color me gladd

i don't wear color. let me restate. i don't wear color very often. so when i do, people go mental. they pay me compliments left and right. yet, for the most part, i stick to black, gray, brown, very neutral beiges and taupes. and that's what i like. i wonder if i get more compliments when i wear color because it genuinely looks better on me? i think a lot of people are like me, and stick to "safe" colors...or for me, i think it's because i can mix n match and wear my key pieces so many different ways. color can be a challenge. you don't want to overdo it for fear of looking like a court jester. so what i like about holiday dressing is all the jewel tones. the purples, deep green, burgundy, even reds (which i'll never wear b/c i instantly look like i have rosacea) are perfect for the season. i like seeing jewel toned dresses worn with black opaque tights and great shoes.

the key to pulling off these satiny colored dresses is keeping everything else simple. wearing a solid color dress and then matching your accessories to it makes me cringe. the dress is the standout piece. don't feel like you have to have the same color chandelier earrings or big cocktail ring. you can do a dramatic piece of jewelry, and if you feel the need to add more color, choose another jewel tone to play off of it. like with this blue dress, wear a big ring like this one:

there are great holiday tops in jewel tones too. i love the silky nature of this emerald green button down.
great way to add color to your wardrobe, worn tastefully with the moto leggings. it's all about balance. i've been saying it for years. edgy rockery pants paired with sexy, demure silk top. done and done. example #2--ruffly feminine jewel toned top, mixed with sliced up jeans. perfection. some might think they're not "trendy" or "young" enough to wear this look. but honestly, it's easier to pull off than one thinks. if you're not a ripped up denim or if you're not a moto detailed fan, just wear your favorite skinny jeans. if it's a dressier occassion, stick to perfectly fitted black pants and your favorite heels. it's really a no brainer here.

when i do wear color, i have to say, my mood is slightly lifted. it's something different for me, and i know what colors work. i can wear purple like there's no tomorrow. greens work...surprisingly yellow is good on me. but put a red, pink or orange hue anywhere near me, and my skin suddenly turns shades of red. i look like i just had a chemical peel. seriously. or wicked wind burn. it's gross. so, try out the color spectrum and find what works on your skin tone and go from there.

if you're still hesitant to rotate your blacks and grays with a color, take baby steps. introduce some colored jewelry into your wardrobe.
either one of these statement necklaces will do wonders to your all-black ensemble. adding a pop of color really makes an impact.

you'd be surprised at how this subtly colored serpant bracelet will stand out against a black dress. just give it a shot. playing with color definitely brightens up any dull winter day. and just your luck, stop into fred for these great savings, and score some jewel toned pieces:

now thru december 18th: all dresses are $25 off, tops $15 off

sweaters, coats n denim are all buy one get one half off!

with sales like that, how can you not afford to scoop up some new garb? or get some gifts for your friends and family? hope to see you at fred soon. happy holiday shopping!

dear santa

please bring me these ash "tentation over the knee" boots, size 37, from shopbop.com this christmas:

i just saw the macy's commercial where this small well dressed child takes a cab (alone, which is slightly alarming to me) to macy's to drop off her wish list to santa via some grand mailbox type thing. so, i want to let santa know i want these boots and i deserve them after this year. hahahaha. more dramatics. i love the holidays and the decorating and the shopping for gifts. i love everything associated with it. even the cold--now that i have the best winter coat EVER courtesy of my friend jenna at flaire. all i need and want are these boots (and a distressed black leather crossbody bag) and i'm done. my cousin lorri and i always get each other for our secret santa gift exchange at our family function and we plan a trip to woodfield mall, specifically nordstrom, and buy ourselves whatever we want and count it as our gifts to one another. it's become a tradition, and one i look forward to every year.

christmas gift shopping should be fun. but it's pure torture for some people. i see plenty of shoppers in fred struggling to pick out just the right thing for their sister or friend and i feel bad. i like to think of myself as an expert gift giver. it's probably because i'm a professional shopper--or a too-often shopper--and i've done my research. it's second nature to me. clothes are a pretty personal thing, at least to me, so when i shop for gifts, i prefer to buy accessories for people. lucky for me fred has a huge accessories department. tons of scarves, hats, gloves, jewelry... i've been loving bib necklaces for a while now.

you can wear them with anything from blouses, to dressy dresses, to plain tanks and tees. we have this really cool one with metallic beads sewn on leather, kinda like this one:
i think they are great gifts. we have infinity scarves, which i really love and fingerless gloves that make excellent gifts as well. gift giving should not be a chore, which i think some people think of it as. shop at fred and let one of us help you pick out that perfect gift. or take the easy way out and get a gift card, and let her pick out exactly what she wants. Mention that you read this blog post now thru sunday, december 6th and get 20% off your purchase.

check please...

i don't know if it's just me or what, but i swear the number of red n black checked flannel shirts worn around town has multiplied ten fold. lumberjack chic is taking over the city. and it's not just cool hipster types. i'm seeing everyone in them. i'm not gonna lie, i have a fair share of flannel/plaid shirts and even i have one of these lumberjack numbers. purchased at target for $15. i have always liked the look of this style and honestly, am surprised at how trendy it is right now. i saw a big gap ad, all lumberjack chic. i don't know if that is sparking the craze, but i literally saw four people at alterra today in them. one being myself. ugh.

i remember this cover from elle mag, and it revisited my love for the plaid:

i remember when that came out, i busted out the same look. big western belt and turquoise necklace. what a copycat i am. then i saw one of the olsen sisters wearing this:

and i was inspired to work the whole lumberjack chic meets rocker chic look...resulting in a really cool style. i think that's the best way to style this look. i like wearing my flannel with my long sleeve ivory rebecca beeson thermal under it, my current elliott elephant bell jeans with my new favorite hat, a cable knit newsboy hat with brown wood buttons. i can't find a pic of the exact hat, but it looks kinda like this one:

i've recently been on a shopping hiatus, since i moved, and i said i couldn't buy myself one thing for the rest of the year (gross). but i saw these boots, and NEED THEM ASAP.

these need to be in my closet by christmas. i've been doing so well not shopping, but i swear i put these jeffrey campbell tall engineer boots in my online shopping cart once a week. i am to the point of obsessing. i've styled at least twelve perfect outfits with these boots as the centerpiece. one being very lumberjack chic. why can't i just win the lottery?

on that note, you won't need to win the lottery to shop fred's black friday sale. check your email this week to see what we've got in store for you. you'll want to show up early, 6am, for the best deals! we're open 6-6 on black friday and getting in a huge shipment pre-sale. see you there!

disco biscuit

i was watching a movie the other day and they made a reference to a disco biscuit that they were going to take pre-studio 54. i find the term kinda funny, even though i'm not a big club goer or pill popper. regardless, i have always been intrigued by the 70s. studio 54, andy warhol, the glam, the socializing...all that appeals to me. i probably wouldn't have fit in too well, but i would have tried. i love looking at pics from that place and checking out what people wore. halston was a big one. i love halston fashion. the long flowy dresses are amazing. i love seeing all the stylish people, smoking, drinking...just letting go. and dressed to the freaking nines. i wish i had an unlimited budget. i wish there was a studio 54-ish club here that i could go to. i think it would be ridiculously cool to get all dressed up in sequins for a night and totally let loose. in fact, i think i'm throwing a studio 54 themed party soon.

70s glam. so over the top, but so awesome. born to be alive. i love it. sequins, fur, super high gold shoes....more people should embrace this look. maybe they do and i'm just hanging out at too many hole in the wall places.

high waisted jeans, fur vest..i love those nude colored false eyelashes. and all the thick gold jewelry is awesome. very rachel zoe. i was perusing one of my fave websites, shopbop, and checked out their sequined items that i could wear. these are my picks:

um, seriously, those sequin leggings are insane. i doubt i could pull that one off, but i'd really like to try.

i would totally wear that sequin jacket. i love it with her current elliott skinny studded jeans too. i'm still a huge fan of that denim line. i've decided that this holiday season, i'll attempt to channel my inner studio 54 fashionista and wear some sequins, or fur, or false eyelashes and glittery makeup. stop into fred for your sequins party dresses, fur vests and thick gold jewelry soon!

ode to emily

keeping with my aspen chic or sporty chic themed posts, i'm going granny chic this week. and my new roommate emily is the inspiration behind this posting. emily is obsessed with granny chic anything. she loves shopping in secondhand or consignment stores and wears the vintage-inspired look with ease. i'm not a vintage-y girl, even though i love the look of it, it's just not me. of course i had my phase of only wearing vintage...i think every girl into fashion does. but i've discovered that i just can't wear it. not cuz it doesn't look good...but because my skin breaks out and i sneeze and i feel like my throat is closing. even after a couple washes, i still feel this way. is it psychosomatic? perhaps. but what i do know is i have the same reaction around cats as i do post secondhand clothes wearing, so i've concluded i'm allergic to it.

there's a certain kind of woman that can pull off granny chic.

this chick can. you don't have to wear actual old vintage clothes for this look. nowadays, i feel like this look is everywhere. embellished cardigans are at every store and boutique i frequent.

whether it's gemstone embelishment or tiny rosette embelishments like on that last picture, cardigans with extra details add that granny flaire. some might be thrown off just by the term granny anything..i mean, who wants to look like their grandma at their age? but when styled in a modern way, with funky vintage-y jewelry or with distressed boyfriend jeans, this look is very now.

her tweed skirt and fur edged wool coat work. add those blush/nude shoes and you look like anything but an old lady.

coats are a pivotal part of this look. all wool knee length, a line coats work. we have great floral brooches at fred that would complete the look. add trendy shoes like hers and a knit beret to solidify this look.

one aspect of granny chic i do love is the jewelry. kenneth jay lane creates some of the most modern vintage jewelry i've seen.

other pieces i love:

i like the cameo pendant on the super long chain. all these pieces can be worn with embellished cardigans or worn with a simple white tshirt and look great.

i think this style is perfect for late fall early winter. it oozes coziness and comfort. if it's not your every day style, i think it could be easily incorporated into your wardrobe by adding just an element or two of the style.

sporto

i was a huge tomboy growing up. i'd say i was a tomboy thru college. it wasn't til i started working at nine west in my early 20s that i even thought about what i was going to wear. i mean, i always liked clothes, and reading fashion mags and whatnot, but i was a jock. jocko johnson...people actually called me that. i stuffed my "thunder thighs"(thanks for that self confidence blow uncle mike) into my lame-o abercrombie jeans and tossed on a hooded sweatshirt and thought i looked good. i look back now and see that i still have that sporty vibe going on pretty much every time i don't work. i have a ton of clothes, but i reach for the same army green or camouflage cargo pants and my decades old off the shoulder grey sweatshirt that is literally hanging on by a thread at least once a week. as i get older, i realize for me, comfort is a main priority in my life. sometimes that means sacrificing looking fabulously hot, but i accept that. sometimes i think i walk out the door looking like a haunted house, and to my surprise people will compliment me and say i look good. i'll spend two minutes throwing myself together garbed in my newly dubbed "sporty chic" apparel and i'll get more compliments than when i take an hour trying to primp myself and dress to the nines. my friend annie at fred struggles with her casual wardrobe. i think i've mentioned this before. she's constantly in heels and dresses, and looks great, but when it comes time to go the brewer game or something, is plagued with the what should i wear dilemma. a lot of people that come into fred want to have some weekend appropriate clothes and find themselves confused on what to wear to look cute, yet stylish.

my go to outfit as previously stated is army green pants and a gray sweatshirt. not a pull over collegiate-type sweatshirt, but something cut a little "sexier" and more modern. something like this:

there's something about that heather gray that i can't stay away from. i'm always drawn to it. it's another one of my fashion equivalents to comfort food. i love wearing the look with some kind of pumas, or asics or even my bright red and cobalt blue saucony tennis shoes. i'm not a shoe whore, but when it comes to tennis shoes, i can't help myself and want to buy a zillion pairs.

i'm not a color person, but when it comes to shoes like that, i'd wear 'em all. add some cushy yet fashionable athletic socks like these:

and throw on some form of a hat:

they key is not to overthink this look. just put on your favorite articles of comfortable clothing and wear them with confidence. don't think you're a scrub if you're not wearing your skinny jeans and five inch heels. you can look hot in your old standbys. channel your inner emilio estevez in breakfast club..."come on sporto, level with me..."

and stop into fred for your casual basics...new zenana long sleeve knit basics, infinity scarves and don't forget to take advantage of their buy one sweater, get one half off sale.

stay puft marshmallow man

when i first saw ghostbusters as a kid, i thought the stay puft marshmallow man was the cutest thing ever. my mom even made me a replica of it. it was my favorite toy. this is who i speak of:

awww, look at that guy. he's cute. anyway, since the weather has completely flipped over the last week and it's a mere 40 degrees, all i've been thinking about is a new winter coat. i already feel like i need one. in october. i love jackets..i have a bunch...leather, blazers, cropped military style...you name it, but i struggle year after year with a winter coat. my friend alicia and i finally consigned our same winter coat that we wore for like five years straight. a black and white marled wool number. it was time to retire it. year after year i want to buy a new winter coat, but i never find one that i absolutely love. i'm determined this year. i know what i want. i've had it in my head for two years. olive green, mid thigh to knee length olive green parka/anorak style with a fur lining. i think i've mentioned this before. but i can NEVER find it. ever. i saw one in a lucky magazine two years ago, and have wanted it ever since. what is the connection to the stay puft marshmallow man you ask? well, i wear this puffy north face jacket all the time, even if it doesn't go with my fashion sense, strictly for its warmth. people have called me the stay puft marshmallow man, or they say i look like ralphie's brother joey (is that his name?) all bundled up in his snowsuit in a christmas story, or they call me the michelin man. i never took offense to it, because honestly being warm is one of the most important things to me. i don't care how silly i look if i'm warm. i got teased the other night b/c i was wearing a big wool scarf and a knit hat inside a bowling alley...i was cold. 40 degrees is freezing to me. so, i'll wear it. and ignore the comments. but there are tons of women who come into fred looking for jackets and refuse to buy a "bulkier" jacket because they feel fat in it, or say it doesn't show off their bodies. hmmmm, to me a winter coat should shield you from the treacherous and harsh wisconsin winters. i don't think you should be judged on your outerwear here. i understand the need to look chic, believe me, but a little practicality never hurt anyone.

i just re-started my winter coat hunt recently, and i still haven't found "the one." but i'm not giving up. i'll wear my michelin man puffer until i find something practical and fashionable. it's a tough one, even for me. but in phase one of my hunt, i did find some nice coats:

i always wanted a camel colored coat in wool, and i like this one. but for the love of god, put some pants on that chick. jeez. this dark one is sleek, i like the length of it, but it could be almost too long for me at 5'4". i dunno.

see, that's the color i want, but longer and with fur lining. impossible to find. well, not impossible, but it is if you want one under $800.

i would love a faux fur, but it's definitely not for everyday wear. i love how warm that one looks. i think i am gonna get a faux fur this year fur sure. god, i'm lame sometimes.

this one is the closest to what i want, except it's in gray, and has toggle closure on it. i'm not a huge toggle fan, but i do like this coat. and if i don't find something by thanksgiving, i'm gonna have to go for this one:

but that's the extent of the fur lining i want. it looks warm, cozy, kinda log cabin/woodsy chic. i guess that's what i want. only if that was in olive green...ugh, why is my winter coat hunt so hard? i have this black wool coat i wore to the ground too, but i'm sick of it. got it for cheap at a sample sale, but it's beat to hell. buttons falling off the sleeves, small tear in lining...it's looking a little rough around the edges. kinda like me lately. maybe i should cut it some slack and wear it another year. eh, maybe not. this is when i know to end my blogging for the day. i'm having a debate with myself whilst posting. i'm sure it's annoying to read. so, i'll write to y'all next week.