thredUp March Wardrobe Capsule  (Lookbook) 

My first Lookbook!

I’m so freaking excited!! When I was contacted by thredUp, I didn’t know everything they had to offer but I will briefly share my experience of getting to know thredUp. I searched the large selection of thrift heaven lol. There are a lot of name brand items as well as lower priced brands such as Forever 21 and H&M. The perk? You can afford Burberry and brands normally purchased from Revolve and Free People at a much more appealing price tag for budgetnistas. I got 4 items for $53 which isn’t too bad because the items I got are much more expensive retail on their own.

For the capsule wardrobe I grabbed pieces that I felt would be versatile and then I chose them based on appeal of style. I wasn’t shopping for name brands, name brands don’t always equate style. I knew I wanted a shirt, skirt, dress and pants. These four items can single handedly make a wardrobe (capsule). Here’s a tip: a bodycon dresses can easily double as another shirt. That makes two potential outfits with one piece! Also, grab colors that contrast and be sure to snag a basic essential for any wardrobe such a pair of jeans. You can dress jeans up or down which gives your wardrobe so much versatility. If you need to down size your closet, creating a capsule wardrobe is the best way to do it. Always get rid of things you can no longer fit first! This will create tons of room in your wardrobe. Now that you know what you can do prepare your closet for a capsule wardrobe, check out what I got. Here’s a simple breakdown of my items with prices:

Levi’s Jeans: $13.99

Spring & Clifton Sweater Dress: $15.49

Isaac Mizrahi for Target Skirt: $7.99

Velvet Long Sleeve Top: $21.49

*I also used a 20% off promotion code*

  

Creating this March #capsulewardrobe was really fun. Check out all the pics below and then head to Instagram type in #capsulewardrobe or #thredup to see more from thredUp!

Package upon arrival:


  

*All clothing items are from thredUp

 

 

 Later Cupcakes! 💋

Trendy But Not?

One of the biggest trends right now is denim. Although I’m not one to jump on the trendy bandwagon, this trend is really something I’m grabbing a hold of. If you haven’t checked out my “Style Lusts”, please do. I discussed the different options that are out there for those that want to explore this very popular trend. 

Well, here I am displaying how I wear this trend. *Disclaimer: I realize that this coat has gotten way to big on me. In a short period of time, my body has changed. Although the scale hasn’t moved much, my body says different, I’m shrinking but building muscle. I will have a fitness update coming soon.* I grabbed my denim trench coat purchased from a popular and stylish spot in Detroit on Cass Avenue called Thrift On The Ave. I paused it very simply with a warm bodycon dress from United Front, also a company based in Detroit. I added bold accessories and open to knee high boots for a sassy look. I’m hoping for warmer weather soon to crank out more looks! 

Want this denim trench? Send me an email to: thestylecake@yahoo.com. Please type Purchase Denim Trench in the subject line. 

Til Wednesday Cupcakes! 💋

  

Selfie Moment:

    

        

The Graphic Tee Revisited (Plus Bad Hair Day Fix)

In the beginning of my outfit of the day blogging days, I blogged a look that I called “Rockstar Chic”. This post focused on the grungy look of one of my favorite thrift purchases, a graphic tee. Simply put, I love this tee!! It is what’s being sold in stores at a more expensive price.  The best part is my tee was really inexpensive!

I’m having a bad hair day today because….well it’s a long and sorted story lol. Anyhoo, the very simple solution for a bad hair day is a long scarf tied to imitate the long flow of hair and off to the side for a bit of “femininity”. This way, you still feel girly and not like you’re wearing the scarf out of necessity (even though you are). As I’ve previously said in my first “Style Lusts” for this month, you can use leopard print as a neutral. That’s exactly what I did with my scarf. At the same time, I’ve in effect added another layer of flavor to my look.

Since it’s Friday and we all want to get out and enjoy this weekly holiday lol, I’ll wrap up this post. I wanted to show a real life display of incorporating my style lusts. I have on boyfriend (husband for me lol) jeans that are lower on the waist and bun area. This allows for relaxed look. This look is a bit grungy but more polished than the first version with this tee. Let me know if you like the look!!

Happy Friday Cupcakes!! 💋

Jeans: JCP. Graphic Tee: Thrifted. Booties: Shoemint. Scarf: (old). Jacket: F21. Bracelet: H&M.

 

The First Look w/this tee:

The look this time around:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casual Friday: Sophisticated Denim

Friday!! It’s my favorite only and repeat holiday of the year lol. I love Fridays because they’re not only the beginning of the weekend but usually everyone is in a good mood because they have the next couple of days to themselves. The world just seems happier on Fridays! I love to do casual looks that can be worn in the office to show how you can be stylishly casual in a work environment. Since we all want to go enjoy our weekend, I’ll be brief.

My hair style inspired my entire look. I’m wearing a simple side bun and I decided to wear my black glasses. The shoes I’m wearing are from Justfab’s Luxe line (when they had it) and it’s my first time wearing them. They’re real suede and the color is so bold and pops against all the black and white pattern in the look. My jeans and jacket add edge and my maxi cardigan contributes a sleek, diva like effect. I’m wearing a black and white print bodysuit with a black tank underneath (for modesty). What do you guys think? I’ll be back here Monday, until then enjoy your weekend!!

Later Cupcakes!

Jacket: Forever 21 (but thrifted). Cardigan: Naked Wardrobe. Tank: H&M. Bodysuit: American Apparel. Sold Out, similar here. Shoes: Justfab (Luxe) sold out but a better pump here. Clutch: Turquoise Soul Bags upon request. Jeans: JC Penney similar here.

SJB Series Part 1: Royal Pains of Winter

I know I have thoroughly complained and expressed my frustration with this season of winter. As a blogger, the colder months can so uninspiring. Quite frankly, I don’t love what the cold does to my skin. Somehow I always neglect to put enough moisturizer on my hands and other 2000 parts (insert eye roll) lol. I personally prefer my hair curly but in the winter I wear it straight. My hair is tailbone length and is quite time consuming to straighten. When I straighten, it’s poofy probably in the first 24 hours. I don’t re-straighten so I end up “bunning” or doing the ponytail thing which isn’t the most glamorous style. I honestly am simply not a fan of boots, I prefer open toe because they offer more detail in design but I digress.  I know what you’re saying “girl those are personal choices that you’re complaining about”. You’re so right but hey, I’m explaining the royal pains right? 

I completely inspired by my beautiful necklace from Sassy Jones Boutique. When I received this necklace I was definitely impressed at how beautiful it was and also the great quality. I LOVE this necklace. Had it been summer, I probably would have styled this look much differently…much more to my personal style but this look is to showcase the royal beauty of this statement necklace. I paired it with a free flowing vertically striped top and a black fur jacket to exaggerate the regal bold “centerpiece”. To bring the look to a casual balance, I wore a pair of jeans and thigh high boots. 

Had it been warmer weather, I would have worn a skirt instead. Not to take away from the necklace, I decided against a belt. I added a headpiece to further emphasize the “regalness” (I made that up lol) of this look. This is a bit out of my personal style but I am showing a style of how to wear this necklace. MY personal style with this necklace will be shown in a lookbook next week! For now, let me know what you think. Link to this gorgeous necklace, click here: (direct link). 

Shirt: Thrifted. Headpiece: Neon Wild. Jacket: Burlington (similar here). Jeans: Fashion Nova

     

   

Casual Friday: Office Appropriate 

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-!

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

Black, White & Colored Sophistication 

Disclaimer: A huge part of style is fit. This coat is WAY too big for me but I wore this for demonstration purposes. 

I love mixing color with black and white prints. The two compliment one another so very well, sometimes even allowing two different “styles” to coexist in one outfit. In this look today, I’m actually showing the most subtle (if it can be called that) way to mix colors amongst strong colored prints. I opted for a houndstooth scarf balanced against a colorful plaid coat. Both work for style and comfort as they not only keep me warm but they also stand out and grab attention. For a chic look (to this vintage coat), I tried to wear the coat simply hanging onto my shoulders. It was too cold for that!! Lol. I didn’t wear jewelry because my look is definitely decorated enough (due to the prints), overdone is never attractive…at least in my opinion. I’ve mixed black and white with colored prints in the past and I LOVE the way that it looks. I feel that it’s easy a signature look for me! Anyhoo, I’ve put info on my look below and something new I’m doing is adding alternatives to items no longer available, vintage or thrifted. Let me know what you think!

Later Cupcakes!

Wool Coat: Vintage (similar coat HERE, similar shirt HERE). Scarf: eBay. Turtleneck: H&M. Denim: (similar) JC Penney. Boots: old (similar pair HERE

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January First!

It’s 2016 already!! Geez time has really flown by. 2015 was a very difficult year and I am glad that some things are now the past. The things that matter to me are the things that money simply can’t buy. I started planning for 2016 back in 2015 and I must say that I am so ready to start doing things that I planned. I don’t have new years revolutions, every single day is always one that I use to do better than I did the day before.

I can’t say that I didn’t learn a lot last year. This blogging thing has opened my eyes to people even more and has opened up the romantic idea of myself. There are things that I would love to change physically at times but the most important changes are always the ones that I choose to make inside. The secret person of the heart. I am going to continue to make the strides that I started making in 2015, this year is no different than any other when it comes to making the best out of becoming the very best that I can be. Life has made many adjustments, un-forseen things have happened. I’m a better mom and wife than I was this time last year, I am very proud that my husband and children are proud of me. I’ve outgrown overdue friendships and grown into new ones where I actually feel cared for, not by things or money but by true love and support coupled with understanding.

This post is not really about what I am wearing on the outside, rather what I am wearing on the inside. My heart. I feel loved. I feel inspired. I feel beautiful. I feel brilliant. I feel grateful. That is all that matters. My outfit was one that I wore out with one of my dear friends. It was the last hang out of 2015 and I was comfy the entire time.It’s stylish but it shows how relaxed I felt in my heart. I can’t wait to celebrate more of nothing more than simple moments, not over exaggerated by fancy clothes, over the top parties, faux friendships. Just honesty. Simplicity. One day at a time. So much to accomplish but before I get ahead of myself, let’s do January first!

Later Cupcakes,

Candy.

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A “Modern” Update 

A little while ago I was taking advantage of the warmer weather we had. I seriously have started looking for spring clothes and shoes because I am over boots and coats already. Yea, it’s that serious lol.

I love this shirt that I am wearing in this post because it is so simple and is actually warm enough to wear in the winter. You’ve seen this shirt in a post earlier this year and I wanted to wear it again so I decided to add it to another outfit of the day but kind of updating the look to coincide with my current sense of style. The look is pretty simple but I love that it rock & roll, girly, flirty, and classic all rolled into one. I wore one of my favorite pair of open toe booties by Zara and layered the look for a fun spin on the shirt. The look is fresh and clean. You can try this look with a totally different graphic tee and closed toe boots and a different jacket for your own spin on this outfit!

I know this weekend is a long one so I won’t keep you, I’m headed out myself for some fun. I will catch you all back here Monday for another outfit look!!

Bye Cupcakes!

Jacket & Tee: Forever 21.  Shoes: Zara.  Denim Shirt: Thrifted.  Skirt (SOLD OUT): Fashion Nova (similar here).  Clutch: Turquoise Soul Bags.  Earrings: Layered Chains.  Ear Cuff: F 21.

 

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