The Right Style

#be Fashionable: MY Fashion Week

Last month was one of the most fashionable months on the calendar. If you’ve been keeping up, the fashion elite all converged in New York, Milan, Berlin, London and Paris to watch the world’s top supermodels and the top designers premiere their collections for the upcoming season. But for some reason or another, I was not invited to participate in any of the festivities (strange, I know) so I took it upon myself to make the month of September as fashionable as possible.

When the president of your company comes to town, it is mandatory that you pull out all of the stops. The “BeautiBar” is something that is known to all the ladies in our Beauti world: It’s a event, usually an intimate affair where you invite guests over and spoil them with samples of the latest and greatest of your sale items. (Remind me to show you our fabulous monthly sales brochures!) But for President Nikola, we took the BeautiBar and blew it up. We invited every one we knew and ADDED a fashion show. When you’re having a fashion show it is essential that you go for hig-impact pieces so one of my teammates arranged for us to work with a signature brand. When we contacted Ellen, the manager of Caché at Short Pump Towne Center, it was like kindred spirits had aligned. The “models”, three of my Spa Crew sisters and I, worked with Ellen to dream up looks that would take our BeautiControl models from our personal “work” style all the way to “WOW.”


I absolutely loved my dress— a sexy, bodycon number featuring a Lurex chainmail chest detail and cutaway neckline with leather piping. I love it so much in fact that I think a trip back to Cache is in my immediate future. Shop the look here.

The night was chockful of makeovers and glamorous details and some  seriously awesome giveaways: one of our guests walked away with an overnight getaway for two at The Westin and one more with a 200 dollar gift certificate to Shoes of Prey! Now who doesn’t want some custom-made shoes?!

It was a fabulous night with some equally fabulous guests but since I said it was my fashion WEEK, I’m not quite done yet. Stay tuned for part 2!

 

20 Work Outfits for Any Situation- The Cut

Living in the world of trying to maintain a work/life balance, it is easy to view the work bit as an obligation– a necessary evil there to finance the “life” part of your life. But think about it– most of us live a huge chunk of our lives at work and interact with people who are able to easily influence the direction of our lives, so why not put a little extra thought into how we dress from 9-5?

I love how the article highlights two different types of working girls (I can say that, right?): the lady who works in the conservative office and the gal who has more creative days. I, fortunately, am on the creative side of things in a business casual workplace, but that didn’t diminish my appreciation of the more corporate wardrobe. Click through the slideshow and see the mix of high-end and low pieces paired with situations that match just about anything you could be going through. They built a real woman’s wardrobe, repeating pieces throughout the editorial. I’m so inspired— maybe it’s time to hit the shops…

Read the full article here.

(hat tip to The Cut.)

Fall 2014, The Essentials

August is one of those months that seems to whip by. One minute you’re planning out the last bits of summer and the next, you’re pulling out the sweaters. But now that it’s officially September, I might as well act like it. Last week, New York Magazine’s “The Cut” published a list of 50 pieces essential for building a classic wardrobe and I positively swooned. Though I hate hate HATE being cold, the cold weather list reminded me just how much I love the layers and rich fabrics that the cooler weather requires.

I am a hot weather girl through and through and my summer wardrobe is ultra-light and hyper vibrant. I am the girl you see walking down the street and think, “Well, she’s wearing all the colors.” But in colder weather, I shift in neutral, weaving seasonal shades of grey, brown and black with jewel tones and even the occasional summer electric hue.

But when it comes to essentials, I have a list of my own.

The Tissue Turtleneck

My number one layering essential. A turtleneck in a lightweight, nearly transluscent cotton can take you all the way from first chill through the winter. I know turtlenecks aren’t the coolest fashion item in the world but there is a reason they have made them year after year in every pattern known to man since the 70’s. Turtlenecks can be dressed up or down and these slightly sheer tops can be layered with each other, with a jacket or a sweater and my favorite, a jumper-style dress.

TRS pick: J. Crew “Tissue Turtleneck Tee”, $34.50

The Slim Black Pant

This practically goes without saying: The black trouser is the epitome of classic. The pants may vary in style from season to season, legs going flared or extra-wide but there is never a time when this wardrobe piece isn’t very necessary. I chose the slim-leg trouser for its versatility: the pant can be dressed up or down, tucked into boots or worn with sky high heels to elongate those stems. Myself? I’m a roller. Since I’m short but not petite, my pants can tend to run on the long side. I love to roll and unroll the cuffs of my pants according to my whims ( and the height of my shoes.)

TRS pick: NY & Co “Crosby Street Superstretch Slim Leg Pant”, $59.95

The Riding Boot (In Black AND Brown!)


It’s chilly outside. You want to keep wearing your favorite dress but you need some extra warmth. Go for a riding boot. You have a super cute pair of shorts that you’ve been dying to pair with your perfect chunky knit sweater? Grab that riding boot! Considering riding a horse for some reason? Cheap shot– you know the answer. Riding boots are one of the main reasons cold weather exists. Since you’re inevitably going to be wearing more layers and covering up the outfit that you worked so hard to put together, you need to really need to make those outer pieces shine.  Beautiful textural and ornamental details on your boots can elevate an outfit, especially as you transition to winter–and that marshmallow puffer coat.

TRS pick: Sam Edelman “Pembrooke” Boot in Brown, $189.95 and Tory Burch “Eloise” Boot in Black, $495.00

The Flare Leg Jean


So, word on the street is that jeans are on their way out. I, however, refuse to accept this. Lululemon is great, don’t get me wrong, but I am someone who enjoys wearing clothes that are not completely made of spandex. A medium wash jean is a timeless piece that every PERSON- not woman, person- needs in their wardrobe. The medium wash is not a slave to trends and can be worn in the most casual of settings as well as those that require casual elegance. My favorite fall pairing without a doubt is a slim, flared jean with a blazer and an elegant heel, whether it be a boot or a stiletto. The flare gives you the same leg-lengthening effect as the slim black pant but with a different silhouette.

TRS pick: 7 for All Mankind “A Pocket Flare in Absolute Heritage”, $215.00

The White Shirt

Crisp, classic, clean. The white shirt is all weather, all season and is always in rotation in
my wardrobe. I have quite a few white button-down shirts in all different fabrics and textures but my very favorite is this exact shirt. The sateen gives what could be a basic cotton shirt a luxurious feel and a subtle shine. Wear it often and with absolutely everything.

TRS pick: Banana Republic “Fitted Non-Iron Sateen Shirt”, $69.50

It’s not until you begin thinking about what “essential” means that you realize that, “essential” might require more than one post. Next up? Outerwear.

#BeBlack: The Politics of Style

Photo: Howard University students, “Don’t Shoot!” Photo taken in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting.

Disclaimer: This is not necessarily my usual fare. There is quite a bit of darkness in the news and I am ruminating about it quite a bit in this post. Style and fashion is part of life…and sometimes, death. These are my thoughts.

It’s been a difficult week for me. “What’s wrong?!” you may ask. Well, I’ve been watching the news. And reading the news. And, cringingly, logging onto Facebook. And Instagram. And Twitter. There is nothing on which to buoy, it seems. ISIS. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Ebola outbreaks like never before. The heinous murder of James Foley. And here at home, we have Michael Brown.

Michael Brown is not the first young man that we have lost in a police encounter gone horribly wrong but this incident, for me, like many others, struck a very particular chord. Ferguson is a situation that is quickly slipping out of control. I don’t have anything original to say, well nothing that bears repeating here, at least. Here, I’m going to be talking about the optics.

Black style has long been tied to revolutionary movements. From the Black Panthers’ para-military style, an ostentatious show of strength to the mainstreaming of Afrocentric clothing in the 90’s, the clothing of African America has always had a perspective.

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Big Changes

There have been an INSANE amount of changes in my life since I last posted! I have a new full-time gig, I had an incredible styling appointment with a dazzling client, the Scandal season finale slayed me and Instagram rolled out video!

Yes, Instagram video is one of the greatest thing that has happened to me and to fashion marketing in general. I know that I may be in the minority of people when I say this, but I LOVE advertising. A gripping or particularly creative advertising campaign has the power to shape the way that you think about a brand and oft times, as we have seen with the recent chatter over the interracial Cheerios family and the multi-lingual Coke ad, has the power to relect how we view our world and each other.

The 15 second videos are great ways to share moments and inside jokes but they’re also an awesome way to show off fashion. Since fashion is meant to be worn and style is how you take that fashion and make it work in the world, capturing that motion is a natural step.


Though the video is simple and self-shot, it generated a great response on the outfit across Instagram and Facebook. My reach is largely confined to my admittedly large personal circle so imagine what brands with international reach could do…

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