Public School Chic

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

I just can't get enough of beautiful minimalism. Crisp white lines, carefully executed black separates, ingenious drapes and shapes, while staying true to it's timeless and unique nature, without being overtly trendy. Minimalist fashion is something I truly admire, over the past year I've even cleaned up my wardrobe to be much more bare. No loud colors or of the moment pieces, I've carefully curated my closet to be something more timeless, something I can continue to grow with and wear for the next five or ten years. It wasn't easy but I found inspiration from so many brands and designers to fully acknowledge what it means to have a "minimalist" fashion sense. That is exactly how I found out about Public School New York!

Tis the Season For Layering

Old man Winter is upon us here in Philadelphia, maybe. The temps dip below freezing one day and the next it's a mild 60 degree day, with a possibility of humidity in the mix! It's been a very confusing season so far, but I'm not complaining, as long as Winter can hold back on the snow for a few more weeks! Weather can be quite a fickle thing, and because of that working on mastering your layers can be pretty helpful. You never know what the day will bring!

Grey Matter

Lately, I'm having to go from one place to another much more frequently. Good thing about Philadelphia, is that a lot of places are fairly close to each other, but when they aren't, being on your feet can get quite uncomfortable. Sneakers have been my best friends as of late, and surprisingly very versatile. 

T-Shirt Daze

Some days you just want to throw on a comfortable t shirt and pants because putting on anything else feels like such a hassle! It's been quite a hot and humid summer so far, and i'll admit that it's been making me a bit lazy with my warm weather dressing! One of my biggest essentials and main stay pieces for the summer is a handful of t shirts, they make getting dressed in the morning so much easier. Especially when they're quality tees! 

Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

Who really says that [Post Title] anyways?! For all of my years living in Philadelphia, I think there have seen many cloudy days over the sunshine. Seriously, all of these cloudy, rainy and snowy days tend to make me pick out the most muted colors to wear. One of those colors being grey. Don't get me wrong, I love the color grey, it's one of those colors that can camouflage itself with other colors and still look good. I'll admit it, it's one of my favorite neutrals! 

I paired this very neutral palette with a bright mustard yellow to remind me that sunny days are ahead!

Coat: Express, tee: J.Crew, trousers & socks: Club Monaco,  belt & scarf: H&M, heels: Forever21

Dear readers, does the weather factor in on what you plan to wear? It most definitely does for me and I don't usually notice it! 

PS, Don't forget to enter my giveaway for $100 to spend with SweepStreet!!!

The "GoWithAll" Neutral

If you didn't know this yet about me, then you do now! I absolutely adore leopard prints! It's one of those magical prints that can function with most colors, prints and textures. It's absolutely fascinating to me that one design pattern can do that and produce cohesive color stories no matter what the situation is! That's why when SweepStreet offered me to pick out any piece of jewelry from their extensive collection, I immediately fell in love with this one by Dolce and Gabbana, for obvious reasons.

SweepStreet is this amazing site that offers high- end designer jewelry from names like David Yurman and Alexis Bittar for 30%-70% off the regular retail prices, all year round. Definitely deserves a look see!

Peacoat & belt: J.Crew, dress: Club Monaco, booties: Shoemint, tights & socks: American Apparel, necklace C/O: Dolce & Gabbana via Sweepstreet

Dear readers, how do you feel about this pairing? I for one, am in love with this cobalt blue dress and felt it would be great way to play with jewel tones and neutrals. My BF on the other hand wasn't too thrilled with this look, but that's usually 85% of the time! Ps, I cannot wait to wear dresses and skirts without tights!

Oh hey, guess what?! The lovely team at SweepStreet has teamed up with BurgundyWhispers to giveaway $100 to shop their site. Perfect time to find pieces to pair with your Spring/ Summer wardrobe! So head on over to the site and let me know what your favorite item is to enter to win.

Mandatory

1. Comment on this post with your favorite item from SweepStreet

2.  Follow me on Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin

3. Follow Sweepstreet on Twitter and/ or like them on Facebook

Bonus Entries

1) Follow me on Twitter

2) Follow me on Instagram

3) Share this giveaway in a blog post or tweet. 

Please leave separate comments for each of your additional bonus entries.

Don't forget to leave your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you win

Winner will be chosen at random. Contest will end on... Tuesday 19th March 2013 at 11:59 est

Goodluck everyone!

Edit: Contest is closed, winner is Michelle Wong. Be on the look out for my email!

Neutral Colorblocking and A Giveaway

Colorblocking is back, but did it ever really leave the scene? This trend has been seen on many of the recent fashion shows, Michael Kors' F/W 2013 collection being one of them. I absolutely love being able to highlight different parts of the body with the use of different colors. Light or dark, complimentary or analogous colors, hues or tints, all tell a story. I like to believe this neutral ensemble says, "I'm over you, Winter."

This trend can be relayed in other ways than a garment that is actually colorblocked, wearing pink pants and a yellow top, paired with an orange jacket is another way to incorporate the trend. It's a fun way to play with fashion! This jacket from Kembrel has a retro feel, like something out of the MadMen set.  I like to think it's because of it's collar- less nature and scalloped hem.

Jacket and watch C/O: Kembrel, top: Club Monaco, jeans: Guess, pumps and jewelry: thrifted

This is not a sponsored post

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, the first ever giveaway on Burgundy Whispers! This watch by WeWood, is absolutely gorgeous and made of 100% recycled wood. Everytime I wear it, I get a ton of compliments and now I want to thank all of my readers by giving you your chance for compliments! Thanks to Kembrel for this awesome product!

To Enter:

1. You must follow Burgundy Whispers, via GFC or Bloglovin'

2. You must sign up at Kembrel 

 Additional entry options are....

- Follow Kembrel on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest

- Follow Burgundy Whispers on Twitter and Instagram

- Tweet about the giveaway

- Mention (and link to this post) on a blog post

Then, comment on this post and mention what steps you took to enter this giveaway and leave your email along with it. This giveaway ends on Tuesday, March 5th at 9pm EST. The winner will be chosen through a Random Number Generator and contacted via email. Good luck readers!

Faux Outfit

A really fun way to transform a piece in your wardrobe is by pairing it with another piece of the same color. I do this a lot with my black pieces, it helps me create brand new faux dresses, rompers, and jumpsuits! This outfit, for example, my "faux" asymmetrical dress. 

Bag won't close because i'm always carrying a lot of shenanigans!

Top: Forever21, skirt: Nastygal, heels: Zara, satchel: UrbanOutfitters, jewelry: Forever21, thrifted, H&M

I like the result of this "faux" look, it reminds me of a really funky shift dress from the Mod era. Ps, all of the photos were taken by my good friend, Chaucee!

                                                                                                                     Xoxo,

                                                                                                                        Jacqui

Experimental Fashion.

Dress: Forever21, Skirt: Nastygal.com, Wedges: Steve Madden via Shoemint, Jewelry: Forever21, thrifted

I'm really starting to love pairing brights with neutrals! It gives your eyes a different focus. You see the "top" i'm wearing? It's actually a maxi dress that I tucked into the skirt. It started with me wanting to wear this dress, but I really wanted some more color into the outfit, and not by adding a belt or scarf. Experimenting is key to a fun wardrobe!

The illustration conveys, my night that day. I was at the launch party, #Wearthebeach, for Duke and Winston's latest summer collection. You should definitely check it out on their website. The party was hosted at the North Shore Beach Club, it was my first time there and it definitely won't be my last! That place was gorgeous, it reminded me of a night club in Ibiza, Spain, which says a lot! A pool party combined with a club atmosphere. It was just fun all around, afterwards went out to this cafe/ restaurant with some friends and chatted about the event. Ps, wedges are a girls best friend!

                                                                                      Xoxo,

                                                                                           Jacqui

Shoe Necessity.

       

        Picture this, you put on the hottest outfit for a night out with your girls. It's perfect, from head to..... you get to your feet and remember that you didn't exactly choose what shoes to go with the outfit. Yes I have been in this situation. Fear not, I have found that there's always a solution especially when it comes to fashion! Nude colored shoes are definitely the answer. Nude shoes are great because they give the illusion of longer, lengthened legs. Perfect match for any color, print, and texture. Nude is considered a neutral, which is why they look great with everything and anything! They're also great year round. Plus, they come in a variety of styles, the classic pump, strappy wedges, architectural oxford style shoes and some even have color blocking or patterned accents. This is truly a must have, for any fashionista's closet!

                                                                                                                                         Xoxo,
                                                                                                                                             Jacqui