My Favorite Fashion Trend- Wedges!

As much as I love boots and my favorite shearling lined Juicy Couture clogs there are few things that give me as much joy as putting on a casual dress and a pair of strappy, summery, wedges for the first time every summer. My current obsession is a pair of Steve Maddens with cork heels, black patent leather straps, and silver and gold studs. My favorite thing about wedges is how versatile they are, they go with summer dresses, jeans, and even a carefully selected pair of shorts. Not only that, they're basically high heels for beginners and add  dressiness to even the most comfortable and casual outfits.

Hope you have an amazing summer!
Jamie

Loungerie

As I was looking around the internet and my magazines, I noticed something that has been obvious, but I never really realized had a name. It's called "loungerie." It sounds weird and slightly scandalous, but I'm starting to see it everywhere, both muted and obvious, and I kind of love it!

One website called loungerie the style that's super girly, ruffly, soft, and sweet with the obvious style of lingerie. Of course, we aren't going to go run outside in our bras and underwear, but I like the idea of incorporating the similar themes into actual clothing. Plus, having pretty under-stuff makes you feel great, am I right?

Loungerie is most well known for it's silky smooth fabric, blousey, lacy, and thin traits. These pieces can be anywhere from tiny bralette tops, to lacy shorts and skirts, to entire outfits and dresses, that all have those little things that remind us of lingerie. They're comfortable looking and feeling, very feminine, sexy, and much classier than letting your bra show to get that little effect!

I would even go as far as classifying the sheer summery shirts and dresses as part of the loungerie category, although some could be a stretch. Either way, loungerie or not, I love the look!

Take a look at some of these loungerie pieces!

You're Beautiful!

Ashley Rae

Fashion Fit For a Future Queen

In honor of next week's royal wedding, I decided to dedicate this week's blog to the one and only Kate Middleton. Not only will Kate become princess, and future queen, of England next Sunday, but she also has a great personal sense of fashion. Kate's taste is just the type of fashion I love: classic, elegant and feminine. At every event she attends, Kate never fails to dress to impress.

I especially look forward to tuning into the wedding next Sunday to see Kate's entire bridal look: dress, hair, veil, jewelry and all. With such pinpoint fashion sense, I'm sure it will make fashion history!

Here are some of my favorite looks from Kate Middleton:

Erin

The Rising Price of Fashion

Hey everyone!
I'm am sure many of you have noticed that many well known and popular brands have been steadily raising their prices over the past couple of years. J.Crew has raised the prices of many of their cardigans and pants. Several of their cargo and twill pants have gone up $10 in price. Originally priced at 79.50, the Minnie twill pant now sells for 89.50. Gap is starting to market to high-end consumers also, with less sales and more of their clothes selling at high prices. Cardigans at Gap are priced upwards of $60... at Gap! Really?? If any of you have gone to J.Crew stores in New York City, you probably have seen their trench coats and cocktail dresses that are priced at an astonishing $800-$2000 dollars. These are clothes being sold at chain stores, not designer boutiques. It's interesting that with America still recovering from the recession and the high unemployment rate, companies are still able to profit with these outrageous prices. For those fashion savvy yet budget controlled people out there, the best plan is to keep a steady eye on the sale racks because it doesn't look like these prices are coming down anytime soon.

                          This sweater from Gap: $64.95

J.Crew top: $198 (mind you it is currently sold out so you will have to wait)
           and for $298 you can have this mustard sequined zip up! ...

Don't get me wrong, some stuff at J.Crew is fabulous and I am a big fan of many of their clothes, but I wouldn't spend even $20 for a sweater like the one above.


 As always,
Newlin

YSL Goes Green

The powerhouse designers at Yves Saint Laurent, commonly referred to as YSL have given women all over the world an even greater excuse to purchase the new, limited-edition Muse Two bag which is made from recyclable materials and helps global woman's issues. Fashionable and charitable? Sounds like a match made in heaven to me. Not to mention, sustainability is always a powerful fashion statement no matter what the cause or design.

This chic bag combines two great causes in one: sustainable development and design, and global women's issues. The limited-edition Muse Two is made of recycled plastic bags and woven cotton—a textile designed by the Women of Gafreh Association, which helps to promote and maintain the artistic and social values of women around the world. Each bag is then uniquely hand-produced by women from the Burkina Faso region of South Africa who have mastered the art of turning plastic into fabric

There were only 60 of these bags produced and all of them are unique. I love the texture that the materials give the bag, it adds a layer of lightness to the overall luxurious bag. The bag can be found online and at flagship stores in the U.S. and the U.K. The bag is priced at $1,720.

XO, Haley Buntrock

Nuclear Wintour

"You either know fashion or you dont."- Anna Wintour

Through her years of editing Anna Wintour has gained a strong reputation. She is said to be one of the most powerful women in the fashion industry, and I could not disagree. I love the way she rose to the top. But her influence does not just affect the world of fashion, she uses the power of persuasion and her high level of intelligence to affect other prominent figures in the world. Her salary is reported to be $2 million a year, insane!!! But she completely deserves it! 

My only complaint about Anna Wintour is her choice of pro-fur! She has been attacked many times for her stance on the issue and for putting fur into the magazine. 

I recently found this really cool video on her at Bloomberg. They featured her in an episode of their Bloomberg Game Changers and really showed just how amazing and powerful of a woman she is. Here is the video:

Until next time,

Haha just kidding . . . Cortney Kaminski :)

COACHELLA HITS AND MISSES

At most camping festivals, fashion is not at the top of anyone's priority list. Coachella, easily the most commercialized, celebrity-filled festival in the world, obviously proved different. In preparation for Coachella, I spent an hour picking accessories for my various outfits, even painting my nails in true Coachella fashion.

Summer Hair

I have a LOT of hair. Its curly, long and frankly very Hermione-ish. Which is why in the summer I like to get it up and out of my face and off my neck. Headbands are a must for this spring/summer. Bright colorful ones, little sparkly ones and colorful scarves all protect your hair while keeping you cool!. If you have bangs like I do, the side braid is very popular and helpful! Side buns and side braids are great options as well as the classic ponytail. Dress you braid or ponytail up with a ribbon or a bright summer flower! Whatever  you do, remember that your hair can get sun damaged so look for products that have spf in them for you hair!

XOXO,

Brittany

Rompers!

I have been super into rompers lately, so I just want to talk about why I love them. I always think of the little girls, 5 of 6 years old, running around and playing in the dirt wearing cute little rompers. It’s the epitome of playfulness, regardless of the fact that the romper is being worn by a toddler! Being worn by a teenage girl, I still see the playfulness and carefree vibe, but they’re also super girly too. I love ruffles, florals, and extra girly touches, and rompers have all three covered perfectly.

I remember a few summers ago Katy Perry said in an interview that rompers were going to be hot that season, and they still are. They stand the test of time and look modern, as well as look vintage and 50’s if you do it right. You can either dress them up to look 50’s costume-like, more sophisticated, or like easy beach-wear. 

Rompers are the easiest way to make a quick and adorable outfit. They’re like putting on a simple dress and grabbing a pair of perfect shoes, and voila! 

You’re beautiful!

Ashley Rae

Turquoise!

We recently talked about our favorite jewelry brands, however, being the jewelry fanatic I am I wanted to talk about my favorite jewelry trend which is turquoise. The new turquoise pieces coming out are unique, colorful, have a fun hippie feel and are perfect for spring and summer. When temperatures soar and all you're willing to wear is a simple tank and shorts large turquoise statement jewelry is the perfect way to add style to any outfit quickly and easily. Fortunately, there is no lack of it either. On a shopping trip this weekend I saw many beautiful expensive turquoise pieces as well as equally pretty pieces at places like Forever 21. I personally bought a large turquoise statement necklace from Nordstrom that I can already sense will be my summer obsession.

Jamie Killin

Graduation Dress!

My current dilemma is between a neutral and a bold color. I want something cute, yet sexy, conservative but not too conservative. I've been searching for the perfect dress for like a month already and you would think I would've found something by now. After searching on shopbop, shopstyle, nordstrom, bloomingdales, bergdorfs, saks and barneys I've come down to two. While I really wanted to do a floral, picking the prefect dress also became hard with patterns. So here are my two options. I adore purple and this Naven dress is perfect for dressing up and for going out afterward. For my second choice, a little more conservative, I have a picture of the back because it's my favorite part. This Alice+Olivia dusty pink dress is what I had originally chosen but there may be a discretion in size since it seems they have ran out of zeros. So should I go for bold or go for nude?

Stay classy and fabulous darling fashionistas,

Jacqueline Valle

Ariella- Make a Statement!

Okay so i have to admit it, jewelry is an aspect of my wardrobe that is all too often overlooked. I'm very picky with my jewelry and a lot of times forget about it when I'm getting ready.

But there is one accessory that i almost never go without- a statement ring.
I absolutely love statement rings! they aren't just aspects of costume jewelry anymore, these accessories are so versatile.

 they can be worn for so many occasions from a casual day grabbing coffee with your girls to a formal event. My all time favorite ring designer has to be Ariella. 

The Ariella collection creates one-of-a-kind pieces that are bold yet elegant. 

The variety of the collection is huge! There is something for every taste whether you are just trying the trend out or if you want to go crazy with colors and gems!

The collection has been around since 1967 and has been featured in some of the top fashion magazines all over the world! If you're looking for a piece of your very own, they're available at almost any Nordstrom store in the U.S.

Remember, you don't need to be draped with jewelry to complete an outfit.

Sometimes one stand out piece is all you need to make a statement!

Until next time lovelies,

Vanja V.

Michael Kors

This spring, the MUST HAVE jewelry item is both practical (a rare thing in fashion don't you think??) and beautiful ..... WATCHES. In particular, big chunky men's style watches revamped with sparkles and different shades of silver and gold to bring positive attention to a woman's delicate wrist. After scouring advertisements in magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour and countless others, I found my favorite watches coming from the same designer: Michael Kors. My obsession was only heightened when I saw a woman wearing the rose gold watch from his newest collection: 

Michael Kors has given us something a statement piece that is also timeless and classic. And really what more could a fashionista ask for?? Find your favorite style at: http://www.michaelkors.com/store/catalog/templates/P6VAll.jhtml?itemId=cat7502

Keep it timeless. Keep it classic. Keep it beautiful

<3 Lindsay

Fossil

When it comes to jewelry, Fossil is one of my favorite brands. Each Fossil piece is so unique yet the pieces relate as an entire collection. Fossil jewelry comes in vibrant colors that bring life to any outfit. I also love the use of leather and silver in Fossil jewelry. They make the jewelry so classy and capture the essence of that "All American" look. Fossil jewelry is also very reasonable in price. Here are some of my favorite Fossil jewelry pieces:

Erin

Alex and Ani

Hey everyone!
In my hometown, Alex and Ani jewelry is becoming increasingly popular. What I love about their designs are the simple concept and the unique aspect of their bracelets. If you have never seen an Alex and Ani bracelet they can be recognized as a thin gold, silver or brushed silver bangle with one or more charms on each. Many people wear stacks of them or simply just one. Depending on the charm, Alex and Ani bracelets can be classic or have a bohemian edge.
Here are some examples:

As Always,
Newlin