Railroad Crossing: The Basics Of Casual Chic

 

 

E here, in today's edition I will give you my personal tips for successfully creating a "casual chic" look. [Scroll down for the details.] I hope that you're enjoying the beautiful spring weather. With the weather beginning to transition from heavy rain to sunshine, I might be able to retire the rain boots and heavier jackets for a while! It may be sunny but it's still quite chilly outside, so I bundled up in lighter layers for a casual chic look. The great thing about the shift from winter to spring weather is that you can just throw on a cardigan or blazer when leaving the house.

 

 

[My personal take on casual chic; neutrals with a pop of color, ripped jeans to make the outfit more cutting edge, heeled booties, and simple, understated jewelry to polish off the look.]

 

The basics of casual chic:

1.) Pick a piece to use as the foundation for the outfit, (an anchor if you will - that will tie the whole look together.)

2.) Choose a base color to serve as the focal point. (I picked navy for this outfit.) 

3.) Pick items that will go well together and compliment the colors and styles of the other pieces (this is key when creating a layered look.)

4.) Utilize style staples like a great blazer, or your favorite pair of heels.

 

 

 

In order to take an outfit from casual to chic, try combining these tips and don't be afraid to experiment a little. Pick a bright pop of color to enhance the overall feel of the look, and if you're feeling extra playful you can even spice up the outfit with some heels. In sum, stick with the basics, (i.e. - keep it simple,) you can build around the rest of the outfit with key accessories such as jewelry or scarves.
 

 

What I love about blazers is the fact that you can either dress up/or down any outfit according to the look that you are trying to go for. Depending on the sort of blazer that you pick, (color, cut, fit) you can create a style statement that says casual yet chic, or fun and flirty, or perhaps even cutting edge. Blazers provide a quick and easy way to add extra flair to any outfit. Here, the blazer not only adds warmth to my layered look, but also takes this "casual" outfit up a notch to that of a more polished "casual chic" look. The rich hue of the navy draws the eye; adding a pop of color to the overall look, ands contrasts nicely with the lighter wash of the jeans. Personally I don't think ripped jeans will ever go out of style, it just depends on the wash and fit of the jeans.



[This outfit is 100% thrifted! :-)]

Thrifted items; blazer: H&M $9.99 (Crossroads Trading Co,) sweater: Ann Taylor Loft $10, (Goodwill,) *jeans: Vigoss $10 - $5 (Crossroads Trading Co,) *booties: American Eagle $12.99 - $1.29 (Goodwill.)



Well that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed this edition. Remember, don't be afraid to experiment and reinvent your wardrobe (or style for that matter!) Stop by the blog again soon for more style tips. See you next time!
-E

 

Viva Las Vegas - Day Four: An LBD Is Always In Style [Pt. 2]

 

 

[Me and my handsome hubby at the "One" Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show]

 

 

E here, we've reached the final segment of my vacation fashion series. I hope you've enjoyed the journey with me, its been a lot of fun. I don't know about you, but I like to play dress up once and a while. I have so many great dresses that never see the light of day, so it was exonerating to finally get to wear them. I realize that it might not be a big deal to dress up for most people, but it is for me. I've always felt that I was born in the wrong era. People simply don't dress up like they used to anymore. I mean its perfectly acceptable to just walk around in pajamas and yoga pants these days. Don't get me wrong, I own several pairs of yoga pants, its just that I only see those as fit for wearing when you are exercising. Call me old fashioned I guess!

 

 

Well one thing that will definitely never go out of style is a little black dress. A LBD is perfect for any occasion, and looks great on virtually every body type. Besides looking a little more regal, the good ole LBD is a great go-to option when you just can't make up your mind. Black is so easy to wear, and is an easy, effortless way to look put together. [Which is why I always pack one or two when I go on vacation just in case.]

 

 

Thrifted items; blazer: Express $6.99 (Value Village,) black wedges: Aldo $12.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; black dress: London Style $20 (Fred Meyer.)

 

 

These iconic loafers once belonged to the king of pop himself; Michael Jackson. Amazing right? I mean who would have thought to bedazzle socks with rhinestones? I have to say though, my favorite MJ look is that badass red leather jacket that he wore in the thriller music video. After all, who wouldn't feel BAD in a jacket like that? As for the show, it was out of this world! I won't give away any spoilers, but the show was incredible and I highly recommend it. Well that's it for my trip, thanks for coming along for the ride. I think that everyone needs an escape from their life once and a while! Until next time.

-E

Viva Las Vegas - Day One: An Evening In Paris

 

[This photo was taken at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas.]

 

E here, as promised in my last post, I will be detailing my recent vacation to Las Vegas. But first, per the recommendation of a friend, I'm going to provide some quick, easy tips on how to successfully plan outfits for a trip. Planning what outfits to bring on vacation can be time consuming, and even stressful. I don't know about you, but I need plenty of time in advance to pack for a trip! In order to prepare for a vacation, I rely on three easy rules when packing; 1) comfort, 2) quality, and 3) quantity. When it comes to comfort, I try to only pick items that I deem to be "essential" i.e. -can't live without. In terms of quality, I pack items of good quality that I know I will get maximum use value out of for an extended period of time. Finally, when it comes to quantity, I rely on the last two standards as a guideline for choosing the number of particular items to pack.

 

 As a seasoned traveler, I only travel with one carry on suitcase, therefore it's really important that I pack items with quality and quantity in mind. For example, the blazer that I'm wearing in this photo meets all of my guidelines. It's comfortable and extremely versatile when it comes to planning outfits, and is also lightweight and easy to pack.

 

 

 On this particular trip I wore the blazer a lot. Since it's black it matches just about everything, and provides that extra touch of polish to an outfit. The amazing thing about this outfit (shoes and accessories included) is that it was all under $40. [Everything except for the dress was thrifted.] As I've said before, you don't have to spend a lot of money to look like a million bucks! Its as simple as throwing on your favorite LBD (little black dress) with some chunky jewelry, and other fun accessories.

 

 

Thrifted items; blazer: Express $6.99 (Value Village,) wedges: Aldo $12.99 (Goodwill,) clutch $3.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; dress: Maggy London $24.99 (TJ Maxx.)

 

 

Isn't the view spectacular? By far one of the best views I've had at dinner in a long time! Not only does the Eiffel Tower restaurant at the Paris hotel offer a great view, but it also provides guests with an authentic French dining experience.

 

 

 

 

 In case you're wondering, the food was just as good as the view! I had the mackerel and it was exquisite. Back to the view, we had front seats for the fountain show at the Bellagio hotel across the way. [Pictured below]

 

 

Not a bad way to kick off a fun, relaxing week-long vacation if I don't say so myself. If you happen to find yourself in Vegas with a few extra dollars to spend, I highly recommend you pay a visit to the Eiffel Tower restaurant. Well that's all for today, check back soon for more details on the trip, and how I spent my time. Happy Saturday!

-E

 

Making A Blaze Into 2014

 

 

 

 

E here, as we get closer to the final countdown to the new year this will be my last post of 2013! I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog so far, I promise to be a better blogger in the new year. As for today's outfit, I went for something simple yet chic. Blazers make any outfit look chic, whether paired with jeans and a white shirt, or belted over a dress. Here, I added a belt and necklace to top off the outfit. The great thing about accessorizing is that it polishes off any outfit. The trick is not to go too overboard. I tried to pick accessories that complimented the colors and pattern of the blouse and the fit of the blazer.

 

 

 When looking at blazers and trying to pick the right one for you keep in mind the shoulders (shoulder pads,) length of the sleeves, and overall tailoring. Once you figure out the right fit for your body type layering becomes a cinch. Women's blazers are typically very fitted, so I like to look in the men's section. In this case, I scored the blazer in the women's section for really cheap. My favorite detail of the blazer is the inner lining of the sleeves which are pinstriped and look great when rolled up. If blazers just don't work for you, you can still create polished layered looks with accessories.

 

 

 Thrifted items; blazer: Merona $5.99
 (Value Village,) blouse: Mac & Jac $4.99 (Goodwill,) boots: Steve Madden $22.50 (Crossroads Trading Co,) cardigan: Banana Republic $7.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; jeans: JCPenny's $25, necklace: Charlotte Russe $5.

 

That's all for today. Check back soon for New Years photos. Hope you and yours have a great NYE. Cheers to my first year of reinvention, and many more to come!

-E

Color Me Pink!

 

 

E here, I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. Working in retail this time of year is pretty stressful so I may not be able to blog everyday. We are now only about 20 days away from Christmas can you believe it? This month is really going to fly by because there is actually one less week between Thanksgiving and Christmas so you can expect to see a lot of advertisements within the coming week for special 1 or 2 day sales in order to make up for missed sales opportunities.

 

In fact, this would be a really good time to take advantage of all the sales either online or in the store. If you find yourself still shopping for those last minute Christmas gifts, think about heading to the mall during the weekdays because it will be less crowded, and you are more likely to find the items on your list in stock before the last haul. Check back soon for more shopping tips.

 

 

Funny thing is, these pants aren't actually as pink as they photograph. For some reason anytime that I wear these pants in photos they come out looking really light. The trick to wearing colored skinny jeans, is to pick a color that compliments your skin tone and hair color. For instance, if you have darker hair like mine, you should wear lighter colors and vice versa.

 

 

Also, when wearing colored jeans, you want to try and wear colors that either compliment or contrast that color. What I did here, is I picked the darker tones in my top that matched my blazer so it would compliment my jeans. I also tried to mix patterns and textures to make the outfit more interesting. The idea is to make the outfit your own, so don't be afraid to go bold!

 

 

Today's outfit is almost entirely thrifted, with the exception of my D&Y scarf from Fred Meyer which was $4.99.  Thrifted items; blazer: H&M $9.99 (Crossroads,) tank: Mossimo $4.99 (Goodwill,) jeans: Mossimo $7.99 (Goodwill,) boots: Deena & Ozzy $7.99 (Goodwill.)

That's all for now! Until next time!

-E