Modern Prep

Photo courtesy of Sung Shin

Cardigan, Gingham shirt-J.Crew

Skirt-Forever 21

Shoes-Sam Edelman

Sunnies-Karen Walker

Necklace-Kenneth Jay Lane

Ring-David Yurman

Happy Wednesday! Nothing like updating a preppy look with some leather, right?;)

Have a great week. Xo.

Leather Panel

 

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Leather (faux) shirt-Bailey 44 (currently on sale!)

Jeans-Rag and Bone (similar style here)

Shoes-Sam Edelman (old)

Purse-Chanel

Cuff-John Hardy (old)

Pendant, Rings-David Yurman, Maison Martin Margiela

Sunnies-Karen Walker

Happy Wednesday everyone! At first glance, this black top looks very simple but the fact that the front of the shirt is faux leather gives it an edgier look than just your ordinary black shirt. The back of the shirt is a mix of spandex/rayon which makes it comfortable to wear when dealing with summer weather.

Have a great rest of the week. Xo.

Sheer

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-Equipment

Leather (faux) shorts-F21 (old)

Shoes-Same Edelman (leopard version here)

Purse-Chanel WOC

Ring-David Yurman

One of the staple items in my closet are button down shirts. I own various kinds because they're easy and comfortable to wear and great layering pieces for the winter.

Out of curiosity, I've tried on the ever popular Equipment blouses before in the past, but opted not to purchase them since all of the ones I've tried on have either been too long on the sleeves or too roomy on the sides for me. Simply put, they are just not petite friendly. The blouses are pretty pricey as it is and I personally don't care enough to spend more money on it to have it altered--I just don't want to be bothered with it no matter how popular they are in the fashion blogosphere. However, to my (pleasant) surprise, the sleeves on this version didn't fall below my wrist like the others have in the past, and it was my first time seeing a Peter Pan collar on their blouse which adds a little character to their usual conventional design. What can I say, I'm a sucker for subtle details;) 

Have a great weekend. Xo.

Stripes+Floral

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Floral cropped jacket-Patterson J. Kincaid

Shirt-J.Crew

Leather (faux) shorts-F21 (similar version here)

Shoes-Sam Edelman (leopard version here)

Purse-Chanel WOC

I've recently been loving floral prints, which started with the purchase of this floral skirt worn on this outfit post. When I ordered this jacket online a couple of months ago, I didn't realize that it was reversible until it was delivered! For once, I'm actually glad the sleeves are a bit long because when I fold them, the print from the reversible side shows. Now that's what I call a pleasant surprise;)

Have a great rest of the week. Xo.

Gold Accents

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Jacket-Tbags Los Angeles (buy here)

Tank-F21

Jeans-Rag and Bone (buy here)

Shoes-Sam Edelman (buy here)

Bracelet-Hermes

Sunnies-Celine (buy here)

Bag-Chanel

One of my favorite color combinations is gold and black. There's something very sexy and chic about this color pairing that's visually stimulating, especially on accessories. My next jewelry piece I want comes in several colors but I am eyeing it in black and gold, which is really hard to find on this piece so I'm waiting patiently until my SA calls me to tell me it has popped up in the store. 

The gold accents on the jacket make it a fun evening piece, which is why this outfit is something you'll find me wearing on date night or a girls night out. What can I say? I'm most comfortable when wearing a great pair of jeans and top versus a dress;)

Have a great week. Xo.

Ripped

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Shirt-Gap (buy here)

Sleeveless blazer-H&M (old)

Jeans-Rag and Bone (buy here & use code WEAREFAMILY13 for extra 20%)

Shoes-Sam Edelman

Sunnies-Celine (buy here)

Purse-Chanel

Necklace-Alexis Bittar

Cuff-John Hardy

My current obsession these days are my new Rag and Bone destroyed skinny jeans, Celine sunnies, and my Chanel purse which are all being worn repeatedly. Knowing me, these three players will be showing up on the blog again;)

Have a great rest of the week! Xo.

Laid Back & Reflections

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Leather jacket-Theory

Chambray shirt, beanie-H&M

Jeans-J Brand

Shoes-Sam Edelman 

Necklace-David Yurman

Hi everyone! Now that the holiday season is officially over, life will hopefully slow down a bit for me (and you). I guess you can say this outfit reflects the relaxed attitude I'm feeling right now.

New years day always has me in a retrospective mood but also has me looking forward to the new year in terms of goals and personal growth for myself. There were many highlights in 2012 such as amazing opportunities and unexpected features with my blog, existing friendships that grew stronger, new friends gained, buying my first home/learning the responsibility that comes with home ownership, and going back to church. The lows of last year was definitely the death of my grandmother, coping with the grieving process that comes with the death of a loved one, and the sad realization that some friendships just aren't worth nurturing and are better left in the past. 

I hope that 2012 was a joyful one for you and that my little corner of the web has been somewhat inspirational to you through outfit ideas or encouraged you to get in the kitchen and experiment with recipes. I'm excited to see what 2013 has in store for me and that you'll stick around to find out.

Happy new year and have a great rest of the week. Xo.

Black Blazer Remix

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blazer-Helmut Lang

Striped shirt-Ann Taylor

Skirt-H&M (from last year)

Shoes-Sam Edelman (similar style HERE)

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope your week is going well so far. I was looking at my calendar last night and was shocked that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! How did that happen?? It's crazy how time has been flying.

I wanted to share with you today a recent purchase of mine, which is this cool, chic black Helmut Lang blazer. Blazers are one of those items I believe every woman should invest in because it's just a timeless piece that will never go out of style. I fell in love with this one only because it's a little different from the traditional looking blazer (no lapels or buttons) and I loved the fit on me. The only thing I'm debating is if I should hem the sleeves. I love adding updated classic pieces to my closet because it gives me options to play around with when thinking of outfits and makes it all that more interesting. 

What are your favorite go to blazers?

Leather Love

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Chambray shirt-Old Navy

Sweater-Loft

Leather pants-United Colors of Benetton

Shoes-Same Edelman

Purse-Chanel WOC

Cuff-Hermes

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Hi everyone! I am back from a fun and interesting time in NYC and sluggishly heading back to work today. On my last day in NYC yesterday, I ventured out to the YSL sample sale and stood in line for 6 hours. When I arrived at 8:45am (doors opened at 9am), the line was wrapped around 34th street (bldg was on 33rd) and down 9th Ave. It was insane. 

You're probably thinking I'm crazy because that's what I'm thinking too but after standing for a couple hours, you start to think, "I can stand for a little more." But then that little more turns into a lot more. Ugh. That was my first time standing at a sample sale for that long and I've been to several in the past so it was a definite experience. I came out with an arty ring and a clutch so I'm pretty happy with the purchases. I wasn't impressed with the shoe selection, RTW, or the bags though I saw many, many girls walking out with shopping bags filled with shoes/bags. It's still going on until tomorrow so if interested, the sample sale is located at the Soiffer Haskin, 317 W. 33rd St. (near 8th Ave.)  

Ok so let's talk about today's outfit post. I mentioned a couple of posts back that I love everything leather this season and was on the hunt for leather pants while I was in Portugal. I found these pants at United Colors of Benetton and have been pairing them lately with lots of knits and button downs.

Leather can be tricky if worn wrong because it has a tough look to it which can easily translate to biker chick, which isn't exactly the look I normally gravitate towards. I wanted to pair it down with a conservative top to soften the look against the leather. I have another pairing coming up with these leather pants which completely transforms the look into something completely chic.

Are you getting into the leather trend? 

Green and Black

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Shirt-American Apparel

Skirt-H&M

Anorak trench-Ali Ro

Shoes-Sam Edelman

Clutch-Chanel

Necklace-Alexis Bittar

Rings-David Yurman

Bracelet-Mango, Neiman Marcus

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney 

Hi everyone! One of my staple pieces for fall is the classic trench. I bought this Anorak trench over the spring and it has been my go- to coat as of late. I wanted to wear it over strong colors such as green and black and to keep it consistent with the colors of the trench. I love that the pop of color comes from the beautiful green color of the skirt.

With the new fall season upon us, I've been meaning to do something with my hair. I've been loving the ombre looks that's been circulating the web and was contemplating if I should take the plunge. Right before my trip to Portugal, I received a personal invitation to Frizzles Hair Salon's Fall Fete. They were celebrating their nomination from the DMV's popular radio station, HOT 99.5 as being one of the top salons in the DMV area and wanted to invited me to join in on the celebration. They offered me complimentary hair and color services and asked if that was something I'd be interested in and I took that as a sign that I should finally take the plunge;) It was a great afternoon that consisted of sangria, giveaways, catered Greek food, and delicious cake pops from Kylie's Pop Shop.

Barbara was my assigned colorist for the day and I can't begin to tell you how wonderful and thorough she was with my hair. I expressed my concerns on how I didn't want my locks to be too light and that I wanted more of a subtle ombre look. She suggested colors to me and listened to what I had to say and voila, here is the end result! I couldn't be more happier. Thank you SO much to the Frizzles team for extending your salon to me and your kindness that day. 

It's amazing how blogging has opened up opportunities and friendships along the way that I never would've imagined. I'm always so grateful for the support of you readers who visit this blog everyday--thank you. 

Wishing you a great rest of the week. Xo.

Urban Chic

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-DVF

Vest-Old Navy

Jeans-JBrand

Shoes-Sam Edelman

Purse-YSL
Necklace-Alexis Bittar

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney
 

I know this is an outfit post but I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you. It's been kind of an exciting week for me because I was featured in both  Refinery 29 for my peppermint bar cookie post and The Washingtonian magazine for fashion purposes so I'm feeling very thankful.  A couple of days ago, The Washingtonian magazine did a feature on "10 Washington Fashion and Beauty Bloggers to Watch for in 2012" and I was one out of the ten chosen. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked when the style editor reached out to me a week ago because I've only started this blog a little over 3 months ago and didn't think many people would be reading it. So, thank you to those who left such sweet comments on the last post, thank you to my new (hello!) and old subscribers who stayed with this blog from the beginning, and thank you to those on twitter who messaged me with congrats and sweet words.

I chose to do this blog for the sole purpose of using it as a creative outlet towards the things I'm passionate about, so to be recognized as a "blogger to be watched for 2012" is just crazy. Crazy good, of course=) I hope that you continue to love what you see and I will strive to develop my blog into something you will enjoy reading. So again, thank you SO much for your support!<3