Spring Trend: Ankle Strap Pumps

I'm not really sure what's going on with Mother Nature this year, but I do know all this warm weather makes me exceptionally excited for Spring fashion. One of my favorite trends for this year are the ankle strap pumps & sandals. The mary jane meets the heel. Very 70's, and very on trend with all the other spring fashion (color-blocking, neons, etc). Ankle strap shoes of any kind can cut your leg off, so there are a few ways to wear them depending on your body type.

If you're tall and have long legs, these shoes are great to emphasize your legs. You can either wear them with shorts/skirt (below), which takes your focal point automatically to your legs

Or.. you can wear them with skinny jeans. If you do pair them with skinnies, I recommend a color thats completely opposite of the jean color. If you wear dark jeans, wear bright shoes. If you're wearing pastels or bright jeans, tone is down with a black/brown. The opposites play upon directing attention up to your legs. 

Now, if you're shorter I recommend pairing them with skinny jeans, which cut all the way down to the ankle. The example above you can see those jeans are a few inches shy of the ankle. If you're shorter you want the skinnies to come all the way down, and thats because they cut at the same place the ankle strap does so it makes your legs look great (and longer). I also recommend staying in the same shade/color family as the jeans you're wearing. If you're doing dark jeans then stick with a darker hue of shoes. Same goes for lighter/color jeans. Amber Rose did a great job pulling off this look. She's shorter and a little thicker, but this look makes her look ah-mazing.

Ankle Straps are literally everywhere I look, and I think as the season unravels we will see more and more options and styles of this trend. Love.

xoxo,
Christina

Falling in Love with Amrita

Is anyone else over winter already, or is it just me? Trust me, I like the lace tights, the velvet pants & the pea coats just as much as the next person, but what I don't like is walking outdoors in it. Never the less the biggest problem has been the amount of bland colors I see surrounding me every time I go out somewhere. I get that its winter, but its no excuse to dress like you're coming from a funeral constantly. Color is still you're friend even when its 30 degrees. When you're covered head to toe, looking pale, the last thing you want is to feel like you're just melting into one blob. That's where color plays into the picture. This winter we are lucky enough to have a ton of designers who are offering colored denim. I posted a blog about neon colored pants last year, but at the time it wasn't that readily available. This winter though it's basically everywhere! Every shade, from a hunter green to a kelly green is out, & perfect to pair with your darker hued tops & sweaters.

My latest guilty pleasure though, is adding color in the form of jewelry. I'm pretty much in love with everything Amrita Singh makes, its all colorful and huge. Very Indian meets Bollywood. The earrings are statement pieces in themselves, and so are all the necklaces. Accessories are a great choice when trying to make an outfit go from boring to stand out. I have a few of my fav's from the collection below... try not to fall too much in love

Kellis Earring

Andra Spring Earring

Crystal Jitney

East Lake

Wisteria

East Lake Cuff

Haven Bracelet

xoxo,

Christina

Color-blocking for Spring

Why am I already thinking about Spring fashion? Oh yeah, because fashion week months ago gave me a taste of what's to come & I literally can hardly wait! It's just now approaching winter in Kentucky, but I would like to imagine myself somewhere warm where I can rock everything and no one would laugh at me for it.

Either way, one trend we will see majorly this Spring is color-blocking. This is a style of pairing clothes in ways you might not normally see it as going, with bright colors overlapped. For example, a normal outfit might have dark jeans, a blue top and some nude heels. With color blocking you wear a green skirt, with the blue shirt & pink pumps. All bright "wow" colors, & all worn together in harmony. It kinda sounds funky I know, but trust me the pictures below speak for themselves! It's so 2012 fashion, and it's going to catch on very quickly. Jeans are always going to be a staple but they are quickly being replaced by bright colored pants, skirts, leggings & shorts.

Bring on the color blocking for 2012!!

Happy One Year!

My oh my how time flies!! A year a go this month I started my fashion blog, hoping I could keep it going. So I want to say thank you to everyone who reads this, & I hope there are many more years to come! I'm trying to get diverse as time goes on & cater to everyones different styles, so if you have a question or suggestions PLEASE tell me! 

Now, onto some great fashion from the American Music Awards! If you read the last post, then you won't be very surprised to see all the sequins and shimmer everywhere. I think hands down Selena Gomez was the best dressed of the night. At such a young age I think she has perfected her mature but sexy style.

Selena in Armani

Taylor Swift

Sarah Hyland

Julie Bowen

Vanessa Lachey

xoxo,

Christina

source: MTV online

Treat yourself to sequins

I love everything that sparkles. Actually, most girls love anything that sparkles. The allure of sequins will be timeless, and it's something that will never fade. But why is it that we see so many more sparkly items for sale during the winter time? The answer to that is very simple. During the fall/winter we have to wear tights with our dresses, and coats, and scarves, and basically we are covered head to toe. Women want to feel sexy and cute even when its -32 degrees outside. Therefore, the addition of some pretty sparkle is exactly what's needed. A shimmery tote to add to your all black/grey outfit? Yes! Some rhinestone sparkle earrings to wear with your blazer? Yes! Sequins and shimmer are in this winter & I have a few great pieces to share with you! I am the kind of person that goes ALL out with a trend if I love it. Therefore I don't just want a sparkly bag or headband. I want full on sequin pants (which by the way yes, thanks to Siwy I DO own). I want a mini dress that is ALL gold sequins. Don't be afraid to be kind of crazy because I promise you people will look at you with admiration & maybe a little jealousy of why they didn't take the leap themselves first. Just to spark your interest ....

Siwy Hannah Sequin Pant

Urban outfitters

Sequin Dress

asos

xoxo,

Christina

It's All About The Men..

I'm convinced men are equally as concerned about their appearance, but the majority of them just don't show it. They know that dressing well is major brownie points with any girl, so let's be honest they want to make that effort. So all right guys, here are a few fall must have's that are in trend & should be staple pieces in your closet. You can wear most of these in multiple ways & get creative, so investing in a nice item will go a long way I can promise you that! As I've said hundreds of times, every great trend starts in England. I look to the British to see what's happening and trust me they always know. This also means it takes some time to come to the main stream American retail, and takes even longer to come into trend in cities outside of LA and New York. My biggest piece of advice is don't be scared to take a risk. Just because you are the only one of your friends to own corduroy pants doesn't mean you should shy away from wearing it. It's called being a trend STARTER. You wear something new and fresh, and people follow. Who doesn't want to lead the pack?

1. Pea Coats - Camel & Tan
Pea coats are a timeless look that is very uni-sex. In the past few years it's been all about the basic black and grey pea coats, but for this season it's all about freshening it up. Camel, khaki, and tan colored pea coats are coming back into style strong for Fall/Winter. The 60's and 70's era influence is being seen more heavy during the coming months, and that includes having brighter colored wool coats. Basically, let's channel your inner Mad Men. The Camel color is soft, easy on the eyes, and can really give a nice pop to just about any outfit. This coat looks great when it's a little tightered and tailored to fit your body. The best part of the color Camel is that is matches almost anything (well except for grey...), and it just makes the outfit brighter. The look is great with a chunky cable knit sweater, some dark jeans, and suede loafers. Complete perfection. You can throw it on with almost outfit and it will give it a pop and majorly turn ladies heads.

Versace

2. Staple Black Blazer
I can't possibly emphasize the importance of every guy to have a tailored black blazer. It's not an option, it's a necessity! If someone can tell me what's hotter then a guy with a loose button down (top button open) & a tailored blazer ill be impressed. Because in reality, that is just about as good as it gets. Wear a blazer with black pants, wear them with dark jeans, wear them with corduroys (ill get to that next), and most importantly wear it out to a bar. Seriously. What I wouldn't do to walk into a bar and see a guy in a blazer who didn't just come from a wedding or a race track. It basically screams "hi, I'm mature, sophisticated, charming...you want to talk to me." Yeah... if you're a guy you need it.

Theory

3. Corduroy Pants
This trend is taking a spin on the basic khaki pants. You might have a closet full of every shade of denim, every shade of khaki (including the navy and red), but what you don't have is probably fitted corduroy pants. What I love about this trend is that you can wear them in almost any color without looking ridiculous. Do you want to wear maroon pants? Olive green? Corduroy makes that looks flawless, where as khaki in those shades can come out looking kind of funky. These pants look best when paired to dress up your outfit. So I suggest it with a nice collar shirt, button down, and/or a blazer. Hey... better yet imagine this with a Camel pea coat. Now we're talking.

Polo Black Label

Gucci

Levi's

4. Plaid
So this might seem a little lumberjack-ish, but plaid is actually getting revamped. The thing about plaid is that it needs to be done in moderation. You can only pick one piece to wear per outfit. What I love is a plaid tie because it's so unique and makes a boring outfit fun. Other options are plaid trimmed blazers (how great is that?!), and of course the ever so loved plaid shirt. A way to make plaid look less homely and more sexy is to avoid wearing it with jeans. Khakis are okay, but the best option is with black pants and maybe even a blazer to spice it up.

Plaid Tie

Polo

xoxo,

Christina

Watch Out: Chocolate brown time pieces

This past year we saw a flux of rose gold watches and accessories. It was the color of the season, and everything from shoes to handbags to even pants took on the hue. So what's going to be new for the upcoming season? Chocolate brown. Chances are we all might own a silver watch, a gold watch, black, maybe a leather band watch, perhaps one thats white, and then of course Rose gold. Well, now it's time to make room in that jewelry box for one more shade.

The Chocolate brown watches are something we will see coming out in late Winter (due to its darker shade), but it will make a full appearance in the spring. This isn't quite the same as the tortoise shell we have seen before. This is more a solid metal that is brown, or a solid rubber that is all brown. It's something unique and different which is what consumers are craving. We all want the next unthought of item and we are getting just that. A few watch companies have already begun unleashing their chocolate creations, and I expect many more to jump on the bandwagon. It's an unusual choice because it does not match everything, but I think if you do invest in this choice it will be very smart. Just imagine how a brown watch would pop with a bright autumn orange sweater and some light flare jeans. Complete hotness .... here are a few of the watches out so far.

Michael Kors Mens Chronograph

Emporio Armani

Okay so yes ladies there will be options available for you as well in this department. It's something new so there isnt much out there just yet. By Spring 2012 the chocolate brown watches will be everywhere for your buying pleasure, and I'll do an update then as to where you can buy them!

xoxo,

Christina