Spotlight On: House of Harlow 1960

Every so often I like to highlight a great brand that might be not so well known. This time I picked an accessory brand, House of Harlow 1960. This brand is created by Nicole Richie, and I must say she has impeccable taste for being unique. The collection includes Jewelry, Shoes, Sunglasses and Handbags. My favorite pieces are definitely the jewelry, mostly because of their great geometric patterns. When you buy jewelry you want it to be eye catching... isn't that what you pay for? That's why I love how all the pieces draw your eye to it, and make you want more. Some of my favorite pieces from the House of Harlow collection is below. Enjoy!

All styles shown are from ShopBop.com

xoxo,

Christina

Walk like an Egyptian

It's safe to say we have a major Egyptian theme going on recently. From the giant gold cuffs, to the solid gold cuff necklaces, to the thick hammered gold belts. When you put them all on I cant kept but get flashbacks of channeling Cleopatra. Nonetheless, I happen to think it's a great summer trend, and if you buy the right pieces they can be pieces for a life-time. The biggest thing to keep in mind when you're going for this look is moderation. There is no need to wear all the pieces at once because I promise you will then look more like a costume then cute. Plus, gold is something that is timeless, so it won't be going out of style anytime soon.

Urban Outfitters Gold Cuff

Sabo Skirt Hair Cuff

loooooove the gold cuff belt.

Sabo Skirt necklace

Sabo Skirt Ring

Ring

So cute... want want want

xoxo,

Christina

Best of the Met Gala

Last night was the Academy Awards of the fashion world. The Met Gala brings the creme de la creme of fashionable stars out. Eye candy galore. Feast your eyes on some of the best-dressed celebs and dresses (in my opinion of course).

Let me start with my BEST DRESSED and obsession of a lifetime....

Nina Dobrev in Donna Karen

My second favorite and kind of want to steal this too..

Cameron Diaz

Emma Stone

On anyone else I would have probably hated this, but its Emma Stone and its so perfectly fitting.

Camilla Belle

Jessica Alba in Michael Kors

Dianna Argon

Giselle in Givenchy

Sophia Vergara

Kristen Bell

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

So there you have it folks. I have to say I loved 90% of the dresses, but in order to not take up 4 pages on this blog I opted for the short & sweet version. Hope you loved it as much as I did.

xoxo,

Christina

THE "it" ring for Spring

I still remember 2 years ago when I got my first "floating ring" which was essentially a 3 finger ring that was shaped so it looked like diamonds were floating between my fingers. I wore it to work and 3 of my male clients joked with me about what kind of crazy contraption I was wearing and if I was going to wear it to a bar fight. All jokes aside, I'm well aware it looked a little strange but I was mesmerized by how unique and beautiful it was. Later that year, Erica Anenburg came on the scene with the 2 finger rings, which I equally adored, and even later on places like Forever 21 picked up on the trend.

Where do you go from there? Once you have a 1 finger ring, then 2 and 3 finger rings, what else can you create? Well, my friends, YSL has come through to design what I believe is the most coveted ring for Spring/Summer. In fact they were so sure of its popularity that they wasted no time, and already introduced this same ring in their Fall 2012 line (no time to procrastinate). They are pioneers in this trend, and I suspect there to be MANY copy-cats to follow in the style.

So what exactly am I blabbering about anyways? Why of course, its the YSL Arty ring. The true beauty of this ring is it looks like its on upside down, but it's really not. The big stone highlight piece is made purposely to be worn so it sits on your knuckle. Where regular rings direct the attention to your finger, this directs the attention to your knuckle. Weird? I say genius. At about $250 a pop, these don't run cheap, but that price tag is nothing compared to its unique quality and statement. They could easily charge double or triple and have just as many sales.

Okay, enough of me talking, I'll let the rings do the talking for themselves. Feast your eyes on these beauties.

xoxo,

Christina

Spring Trend: Front-tie tank blouses

There may not be anyone who loves a good blouse more then me. I'll never forget walking around Macy's 2 years ago feeling totally defeated when the sales associates told me that silk blouses were "a thing of the past" which they don't carry. That led me to a frantic search of vintage shops in Pasadena just to get my hands on anything I could find. Fast forward to 2012 & there isn't anywhere you can go without seeing a wide variety of blouses (finally!). And now, with special thanks to our British friends across the pond we have a new trend that crosses a Blouse with a Tank in complete harmony, coupled with class. Presenting, the front tie blouse.

The first time I saw this for Top Shop's spring collection I was kind of too excited to process it. The ease of a tank is left intact, while the elegance of the blouse is preserved. The cute front tie can be wore loosely for a simple accessory, or tied up to see just a bit of your tummy. Remember, this is about class & not trash so it's not meant to be a crop top!

ASOS

Parker Front Tie

ASOS

TopShop

You can throw this look on with a black skirt to look professional on a hot day, or some distressed flare jeans to be laid back boho. Whichever you choose, I think you will be very pleased with the versatility of this top. Top Shop & ASOS have the largest selection of this style because after all the trend originated in England. However I have spotted a few pieces at Forever 21 & Gap. I have a strong feeling it will be making its way to just about every story very shortly so keep your eyes peeled.

Happy shopping!

Xoxo,
Christina

Missoni - the only scarf you need

I have been a huge Missoni fan ever since FIDM did an exhibit featuring the brilliant work. I'll never forget that fall day when I decided this was something I have to invest in. I've gotten a lot of questions regarding what I'm wearing, pieces I've bought & how I incorporate them into daily life. So today instead of talking about a specific trend I wanted to talk about my newest piece, which is the Missoni scarf and why I recommend adding this into your wardrobe. My heart skipped a beat opening this package, like a 5 year old on Christmas morning. It was everything I wanted & more.

I know the trend seems to be Burberry scarfs because of their timeless appeal & trust me I still adore my 2 lovely & hard earned checkered cashmere scarves. But I needed a change, something that would give me a pop of color & a breath of fresh air. If you are in the market for a scarf that looks chic & colorful I highly recommend a Missoni. They mesh well to wear year around, and are very affordable for a designer brand. Here are a few other fabulously printed pieces as eye candy :)

Missoni

missoni

Missoni

xoxo,

Christina

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