Vested

Photos by Derrick Hogue

At the dawn of a new season, there's always those few days or even weeks in which it's a bit cold at times and then the temperatures suddenly rise throughout the day. That's exactly how the Fall season is here in the northeastern states! I would much rather prefer the days stay warmer than colder but that's not being realistic. On days like such, I try to layer smartly, my secret to staying cool and warm is simply a vest! It's a piece that's often overlooked but essential to all of our closets.

Pre Fall Athleisure

Photography by Derrick Hogue

Summer's end is near and with that comes the so called "summertime blues." I try to not think too hard about parting ways with Summer but rather reflect on all the good times and moments that I've had and remember that the best is yet to come! Saying sayonara to Summer with a minimalist uniform to get myself ready to transition into the cooler temperatures. Trading in the fuschias, citrons, and aqua blues for plum, mustards and greys this season. Of course, denim never goes out of style and wearing it as anything other than a pair of jeans definitely not boring! 

Winter's Trespassing

Photography by Kevin Michael Smith

This winter in Philadelphia has felt nothing like the winter's before, it's been mild and balmy. For me, that meant to take full advantage of it! Peel away the heavy layers and textures to reveal your skin again, wear that autumn jacket that you forgot about and pull out those flowy dresses! This Winter, mother nature has been kind to us by granting us 70-60 degree days, in January, which is unheard of for the northeastern states! I'll take what we can get! 

Holiday Outfitting 3

Photos by Kevin Smith

There's nothing like a good coat to keep you warm, in close to freezing temperatures. Looking luxurious in dire weather is no easy task, sensible clothing  options get in the way of our style, like rain and snow boots, bulky down coats, thermal base layers and other "sensible" garments. Occasionally all we need is a new trend to inspire the downtrodden for other ways to enjoy the plummeting temperatures, taking a cue from this season's new neutral, burgundy! 

Retro

Photos by the awesome Kevin Smith

Like everyone else, I have a penchant for new, shiny and often, the latest.  While it's nice to have what's current, sometimes older pieces and garments are what's better for our wardrobes. Style revivals happen every few seasons, which means something you wore adored all the time, five years ago, will come back in style to be the hottest and trendiest thing on the market! I'm not the best at vintage shopping, but when I do find something, it's a total score! 

Lazy Days

Somedays you just want to dress for yourself and be comfortable. It's summer in Philadelphia, which means rising temperatures and high humidity. With that said, it can get quite uncomfortable being outside for too long, especially dressed in the wrong fabrics. Denim starts to feel like second skin, polyester can feel suffocating, and not to mention silks! I try to avoid that distressed feeling by wearing relevant summer clothing. Relaxed and light, are my summer key words! 

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!

Slinky Silk

Technically, there are still two weeks of the Summer season left, but it's the time of the season where the weather can be quite unpredictable. Some days are bright and humid, others are cool and breezy which makes for the perfect time to experiment with ensembles! This is the time to mix and match your summer pieces with fun Fall items to make the transition smoothly. 

Summer Prints

With summer coming to a close, the weather is getting to be cooler and cloudier. The days are much shorter and the humidity isn't nearly as burdensome! Don't let the nostalgia of summer trip you, enjoy it while you can! I'm going to enjoy it to the very end, with a ton of white separates, floral patterns and beautiful Philadelphian gardens! 

The Calm Before the Storm

It was the day before the big blizzard was to hit the North Eastern states, and all was calm, sunny and even a bit mild. It was absolutely a lovely day, one that Philadelphia has been missing for long but then Old Man Winter had to threaten us with the next big blizzard, Titan! I am way beyond over this winter season weather, after a while, wearing layer after layer gets to be quite boring and annoying. Alas, that is life and one must keep it moving and assimilate to the weather conditions. This outfit does just that, layered with love!

Basic Instinct

I'll be the first to admit, that lately adding color into my outfits has been a bit callous. I love color, but since the winter hit, the sun has been playing hide and seek for weeks! The way the sun dances on bright colorful fabrics is such a beautiful thing to see, and these grey and cloudy days have me going stale with color. However, I'll still make sure that my blacks, whites and greys look fantastic even with a bare color palette! 

Geometric Blue

Lately, I find myself wearing colors of the blue family quite often. The fact that the latest Pantone Color of The Year is a shade of (dazzling) blue makes me feel quite on trend! And let me tell you, I do feel pretty "dazzling" in my blues! 

(In) Vested

In these last weeks of summer, the temperatures seem to stay at a steady degree of very hot and humid. Occasionally, there will be a nice breeze, billowing through the sodden heat. On those days, I feel tempted to wear a jacket but I don't look forward to feeling sweaty. Vests are actually a great option, they are light, airy, and versatile! Vests also tend to polish off any look. 

Think of all the possibilities of wearing a vest on the cooler months too, layering with it is a lot of fun! 

Vest: Zara(Similar), Dress: Omen Brand, jewelry: Jewelmint, Berricle, Aoki Boutique, shoes: Steve Madden(Similar)

You might remember me mentioning this dress in a recent post, it's by a local Philly designer, Omen Brand. I love this dress, it's so comfortable, drapes beautifully and it looks luxe! Dear readers what do you think of this look and how do you like to wear your vests?

Print Persuasion

I recently attended a wedding, and believe me when I say I totally understand the frustration with picking an outfit to wear that's appropriate and yet still exude your style personality! In my case, it's eccentricity! When you go to a wedding you don't want to outshine the most important person there on her special day, the bride. The only thing with that is if you're like me, you like to dress over the top and extravagant, it's in my nature! I chose to go with this outfit because it  felt very "Me"and loud without too much outshining capabilities. If it wasn't this look it would have been something that showed some midriff action and I don't think that would have gone too well with the family! Yes this outfit has some white in it but the other colors over power it so that it fits in the rules of wedding wear. Plus who doesn't love a little peplum!?

My favorite part about this outfit is that it's actually two pieces, when combined together it looks like a whole dress. I love pieces with functional versatility! Print on print action, my favorite way to wear prints! This way i'm not stuck with a dress i'll only wear a few times a year. 

Top and skirt: Club Monaco, jewelry: Anthropologie, H&M, Gorjana, second hand thrifted, shoes: Zara(similar)

Dear readers, what do you wear to a wedding? What are some of the rules you stick to when choosing an outfit for a wedding? Do you care if your style personality shows through?

#WhiteParty

Photos of me by Chaucee Stillman

Last week I attended this fantastic party for Philadelphia's premier lash [extension] authority! The theme for the event was to wear white! It was a celebration for Deneen Marcel's grand opening in Society Hill. Deneen is the most sought after for fabulous lashes, there were models wearing some of her amazing lash extensions. They were pretty extreme, a little too much for everyday wear but still beautiful!

Top: Threadsence, dress: Zara(similar), belt: Club Monaco, pumps: Shoemint(similar), jewelry: Forever21, The Hatters

The party was filled with delicious, sweet and savory cupcakes, luxurious skin care products and chilled champagne to cool us down from the insane heat wave! All in all, it was a fun night out with my friends, and it was really interesting to see how everyone interpreted the "white soiree" get together, in their own way. Sure, everyone wore a white dress or a white pant suit, but they managed to add something to differentiate themselves from others! I opted to pair the mesh top with the strapless dress to show a bit of my funky, bohemian style. Also, I wanted to "sex" down the outfit, it just felt unnecessary for the event. Dear readers, what do you think of my look and have you ever received lash extensions?

Remixed, Striped Dress

I'm really trying to be better about wearing pieces in my wardrobe more often. I find that months later i'll find a piece a wore once and wonder why I forgot it. With the reason being, that it may be a piece that's very specific to a certain season. This dress for instance, simple, horizontally striped, 3/4 sleeves and fitted. It's super comfy, and super thin, and because of that I tend to wear it in the warmer months. Well, I wanted to challenge that perception and save some money! And here are two of my results!

Jacket: Zara, dress: H&M, scarf: Urban Outfitters, bag: Forever21, wedges: Steve Madden

I absolutely adore the print mixing trend, I try to abide by it every day! Stripes paired with an ethnic print seemed like the perfect free spirited look for a rainy day. 

Jacket and skirt: Forever21, dress: H&M, belt: thrifted, pumps: shoedazzle, satchel: Urban Outfitters

Another one of my favorite trends, the monochromatic look, shades of the same color family. This is a fun way to revamp your dresses, wearing a skirt over it, adds a new feeling to it! Blue skirt and blazer, with accents of gold felt very appropriate for an afternoon brunch. 

As you have seen, the key to this thin, summery dress is layers. By adding or subtracting layers, one can turn any article of clothing into a summer or winter appropriate piece. By treating the dress as a canvas, I was able to variate the colors and prints to pair with it. Also, tights/ hosiery are your best friends through out the winter! 

Dear readers, what do you think of these looks? How would you style this dress?

Rain Appropriate.

It's been a dreary few days recently, but I like to make the most of them! Rather than the usual boring outfits that the rainy weather will persuade you to wear, I try not to convey that by wearing more cheerful clothes. Deep reds, such as burgundy happen to be one of my favorites!

Jumper and socks: American Apparel,  oxford shirt: BF's closet, skirt: Zara, bag: UO,  boots: Forever21,  jewelry: Forever21, thrifted

What do you wear for rainy days?

                                                                                         Xoxo,

                                                                                                  Jacqui