Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Stylislers!

I hope everyone is enjoying their respective holidays this year. I am so happy to spend this time reflecting on God's goodness, grace and blesssings to me, my family and friends. There are so many tragedies and senseless acts of violence going on around us, especially recently, that make me want to pull the ones and things I love closer. So, I haven't attended tons of parties, but the few gatherings I have had were special and I wanted to dress the part. Below are some of the looks I've worn over the passed week. 

Again, Merry Christmas!

Church!

Skirt: H&M; V-Neck Sweater: H&M; Denium Shirt: Joe Fresh; Pumps: Jessica Simpson, Necklace: JewelMint; Gray Pearls: can't remember but they were either a gift or a thrift lol

Lo key evening at home...

Sweater: Joe Fresh; Random leggings lol: Cozy socks: Jockey

Christmas Day with the Parents!

Random leggings, santa hats and fleeces all around! lol

Chrismas Dinner at the bestie's house...

Skirt: Joe Fresh, Shirt: Strawberry; Booties: Bakers; Necklace: JewelMint; Coat: Steve Madden: Scarf: Christmas gift

My Holiday Lookbook

Hi Stylislers!

Well we have definitely settled into the holiday season. Winter is my favorite season (I mean hey, I was born in the dead of Winter-February!) and the holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. A time for family, friends, food, faith, fun outings, tinsel, snowfall, hot cocoa and snuggling with the one you love :0)

I decided to put together a holiday lookbook of outfits that range from casual to dressy for all the holiday activities you may have planned. Click below to view the lookbook and I hope you glean some inspiration for how you can sparkle this holiday. 

However, and whatever, you celebrate...be comfortable, be stylish and most importantly be YOU!

All the information on my outfits are in the video.

Animal Prints

Leopard, zebra, cheetah, crocodile...animal prints are a huge trend again this fall and winter. I've never really been into animal prints but I admire those who can rock the trend. More recently, I've been anxious to get my feet wet by incorporating some of these patterns into my wardrobe. There are a couple of things to keep in mind if you want to rock this look successfully:

1. Find a print that compliments your skin tone. If you're extremely pale, perhaps stark black and white zebra is not the way to go. If you're of a darker complexion, brown leopards or cheetah may not stand out enough. You can go bold with zebra and snakeskin.

2. Find the right size print. If you are full figured, look for smaller prints if you're doing a head-to-toe look or look for prints that are strategically placed in order to draw the eye upward (or wherever you want to highlight your best assets). If you have a smaller physique, go for larger, all over, prints.

3. Accents. If you're not very adventurous with your style or your apprehensive about trying animal prints, test the waters with some accent pieces first. Start slow with a purse, flats or earrings to see how you can work them into your existing outfits.

About 5 months ago I bought my first pair of cheetah print crop pants as my first step into the animal kingdom :-) I liked these because the print was small and in a darker tone. I also, went a little metaphoric and paired this look with lion-face earrings. The shirt is a simple mustard colored tee from H&M that picks up the subtle hints of orange in the pants. To finish the look, I added a matching mustard knit scarf, my fav metallic belt for texture and classic gray pumps. 

T-shirt: H&M, Pants: DeJanero (NYC), Metallic Belt: H&M, Scarf: H&M, Pumps: Nine West, Earrings: Essence of Beauty (essenceob.com),

Stylspiration

Hi stylislers! Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, I know I did ;0)

I wanted to talk a little about what I call tylspiration. Stylspiration are the things, people and places that inspire your style choices.

I've mentioned in an earlier post that Michelle Obama is one of my style icons. I find I have a lot in common with her aesthetic and I follow her as well as other style bloggers for inspiration and admiration. Amidst the MANY sources from which I glean stylspiration, are the style quiz and a lookbook of outfit ideas that is based on my likes. The style quiz allows you to hone in on your style and put a name to your aesthetic (Boho Chic, Trendy, Classic, etc.). Below is an example of my style quiz from JewelMint.com which is one of my fav accessory retailers. The lookbook is a book of ideas that I separated into categories (dinner, work, jewelry, outwear, etc.). The book is a way to get ideas if I'm in a slump or need to find something quickly for work or date night...cause hey sometimes I don't have time to do all that I do in a day AND generate the brain power to assemble an outfit too lol

What are some of your stylspirations? Maybe creating a book for visual reference or subscribing to style sheets on Facebook will aid your search. What, who and wherever your stylspirations come from remember to take those little gems and make them your own!

A select few style blogs I follow are:
Mrs. O 
Northern Lights - Southern Belles 
Naturally Fashionable 
Moments of Style