Style Game Changer: rocking sneakers

Happy as a clam moment captured by the awesome Karen of karenephoto

Let me take a moment to send a little love letter to sneakers, sneaks, kicks ;)  Dear sneakers, thank you for coming back in style like a champ. My entire wardrobe and feet thank you! :) The resurgence of comfort wear for me is an exclamation that "we"  have entered into this median of style where we can create our own definition of style. Say hello to my converse. These beauties have been with me for years and have allowed extreme comfort  amongst my style game. Peeps, I'm going to preach it all day every day. You can look great and be comfortable.  Sneakers can add a bit of sass and ease to a dress, flirty skirt (or non -flirt;) anything. 

sneakers: Converse   Dress: ALC at Fancy Pants 

My quick tip is to maintain a sleek profile when wearing a dress or skirt. These converse are lightweight so they don't add bulk to my feet. It allows the dress to still be feminine because it's not trying to compete with a bulky sneaker.  I'm pretty loyal to great classics.  Brands like Converse and Vans are my main go to when it comes to sneaker wear for me. I'm also currently loving on a few of the Superga styles as well for a more edgy wear. 

Don't be afraid to mix your looks. This high/ low style is perfect with sneaks.  It can allow you to dress down just about anything without overdoing it. 

See you next week my awesome peeps. Fall is around the corner ( I know!! ) and I have some fun, easy and oh so stylish ways to make the transition from Summer painless. MUAH :)

The truth about leggings

Exploring Portland's Japanese Garden :)

When I see styles I love, I react in a few ways. Screams of joy, a happy dance and the outfits, oh the outfits y'all. Mama see's all the many ways one can wear this peice and how I can bring a fresh take on rocking it. Leggings, I will admit, I wasn't a huge fan. However, never say never ;) Leggings can go bad real fast worn the wrong way. I won't harp on the unsavory details of what not to do whilst wearing leggings but Mama will certainly give you my tips to rocking them in oh so cute ways.  

When I wear leggings it's all about finding that balance between comfort and looking pulled together. With that said, my first go to tip is to elevate your look by wearing something a little dressier with your leggings. In this case I'm rocking my gold oxfords. I know I'll be buried in something gold, I just LOVEEE!! I mean, rocking it certainly ups my swagger ( which we all need, right :) Ok, I digressed from the legging situation. 

Proportion matters. Leggings for me is that style where the butt check happens on a regular when being worn. As in, can you see my butt? Is my shirt long enough to cover said butt :) The shirt should be long enough to cover your derriere but not so long that if you raised your hands in a "raise the roof" manner and we still don't see your booty, that means the top is too long. The top should cover the front assets completely. So if you want to wear a crop top layer it with a longer shirt, left open in a jacket like style. I mean this one ;)

If it's too thin, feed it! Your leggings that is. Fabrics that have a bit more substance make your leggings fit better ( no bagging out) and holds all the goodness in ( looks fabulous). We like that! This particular one is a moto style and has a great mix of mostly Rayon, some Nylon and a bit of Lycra. It's a few years old and still works great. I couldn't find this brand to feature but I've provided my other loves. I'm a fan of this one and these.  The price is great and you can wear the JCrew ones with boots come winter.  Yes please :)

I believe in a lot of things, a little magic never hurts" Maddie, 10 years old

I have a bonus post coming your way tomorrow. It's all about my Portland work and play adventure with my girl Karen of Karen E Photography. If you want to learn how to hug in Portland I suggest you visit me tomorrow :) Cool as hell places to stay, pretty pretty photos and oh yeah, the food!! Need I say more. The love is real!! MUAH!

Easy ways to rock neutrals

Wearing neutrals just makes me swoon about summer. It's light, fresh and modern. Summer will be here in about 6 weeks peeps and I'm counting :)  Wearing all neutrals is about texture and picking the right shade. I'm a fan of whites, ivory and grays. Since the weather will be slipping on its fancy 70 degrees and up temperature our way,  here are a few of my "how to" tips to rocking all neutrals and keeping your cool. 

Texture is your friend. I'm wearing these  ivory denim shorts from JCrew and paired it with this darling eyelet  top from Banana Republic. The eyelet gives this color palette some texture and makes the outfit more playful. By the way guys, this top was on super sale in the store so go snag yourself one now :) The ivory top was a bit darker than the shorts but this is why having texture is so great. The shades do not have to be an exact match, which makes pairing easy. Mama likes that!

the sun shining through :)

Accessorize to add a little something something ;) I paired this grey bag from JCrew ( so cute right) and my little coral puffball name Javi  ;)  to give the all ivory look some anchor. When it comes to styling myself and my clients, looking great should be a simple and easy process. Neutrals allows this ease because you don't have to worry about matching or coordinating since you're using the same color palette. They all play nicely with each other. 

If you want to wear all white, choose white denim and a silk-like top or knitted top with a smooth cotton bottoms. If you want an all grey look, wear light grey on top, dark on the bottom with a fun printed bag. Are you guys picking up what I'm throwing down?! Wonderful!! Now go and get your style on. MUAH!! :)

Journey to wow, a style story

I'm a hunter! I'm always on the search for those special and cool  styles that will upgrade an outfit. You notice it the moment you see it. When it happens for me, there's usually a squeal and a mini dance party ( ask my hubby and my girlfriends ;)  This special find makes a simple outfit sparkle 💫.  

These gold oxfords were a sweet find and I knew we were going to be friends the moment I saw them. Why they work. Well they're gold, I mean...LOVVVVVEEEEEE and they add a bit of the unexpected to an outfit. Whether you're wearing skinny jeans, pencil skirt or some sleek dress pants they're going to make you feel amazing and ready to take on the world. These are a few years old by Sam Edelman but you can snag similar styles here. I'm a believer that what you wear can transform how you feel. This is why I love my job as a personal stylist. I get to experience this wonderful magic where my clients completely shine when they have on an outfit that looks great on them. It empowers them to be their most amazing self and isn't that we are all trying to do. It's pretty cool. 

This JCrew brushed wool scarf is a style that they've repeated in the last few years. I have a few of these because the colors are beautiful and adds this richness to any outfit. The chevron belt is pure cuteness! The texture and print offers a cool pop and is a little different amongst the spectrum of belts. It's those little details that keep your outfit from looking wamp wamp wamp.  So search for those styles that will add a bit of wow to your look. Yes, you might not want to wear an entire gold outfit ( I mean, I would but that's me) but you can rock some gold loafers. A complete ombre look head to toe might not be what we want but a scarf that drips some beautiful hues against your skin, YES!! 

I met this amazing woman the other day and I was told that I'm officially adopted ;) She has this vibrancy and style that's contagious and uniquely her.  Style is another fun way to express your uniqueness and as my new friend said "everyday is an opportunity to get dressed." AGREED! I'm keeping this one. 

The grown up take on sexy wear, rated PG13

I'm experiencing this voracious need to be immersed in above 70 degree temperature, donning bare legs and covered in sunshine. How are you guys holding up?? Are you ready for sweet warm sunshine??  Although Spring hasn't officially arrived,  I wanted to wear something light and simple and yes I have clothing underneath ;) I got the chance to do an amazing photo session with the fantastic Vlad Radion of Radion photography. My warmth provided courtesy of The Mode Lounge. This spot is cool, eclectic modern and get ready to be wowed by their cocktail selections. I call it grown up and classy. 

These pumps can make any day better! You can snag these here.

This outfit made me feel grown up and sexy ( insert hands in the air and me saying "girllllll" ;) Sexy to me is a combination of confidence and just a bit of skin. In my 5'10" frame, the skin being shown here y'all are legs. I'm wearing a lace tank underneath with highwaisted pinstripe shorts.  At times the descriptive of wanting to look sexy and be sexy can sometimes feel disempowering for women. I think that comes from our cultural hijack of the word sexy. I see it as a WELCOMED ownership of ones own body, mind and soul. In other words, I embrace all the good and the "ok" stuff about myself which allows me to"own" the styles that I wear and not the other way around. The best part of my job is seeing my clients feel confident in the styles I put them in. You can fake confidence but it's short lived. No fun there, right!  I prefer we operate on truly working on our "stuff" and gain that confidence. Real confidence....way more fun!

A few of my favorite pieces in the sexy arena is a silk blouse, like this and a tailored blazer, like this. There's just something about silk and the way it drapes ( not cling) that says "hello lover". Well at least that's what I hear ;) The blazer with it's tailored silhouette can hug all the right places whilst still having that cool menswear feel. Classy is sexy.

PEEPS, the feedback has been amazing and I'm feeling the love!! I hope you guys are feeling it too. INSERT BIG HUG HERE!! The fashion filled journey continues and so much goodness coming your way!!  Let's get our sexy on!!!