Author: The Style Cake

Urban Runway

Posted on by The Style Cake

I’ve a bit uninspired partly due to this tragically bland weather we call winter. (Insert eye roll) Beyond being too cold to garner the gusto to get out, I’m just ready to wear sandals and summer maxi dresses. I miss curly hair and lighter hair color… I could go on and on. In order to grasp a teeny bit of spring, I grabbed a bright, bold colorful scarf from Target. 

I wore the scarf in a Rosie the Riveter kind of way. I added hoops to emphasize the “casualness” of the look. My outfit is pretty casual anyway but I added extra “leather” to create a bit of an edge so the look isn’t basic. Nothing wrong with jeans and a tee but that wasn’t the goal here. Since the look is so casual and edgy, I decided against a handbag of any sort. 

I’m finding inspiration in the cityscapes and surroundings in the city so my muse was a gritty but “tattooed” alley. I felt this alley was perfect as my runway. It had been years since I’ve seen actual alley cat but I saw one this alley. A true sign of vitality in the area. Anyhoo, the walls of this alley lended the perfect scene around my runway. Check out my catwalk…

Later Cupcakes…

(Scarf: Target)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Casual Friday: Love Naturally Experience

Posted on by The Style Cake

Disclaimer: I was sent a shirt and a pair of earrings from Love Naturally to review. All my opinions are naturally my own. Also, I am wearing only lipgloss (neutral). I left my skin makeup-less. Lastly, I am a naturally curly girl and this hair is all mine. This blog post is picture rich and long with words. 

This world has enough hatred, anger, contentment in misunderstanding that sometimes just being alive can get a person down. Not to mention the pressure to pile on beauty products, hair and clothes to fit in and a be accepted or “keep up with the Jones'”. I decided to do this post without make up, wearing my natural hair and casually decorated in some of my most comfortable digs. Sometimes, I think that bloggers can garner the title of shallow because we are always taking a selfie to show case a new makeup or skincare product, because we take numerous pictures all to try and get the few that portray our looks perfectly or because we are always talking about our own thoughts and ideas. I can’t speak for all bloggers but I do know some of the kindest people and they are bloggers and are very encouraging at that. 

On my blog and social media, I am always trying to promote positivity and love and that did not go unnoticed. A company that also promotes the message of love and positivity by the name of Love Naturally contacted me to try out and review its products. I was excited because not only is the owner from Alabama (I’m a southern girl at heart) and has family from my hometown of Detroit but she has a great brand that promotes something I strongly believe never fails: love. I know that it’s been said already but true love isn’t expressed enough nowadays. I have been married for almost 13 years and I had  never experienced this kind of love. I’m a mother of two miracles and I had never experienced this kind of love. I have friends that are my sisters not by blood but bound by love. My relationship with my mom has grown of course since birth and I feel love from her that I hadn’t felt before with each passing day. Despite difficult times, love prevails. Too often, the motto becomes “return evil for evil” or “eye for an eye”. I have to admit that I’ve been guilty of having this attitude but I am always trying to refine myself and so I pride myself on letting things go and not sweating the small stuff or negativity. Love makes a person feel good on the worst of days. To love naturally to me means love that is organic. Love is not contrived and is pure. Love starts within first. If a person loves him/herself first, it’s easier to express and show love to others. 

I hope that my outfit reflects the comforting, relaxing look of love in purity and not putting on airs of impression. I’ve learned to love my flaws, that was so very difficult as I’ve been ridiculed for them. My “flaws” make me unique. They make me…me. On to my look….

I received a simple fitted tee that says “love naturally” in a clean script font on the front and also a cute pair of dangle earrings. The earrings’ design connect to the love of nature with genuine wood accents. The shirt is very much durable and so cozy. Quite frankly, it will easily be my go to tee. The earrings boast superior quality and I can tell they are made with care. While I would not wear them everyday, I know I can get great use out of them. If you’re on the fence about making a purchase, let me tell you how lovely the customer service is. The owner is very kind and I loved the quality of her communication is simply awesome. That is very important to any customer. I am very satisfied with my experience with this company and am happy to help spread love and positivity. Check them out on Instagram to see daily messages of positivity and love! 
 

Love,

Candy. (Later Cupcakes!)

 

 

Jacket: Forever 21. Glasses: eBay. Shirt & Earrings: Love Naturally. Handbag: Forever 21. Shoes: Shoemint. Necklaces: Jewelmint. Charm Bracelets: Jewelmint. Jeans: H&M.

 
 

(Edited) Candy Paint Color…

Posted on by The Style Cake

I am a true lover of color. Color adds so much personality, life and depth to….well, life! How boring would everything be in black and white? Remember those black and white televisions? Whew, so very glad that we’ve moved on to better technology lol. 

It seems nowadays so many folks are dressing almost the same, unidentifiable in their own style and totally mimicking what seems to get attention. I miss the colorful world of fashion, one that allows plenty of color and the silent description of every clothing piece through it (color). The (public) world of fashion seems to applaud the look of only blacks, nudes, grays and whites. Not that those aren’t colors, it’s just that as of recent, these are the ONLY colors some look to for outfit options. In an age where the Kardashians rule the looks in plenty of “wardrobes”, it’s awfully nice to see color. 

Well, I tend to wear the things that make my eyes and soul happy. I feel like I have to incorporate color (bright color at that) in almost everything every look! Spring is around the corner (gosh it feels marvelous to say that) and it causes me to dress up in spring/summer attire. But, it is still winter. That being said, color is the best way to dress for spring and summer during the winter! Grab a vivid color for a pop of fun with any outfit! 

I decided on a bold vintage bucket bag and a mustard tunic as the pops of color (to motion for spring and promote the liberties of wearing color freely). I love the thickness of the tunic, I was so warm. Despite the weather being warm that day I felt cozy. My denim trench coat was purchased from Off Thrift (of Thrift On the Ave) in Detroit, MI. You can totally check them out online and on their Instagram page. It is truly a one of a kind coat and adds an urban flair to any look. It’s quite amazing how this one piece adds so much personality. My boots are new and have appeared in a recent post. The fringe and gray adds another layer of style but is muted at the same time. I don’t have on a ton of pieces and the abundance of color makes up for that. How do you wear color? I’ll be back here tomorrow Wednesday for style lusts…

Later Cupcakes!

Denim Trench: Thrift On The Ave (similar here). Tunic: Fashion Nova. Leggings: H&M. Boots: Shoedazzle. Glasses: eBay (similar here). 

 

   

  

 
  
  
  
  
 

Boho Street Style

Posted on by The Style Cake

I have seriously not been in the mood for dressing up. I want to wear some jogging pants. I’ll tell you one thing, I will be on the hunt for a new pair of kicks, possibly Addidas of Nike Air Max. I just need stylish kicks because I’ve not been in the mood for heels lately. Today I wore my broken in and long loved wedges from Justfab. I love these because they are so comfortable and I can run and jump all while looking stylish. My hair is all wrapped up so I put a scarf on because the wind has been so unforgiving this past week and I couldn’t get a flattering picture with my hair disrespectfully blowing every where.  Anyhoo, I’ve been wanting to rock this vintage Jordache jeans sweatshirt for months but I planned on wearing a skirt. Since this look happened before the warm up, wearing a skirt (with this look) and then another skirt a few a days later is a “no go” for me in this kind of weather.

I decided on a pair of denim pants from Top Shop. These are the Joni jeans. They are super comfy for those days when you would like to wear jogging pants but want to look a bit more polished than just wearing leggings. I wore a striped dress underneath my sweatshirt as a tunic for layering and dualing duties of combating the cold as well. To jazz up my look a bit, I am wearing a statement necklace.  I threw on a black leather jacket for warmth, edge and good measure. This look is quite boho chic with and edge and I’m ready for spring so this is also a lazy day outfit. Share your thoughts below!

Later Cupcakes!

To be Updated:

Jacket: Forever 21. Sweatshirt: vintage. Denim pants: Topshop. Dress/Tunic: Zulily. Wedges: Justfab. 


 

The Warm Up

Posted on by The Style Cake

I’d like to apologize for the lateness of this blog. My photos were not “cooperating”. Anyhoo, this is a rather post anyway. I just wanted to quickly share how I took advantage of a warm up that we got up here in Michigan. I sort of celebrated (because I’m so over winter) with a pair of open toe thigh high boots. 

The boots are a faux suede and they are the (now popular) gray color. I absolutely love these boots because they are so different from a lot of the open toe shoes in the fashion world. The boots were quite comfortable actually as I was able to walk around for a few hours in these without pain. I paired the boots with a simple outfit I constructed from pieces already in my closet. The boots really create a different look beyond just being a basic turtleneck and skirt. I grabbed my new favorite bag from H&M to complete the simplicity of this look. Tweed can tend to look anything other than youthful but the boots and this skirt being a fit and flare skirt appeals to playful modesty. I decided on a very beautiful cuff bangle that boasts two beautiful tassels and a statement choker necklace. Although simple, the choker makes a bold and clean statement. I also wore an ear cuff as a small layer of sensuality. Let me know what you think of my complete look and my next look will be up tomorrow (for a regular scheduled post)! 

Later Cupcakes!!!

Turtleneck: H&M. Skirt: Forever 21. Boots: Shoedazzle. Choker & Ear Cuff: Neon Wild. Bangle: Layered Chains (sold out, possible restock).

  

   
  

  
  

Fabulous Night Out

Posted on by The Style Cake
Fabulous Night Out

Roksanda white coat
$3,230 – net-a-porter.com

Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals
$395 – saksfifthavenue.com

Chloé leather purse
runwaycatalog.com

Leith cuff bracelet
nordstrom.com

Lipstick
sleekhair.com

Fiebiger lipstick
fiebigershoes.com

90s Look: Fringe Benefits 

Posted on by The Style Cake

Friday’s are days that I love! My children are off for the weekend, my hubby is too (even though I’m always working) and I get to enjoy my family! Now this weekend things will be a lil bit different. We have some work to do but we are still going to spend quality time together. Very simply put, I wanted a fun and stylish look! Fringe is always easy way to make an otherwise boring outfit fun!

The fringe I chose are fringe boots. They truly add a little bit of funk to my look. I didn’t feel like doing too much with my look because this seems like the perfect day to watch a movie and munch on a good crock pot meal lol. Honestly, I hadn’t noticed until my hubby pointed it out that I look like I belong in a Lil Kim video lol. Well, that goes to show that the simplest looks can say the most right?! Ha!

Welp, I gathered a few things that I had in my closet, some new, some old and put them together in this look. So there really is no concept in my looks during the winter beyond warmth and comfort honestly (which I know I’ve said before). For warmth, I really do love a fur jacket, coat, cardigan, etc., so that’s what I reached for in this look. I have a few furs, a couple which are jackets. Since this look is intended to be casual, I didn’t want to wear a fur coat which seems to be worn in a more formal fashion historically. Now of course you can break the mode and wear a maxi length coat if you like but I declined to do so.

My jacket was purchased years ago from Burlington Coat Factory on the clearance rack for under 20 bucks! Yes!! 20 bucks!!! It was extremely cheap because there was a genuine suede belt that accompanied the jacket in two loops but one of the loops was “broken”.  I decided to cut both loops off and not wear the belt at all. I think it gives the coat a more luxurious look (beyond the black color). I grabbed a turtleneck dress that I bought on clearance from American Apparel last year. I saw this dress on Adrienne Bailon and fell in love with this dress. I bought the exact same color which is a sort of sea foam green. It balances the black of the jacket out pretty well. I’m exhausted with wearing dark colors in the winter and quite frankly I’m just ready for winter to be over lol. The turtleneck dress is a fitted one and really accentuates anyone’s curves that would wear it. My accessories are minimal. Since my dress comes a bit above the knees, I found the opportunity to wear thigh high boots (again for warmth) and even though they are open toe, I was warm because my thighs are covered. I wanted a sleek look so I opted for a bag I grabbed from H&M. The clean lines and contemporary look of the bag is exactly what I needed to balance the modern simplicity of this outfit. Let me know what you think of this outfit and also, let me know how you wear your furs!

Til next time,

Later Cupcakes!

Fur jacket: Burlington (similar here). Dress: American Apparel (similar here). Denim shirt: Walmart (similar here). Boots: Shoedazzle (similar here). Bag: H&M. 


Casual Friday: Office Appropriate 

Posted on by The Style Cake

This is dedicated to all of my style friends out there that work in the office environment. When I worked in an office (I do still work in my own office), I couldn’t wait for casual Friday because I hated business wear. The thing is, even though as a staff we got to wear more casual attire, we still had guidelines to follow. The point of this outfit look is to actually show how you can be casual and stylish while still dressed appropriately for the office environment.

Since long line jackets are among my favorite pieces to keep in a wardrobe, I think incorporating such a thing in an outfit can automatically keep your look business-like without looking boring. Naturally, anything can rock a fresh pair of jeans I will so I opted for a pair from Forever 21. They cost about 10 bucks and are a basic wash denim. A basic wash doesn’t look to “decorated” that they detract from the business aspect of your look. I paired the jeans with a mock turtleneck top, white in color for a clean, fresh detail of the look. I added a scarf for esthetic and and comfort, another layer as well as an extra bit of (depth of) color. My boots are the rugged yet chic detail of my look. They boast an overt stitched, thick sole and fur at the outer inside area of the shoe as well as the tongue. I love this design of boot because it’s wet and snowy out. I won’t risk breaking my neck in heels with these! Let me know if you likey! I will see you guys back here tomorrow for a special (not really lol) post!

Later Cupcakes!

Jacket: Thrifted (similar here). Turtleneck: Thrifted (similar here). Scarf: (New) Goodwill (similar here). Jeans: Forever 21 (almost similar here). Boots: Target. Bag: H&M. 

 

L-A-Y-E-R-S-!

Posted on by The Style Cake

Preface: I was supposed to upload this post yesterday but the post somehow got erased. I’m sorry guys. Trust me, I was beyond frustrated for the lack of a better word. Regardless, I still will be uploading Friday’s post. 

There is no doubt in my mind that winter’s cold somehow forces the unintentional organic act of layering clothes and outerwear. The thing with layering is that it can be stylish regardless of the intentions of keeping warm. The beauty of being stylishly comfortable is that can evoke a major sense of creativity. You can truly find your sense of style in the process of layer clothing. Now, personally my sense of style has been evolving lately by each month but that is to be expected and moods of what you may like to wear for months, maybe even years at a time does indeed occur. My advice when layering is to be willing to experiment. For instance, don’t be afraid to mix not only prints but colors and even “styles”. I will discuss the generalized types of styles that exist in fashion in a (very near future) later post. Perhaps then, I will do my very first look book!!! Layering can involve more than one piece of outerwear, more than one shirt, more than one kind of bottoms and even only layering accessories. I chose to layer with outerwear and a blazer.

The weather has indeed been frightful, in fact it decided to snow on the day I wore this look. That being said, I knew that I wanted to wear my fur vest. This vest is so incredibly warm and allows for the rest of my look to still shine through. My blazer is an old one from Forever 21 and it also very warm. I didn’t feel the need of a coat seeing as that the vest and blazer provides so much warmth from the brisk air. I am wearing thermal leggings…tis the season for cozy (and publicly accepted) pants lol! I wore a ruffled front ribbed tunic to further block the cold air. I opted against jewelry because the focus is truly on my layering and the comfort of this look. I chose my fave clutch, very simple and doesn’t detract from the look at all. My boots add another layer to the look in that it seems to add “weight” to the bottom of the outfit by the look of the wedge. I hope you guys get where I’m going with this. Anyhoo, even the suede of the boots offers a layer sort to speak against the look of the fur. My goal was to create a balance throughout the look and still be cozy. This look is intentionally slightly masculine because I am in the woods (and I wanted to portray a lumber jack effect {insert wink smiley face emoji}) but you can make this look a bit more feminine by simply changing the hat and the color of the plaid shirt or blazer. So let me know what you think of this look!! How do you layer? What is your favorite way to keep warm? I will see you back here tomorrow…yep, I am still uploading Friday’s look!

 

Later Cupcakes!!

 

Black Ribbed Tunic: DOTS, (similar here). Vest & Blazer: Forever 21 (similar blazer here). Boots: Justfab (similar here). Leggings: . Hat: Boohoo (similar here). Earrings: H&M (similar here). Clutch: American Apparel. 

All Black Everything 

Posted on by The Style Cake

So here in Michigan, winter has finally decided to show up and show all the way out! It has been freezing and to be honest, I haven’t truly been in the mood for dressing up. In fact, I haven’t been in the mood to even go anywhere!! Yea, it’s that cold! If it doesn’t involve my pajamas, I’m not that thrilled about the destination lol. I guess it’s safe to say that my mood is properly expressed in this outfit, all black everything.

Beyond expressing my mood, there is genuine comfort in my look. Being lazy as I was, I still put thought into the look but I wanted to be cozy cute! My top…thrifted Goodwill, my pants…leather leggings by American Apparel and my boots from CiciHot are all layered in one of my fave winter coats purchased years ago from Burlington. This coat is 100% wool and boasts genuine fox fur around the collar and sleeve endings. Ahh, the warmth the fur adds to these places on the coat is truly unbelievable! A good faux fur works just as well if you’re fur conscious. I’ve had my coat for almost 20 years so it may be harder (unless thrifting) to find a coat like this for 99 bucks like I did! Needless to say, that’s the source of my style this winter, warmth and comfort. Don’t be afraid to wear comfort instead of “fashion” for style when it’s cold. Style when done organically, will ALWAYS outdo forced fashion trends. My lip color is bold, made to pop out against the shadowing darkness of the all black. Let me know what you think! Please join me back here tomorrow for “Style Lusts” and a surprise post later…

(Insert hand wave emoji) Cupcakes!

Coat: Burlington. (Similar here)  Pants: American Apparel. Boots: CiciHot. Necklace: Macy’s. (old, searching for similar).