pair that I love that aren’t quite as vibrant as others. They are from Anthropologie.

Now when I look at stores, my eyes are drawn to the fun and vibrant colors that make normal, old, blue denim seem so boring and over done.

Ordinary vs. Extraordinary

Covergirl vs. MAC? Do you ever fall into the trap that designer is always better when it comes to makeup? I know I do! I love going to the makeup counter at Nordstrom. I love seeing the sleek black MAC signs and picturing the new me!

However, is designer really always better? It seems that sometimes makeup seems to melt off your face during the day regardless of the brand. I have even been known to buy different products that are suppose to seal and save your look through the day.

I enjoy watching the Covergirl commericals that show strong, powerful women that mean business but also are very beautiful. To me Drew Barrymore is the perfect example of a such girl. She seems so confident in everything she does! And on the covergirl commericals she looks as great as ever! I have been known to watch Covergirl commericals and then go out the same day and buy the same mascara to get luscious lashes! Sometimes I really can see a difference, other times not so much and I end up getting eyelash extensions, but that is a different story!

Recently I was watching the Nate Berkus show and Carmindy a makeup artist most commonly known from the TV show, What Not to Wear, did a segment on drugstore beauty. Here is the link.

http://www.thenateshow.com/videos/detail/3145

This video made me reconsider my expensive ways! I would trust Carmindy’s line of makeup! Who wouldn’t? She is gorgeous and changes lives on What Not to Wear! And sometimes I do think I am above drugstores… But learning Carmindy’s ways can save me money that I can use on hair products perhaps! But I do love bareMinerals makeup and I personally think it is worth the money! Although their is a Covergirl brand of mineral makeup, I personally can see the difference. Moral of the story save your money on most beauty products and head to the drugstore!

Welcome to the 60’s!

With the release of the movie The Help. I have noticed that the fashions that are represented in this movie and the time era of the 60’s, are coming back in full swing! The fashions represented in this movie are fun and very feminine. As I was watching this movie I thought that the clothes seemed familiar, but then I realized that I have seen clothes like this style available for purchase in different retail stores.

Banana Republic is a store in particular that shows 60’s flashbacks. Florals are big in the movie The Help and florals can be seen in many current store windows. Also pearls are big once again and can be found in many retail locations. As I was looking for clothes that are inspired by the 60’s I found this photo collage on the website realstylenetwork.com. The hairspray that is featured in this collage is from the beauty store Ulta which is a personal favorite of mine. They say that this hairspray can help you get your “retro” hairstyle.

Also recently I saw some Marc Jacob’s full-skirted dresses that reminded me of The Help. If these dresses were paired with some kitten heels it would be a total flashback from the 60’s. However personally I love the look of the 60’s and retro isn’t only in because of the movie The Help. I love the femininity of the clothing era and I hope it is here to stay.

First time for everything!

My first post! I am writing this blog for a Communications class at UVU. My blog is about Fashion and the Media. I have always loved to shop and find treasures. I want to write this blog about different ways that the media influences fashion. Also how the media and advertisements make you feel and dress a certain way. I am excited to dive deeper into this subject this semester. Feel free to follow my blog by going to the bottom right hand portion of the screen, click follow, typing in your email, and confirming it once you get an email sent to you! Thank you for visiting my blog! 🙂