Sunday, August 21, 2011

dinner with friends (quick outfit of the day)







Upside Down French Braid!



White Burnout Low Back Top.......................................Forever 21
Lace Taupe Brown Tiered Shorts...................................Marshall's
Rose Gold Flats..................................................................Gap
Gold Farrah Necklace (wearing it backwards)..........Jewelmint.com
Brown Leather Bracelet with Gold Charms............................H&M
Brown Leather Purse with Gold Hardware.............Wilson's Leather
Gold Earrings............................................................Francesca's

Face: Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette (Target); CoverGirl and Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer; Clinique Stay Matte Sheer Pressed Powder
Eyes: MAC Rubenesque Paintpot; Clinique eyeshadow in Lucky Penny; MAC eyeshadow in Quarry; Lancome eyeshadow in Color Du Jour (from a limited edition palette); MAC eye liner pencil in Smolder; Waterproof Maybelline Falsies Mascara in Very Black
Bronzer/Blush: Jane bronzer in Sunkissed Bronze; MAC beauty powder in Blush of Youth
Nails: Orly nail polish in Rage (matches exactly the rose gold color of my flats!)


Rose Gold is my new favorite color!  I apologize for the boring background of my bathroom wall haha.

Adeetee is back in town, so Jerry and I went out to dinner with her and 5 other friends.  We went to the Fountain on Locust and their malt butter pecan shake is the most amazing yummy-on-my-tongue dessert I've ever had in St. Louis (besides gooey butter cakes).  MMMMM I'm totally thinking about going there again this week.....

heart, alice

timeless pieces (with the fall season in mind)

Boys. Their closets are SO freakin simple, with clothing and accessories that are re-worn over and over until I'm sick of seeing them (at least the boys I'm mainly around).  Yet being around them so much lately has actually inspired me to re-discover my appreciation for timeless pieces -- pieces that are forever staples to your everyday outfits and which can be worn again and again, every year until you wear them to death.  These pieces are just no-brainers: you put them on and you know they'll look good on you all day, all night, and best of all, you don't really need to purchase anymore similar items throughout the lifespan of the timeless pieces.  With that said, I believe that these items are worth the investment and splurging, if you run out of discounted/sale options of course!
I wanted to share my top 10 timeless pieces for fall I can not live without (but really, I can wear these items in any other season, weather permitting) and pictures of pieces from my wardrobe I already staked out.  They are in no particular order.  I plan to do outfits of the day on my blog in the near future once school picks up and motivates me to actually wear nice outfits, instead of my pajamas:

1) Trenchcoat
Anthropologie Tiered Trenchcoat
Lightweight but can be layered for extra chilly days, waterproof (I think most are?), put-together, a statement in of itself, and chic.  I absolutely love this unique coat and how practical it is for St. Louis weather!


2) Jeans
Levi's Outlet Jean Leggings

I think a nice pair of jeans that fit well is a worthwhile investment, but I personally don't like to spend +$100 on jeans.  If you have my body type (wide hips, big butt (relative to my frame/size), small waist, and stocky legs), I find that the skinny jeans or skinny jean leggings from Guess and from Levi's make my butt and legs look amazing.  They are my go-to brands!  Skinny style of jeans de-emphasize the stockiness of my legs and balance out my short legs + long torso. I think people with long legs can wear bootcut and flared jeans much better than I can, so lucky you if you're one of those people.


3) Flats
Isola Britt Flats
My toes are the ugliest pieces of nasties, but I'm obsessed with wearing flip flops and sandals since I like my toes to be freeeee :)  Lately I have been slowly giving up on my flipflops in order to look a little nicer and less scrubby/cavewoman-ish (my toes just don't help to make me look done-up).  I've been obsessing over good quality flats since 1) they hide my nasties and 2) they're versatile (can be paired with shorts, my skinny jeans, skirts, dresses, tunics, leggings..etc) and 3) can be made to dress up any outfit.

4) The Go-to Bag
Wilson's Leather brown bag with gold hardware
This is the first purse I have ever owned, and there's a silly story behind this bag.  My dad bought me this after being frustrated with my resort to storing EVERYTHING in my pockets.  And ladies, you know how freaking tiny our pockets can be.  Thanks to my dad, I've had my go-to purse for +7 years now and it still has many years before it breaks/tears/gets gross.  I'm glad I chose brown since it matches almost anything, but I would have gladly chosen a black or other neutral colors.
(fun fact: My sister and her good friend have the exact same go-to bag except in different colors and different hardware color)

5) Simple Studs
Kate Spade Clear Square Stud Earrings 
I'm loving these high quality studs and how they don't weigh down my ears even though they are pretty decent-sized (covers the majority of my earlobe).  They're so simple yet are still a statement, especially when exposed to sunlight.  Fall is my favorite season, but unfortunately, cloudy, rainy days become more common.  Thus, a bit of bling to capture some light for an outfit is necessary for me.  :D

6) Chain with Single Charm
Replica of a Tiffany and Co. Crown Key Necklace
Close-up of the real deal
Sorry Tiffany and Co., but I'm cheap so I got a "knock-off" version.  I like this key on a short silver chain as shown above or a long silver chain paired with a flowy, over-the-shoulder top and shorts (this summarizes the majority of my summer outfits).  I feel like I won't ever need another necklace anymore I love this one so much.  There are so many charms out there, but I like keys and dog tags with messages/quotes the most.  Keys are in many ways mysterious since they can mean different things to different people.  Dog tags not only have meaning behind the message/quotation but also (if it was a gift) tell a story about the awesome person who gifted this to you, along with the memories you had with that person.  It makes me giddy when pieces of my wardrobe have a story to tell like that.  As well as it should be that way for timeless pieces since they will last you a very long time.

7) Cocktail Dress
I haven't really found my "timeless" cocktail dress yet (the dress below is currently my favorite, but when I get older or when my body goes through unfavorable changes, I don't think I'd be able to pull this dress off haha).  Dresses are one of the most expensive items, so I think I'll wait till I have a steady income to invest in a timeless dress.  But while I'm thinking about this future dress, I will probably naturally gravitate towards neutrals and blacks, as they are timeless colors in my opinion.  Plus, you can add fun accessories and shoes with them to make the outfit more interesting if you want to be trendier or spontaneous for an occasion.

Alexander Wang Fitted Corset Dress (I have so many good-lookin friends! :)

Alexander Wang Fitted Corset Dress in better lighting
I thank ebay for this crazy find.  I don't even know if my dress is real or not, but it is a dang good fake if it is a knock-off.

8) Boots
Left: Urban Outfitters lace-up cognac boots | Right: Banana Republic black boots with silver hardware

My favorite type of shoe on those cold days!  Because I have short legs, tall boots elongate my legs, so I gravitate towards tall and over-the-knee boots.  I can't wait to bust these babies out in the fall. (Tip: stuff them with rolled-up magazines to keep them standing up!)

9) Blazer
Gap Navy Blazer
Zara White Blazer
I don't know why I love blazers so much, but I think it has to do with the fact that I love dressing up outfits in the fall.  I think it has to do with the fact that in the summer, I dress down practically everyday with a flowy tee, shorts, and sandals; thus, by the time fall comes and school starts, I become more motivated to change up the usual summer routine.


10) Scarf

Forever21 Grapes Scarf in Grey


My number 1 accessory is definitely a scarf!  Especially when they are ruffly and have cool textures/prints on them.  You can tie them in different ways, take attention away from a low neckline, keep you warm, flatter your collarbone (which I think is the sexiest part of a woman) with an off-the-shoulder top (which I have a lot of), or add a pop of color to an outfit. Seriously though I want to wear them every day if it wasn't so dang hot.
_______________________________________________________________________________


The reason why tops, sweaters, shorts, skirts, sandals, etc. did not make my top 10 list is either because 1) I like varying the style/colors too much that picking a favorite is impossible and 2) I couldn't find an item timeless enough to make it to the top 10.

With all this said, the best fashion tip I've ever gotten and will always remember is this: If it looks bad on you, don't buy it no matter how cute it looks by itself or on someone else.  It seems simple, but many times people forget that, including me, which means that the brands' ads work on suckers like me haha


Thank yall so much for reading my blog and ramblings!  I really appreciate everyone's support!!! :D


heart, alice

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Review on itailor.com AND New Project ft. PJ

For ALL you men and women (though there's more stuff to design on the men's site) out there looking for design-your-own tailored dress shirts, blouses, suits, pants, vests, ties, etc. at an affordable price, I highly recommend itailor.com.  My friend PJ introduced me to this website 2 months back, and I admit that I was a bit skeptical at how inexpensive some of their items were (knowing that the colorful Express men's dress shirts can run $60 a shirt!).  PJ, being the tall, slender and lanky (yet swoll) man he is, was willing to give this site a try for their dress shirts after numerous shopping fails (the sleeves would be too short, the dress shirt wouldn't be fitted enough, the dress shirt would be too short, etc.), and I was willing to help him design his dress shirt. If it turned out well, then he discovered a great find and would order more from the company; if it turned out to be horrendous, then he would have an ugly ill-fitting shirt at the bottom of his closet for the moths to eat till the end of time. Fortunately, it was the the first!

We initially wanted a minty pale green dress shirt, but itailor.com did not have that option and they should have that option so I can complete my project (mentioned below in my New Project section). PJ's next choice was a pale pink dress shirt.  We ended up finding on a pale pink "print" fabric (kind of has a sheen), and PJ's ideal design featured a dress shirt that could be worn to work or out, had a modern look, and was unique. What we specifically chose on the site were the baby pink herringbone fabric, long sleeve roll-up, box placket, center pleats, tri-tab, French collar 1-button, no pocket, 2 button angle, bright pink inside contrasts (I thought I chose the pale pink option, but it came out as bright pink), white thread and charcoal buttons, and no monogram. The website was super user-friendly, easy, fun, and visually attractive. I loved playing around with the various options and wanted to design my own blazer from the men's site haha.  (want to see my design? look at the bottom of the post!) Here are the results!!!! (excuse the lighting/camera issues):

This is the only picture where you can see the inside contrasts. In reality, the inside contrasts peek out often...I swear I picked pale pink, but whatever.


For business wear...

...and for those late night parties

DZhu checkin out PJ

PJ <3s him back

What do yall think? Is this PJ's ideal shirt for work and for going out, etc?
According to PJ, the quality of the work and materials is very good and was worth the buy. I went out with him the other day, and I admit the dress shirt made PJ look mighty fine.  I hope he doesn't read this.


NEW PROJECT ft. PJ


I am SOOOOOO excited about this new project I'm gonna do.  So get this.  PJ asked me to put together 2 going out outfits and 1 casual daywear outfit, and I'll be given $400 to work with.  Supposedly, whatever money I don't use I get to keep (thus, as an incentive, I would look for the best deals), but honestly, this is just way too much fun for me and I'll probably end up sneaking back the extras into his shoe or something. Is this a dream come true for me or what???  If you know me, you know the answer :)


So I'm asking YOU to leave a comment below or on my facebook wall/message me what do YOU want to see on PJ for 2 going out outfits and 1 casual daywear.  Who knows, I might snag some inspiration from your ideas :)  I already have a few ideas in mind, like that pale minty green dress shirt that I LOVE on guys, but I'm not gonna tell more than that because I want PJ to be surprised :P  Come on itailor.com....you can do it.


As always, <3 alice


PS Here's what I would design for a suit jacket/blazer for Jerry or even for me lol.  Let me know if you want to know my options: