Pencil me In!

"The Devil is in the Detail"

So you've heard the saying, "The Devil is in the Detail"? Well, this holds especially true for my OOTD today. While there is nothing particularly fabulous about my outfit, I really like the small details of texture, print and color that make up the whole. There's something to be said for just dressing smart (as in polished) and casual, with no hidden agenda.

Harlem Nights

Stole Sunday

Happy Sunday!

I've been dying to "get my life" and incorporate some fur into my wardrobe. So when my mom gave me this deep burgundy faux fur stole for Christmas, I was ecstatic and have been waiting for the right moment to bust it out lol. 

This stole is seriously the warmest and softest thing I've ever felt and never want to take it off. I also wore it over the collar of my coat for a little outerwear glam. I've also been itching to wear this cream lace top that my coworker gave me for Christmas (I mean people were spot on with the style gifts this year lol). I thought the two would make an interesting combination and ended up being a winning match...one of my friends told me that I looked like a million bucks ;-) I paired it with a dark floral pencil skirt and simple black pumps. But that fur did it...I felt fabuloso!!! 

Shirt: Joe Fresh, Stole: Gifted, Skirt&Belt: Strawberry (NYC), Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Monochromatic Mix

Hi Islers and Happy New Year!


I love the mixed prints and patterns trend we've been seeing everywhere and I can't wait to start incorporating it into my looks but I'm still a bit shy to step out in something THAT different. Here is a stylspiration of what I eventually want to work myself up to lol

Don't these look amazing!!!

But for now I thought I'd go slow by keeping to a monochromatic color palette. This is one of the safest ways to test the waters of any new look or trend. By sticking within the same hues or values, you can mix and create visual interest without the risk of looking like your house was on fire and you layered on everything in your closet ;-)

Today I am feeling gray and not in a bad way ;-) So, I paired these FABULOUS heavy linen patterned pants with a graph-checkered button down and blazer. The look is finished with pumps and simple accessories.

Pants: Joe Fresh, Shirt: J. Crew (thrifted), Blazer: Banana Republic, Shoes: Nine West, Necklace: JewelMint

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),