Fashion Friday: In the market for...

My wardrobe needs a little revitalizing.

These are some things i would like to add to my closet:
                      ... professional clothes (things i could wear in the workplace)

1. Black Blazer

2. Cute Dress Shirts

3. Slacks/Cropped Dress Pants

4. Dress Shoes

...Spring/Summer Clothes

1. Sandals/Flats

2. Colorful Jewelry

So i figured out what my wardrobe needs...what about you. What items do you need to add to your closet?

Fashion Friday: Wear it more than once

Versatility in clothing is so important. When shopping for clothes it's important to choose items that can be worn with so many different things. Here is how i styled one top.

One top styled many ways

Style Breakdown: Girl and Cat

cute, comfy, casual by hollynbrook featuring scoop neck tops

"braided braids bun"

How To:
1. Section off the top section of your hair and braid it and secure it with a clear hair tie
2. break the bottom section of hair into two sections
3. braid each section secure each with a clear hair tie
(you should have 3 braids.)
4. braid the 3 braids together and secure with a clear hair tie
5. roll the braid into a low bun against the lower part of your head
6. use spin pins or large bobby pins to keep it in place. 
7. use small bobby pins to catch any unruly hairs
(don't worry too much about strays. It shouldn't look perfect)

Getting Inspiration

Sometimes figuring out a new way of wearing certain clothing items can be difficult. 

I know i get stuck in wearing things the same way every time. 

I also put together my outfits in the same style.

Basically it can be hard to mix things up.

So how can you get out of that habit?

1. Look to blogs for inspiration

-see how they style their outfit and get ideas from them

2. Go on pinterest and look through the "womens apparel" section 

-it is a wonderful way of seeing how other women style themselves

-try to find outfits with similar pieces to what you already own

3. Look to polyvore for styling advice.

-they have a section where you can ask how to style an outfit or what you can wear with a certain article of clothing or what to wear for a certain occasion. 

I use blogs and pinterest most when it comes to fashion inspiration.

Current inspiration pictures and the similar items i own:

Planning

Sometimes my outfits are spontaneous and other times they are planned and then refined.

For todays outfit i used polvore to help me figure out my outfit.

Some of my clothing items are already saved to the site.

For Other items, i browse what they have and see if i have something similar.

It is a great tool to use if you don't like changing clothes over and over to find what looks right.

Trust me i hate that process...and my room hates it too-->clothes everywhere.

Here is today's process

{Details}

Cropped Jacket: Old Navy (years ago)

long sleeve shirt: Target

Skinny Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: Soda

FYI: the cropped jacket was in my to get rid of pile. So glad i found a way to wear it. Now it may go back in my closet.

Not always so easy

I don't know why but i had the hardest time with my outfit this morning. For whatever reason i just didn't like the way it looked. It was a rough start that ended well.

SO i tried on 4 different sweaters with my top. I ended up wearing the one i tried with it originally. Sometimes you just have to go with your first instinct and today was no exception.

Outfit of the day

Since it was super cold today i wore this jacket too.

This outfit was worn to:

Church,

Opposites Attract art show (to see all of Carolyn's hard work),

hang up christmas lights and decorations

The lesson i learned today:

Don't get too frustrated when things don't look right. Take a deep breath and look at it again. Chances are you are just being too critical of yourself. 

Modify a Dress

I love dresses, but I rarely wear them.

Sometimes i assume wearing a dress means that i am dressing up. That doesn't have to be the case. 

It's all about how the dress is accessorized.

Three ways to style a maxi dress:

1. Add a long sleeved sweater and belt

 2. Wear a tank top and sweater over the dress. Add a scarf to hide halter strings.

3. Convert the dress to a skirt. Roll down the top of the dress and use the strings to hold it in place. Wear a loose sweater to hide the added bulk around the waist.

Converting a Dress into a Shirt

I have a dress that is too short for my liking. I have only worn it once as a "dress". I wore it over jeans, so i suppose it didn't really count as a dress.

After nearly a year of not wearing this "dress," I came to the realization that it would work better as a shirt. So i got out the rotary cutter and a mat, and easily cut four inches off the bottom. Best decision i ever made regarding cutting clothes.

It is all about making what you have work for you. If that means altering your clothes, do it. Chances are you can get more use out of it once you make those changes.

Don't be afraid to switch things up.

Dressing For Your Body

Over the summer i learned the lesson of dressing for my body type.
I learned through my mistakes.
Looking through the pictures from my roadtrip, i was able to see the mistakes i made.

So how exactly do you dress for your body type?
(You can learn about your body by looking through pictures of yourself. Choose the pictures you like, and those you don't like. Compare them and see if you can find a trend amongst them.)

Here is an example of a photo i like, and one i don't:

1. Know your assets.
-For me my assets are my clavicle bones, my waist, and my hips.

2. Wear clothes that highlight these features.
-I need to wear shirts that cinch in my waist, and are just low cut enough to show my clavicle bone.
(as you can see in the photos, the first shows off my assets and the second does not)

Once you master these simple techniques, you can start to play with color to see what colors look best on you.

(clearly white and tan are not colors for me. I am pale enough and these colors wash me out)

Have fun dressing for you body. I hope this was helpful.
-Holly-

A Lesson in Color

Don't let putting together an outfit intimidate you.

Here is a basic lesson in how to create an outfit based on color (without it clashing).

Start with neutrals (tan, brown, black, white, gray, navy/denim, and shades in between).

     Note: Neutrals can be worn together without clashing.

Choose one color or print to be worn with your neutral color scheme.

     (make sure any other article of clothing or accessory (such as a scarf..not jewelry)

 coordinates with this color)

Color palette examples:

ALL Neutrals: Black, Tan, Dark Denim

khaki, off white, plum
Neutral, Neutral, Color

Neutrals: Dress (white, grey, black, brown)
Accessories:Tights (brown) Belt (black)
Color: Sweater (yellow)

Neutrals: Denim, black, grey
Color: Pink
Accessory: Scarf (white, blue, green, yellow, pink)

Levi Strauss is rolling over in his grave

Denim is such a basic material that looks good in a variety of uses. So why is it that it has been misused so much lately. It's been acid washed (yuck), torn up (disturbing), and turned into a print and used on other fabrics (why???).

Here are some disturbing ways that the concept of denim jeans have been abused:

Diapers

Does your child really need to look like they are wearing jeans, when all they really have on is a diaper. Personally it seems like a huge waste of money. They can only wear it once, then it gets thrown away. Just buy your child jeans. 

Torn Up

The worn look is quite common. It looks fine on some people, yet if the holes are too large it just looks trashy.  There is a big difference between distressed and white trash. Please don't walk that fine line.

They clearly crossed the line

The Good (left), The Bad and Ugly (right)

Jeggings

If you want every detail of your lower half to show, then jeggings are for you. 

I don't think they are flattering. I also don't think that leggings should be worn as pants. Go buy a pair of skinny jeans that have some stretch to them and stop wearing those legging jean things. 

Conan proves the point that jeggings don't look good.

Celebrities in their jeggings (Holly shakes her head in disapproval)

Pajamas

Just when I thought the jean phenomenon couldn't get worse....a commercial for pajama jeans comes on. 

The best/worst part: they cost just as much if not more as a regular pair of jeans. Are jeans really that uncomfortable that you need to wear pajamas instead? I suppose it is a step up for those who wear those crazy print pajamas out in public. 

Please do everyone a favor and just wear jeans in their natural form.

Not just for Dr. Seuss books

Spots and stripes fill the pages of Dr. Seuss books, and now they can fill your closet too.

Some celebrities that have caught onto this trend:

Even my closet is seeing spots and stripes:

So where can you find these trends????

Everywhere, but here are some specifics

fyi polka dots are hard to find in most stores

All of the above are Mod Cloth

Polka Dot Skirt (forever 21)

Blowing Bubbles Cardi

Polka Bow Dress (forever 21)

Rain Boots (target)

Scarf (target)

Op Art Enthusiast Dress

Plateau Forest Dress

All for Nautical Dress

boat neck sweater dress (old navy)

stripe dress (forever 21)

Navigating the Canals Dress

american eagle

forever 21

Stripe Dreams Cardigan

forever 21

Midnight Premiere Top

Cinnamon French Toast Dress

Catch Up Chats Sweater

Self Assured Cardigan

Simply the Best Top

forever 21

old navy

Jackie Ocean Top

forever 21

forever 21

Peppermint Untwisted Top

And if you are really daring you could mix these two patterns.